“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” (Revelation 3:14-22)
What Kind of Church Are We Getting Inside Us?—Nauseating Faith: Shout, “Hosanna” or “Crucify,” but Don’t Call Me A Good Teacher
Revelation 3:14-22
The first century city of Laodicea was wealthy, boasting of a thriving banking industry, local fashion moguls, and a world-renowned medical center. It was also well known for having lousy water (I guess you can’t have everything). Evidently the church of Laodicea, like the surrounding city, was affluent and prosperous, but Jesus likened their brand of faithfulness to the city’s water source, finding it to be tepid, distasteful, and nauseating. The Lord announced that he’d prefer faith that is boiling hot or even ice cold to lukewarm. We are, in a lot of ways, like the Laodicean believers who were struggling (and apparently failing) at living out their faith from a position of affluence. When we have the goods of the world and live in relative peace, it can be easy to grow complacent in our faith, forget the role God plays in our story, and to begin to function in ways that are more self-reliant than Christ-reliant. Unfortunately for us, when our faith could be described by words like humdrum, mediocre, lukewarm we are in a position to receive these harshest words of rebuke from Jesus and deserve to be spit out of his mouth like a big gulp of subpar water. Fortunately for us when we find ourselves in this position of so-so faith, we are also in a position to receive His warm, hope-filled summons to repentance and restoration: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (3:20-21). Whenever I read this passage, I see a lot of my own reflection in this church of lukewarm faithfulness. If that’s where you find yourself today, Christ is knocking. Will we open the door and let him back in?
· Why do you think Jesus says that he prefers for faith to be either boiling or icy to lukewarm?
· What are some symptoms of lukewarm faith in your life? Why do you think mediocre faith is such a threat in seasons of ease and affluence?
· What do you think Jesus’ warm invitation to repentance means in this passage? How can we respond to that invitation positively?