Note: The phrase “beginning of God’s creation” in verse 14 may be a bit confusing. The best way to understand it is that this is a reference to the “new” creation which does, indeed, begin with Christ. It is because of His life, death, and resurrection that we are able to be “new creations in Christ” through faith and it was Christ who will say in Revelation 21:5 of the new heavens and new earth in which God’s people will dwell in the presence of God forevermore- “Behold, I am making all things new.” The book of Revelation is encouraging those who are facing persecution that the day of new creation is coming and that Christ will bring it. So, I believe we should understand that phrase as referring to this new work of Christ.
And let’s be sure to say here at the outset, that this “newness” of the individual and of the experience of the newness of this new whole world, is offered to you as something that you may experience through faith in the One who speaks here. He declares that He is “the Amen” which means that He is “the Truth.” So many people today say that they are just looking for the truth. Jesus says, “Look no further, for I am He.” If you will hear Christ’s call to “Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest,” He will keep His word. Why do you continue to try to do it on your own? Why do you refuse Christ who offers you a new start- a forgiveness of your sins and a new hope for the future? As it stands, you fall short of the glory of God. Through Christ, however, you can be clothed by His righteousness and know God as your heavenly Father who will prepare a place for you and will keep it as a heavenly inheritance kept for you. “Repent, believe, be baptized into Christ” are the calls to you. Why do you wait?
The first couple that I baptized in the first church that I ever pastored were zealous for Christ and were taken aback when other Christians didn’t share their enthusiasm. Some of their friends who had been Christians for some time, and who had prayed that they would one day come to Christ, actually told them of their newfound zeal: “Don’t worry, this will wear off.” My guess is that these friends just wished the new believers would calm down because nothing will challenge your conscience, and make you more uncomfortable in your own lukewarmness, than someone who is on-fire for Jesus. As we wrap up our look at these introductory notes to the seven churches to whom the book of Revelation was initially sent, we find that Jesus wishes that churches were more like those new believers and that their zeal would never fade.
Laodicea is known today for the discovery of its vast aqueducts which brought water to the city from springs some 6 miles away. Unlike other local cities, Laodicea had no nearby natural springs from which to draw water and so a system of pipes carved out of stone carried the water to them. By the time the water arrived at the city, you can imagine it no longer had that refreshing quality it had when it first came up from the ground, but was, indeed, lukewarm. Jesus uses this as a perfect illustration of the state of the faith of the church there. They were neither refreshing like the cool springs of nearby Colossae, nor were they hot like the hot water springs of nearby Hierapolis which had a medicinal effect. They were like the type of water that when you put it in your mouth, you just want to spit it out.
Note this language of Christ. It is direct. It is harsh. “I will spit you out of my mouth.” Amazingly this is said to a church that thinks that everything is going great.
Vs. 17: “You say ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’”
It could be that they are thinking in purely spiritual terms, but it sounds like an early version of today’s prosperity gospel doesn’t it? The idea that economic wealth is taken to be proof of a healthy spiritual condition. In fact, it sounds very similar to a condemnation of Israel in Hosea where God says (12:8-9) you’ve said “Ah, but I am rich; I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.” God responds: “I am the LORD your God…I will again make you dwell in tents.” So, this is nothing new. This happened in the OT, this happened in the church in Laodicea, and it happens still today.
Most of us, when we hear the phrase “prosperity gospel” it conjures up images of today’s tv preachers with their huge houses and private jets and their promises broadcast on tv screens throughout America. Promises that following Jesus leads to material blessings. This, rightfully, repulses us because we know that this stands in complete contradiction to Jesus own words which declared that following Him involved denying self and taking up one's own cross. Hardly a promise of comfort, but a promise that the Christian life can prove costly and involve suffering.
While we are repulsed by that image of the tv preacher, we need to be careful. We may not recognize that we have bought into some version of this false gospel promise. The Christians in Laodicea thought they were well (vs. 17) “not realizing that (they were) wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.”
“Not realizing.”
What might we not realize? Is it a form of prosperity theology to assume that suffering throws into question God’s goodness? Is it a form of prosperity theology that assumes that if you work hard for Jesus that He will, maybe not make you rich, but will at least make life comfortable and relatively easy? Is it a form of prosperity theology that leads you to become imbittered towards others who seem to be a little more physically or materially blessed than you even though you are sure that you are a little more spiritual than they are? And is it a form of prosperity theology that when things actually DO go our way, that it causes our attitudes about our walk with Christ to go from hot to being lukewarm?
Let’s be honest here. Is that not behind much of our lukewarmness? That we have unwittingly bought into a message of self-improvement? When things are going well, we’ve come to believe it is because we have checked off all the boxes, we have done all the right things, and so we’re good now, we’ve put in the work, now we can coast? But Jesus says that, in those cases, we have bought a bad bill of goods.
