[Seven Churches] The Church of Laodicea - A Letter of the Lord to the Church in Laodicea (2)
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November 06, 2011 |
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* The Church of Ephesus
* The Church of Smyrna
* The Church of Pergamum
* The Church of Thyatira
* The Church of Sardis
* The Church of Philadelphia
* The Church of Laodicea
 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
Chairman, The United Holiness Church of Jesus Christ
Permanent President, The World Christianity Revival Mission Association
Joint President, Association of Lovers of National Assembly and Prayers for the Country
Founder & Board Chairman, Global Christian Network
Founder & Board Chairman, World Christian Doctors Network
Founder & Board Chairman, Manmin International Seminary
Founder & Board Chairman, The Alliance Holiness Theological Seminary
Doctorate of Ministry, and Honorary Doctorate of Divinity
Senior Pastor, Manmin Central Church
His sermons were broadcast by the Far East Broadcasting Company and the Asia Broadcast Station
His Christian columns appear on The Chosun Ilbo, The Hankook Ilbo, The JoongAng Daily, The Dong-A Ilbo, The Munhwa Ilbo, The Seoul Shinmun, The Kyunghyang Shinmun, The Hankyoreh Shinmun, The Korea Economic Daily, The Korea Herald, The Shisa News, and The Christian Press.
He conducted crusades in Tanzania; Argentina; Los Angeles, Baltimore, Hawaii, and New York City of the USA; Uganda; Japan; Pakistan; Kenya; the Philippines; Honduras; India; Russia; Germany; Peru; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Israel; and Estonia.
A Letter of the Lord to the Church in Laodicea (2)
"I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; 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 will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Revelation 3:18-21)
Among the seven churches, the Church of Laodicea was reproved the most by the Lord. Their faith was neither cold nor hot. They did not work hard for God's works. To become a church that is praised by God, we have to act in the will of God with fervor and keep the Word of God under any situation until the end.
The Church of Laodicea didn't realize what they lacked. They only thought that they were rich. The Lord still wanted them to repent and turn back. He is advising them and telling them in detail just how poor, blind, and naked they are spiritually.
1. "I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich. . ."
Gold here refers to faith that is like pure gold. Just as the people of the world value gold most, the Lord compares faith to 'gold refined by fire,' for faith is the most precious thing in a Christian's life. Therefore, 'to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich' means 'to possess faith that is unchanging like pure gold.' We can be saved and go to heaven only when we have faith. Only when we have faith can we receive answers to whatever we ask. (Matthew 9:29)
We shouldn't profess our faith only with our lips. Our faith should be accompanied by deeds of living by the Word of God. Our faith shouldn't change depending on a given situation or condition. This kind of faith is called spiritual faith. In the Bible, such spiritual faith is compared to gold or pure gold. Therefore, those who have spiritual faith will absolutely believe in the Word of God in any situation and follow the Word.
In 1 Kings Chapter 18 the prophet Elijah was a person who had this kind of spiritual faith. Elijah was the prophet who worked during the reign of King Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel. One day God told the prophet Elijah that He would send rain to the land of Israel that had been in drought for three and a half years. Elijah believed His Word. He went up to the top of Mountain Carmel, he crouched down on the ground, and prayed so fervently that his face was put between his knees. He prayed and finally received the answer of great rain. At that time, Elijah commanded his servant to check if there was cloud or not seven times. It means he believed in God's answers until the end. Even if there had been no answer after the seventh prayer, Elijah would have kept on praying until he received the answer.
To believe in God and to continue to believe in Him until the end is the spiritual faith that is like pure gold. This kind of faith cannot be obtained easily. Just as the people of the world have to refine gold with fire until they get the pure gold, there must also be the process of refinement to have faith that is like pure gold. We have to overcome many trials and afflictions, struggle against sin to the point of shedding blood, and endure with perseverance to live by the Word. Through these processes of refinement, we can have faith like pure gold.
2. ". . .and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see."
The Lord told the Church of Laodicea who was spiritually naked to "buy white garments so that you may clothe yourself." Here, the white garments represent the holy deeds of saints. The holy deeds come out of the holy heart. Therefore, 'clothing oneself in white garments' means 'getting rid of darkness and untruth from the heart and cultivating the heart into a white heart of truth.' Only when we do so, will we be able to put on the garments of righteousness so that the shame of nakedness will not be revealed.
We may have a 'black' heart that is stained with sins, and yet we do not realize the darkness in us. We may have lost the duty of men and the image of God. We should know that these things are spiritually 'being naked' and are shameful things. Some profess their faith in God but do not even realize that they are spiritually naked. Such people are spiritually blind.
The Lord advises these people, "to buy eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see." While we are living by the Word of God with faith, we gradually come to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We come to know what the truth is, and what the sin is. When we come to have spiritual sense, it is to have spiritually opened eyes. When our spiritual eyes open, we can understand the Word of God, have hope for heaven, find our 'self' according to the Word, and change ourselves by the truth.
"To have open spiritual eyes" can have the meaning of being able to see the spiritual world through spiritual eyes. But the more important meaning is to understand the will of God by listening to His Word, and to change ourselves by the truth through the understanding we receive. If a man has his spiritual eyes opened, knows about God, and realizes what the will of God is, he will surely not befriend the world but try hard to find the darkness in him according to the Word, and change by the truth.
