“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:14-16).
Much could be written about the wealthy city of Laodicea, but when Christ spoke about this church being “lukewarm,” these people surely understood what He meant. I found the following commentary about Laocedia from www.revlu.com quite interesting.
“Laodicea was near hot and healing springs of water. In the mountains away from Laodicea were cold, refreshing springs of water, which was brought into the city through a long aqueduct. It was tepid by the time it got there, lukewarm, awful. The hot springs were stimulating, cold springs were refreshing, but the lukewarm city water was something to spit out. The church was not refreshing or stimulating but just self-satisfied and in God’s eyes very disgusting. They had lost their love of Jesus and their joy of salvation. They were just another empty religion, lukewarm and undesirable to God for a bride.”
God had wished they were either hot or cold—one or the other. Lukewarm was disgusting, just the way the Enemy liked it.
This week’s devotions may seem to paint a very bleak picture of these seven churches. If God hadn’t went beyond the criticism, many in those churches would have perished. However, we find hope for those who repented and dared to stand for the truth of God’s Word. Revelation 3:5-6 states, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” The Enemy will continue to attack churches, but by faith in a Mighty God, they can ultimately win the war.
Next week will include a special WNAC emphasis featuring testimonies from several women about what WNAC means to them.
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Today is the WMO (World Missions Offering). Pray that believers will give generously as unto the Lord, and that participation and combined totals would exceed expectation. Pray concerning your own gift and personal involvement in global evangelism.
