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The congregation of Laodicea
« To the angel of the congregation in Laodicea write: These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or else hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired riches and do not need anything at all,” but you do not know that you are miserable and pitiful and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may become dressed and that the shame of your nakedness may not be exposed, and eyesalve to rub in your eyes so that you may see.
“‘All those for whom I have affection, I reprove and discipline. So be zealous and repent. Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and take the evening meal with him and he with me. To the one who conquers I will grant to sit down with me on my throne, just as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.’ » (Apocalypse 3:14-22).
The message to the Congregation of Laodicea is particularly severe. When Jesus Christ criticizes this congregation to be « lukewarm », he specifies what it means by saying: « Because you say: “I am rich and have acquired riches and do not need anything at all” ». He reproaches this congregation to be proud, its arrogance and its self-sufficiency. In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul warns against the love of money: « But those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains » (1 Timothy 6:9,10). And farther on, he shows the need for those who are « rich », not to become proud and arrogant: « Instruct those who are rich in the present system of things not to be arrogant, and to place their hope, not on uncertain riches, but on God, who richly provides us with all the things we enjoy » (1 Timothy 6:17).
What is true on an individual level, can be on the scale of a Christian congregation living in a city or a country rich in economic levels. As in the case of the Congregation of Laodicea, such material wealth can make a whole congregation, proud, arrogant and also with a condescending behavior towards other less fortunate congregations, like the material poverty of the Smyrna Congregation. All the Christian congregations that are in the situation of the Laodicea congregation, would do well to open their eyes to their catastrophic spiritual situation, while the judgment before the great tribulation, approach. They should follow this order of Jesus Christ glorified: « I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may become dressed and that the shame of your nakedness may not be exposed, and eyesalve to rub in your eyes so that you may see ».
It is obvious that when the overseers of this congregation received this letter were greatly saddened in their heart. However, Jesus Christ has shown that behind the great severity of this message, there is an affectionate desire that this congregation will change its behavior: « All those for whom I have affection, I take them back and disciplines « . The Apostle Paul has also shown that discipline, at first, can cause sadness, however, if we take it into account, then we will have many blessings: « You need to endure as part of your discipline. God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? But if you have not all shared in receiving this discipline, you are really illegitimate children, and not sons. Furthermore, our human fathers used to discipline us, and we gave them respect. Should we not more readily submit ourselves to the Father of our spiritual life and live? For they disciplined us for a short time according to what seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit so that we may partake of his holiness. True, no discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but it is painful; yet afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it » (Hebrews 12:7-11).
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