They thought they were rich, but Jesus says, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich.” They thought they were well dressed, Jesus says “buy from me white garments so that you may clothe yourselves and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen.” They thought they could see, Jesus says “buy from me salve that you might anoint your eyes to see.” Before you conclude this is some sort of works righteousness, understand these things come from Christ to people who cannot afford to buy anything. They are “wretched, pitiable and poor” they are “naked and blind.” So how are they going to afford to buy anything from Jesus or even earn the money to do so? They can’t. This has echoes of God’s call to receive His gracious gifts in Isaiah 55:1 “Come everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price…” It is about God’s grace…not about their purchasing power.
So it is that the emphasis here is not on the word “buy” it is on “from me” and it is on the purity of the gold and the whiteness of the garments, it is the ability to see clearly where they were once blind. It is an exhortation to a renewed engagement with and commitment to Christ. And how does that come? It is interesting isn’t it that he gives the counsel to reengage with Him and, before describing how he is willing to come in and dine with them, he says that “those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” This may simply be a warning about what will come if they do not repent, but we have to wonder if the knocking on the door itself is being likened to reproof and discipline?
19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me
Could it be that Jesus is saying that reproof and discipline can be a form of knocking at the door? There is a quote from C.S. Lewis that goes something like this: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, but He shouts to us in our pain. Pain is God’s megaphone to the world.” In other words, pain is oftentimes God’s way of getting our attention.
You’ve likely heard the riddle: Q: “Where does God live?” A: “At the end of your rope.” Meaning that, for some people, they never shout out to God until they get to the end of their proverbial rope and that is where they finally find God. So it is with those who are lulled into a state of lukewarmness. If you do not repent, a knock just might come on your door. But it is not punishment, it is so that you will open the door so that He might fellowship with you afresh.
You have likely heard this verse used all of your life to describe Jesus knocking at the unbelievers’ door: if they would but believe, He would come in. But clearly, this is a message to the church. The church, through their lukewarmness, contentedness, sense of self-accomplishment, have locked Jesus out of His own house- the household of faith. So He knocks, and if the church is willing to open the door unto him afresh, He is happy to renew that sweet communion with Him.
The question is, how do you know if you or if the church is lukewarm or not? The answer given here is “Do we value Christ and a sweet fellowship and communion that is centered upon Him over a simple fellowship among ourselves?” or, said the other way, “Would we be content to enjoy fellowship among one another even if Jesus were not here?” Is it “doing church” that we enjoy or is it Christ that we enjoy in the context of the church? There is a big difference between those two.
Michelle and I were doing some reflecting on that first church where those zealous new believers were saved. There was a lot of great things that happened there, and we grew from just a few of us in a living room, to being one of the larger church plants in Delaware at the time. We were very pleased with what we saw happening. There was a vibrancy, and excitement. But now, via social media, we are able to look at the lives of many of those who were a part of those early years of that church, and it is quite disturbing just how many of them seem very “carnal” in their lifestyles and how some don’t even attend church at all anymore. What happened? I wonder if it isn’t what happened in Laodicea. Things were going so well, the community was so rich, it became “enough,” even when we were drifting from Christ. I recall our discussing some activities we were going to have going on in our community, and how I was trying to think of a catchy phrase for a new round of advertising we were going to do in town. The name of our church was “Fair Haven” and a woman who was a regular attendee but not a believer, shouted out “Fair Haven feels like family.” There was a united response of “Yes, that is what this feels like,” and they were right.
I now wonder if, while that was a strength, we may have allowed it to be a hindrance. Did the beauty of the community, the richness of the relationships, the fun of our activities, lead people to believe that the church was worthwhile with or without Christ? This would be the very definition of thinking you are rich while being “wretched, pitiable, and poor.” It is the definition of being lukewarm. We need to be careful that, as we strive for community and relationships and fun, we don’t leave Jesus knocking at the door.
One of the rules that we had at our last church plant was that, if we were asked to participate in a community event, we would only do so if we could proclaim the gospel. We were asked, for example, to feed the homeless in Roanoke once a month. My first question was, can we share the gospel? Yes? Ok, we’ll do it. This is what made our work at the Falcon Children’s Home a worthwhile endeavor. We played dodgeball, basketball, etc., but we didn’t leave Jesus knocking on the door of that gymnasium. The message is shared both to the group as a whole and in individual conversations.
And so here. Let’s be sure that if Christ were standing on the front porch, we’d notice a difference. Our fellowships and times together as friends should reflect a Christ-centeredness as much as our services on a Sunday morn should. Otherwise, why not just go join the Lion’s Club? At least there we wouldn’t be in danger of reproof and discipline. The church is not the church if Christ is not the center of who we are and what we do. So let’s talk of Christ, pray to Christ, spur one another on to service of Christ, and worship Christ together. For those who hear this and practice it, one day we will sit with Christ on His throne. What an amazing promise. “He who has ears let him here what the Spirit says to the churches.”