Driving Through Laodicea

Yesterday I was driving for work, and listening to the Bible on CD (Word of Promise). I was in the car for a while, and started this disc at 1 John. My drive carried me through some of Revelation. This is very typical for me- I really like to hear the words of the Bible acted out. Sometimes I catch things that I didn't catch while reading it. What was NOT typical was my reaction to part of what I heard...

It happened while listening to the warnings to the churches in Revelation 2-3. I've heard all the theories of these letters/ warnings. Some say they were letters to those churches in Asia, and there is nothing for us to learn about because those churches are gone. Some say they describe the 7 different "types" of churches that have always existed. Some say that they describe the 7 church "ages" in chronological order. I can say that first theory is dead wrong. Beyond that, it has never mattered much to me, because the other 2 theories don't impact the warning I get from reading the letters.

I've listened to this and read it many times, but this time something happened. Something "clicked". As I was listening to these words, the Holy Spirit pressed on me to listen carefully to the letter to the church in Laodicea...because it is a warning for the church TODAY.

As I heard the words spoken to our present day church, I started to cry. I can only think of two times in my adult life that I have ever cried. These words were just so "alive" to me. The warning cut like a knife. I just kept thinking of our huge churches filled with "Sunday Christians", knowing that at one time I was one of them. Good people for sure, they seem to believe, but that's the extent of it. LUKEWARM.

"...I will vomit you out of My mouth."

Those words are chilling... think about it. Better yet, listen to it:

Revelation 03 5:00


If you can't listen to it, click here to read the letter to the church in Laodicea:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%203:14-22;&version=50;

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock."
There are so many descriptions given in this letter to the Laodicean church that fit our present day church. I can't help but wonder about that phrase: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." It sure sounds like a warning about the closeness of the hour. Imagine things from God's perspective, pleading with us to get it together! Imagine him looking at us saying "Don't you know how little time you have? Don't you know I am coming? Here I am, standing right at the door!"

"I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"
Have you noticed that when things are going well in our lives, that we don't rely on God as much? The quantity of our prayers may be the same, but the quality is cheap. It is so easy to be sucked into the world's idea of happiness and success. You become so busy and pre-occupied with the things of this world, that you just don't have the time to read the Bible today. You hardly have the time to speak a heartfelt prayer. But time is really not the issue, is it?

Necessity is really the issue. When things are great, you don't need anything. You use time as an excuse for your disappearing relationship with God.

When things are not going well, when times are tough- then we turn back to God. Then we see the importance of a real relationship with God. Then we make time. Then we see how cheap the things of this world really are. Look at some of the largest churches today. They preach a prosperity gospel- that we should all be wealthy, and that if you want a Lexus you can just "name it and claim it". Do you think God's deepest desire is for you to have a Lexus? God cares about where your treasure lies. Is your treasure in the "things" of this world, or is your treasure in your realtionship with God?

Have you ever wondered if this global recession could be a good thing? I can tell you from personal experience that it has been good for me. In fact, I can tell you that I thank God (literally) for the economic recession in my life. I had viewed my personal recession from the beginning as a refining process.

Isaiah 48:10
"See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction."

If you are going through your own recession, whether economic or emotional, please make the time to thank God for finding you worthy of refinement. This will be hard, and may sound strange at first, but think about it for a while. My old football coach used to tell us not to feel bad when he corrected us. He said we should feel bad when he stopped correcting us...

You have the opportunity to completely change your relationship with God by embracing the correction taking place in your life. When you decide to embrace this correction and thank God for the refinement in your life, He will be standing at the door waiting for you.