Revelation 3:14-17
“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
As we consider returning to in-person worship, one of the big questions is concerning temperature checks. Folk want to know will we be checking temperatures at the door when people enter. I’m going to leave that decision in the hands of the health professionals; but what I will tell you is that we will be checking spiritual temperatures, and we are looking for people that are cold or hot, not lukewarm!
The gathering at Laodicea was an interesting group; strangely, not that different than we are now. They were well off (like us). They had medical and industrial superiority relative to the people around them, just like we do. And they had a terrible attitude. Need I say more? They were ‘Christians’, but barely. Their trust was in their money, medicine, popularity and fame. They served Jesus as an additional means of identification and status. But their hearts were far from him. Of all the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, Jesus gave these folk the worst grade. With all their money, wealth, health and status, they were totally distasteful to God.
The other day I got in my car and noticed I’d left a bottle of water in the cup holder. I touched the outside of the bottle to test if it were hot and noted it was about room temperature. Then I proceeded to take a drink. Oh my goodness! It was horrible. I’m sorry, but I had no choice but to spit the water from my mouth. Something about it was so distasteful I just couldn’t help it. And that’s when I remembered today’s scripture.
This group of folk had brought God to a place of dissatisfaction you rarely see in New Testament scripture. Paul’s admonishment of the Corinthians for perversion and immoral acts was more merciful than this rebuke to the Laodiceans. God condemned everything they held in high regard. They loved their medical prowess in the eye salve business. They were proud of their leadership in the garment industry as silk makers. And they certainly held ultra high opinions of themselves for being one of the richest countries of their day. But God called them, wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
The history of the Laodiceans is extremely interesting. As you have an opportunity please look it up. Sadly, you will notice they echo the attitudes here in America way too closely. We often think this scripture is calling for more fiery worship or demonstrative praise. Both are really important to do. But what the Lord was complaining to this church about was is their insistence on self reliance. They had everything under control (so they thought) and really didn’t need Jesus. They liked Jesus. They may have even kinda loved him in their own way. But there was no deep yearning for him in their lives. This rebuke goes way beyond simply worshiping in church. It’s about developing a Christ lead lifestyle.
I don’t care how you view it, COVID-19 has changed everything. Some think it was a hoax. Others think it remains the most dangerous threat to human life out there. And the rest of us are somewhere in between. It doesn’t matter. Things are different now. Consequently, our response to gathering, worshiping, praising, singing and living has been drastically impacted. There’s no way after what we’ve endured that anyone can come back the same as you were when we left. The Church needs folk full of fire. The pews must be ready for throngs of folk that acknowledge they are indeed, cold. And by cold I mean desperate in need of a touch from the Lord - folk that want to know the way to salvation. Can you imagine if throngs of cold folk hook up with throngs of folk on fire for the Lord? But you know what we don’t need? Lukewarm folk.
People of God, we may, or may not have temperature checks at the door, but you bet we will be checking your spiritual temperatures. We will be on the lookout for attitudes that aren’t like Christ. We will be checking for worshippers that seek the presence of God, not merely his blessings. And we will be especially screening those that bring any negatively infectious spirits into the sanctuary. So before entering please, check your temperature at the door!
God Bless
