Lukewarm
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation:
“I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
- Revelation 3:14-22
Lukewarm - Condensed Video
A good friend recently returned from Turkey. He described the beautiful, hospitable people, and the amazing landscape, architecture, food, sounds and aromas he experienced in the region of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation. We discussed the proximity of the cities and of how being there helped him realize that the words written in Revelation were originally directed to real people in actual places struggling to live life as Christians in a world opposed to their beliefs, and that now, we share the legacy of being people to whom the words are directed.
After our conversation, I read the first few chapters of Revelation to see again what Jesus said to those churches and, once again, I am struck by His warnings. The passage at the end of chapter 3 disturbs me greatly, because Jesus’s statements are directed to a church of believers who make Jesus gag by their attitude of self-sufficiency, and it stabs my soul to realize that He describes my attitude at certain times, on certain days during certain seasons. At times I think highly of myself and I feel self-sufficient and proud and I fail to realize my wretched condition.
The church in Laodicea and apparently individuals making up the church enjoy a level of prosperity and they “need nothing.” The gospels are filled with Jesus teaching about money and warning about the dangers of wealth because if we are not vigilant, we will begin to trust our bank accounts more than God. We may begin to pray to the gods of the stock market to continue rising so that we may enjoy the pleasures available to us through wealth. And if our trust, faith and hope for the future are tied to those idols, where does God fit into the picture?
Jesus goes further. He explains that by worldly standards the church members in Laodicea may be wealthy; but they are actually “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” They are church members, believers, followers of Christ; yet, they are unable to see their wretched spiritual condition. They go to church while worshiping the idols of their wealth and self-sufficiency.
So I wonder, do I make Jesus want to throw up? Am I worthy of being spit out of Jesus’s mouth, like a bite of awful tasting, putrid food, so bad that He wants to spit me out rather than risk upsetting His stomach if He swallows? As awful and alarming as this image is, at least it is a warning and not a foregone conclusion. Jesus warns, “I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
At this point reading the passage I pray, “Jesus, I do not want to make you throw up. What can I do? What should I do?” I am reminded of the listeners to Peter’s amazing sermon preached in Jerusalem on that day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was unleashed. He preached to a crowd and they were convicted and they wanted to change their ways and they asked, “What should we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter responded by giving them the steps to follow to begin their new life in Christ Jesus.
Similarly, after His startling warning, Jesus offers advice. He suggests that I buy from Jesus “gold refined by fire” so that I might be rich, and white robes to cover my naked body, and salve to anoint my eyes so that I will be able to see. Buy gold, white robes and salve from Jesus. How might I do that? Where is His market? Can I buy them online? What currency does He accept? What does He mean? Let’s consider the elements of His statement.
The currency is my heart, my spirit, my soul – all of me. It is similar to God’s holy word spoken through Isaiah, “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! … Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food” (Isaiah 55:1-2). We buy by desiring, drinking, eating, consuming and surrendering to Jesus.
Impurities are separated from gold by heating the solid to gold’s melting point. Impurities with a higher melting point separate from the liquid as solid particles. Refining requires heat and it purifies gold. Like the beautiful hymn Spirit of the Living God prays, “Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me…” If we are proud, if we see ourselves as self-sufficient, if we see ourselves as somehow better than people around us, if we place our trust on things other than God, we might need a jolt, a slap in the face to remind us that we need God for every breath we take and that our worth is determined by our service to those around us. An infinite variety of means may cause the jolt, but a common one is suffering. Through suffering we gain the ability to see others with empathy, compassion and love. Through suffering we are melted, molded, filled and refined for use by God Almighty, we are purified.
How do we buy “gold refined by fire” from Jesus? We empty ourselves of us so that He might fill us, and we surrender ourselves to Him.
White robes have been cleansed in the blood of Jesus (see Revelation 7:14). They are symbols of righteousness, holiness and purity. We are cleansed in the blood of Jesus, but we must avoid wearing white robes simply to make others think we are holy. Jesus warns against this when He refers to religious leaders of His day as “whitewashed tombs,” pretty and white on the outside but dead on the inside (see Matthew 23:27).
Paul prays, “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you…” (Ephesians 1:17-18). Through surrender, humility and the radical transformation of our spirits and souls, we receive the Holy Spirit and His compassion, wisdom, revelation and love, and we gradually gain the ability to see. The Holy Spirit is salve for our eyes.
Jesus asks His disciples to follow Him. Then He asks, “For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?” (Matthew 16:26). What is the value of wealth if it lures us away from God?
It is frightening to realize that we might be chasing the lure without realizing it. For years my hair gradually thinned and I did not notice. Everyone I encountered could readily see my baldness, but I was oblivious to it because I never looked at the top of my head in the mirror and, as a result, I suffered a lot of painful scalp sunburns that could have easily been avoided. Is it possible, in a similar way, some of us are, in Jesus’s words, “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” and do not realize it? Is it possible that we go to church, bow before God, worship God, study His holy word and pray to Him; yet, at the same time harbor confidence in our wealth, our prosperity, our self-sufficiency, and fail to place our trust and faith and confidence in Almighty God?
If that is a possibility, I pray that I am able to heed Jesus’s warning and follow His advice. I do not want to make Jesus throw up. I do not want him to spit me out of His mouth. I want to be His brother, the Father’s adopted, a vessel in which His Holy Spirit dwells. If you are like me, and it is possible you have become lukewarm, let’s move together and get on fire for Jesus.