In our previous teachings on the seven churches of Revelation, we walked through the prophetic framework Jesus used to outline the history of the Church. We saw the rise of the Apostolic Church, the suffering of the persecuted Church, the political compromise of Pergamos, the corruption of Thyatira, the incomplete reformation of Sardis, and the faithful missionary spirit of Philadelphia.
We also touched on the backslidden New Age Church — Laodicea. But I felt like I wanted to expand a bit more on the ideas there, with some more practical steps.
This letter is uncomfortable,, because it describes the spiritual condition of the Church just before the return of Christ. We also know it is currently running, so the return of Christ is closer than ever! There are no more Church ages after these 4.
Unlike the other Churches (except Protestant), Jesus offers no commendation to this church. He finds nothing to praise. Instead, He exposes a people who believe they are spiritually healthy, yet in reality are blind to their own condition.
Laodicea represents a church that is comfortable, wealthy, self-sufficient, and outwardly successful — yet spiritually lukewarm. It is a church ruled by the opinions of people rather than the authority of God. It is a church that believes in Christ but has slowly allowed the world to shape its priorities.
In this teaching, we will take a deeper look at what Jesus meant when He called this church lukewarm, why He described them as wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, and how these conditions open doors for spiritual deception. Most importantly, we will examine the solution Jesus gives, because that is the only way to truly come back to Him.
Recap of The Letter
Rev 3:14 “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.
Rev 3:15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
Rev 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Rev 3:18 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.
Rev 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.
Rev 3:20 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.
Rev 3:21 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.
Rev 3:22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Further Commentary
This church is a church who recieves no commendation from Jesus. This is His own church, just before the second coming, and he can find no good thing to say. The name of the Church is always a clue - Laodicea means 'Ruled by the people'. This is the church that submits to worldly authority, keeps the peace and tries to be 'all inclusive'.
Jesus first criticism is that they are neither cold nor hot. What does this practically look like? I have some thoughts:
- People who believe in prayer but do not pray regularly.
- People who believe in the Bible, but do not read & study their Bible regularly.
- People who believe all should be saved, but choose to not evangelize.
- People who believe in faith, but trust more in worldly things like doctors, celebrities and news shows.
- People who believe God gave them money, but cheat God out of the tithe, or would rather spend money on worldly things than sow seeds in the Kingdom.
- People who know serving is good, but only serve out of duty and not out of a zeal for Jesus.
A lot of it comes down to how you do things for Jesus. Jesus likes people who go all out, like blind Bartimaeus, who refused to keep quiet, even though his peers told him to stop. He received his healing because of it (Read our teaching on how to receive healing). Or like the tax collector, Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to see our saviour. Jesus likes that.
This verse really stands out as it perfectly describes the attitudes of a modern Christian:
Rev 3:17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’
This verse shows pride and arrogance. I see it all over Europe where I live now, people are so comfortable in their riches, but are poor in the Lord. This is exactly like the rich young ruler, who, in the end, had a prideful heart because of his wealth.
And this last church's problem is that they are ignorant of their own condition: But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. This church is deceived! These 5 things are not said by accident. Jesus is hinting at these things because these 5 things open a door for Satan.
- Wretched - Some synonyms include weak or miserable. Typically, a result of rejection or orphanhood. Orphans have a lonely spirit and often reject the spiritual authority of a church figure. These people often church-hop and struggle to lead or be led. This is something we have also gone through, although we still sought God in our time alone, and that bore a lot of fruit (This site was one of them!), but God has shown us that it was just for a short season, and that His Church is meant to be done as a team.
- Miserable - Some synonyms include lack of hope or pitiful. This is typically the result of bitterness in one's life, often from an inability to forgive those who wronged you. These are also people who hold grudges. This completely inhibits you in your walk with God. You cannot love people if you harbour bitterness towards people or situations. This is one of the most critical skills to learn as a Christian - forgiveness.
- Poor - This is easy to define - it is financial bondage. Money dictates these people's lives, and even if blessings come, it is squandered on worldly things or kept selfishly. Similar to how the Israelites squandered the wealth from Egypt on idols, instead of for God. These people are often very critical of rich people and capitalism, and are often in favour of socialism. God does not want you to ask your bank account every time He asks you to move! Also - how are you supposed to help the poor if you are poor yourself?
- Blind - Refers to those who are spiritually blinded. Typically, they follow worldly teachings or idols. Even worse, they follow occult practices like tarot or divination. Often the Holy Spirit has not been fully revealed in their lives, or perhaps even Jesus has not been fully revealed. These people will often go to the (fake) news or celebrities for truth instead of God. This can also open a door to satan by doing things like drugs or strange new age things. Low value on faith. You are only truly set free from blindness when you follow Jesus!
- Naked - Most probably the opening of lust, sexual perversion or trauma. Whenever I think of lust in the Bible, I always think of two characters - Samson and King Solomon. Both great Israelite leaders and men of God fell because of lust. (Samson also had an anger issue as well).
God is so gracious, though, as even though He points out all kinds of doors this Church has left open to Satan, He gives us the solution:
Rev 3:18 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.
This is slightly confusing at first, as we know salvation is free, baptism is free, but here Jesus says to 'buy' these things from Him. Confusing?
If you think about it, it makes sense, because it costs something to go deeper with God. It costs something to be a disciple. Jesus is simply saying that to be discipled by Him, you have to:
- Close the doors to Satan you have left open,
- Give up the worldly things,
- Spend time with Him
And then you can receive discipleship. Most commentators say gold refers to the Word of God. This costs you something (time, effort), and so you are effectively buying it. I am not sure what the white clothes refer to, though. It could represent righteousness, but I am not sure that makes sense in this context.
Conclusion
The letter to Laodicea stands as one of the most serious warnings Jesus ever gave to His Church. Unlike the other letters, there is no praise, no recognition of good works, and no encouragement before the rebuke. Instead, Jesus speaks directly to the spiritual condition of a people who believe they are thriving but are actually in great danger.
This is the tragedy of Laodicea: they are deceived about their own condition.
They believe they are rich, successful, and in need of nothing. Yet in the eyes of Christ, they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Their wealth has made them comfortable. Their comfort has made them complacent. And their complacency has made them spiritually lukewarm.
Lukewarm Christianity is perhaps the greatest danger facing the Church today. It is a faith that believes the right things but does not live them with passion. It is a faith that agrees with Scripture but rarely studies it. It is a faith that values prayer but seldom practices it. It is a faith that appreciates Jesus yet allows the world to shape its priorities.
However, God's mercy shines through again. Even though we deserve judgment, He shows the way back to Him. He offers them true riches, true covering, and true spiritual sight if the person is willing to buy it. Spend their time on Him instead of the World. And perhaps the most powerful image in the entire letter is this: Jesus standing at the door and knocking.
Anyone who hears His voice and opens the door can restore fellowship with Him. No matter how lukewarm a believer has become, no matter how distracted a church may be, the call of Christ still remains the same: repent, return, and walk closely with Him again.
As we look around the modern Church today, the question we must ask ourselves is simple:
Are we passionate followers of Christ, or have we slowly become lukewarm?
And Jesus is still knocking.
I hope you enjoyed this series :)
