(Revelation 3:14-18 NIV)
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
I don't know if anyone will have this same feeling but do verses 14-18 impress you as similar to the message David Platt is telling American Chritians? The complete title of his book is: Radical - Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream. American Christianity could be described as all of the following: hot, cold, or neither, rich, acquired wealth, not needing anything, not recognizing our sins but He does, what will it take for us to see?
Finally, a practical application of these verses is not for us to become complacent in our walks. We are to challenge ourselves to grow for Him everyday. Don't achieve a certain level of Christian walk & life then stop...keep pressing and pushing yourself to grow, don't become lazy in your walk. Jesus and God knows when we are slackers - wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Strive to be a disciple that never rest in sharing his Word and building the Kingdom.
Alright I'm gonna try this again.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the few chapters of revelations we have read so far, the phrase that has popped up several times has been,"Whoever has ears, let him hear what the Spirit has to say to the churches". I think that this is repeated for a couple of reasons. First, God created us and obviously understands out stubborn, self-centered, and independent tendencies. So, through this verse he is saying, listen to what I am saying, this is important. But also, we must not only listen but take what we read and apply it to our lives before its too late.
Chauncey, I agree with what you said about verses 14-18. As Christians it is easy to become Luke-warm in our faith, going to church on Sundays and reading our bibles when we feel like it. However, God did not call us to live like this, or to let the American dream cloud our vision of Gods will for us. God called us to live a radical life for him, staying on fire for him by staying in his word daily, staying in fellowship with other Christians, and praying to him constantly to reveal his will for our lives and for the strength to make that a reality. He wants us to realize that while we may think that worldly treasures or dreams are important, the real treasures are his and compared to them, ours are pitiful and wretched.
I also really like verses 19-20. "Those who I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me." A lot of times when we go through hard times in life, we feel like it isn't fair. This verse is great assurance that God is with us even in those times. Sometimes, sadly enoungh , we even need these kinds of humbling experiences to bring us to the point of turning to God. He says that those who I really love, I want the best for, so I rebuke and discipline them. But, he says here I am! I've been here the whole time. And when we notice him and let him into our heart, giving him control of our lives, everything will work out according to his will.
These verses are a big challenge for me. Do i really listen to what Gods telling me and apply it to my life? Do i , when going through a hard time in life, open up my door to God and give home full control?
...and if any of us are failing at the questions in your last paragraph how do we address our failure. Especially as you guys head off to college and may have to stand alone for Christ?
ReplyDelete"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:19-20
ReplyDeleteI really like these two verses. I also thought 15-18 were great, but what spoke to me the most in 19 and 20 is how Christ has, is, and will stand at the door of every single person that will ever live. He is knocking on people's hearts. As Platt illustrated in Radical, God is on top of the mountain and we are on the bottom, looking up at Him. Rather than us try to scale up the mountain by means of good works or other religious follies, God comes down the mountain to us by means of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Chapter 3 talks a lot about religion. To the church of Sardis, Christ says they need to wake up and strengthen what is about to die. They were walking in a religious way of life and not receiving and obeying what they had been told. To the church of Philadelphia, Jesus tears the Jews apart and say that they are of Satan's synagogue! Those are very harsh words. As well as the church of Laodicea, the Son of Man is warning them that they have become lukewarm in their faith. The people of this church began choosing worldly pleasures and treasures over God and He is instructing them to repent and accept the rebuke and discipline that comes from Christ to the people He loves. Jesus says throughout the entire chapter that those who overcome their sin and turn to God and those who open the door to Jesus' knock and let Him in will be placed on a throne in Heaven with God the Father and the Son.
Sorry for typing up so much, but I enjoyed this chapter and hope you both got a lot from it.