Today, there are many churches that have 'lukewarm' faith like the Church of Laodicea.
If some churches pray earnestly and work for the kingdom of God faithfully,
God will give them revival, financial blessings, and other blessings accordingly.
However, some of them use the God-given blessings in a wrong way
and compromise with the world. They have to repent and recover the trust relationship with God
by trying hard to work for the kingdom of God.
3. "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent."
The Lord urged them to turn from improper faith once again saying, "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." This statement clearly shows the reason and the purpose of God's reproach.
When the children are going the wrong way, if the parents love their children, they will try to correct them, even with a rod. Otherwise, it can't be said the parents love their children. For example, Eli the priest had two sons who were defiling the sanctuary of God. As a priest Eli only told them not to do it without giving them any punishment. His sons' evil deeds continued, and finally, God's wrath came upon them. His two sons died in a battle and Eli was so shocked to hear the news that he fell off his seat and broke his neck, resulting in his death.
As recorded in Hebrews 12:6-8, the reason why God allows His children punishments is because He loves them. If there is no reproach or punishment even after a child commits a sin, the child will not realize any faults and eventually fall into the way of death according to the spiritual law in Romans 6:23 saying that "The wages of sin is death." Thus, we must feel such love of Father God in our hearts. If we can feel this love of God in His punishment, we will be able to repent, turn back, and change.
On the other hand, if we don't realize anything even after a couple of punishments, there will be no reason for God to punish any further. Therefore, there will be no more punishment even if we commit sin later. If a believer is prosperous and there is no punishment even when he doesn't live by the Word but commits sins, it means God has turned His face away from him. There is no situation more unfortunate than this.
If he is a loving child of God, when he goes the wrong way, God will not let him go like an illegitimate son, but He will punish him. This is rather a blessing for the child being punished. The punishment may be scary and fearsome at the moment, but we should know that it is the expression of God's love. But it doesn't mean we have to receive punishment whenever we do something wrong.
Before God gives us punishment, He surely gives us many chances. God makes us realize it through the Word, admonishes us, or reproves us so that we can repent. If we can realize our fault fairly quickly, it will be good. If not and we receive punishment, still we should realize it is also the love of Father God, repent from the depth of our hearts, and turn back. Then we must recover the lost trust-relationship with God, and start to pile up our reward in heaven again.
4. "...I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door..."
First of all, the meaning of "I stand at the door and knock" is that the Lord is knocking on the door of our thoughts with the Word of the truth. When we listen to the Word of God, we have to keep it in our hearts. In order to do so, first, the Word of the truth has to come in through the door of our thoughts. Next, the truth has to come into us through the door of the heart. Once the Word is put into our heart this way, we can gradually live by the Word. Then, it is called "eating and drinking with the Lord."
But, even though we opened the door of thoughts and accepted the Word, if the door of our heart is not opened, the Word will remain as mere knowledge in our brain. This is so-called "faith as mere knowledge." Those who have this faith will eventually have lukewarm faith. Even though they have managed a believing life for a long period of time, and have heard many words, since they haven't cultivated the Word in their hearts, they cannot have spiritual faith. That is, they cannot have the faith to believe from the bottom of their heart. They become just church-goers.
Although the Lord is almighty, He doesn't force anyone to open the door of his heart. If God forces a person to open the door of his heart and enables him to have spiritual faith, there would be no one in this world who would not be able to receive salvation. But, it would not be human cultivation through justice. So God gives each one a free will. He wants to get true children who believe in God and love Him from the bottom of their hearts by their own free will.
Therefore, we must understand that even though the Lord is knocking on the door of our mind and heart, it is we who must open the door. Anyone who loves God opens not only the door of thoughts widely but also the door of the heart and lives by the Word of God by "eating and drinking with the Lord."
5. "He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."
If we open the door of heart, accept the Word of the truth, and dine and drink with the Lord by practicing the Word, we will overcome this world and the enemy devil. Revelation 3:21 says, "He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." Just like the Lord sits on the right hand of God, those who overcome will also sit down on the throne of salvation.
Even though the Lord spoke only words of reproach to the Church in Laodicea for their lukewarm faith, the Lord said in the end that the door of salvation was still open for them if they repented and turned back. Until the door of salvation is completely shut, there still remains the chance. That's why the Lord is speaking to them this way with His burning heart.
We must continue to overcome until the end. We have to walk the narrow way that Jesus walked in joy, thanks, and love without changing until the end. Only then can we stand with the Lord and enjoy the glory with Him on the Final Day. But there are some people who seem to overcome at some point, but then give up in the middle so that they will not be able to participate in the full blessing and glory.
Let us check our faith with the Word the Lord gave to the Church in Laodicea. If our faith has been lukewarm, let us repent right away and turn back. Let us stand in the array of those who will have overcome until the end or to make it even better, stay closer to the throne of the Lord by taking hold of a better place in the kingdom of heaven by force.
I hope you will feel the love of God who wants to awaken churches in slumber and help them adorn themselves as the brides of the Lord. I pray in the name of the Lord that by feeling His love your churches will be born again as churches that receive praise from the Lord and overcome the world with faith.
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