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Written by: Kate Powell
Today, we come to the close of our study of Jesus’ seven letters to the churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Across the first six letters in Revelation, one thing becomes quickly clear: Jesus does not hold back. He names what is broken, confronts what is unhealthy, and refuses to ignore what threatens life.
So far, Jesus exposes a consistent set of spiritual dangers facing the churches. Some had lost their first love, trading intimacy for activity. Others had compromised truth to avoid conflict or persecution. Several tolerated sin and false teaching, allowing compromise by not holding their fellow brothers and sisters accountable. A few were spiritually alive in reputation but dead in reality.
Different cities. Different pressures. The same core issue: drift from wholehearted devotion to Jesus.
Mission drift can choke the life out of a healthy church faster than we realize. So, let’s turn our attention to the final letter—to the church in Laodicea—and listen closely to what Jesus has to say.
“Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation:
A brief background of Laodicea. Laodicea was a prestigious city known for its wealth, banking industry, fine black wool, and advanced medical school. They had the money, the best clothing around, and highly regarded education. From a worldly perspective, you can say they were killing it. I assume many people only dreamed of living in Laodicea.
Jesus describes himself in 3 ways. First, Jesus calls himself “the Amen.” “Amen” means “so be it”; “it is true.” As 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God in Him are ‘Yes,’ and in Him, ‘Amen.’” He is the culmination of all history. Jesus is faithful to His Word and is unchangeable in His promises. Second, Jesus refers to Himself as “the faithful and true witness.” Jesus speaks with perfect authority. His testimony is trustworthy and complete. Third, Jesus calls Himself “the originator of God’s creation.” He is the beginning of all creation. This verse does not teach that Jesus was the first being created, but that He is the ruler, source, and origin of all creation.
Jesus establishes Himself as the Perfect Church Consultant before delivering His assessment.
He says,
“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.”
Jesus strongly calls out the Laodiceans for being lukewarm. He wishes they were either hot or cold. Hot water is useful for healing and cooking while cold water is useful for refreshing, reducing muscle fatigue, and improving mood. However, lukewarm water is useless. It is as if Jesus said, “If you were hot or cold I could do something with you. But because you are neither, I can do nothing.”
Lukewarm would immediately connect with the Laodicean Christians because the water they drank every day was literally lukewarm. “Just as the water you drink is disgustingly lukewarm, you are spiritually lukewarm.”
Ouch.
Jesus points out that lukewarm spiritually is indifferent and soft, rendering one useless in the Kingdom. And useless is nauseating to Jesus. So much so that He says he is going “to vomit” them out of His mouth. Lukewarm spirituality makes Jesus vomit. The thief on the cross was cold towards Jesus and in the last moments of his life, he clearly saw his desperate need for Jesus. John was hot towards Jesus and enjoyed a relationship of love; but Judas was lukewarm, following Jesus enough to be considered a disciple, yet not giving his heart over to Jesus in fullness.
Deep down, there is nobody more miserable than the lukewarm Christian. They have too much of the world to be happy in Jesus, but too much of Jesus to be happy in the world.
Jesus is saying that people, and churches, cannot be tepid towards Him.
If you were to rate yourself spiritually on a scale of 1–10, “1” meaning indifferent to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and “10” meaning truly on fire for God, what number would you give yourself? Many Christians will land somewhere in the middle, a 4 or 5. That can be a sobering reality but one about which we need to be honest. Jesus knows exactly what our spiritual temperature is. And, through the power of the Holy Spirit, He wants us to expel everything in us that keeps us from powerful, Kingdom living.
Since Jesus’s letter is evaluating a church, we must also assess the Christians around us. If you want to be a 9-10 in the Kingdom hanging out with 2s and 3s and 4s is going to complicate your journey. Remember, in this passage Jesus is calling an entire church of Christians lukewarm.
As we read on, Jesus describes what he really has against the church in Laodicea.
For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
Jesus identifies five areas in which this church was spiritually poor. However, they were not just spiritually poor, even worse, they were blind to their poverty. The city of Laodicea was famous for its…
- Healing eye salve, but the Christians were spiritually blind.
- Fine clothing but Jesus says, “You don’t realize that you are naked.”
- Material riches but Jesus calls them poor.
Their greatest problem that caused their lukewarm spirituality was equating their material success as spiritual success. Perhaps their slogan would be, “Materially rich, spiritually rich.” They cannot even see that the things they are most proud of are the very things endangering their lives!
