There are some things that are best enjoyed hot and some that are enjoyed cold. You want to have very hot fries with a very cold soft drink. You want your ice cream to be super cold but want a very hot cup of coffee (I am judging you if you like your coffee warm😆). There are certain foods that are disgusting when warm. It might be your favourite food but because it is not in its preferred temperature, it is disgusting. Guess who else doesn’t like lukewarm things? Jesus.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:14-16 NIV

Jesus instructs John to warn the church in Laodicea of their lukewarm deeds. His words are not mere suggestions that the church should maybe consider adopting. They are instructions that carry authority because of the One they are coming from. Jesus reminds them of His identity and authority – He is the Amen, the final authority. His words are accurate because He is the faithful and true witness. As the author/ruler of God’s creation, He knows how the creation ought to function to effectively fulfil the intended purpose of the Creator.

The words ‘hot, cold and lukewarm’ would have landed so heavily on the church in Laodicea. Because of where the city of Laodicea was situated, they had poor water supply. To the north of Laodicea, was a city called Hierapolis with hot springs that were healing and to the south was Colossae with cold springs that were clean and refreshing. Water would be supplied to Laodicea from these two cities using aqueducts but by the time it got to Laodicea, the water was lukewarm. Unappetizing and nasty to drink.

Jesus says that their lukewarm nature is disgusting. In fact, the New King James Version talks about Jesus vomiting the church out of His mouth. I love that Jesus doesn’t sugar-coat it. Their indifferent and compromising nature was so foul that He can’t even stomach them. What a way for Jesus to finish His letters to the churches than to warn about lukewarmness. I believe this letter to the church in Laodicea is one that describes accurately what most of our Christianity has become today.

Most of us didn’t accept Christ and intend to be half-hearted in our devotion for Him. If we look back to the time we got saved, we would notice how much we were on fire for Jesus. We were ready to be all in. To go wherever He would send us and do whatever He would tell us to do. To let go of our habits and patterns that didn’t align with our new nature in Christ. We said “I surrender all.”

What happened? Somewhere a long the journey we got lukewarm. We had people around us who told us that it’s not that deep – that we can be one foot in and one foot out. We heard that some of the Biblical principles and standards are outdated and don’t apply to us. We saw Christians who claimed to love Jesus but compromised in their walk with Him and so we thought it was ok to do the same. We became so loud in our public declaration of Jesus, successful fooling others, while our private devotion to Him was lacking. We became so comfortable in viewing grace as a license to sin. We decided to only listen to people who only told us what our itching ears wanted to hear (2 Timothy 4:3)

It saddens me how lukewarm the church has gotten today. We have settled for a bare minimum Christianity. At least I go to church. At least I give my tithes and offerings. At least I don’t cuss. We have ignored the conviction of the Holy Spirit about certain topics and have cheapened the costly consequences of sin. We have become so self righteous, judging others for their sin while forgetting to look at ours.

Jesus says that He prefers if we were hot or cold. All in or out. For Him or against Him. I heard someone say that the enemy owns the fence so when you are on the fence, it means you are on the side of the enemy – the devil. The spiritual realm is black or white. No neutrals! You are either all in for Jesus or not. Advancing the kingdom of God or advancing the kingdom of darkness. That applies to everything – our lives, the people we follow on social media, the music we listen to, the shows we watch, the hobbies we engage in, EVERYTHING! If we welcomed the Holy Spirit to do a health check in our lives, we would be surprised how many things we are a part of that are against Him and that are making us spiritually sick. Imagine living our lives assuming that we are totally sold out for Jesus only to get to heaven and hear those dreadful words – Depart from me, I never knew you! (Matthew 7:23) Help us Jesus!!

You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Revelation 3:17-18 NIV

Laodicea was a city famously known for its wealth. Riches are not in themselves sin. We see severally in the Bible where one of God’s blessings to His servants came in the form of wealth for example Solomon. However, the sin comes in when instead of having the riches, they have us. This was the case for the rich young ruler in (Mark 10:17-31) who missed an opportunity to be a follower of Jesus because it would require Him to surrender His wealth. Jesus in the Parable of the Sower warns that some people receive His Word (seed) but the deceitfulness of wealth (thorns) choke up the Word and they don’t bear any fruit (Matthew 13:7,22).

