In the book of Revelation,there are seven churches mentioned, chapters 2 - 3, the Lord speaks to each of them. I like us to consider one of them, Laodicea, this church stands as a challenge to the prosperity movement,because on one level they had everything,on another they had nothing. Our Lord does not commend them in anyway, all He sees is a church that had lost its way.The cry of the church was,'I am rich',our Lord answers ,''But you do not realise that you are wretched,pitiful; blind and naked'.Their prosperity had blinded them of true spiritual values, that's always a danger with prosperity.It is instructive how the Lord in highlighting the things that Laodicea were known for,and how He applies spiritual truths to them .The eye ointment,the manufacturing of cloth,a spring of water,that if one drank it ,it would cause one to vomit.This is how our Lord sums up the church.,'you are lukewarm,neither hot nor cold'. Lukewarm is a very interesting word, here is some of its meaning,'showing little enthusiasm, halfhearted, uninterested, couldn't care less. No wonder the Lord says,'' I will vomit you out of my mouth'',the seriousness of their situation is found in 3 v 20,where it appears that the Lord is shut out of the church, He is depicted as one standing at a door,knocking ,asking to be let in.He declares to them that He will deal with them v 19, v22 this is a plea for them to listen to what He is saying to them, or else.
The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy throne
And worship only Thee.
Words William Cowper.
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