In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3, the first thing Jesus says is, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” What a contrast with the Laodicean mentality. Now, Jesus is not talking about the financially poor or someone lacking confidence. The word “poor” in this context refers to utter dependence and someone who knows they have nothing to offer God on their own. “Poor in spirit,” is a posture that says, “I am fully dependent on God,” and it says, “I don’t claim to have spiritual sufficiency.”
In Matthew, Jesus blesses those who live from honest emptiness and humble dependence on the Lord – postures that open the door to intimacy and the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. In Revelation, Jesus confronts those who are spiritually empty yet self-reliant. Believing they are already full, they leave no room for God to pour in – cutting themselves off from true overflow. Poverty of spirit is not condemned when acknowledged. It becomes dangerous when denied.
Now Jesus gets into what he wants the church of Laodicea to do.
“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see.”
Jesus knew the change in the Laodicean’s had to begin with understanding their spiritual poverty. So, He uses their marketplace language to better relate to them. Then, Jesus challenges Christians to buy three things from Him that will enable them to flourish with spiritual riches.
First, Jesus offers gold. Gold that is refined in the fire. Refined gold was put into the fire to remove its impurities. Jesus’s gold is better than the world’s gold. The world’s gold is temporary and valuable for material things. Jesus’s gold is eternal, valuable for supernatural things. Jesus’s gold is the true wisdom for life, leading all those who purchase it a rich experience nothing else, even world’s gold, can deliver.
Second, Jesus offers white clothes. White clothes represent forgiveness, innocence, and purity. No fancy label physical clothes can tend to the darkness of the heart, but Jesus’s clothes can.
Third, Jesus advises Laodicea to get their “eye salve” from him so they will no longer be spiritually blind. He is telling them to stop relying on their own resources and allow the Lord to open their eyes through the power healing balm of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus offers true richness, innocence, and sight that will free those bound in lukewarm spirituality to live in Kingdom fire.
Jesus goes on to say,
“As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent.”
Even with such a rebuke, has Jesus lost his love for this church? Not at all. Jesus’ love was expressed in his rebuke. Hebrews 12:6 says, “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastens every son whom He receives.” The word for “love” in “as many as I love” is not agape, but phileo. Phileo signifies a warm, affectionate brotherly love often described as friendly affection. Jesus’ heart to this church is, “Even though I rebuke you and chasten you, I am still your friend. I love you deeply as My friend.”
This gives all the warm fuzzies! What an intense personal connection Jesus wants to make here.
Then, Jesus commands them to be zealous and repent. “Stop looking at your own riches and resources, because they are really bankrupt. Turn around and look to Me.”
My favorite part of these few verses is what Jesus says next.
Jesus says,
“See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
Jesus gives this lukewarm church The Great Invitation. He knocked on their door and asked for entry so that He can dine with them. He wants to share intimate time with them over a warm meal.
It amazes me that Jesus stood outside, waited, and knocked. We know the sovereign all powerful Jesus had every right to bust in or break down the door. But he knocked and waited. The intimacy comes when we respond to the invitation. When we respond to the knock.
Then, he makes his promise. “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in….” Do you have ears to hear the voice of Jesus? If the person on the other side opens the door, then he must repent of his pride and self-sufficiency. The key to opening the door is to first hear his voice. When we yield and give attention to what Jesus is saying to us, we can be rescued from our lukewarmness and restored to a deeply affectionate, “zealous” relationship with Him.
Jesus promises “then I will come in.” He will come inside our most intimate space. Our home. And he will share a meal with us. I can’t fully wrap my brain around dining with Jesus in the flesh and the glorious wonder that experience would bring. But that is to what He invites us, every single day of our lives.
Jesus closes His words to Laodicea with a potential reward.
“To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Those who overcome the battle against indifference, compromise, and self-reliance will receive a special reward – We get to enjoy a place with the enthroned Jesus!
Many scholars argue this was the worst of the seven churches. And yet, it’s to this church that Jesus gives one of the most powerful promises. That tells us something important – no church is too far gone.
It proves that even the most compromised, self-sufficient, and spiritually blind church can repent, overcome, and step into the highest place of intimacy and glory with Him.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
I would imagine very few would want to identify themselves with the church of Laodicea.
We must hear what the Holy Spirit says here, because He speaks to the churches – including us.
Lord, strip us of self-sufficiency, awaken our need, and make us a people who live from Your presence—not our own perceived fullness—so that Your life can overflow through us. We dont want to live from illusion, but from true dependence. We want to be full of the living God. We want to live from the well that never runs dry.
We want to live from the Overflow!
