CHURCH ARTICLE | Jim Mickells | Sellersburg, Indiana
“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 you have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked – I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:14-22).
There probably has been more said and written about this church than any of the others mentioned in Revelation chapter 2 & 3. There is nothing good revealed about this church at Laodicea in the text. What a sad commentary on a group of Christians who had been saved by the grace of God, washed in the blood of the Lamb, and now lacked a zeal in serving the Lord. There are a great number of things for us to glean from these verses to avoid receiving the same condemnation.
The Lord knew their works or lack of because He is the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness and the Beginning of the creation of God. These terms describe Him as faithful, trustworthy, truthful in dealing with God’s counsel, and the author of all creation. So, what is revealed about this church is the absolute truth and certainly is to be taken seriously by these brethren. Their deplorable condition is described as somewhere between cold and hot, which may not sound to bad to men yet is extremely repulsive to the Lord. It has been revealed that Laodicea got its water from the hot springs of Hierapolis by aqueducts and by the time it gets to the city is lukewarm. Trying to drink this tepid water would have been extremely disgusting. Think of how Jesus must have felt when beholding a group of people whom He had died to redeem and see such lack of service from them? He would vomit them out of His mouth.
What they thought of themselves and what Christ thought of them was the very opposite. Material prosperity can lead one to feel self-sufficient and in need of nothing, which is what happened to them. Yet they are described as being wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked from a spiritual perspective. The city was known for three major businesses (1) banking center (2) black wool and the manufacturing of clothing (3) medical school which specialized in the making of medicine for the eyes. The Lord gives them counsel to repent by buying gold from Him to possess true riches, white garments to be clothed in to cover their nakedness, and their eyes anointed with eye salve to be able to truly see. True wealth comes from laying up treasures in heaven with a genuine faith in serving God (Matthew 6:19-21; 1 Peter 1:7). They needed to be clothed with white garments washed in the blood of Lamb, living a truly holy and righteous life (Revelation 7:13-14; Colossians 3:12-15). Having eyes focused on things about, seeing themselves as God sees them (Colossians 3:1-2); Hebrews 4:13). Even though their spiritual condition was extremely poor, the Lord did not give up on them. They were encouraged to repent and be zealous.
What a tender picture of One pleading with His people, “behold I stand at the door and knock” (verse 20). He does not force His way in the hearts of individuals nor churches. I have heard people hundreds of times through the years thank Jehovah for making them creatures of choice. Yet with the choices we make there are also consequences to be received, whether good or bad. If they would allow Him and His word to dwell in their heart then you can easily see the results, fellowship with Him. The blessing of overcoming any problem as an individual or a church may face is eternal life with our Lord, His Father, the Spirit, and all the saved. The question we all must answer is this, would the Lord say that we are lukewarm? Is the church which we are members of lukewarm? And if it is, is it because of our lack of zeal for Jesus? We must hear what the Spirit says to us through His word!
GROW magazine | October 2026 PDF
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