The story of the church of Laodicea is found in Revelation 3. This church was known for being lukewarm—they were neither hot nor cold toward God. Because of this apathy, God warned that He would spit them out of His mouth.
When I think about the Laodicean church, I also consider Isaiah 65. These two passages are strikingly comparable.
I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
to a nation that did not call on my name.
I held out my hands all day long
to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices;
A people who provoke me
to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens
and offering incense on bricks. (Isaiah 65:1-3)
Imagine God speaking the words of Isaiah 65 to the American church today. He says, “Yes, you have religious activities, but you’re more interested in good sermons and music than in experiencing My presence.
“I desire nearness to you, but you find prayer burdensome. You find it more desirable to scroll through social media on your phone than to talk with Me.
“I often reach out to guide you, but you rebel and turn away from My direction to follow your own plans.
“You provoke Me on a regular basis because you serve the idols of American culture instead of Me.”
Like the church of Laodicea, we deserve to be spit out of God’s mouth.
God’s Heart for His Children
You are probably familiar with the image of Jesus knocking on a door, asking for admittance.
“Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you with me” (Revelation 3:20).
This vivid picture originates from Jesus’ humble request to the lukewarm church in Laodicea, the very church that deserved to be spit from God’s mouth.
Our Creator and Lord holds out His hands to a rebellious nation and seeks entrance into a lukewarm church.
This thought should cause us to stand in amazement at His humility and grace. Furthermore, it should awaken us to the profound opportunity presented by the Lord.
Just as the Father reaches out His hands to a wayward nation, Jesus offers to enter our lives. What sort of offer is this from our loving God? Think with me for a moment.
Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit with these words: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
When Jesus enters our lives, He doesn’t expect us to live up to the standard outlined by Paul on our own. Instead, Jesus, through the Spirit, produces these character traits within us.
As we look at the demands of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), there is no way we can achieve the righteous standard of living presented there by ourselves. The good news is that we don’t have to. Through the Spirit, Jesus is alive in our inner selves, doing for us what we simply cannot do for ourselves.
Paul highlighted this reality: “It is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
God empowers our intentions so that we can both will and work for His good pleasure. And what is God’s good pleasure? It is His desire to cultivate within us a character that reflects the fruit of the Spirit dwelling in us, as seen in Galatians 5:22-23.
How can this become our actual experience? Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:19b-20).
Based on the truth Paul revealed, we can pray and experience the abundant life God wants us to have:
“Lord Jesus, when you died on the cross, I died too. Now that I have invited you into my life, you live in me through the Holy Spirit. I trust this to be true.
“Thank you for loving me. I invite you to produce in me everything you desire for your glory and my good.”
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 