People are rarely satisfied with their lives or believe they can reach their life-long dreams. They tend to aim low rather than high to minimize failures and disappointments. They don’t want to be embarrassed by claiming to do something significant and then fail. Life becomes mediocre.
Truth be told, goals are kept at a minimum because of a lack of faith in God. The result is that the LORD offers them little because they ask for little (Jm 4:2). Our faith in God is small compared to what it could be. We settle for a mediocre experience with God and eventually think that is normal.
John had a vision of Jesus assessing the strengths and weaknesses of seven churches in Asia. The New Testament book called Revelation records these visions. Jesus assessed the church in Laodicea as being “lukewarm.” Then he identified why they were complacent in their faith and offered them three solutions.
Being spiritually lukewarm isn’t an uncommon experience among Christians. Jesus criticized the church of Laodicea for having a pedestrian form of Christianity. They aimed too low when it came to what they expected from God and what they thought God expected of them. John saw Jesus standing before this congregation and addressing them saying:
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so 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 eat with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:14-20 ESV).
John had a vision
John’s vision revealed the spiritual condition of the Laodicean congregation. They had become complacent; thinking they were rich and needed nothing. In reality, they were spiritually blind, bankrupt, and naked. He called this condition of the heart being spiritually “lukewarm.” The solution was to obtain (metaphorically speaking) gold, a white robe, and salve for their eyes.
If John had written this letter to a modern church he may have chosen different words to describe their lukewarm condition like distracted, forgetful, and presumptuous. Fortunately, the LORD didn’t leave them in a stagnated spiritual state. He came to them (vs 21). That in and of itself was a gracious act. He loved them and refused to abandon them to mediocrity. So, he disciplined them similarly to how he treated the Israelites under the Judges. This was so they would regain their zeal and return to a lifestyle of repentance.
Passion and repentance go together
A person who has a passion to serve the LORD is someone who also fosters a lifestyle of repentance. Zeal and repentance must go together if one’s spiritual life is to flourish. Repentance isn’t a one-time occurrence. It’s not a once-and-done act that’s never repeated. Repentance, like faith, is something a believer does throughout their life. It’s a daily practice, a characteristic of life, that deepens the qualities of humility, appreciation, and devotion to the LORD.
A threefold solution
To counter the Laodicean deficiencies, the LORD offered a threefold solution. Each item needed for countering lukewarmness was found in the Savior Jesus. He told them to buy his gold. Gold is the symbol of real wealth. Job was reminded by Eliphaz that:
“If you return to the Almighty you will be built up; if you remove injustice far from your tents, if you lay gold in the dust, and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent bed, then the Almighty will be your gold” (Job 22:23-25).
Jesus warned the Laodiceans not to be distracted by worldly things. They were to consider gold like dust and as common as river stones. They were not to value anything, even gold, as something greater than knowing the LORD. And as they lived by faith, God would become like gold to them–something very precious and valuable.
Jesus also offered to sell the Laodiceans his white garments to cover their nakedness. White is the biblical symbol associated with festivity and royal power. The Laodiceans had become like the king who had no clothes. They were unaware of their nakedness and spiritually unpresentable to the King of Kings. Being underdressed, they were unprepared to enter the festive banquet of the LORD. They were spiritual ignorant of their needs. Furthermore, they didn’t care if they missed the feast of the Lamb. They had lost the joy of their salvation and accepted a common boring existence rather than live the abundant life with Jesus.
Solomon called God’s people to “Go, eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white” (Ecc 9:7-8). He was saying believers are to always dress in white, as though they lived in a perpetual feast; enjoying their walk with the LORD day by day. Our redemption is to be so joyful and filled with gratitude that we live every day with joy, knowing we are right before a holy God. We are to live life as if it were an uninterrupted celebration.
The third remedy for mediocrity was to purchase his salve for the eyes. Eyes in Scripture represent knowledge or enlightenment. Laodicea was famous for its sore eye remedy. However, Jesus offers more than medical help for tired eyes. Christ offers a spiritual awareness that provides true and real insight into our spiritual condition. The beauty of Jesus dying on the cross becomes apparent because God’s Spirit opens our sore spiritual eyes to see our deep need to be cleansed from sin. We see and wonder at God’s grace. We marvel and are thankful for his patience with us. And, we refuse to presume on his grace but actively seek to live before his face unashamed.
Active faith pleases God
Let’s return to little known Shamgar the farmer who became a judge and great warrior for Israel. Unlike the Laodiceans, who were told to repent of their lukewarm faith, Shamgar used his faith to save Israel. In doing so, he received what the Laodiceans were promised. He became a conqueror (Rev 3: 21). Shamgar rejected a lifestyle of faithlessness that led to fear and chose to trust God, defended his family’s resources, and fought to save God’s people. He chose not to be lukewarm in his faith but to trust God in the face of life-threatening danger.
The only difference between Shamgar and the other farmers was his active, vibrant, and dedicated faith in the LORD. It was his faith in God that made the difference. Everyone had ox-goads. All the farmers wanted to feed their families. But only Shamgar was willing to trust God to conquer the Philistines. He knew that if he would trust the LORD and engage his enemies that the LORD would expel them.
Shamgar is an Old Testament image of Jesus our Savior. And, he is an example of how to overcome a lukewarm faith.
God has blessed his people with faith, but we must learn to apply that faith to overcome our fears and concerns. God’s seeks to find active faith and when he finds it he blesses the person who uses it (Lk 18:8). Faith pleases God and he rewards those who draw near to him in faith (Heb 11:6).
Picture attributed to Pixabay, Unsplash, and Freerangestock