The riches of the Christians in Laodicea has blinded them from their need for Jesus. They viewed themselves as rich while Jesus (who knew their true inward nature) knew that they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Oh how sad it is to deceive ourselves and think we are ok when Jesus knows how devastating our lives are. To go to the things of the world to fill a void that only Jesus can fill. We need the Holy Spirit to truly examine our hearts and reveal and heal our condition. We all need to adopt the prayer of David in Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

First step is to recognise our devastating condition. Second is to go to Jesus for Him to fix it. Jesus extends an invitation to the church in Laodicea and the modern church to acquire from Him the things that truly matter for eternity. Gold symbolizing precious faith that has been refined through the patient endurance of fiery trials, white clothes which symbolize righteousness and spiritual purity and salve which represents the healing of spiritual sight done by the Holy Spirit. These things are crucial in eradicating our lukewarm nature and leading us to becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.

Revelation 3:19 NIV

As harsh as Jesus’ words sound, they are coming from a point of love. We live in a world where people have become so easily offended that even the slightest form of rebuke is met with the greatest form of defence. We have becomes so defensive that we ignore the rebuke of Jesus, the lover of our souls. We have become so used to teachings that tell us what we want to hear that we can’t stomach what we need to hear. Jesus doesn’t mince His words to the church in Laodicea or to the modern church. He calls them and us to earnest repentance. Not reluctant or indifferent. Earnest. Zealous. Enthusiastic repentance. This type of repentance only comes when we understand how serious our sin. It highlights how desperate we need to be for the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Revelation 3:20 NIV

I always assumed that this verse was spoken to unbelievers. That Jesus was knocking at the door of their hearts, asking them to let Him in. Actually it was spoken to believers. His Church. His Bride.

Isn’t it sad and shocking that we can be so blinded to our own versions of Christianity that we don’t realise we have the doors of our hearts closed to Jesus. That we as the church can kick Him, the head of the church, out that He has to keep knocking for us to let Him in? You may ask – why doesn’t He just let Himself in? From the Garden of Eden where God had the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to today, God gives us a choice. It’s called free will. To accept or reject His love and sacrifice for us.

So He knocks. The knock that is the conviction you received when you were listening to that sermon – that sermon that shocked you when the pastor repeated the very thing that the Holy Spirit had been speaking to you about all week. The knock is that prompting to represent God in your friendships, relationships and workplace and to be an example in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity (1 Timothy 4:12). The knock is that instruction God keeps bringing to your mind, that one that you are persistently disobeying and hope that God will change His mind.

He is knocking and patiently waiting for a response. To the one who responds, He promises to commune with them. They will get to enjoy a deep intimate relationship with Him. Will you respond?

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Revelation 3:21 NIV

The one who is victorious in their repentance. Victorious in their surrender. Victorious in their response to Him. The one who follows Jesus wholeheartedly. Jesus doesn’t ask for anything that He hasn’t already done. On earth, He showed us what a life of true surrender looks like (Luke 22:42). Not a lukewarm life but a life that was totally sold out to God the Father. The life that is expected for everyone who claims to believe and follow Him.

In all 7 letters, there is a recurring theme – Repentance and Complete Surrender to Jesus. Jesus takes this very seriously that He constantly repeats it – just in case we ignore the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th time. This was the call to the church then and to the church today.

I wouldn’t want to close this series without giving you an opportunity to give your life to Christ. Maybe you stumbled upon this series and through reading the letters, have realised the detrimental sinful state of your life and would like to surrender your life to Jesus for the first time. Or maybe you are a Christian already but have realised that you haven’t really been all in for Jesus. Maybe you have an outward reputation of being a devoted follower of Christ but you are living a different life behind closed doors. If you fall in either category, this prayer is for you. Feel free to pray these words and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you on how to live a surrendered life:

Lord Jesus, I come to you today acknowledging that I am a sinner, in need of a Saviour. I acknowledge that You are that Saviour. I believe that You came to earth, lived a perfect sinless life, took my sin upon yourself and died so I can be reconciled back to God, the Father. Today, I give you my life. Not half-heartedly but fully. I choose today to live a completely surrendered life. A life totally sold out to You. I have decided to follow you Jesus. No Turning Back. No Turning back. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

If you have given your life to Christ, have any questions or would like to have further conversations about these letters, feel free to email me victorgeorge1998@gmail.com or send me a DM on Instagram @the.victorgeorge

Grace and Peace,
Victor