Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) is one church briefly mentioned outside of these Revelation verses. While writing to the Colossians, Paul also mentions the church in Laodicea, encouraging them throughout his letter there, and reminding the Colossians that this letter was meant for the Laodiceans as well (Colossians 4:16). By some verses, it seems that Paul himself did not travel there, but did have fellow believers he was connected with that traveled there on his behalf and supported the ministry. There is some scholarly debate as to if Paul ever wrote Laodicea a letter directly that may be hidden in one of the other New Testament books, or lost, or simply is a misunderstanding of translation. A mystery you could choose to explore yourself… but not our main point for today.

Laodicea was a very wealthy, abundant city. When destroyed by an earthquake, they refused to take Roman funds but instead paid themselves to rebuild it back to its prosperous state. It was full of strong, independent, rich people. And yet, it is listed as a church with no positive attributes and only rebuke from Jesus. In fact, Jesus writes of his desire to spit or vomit them out (v.16). Ouch.

So, what’s so bad about being lukewarm? At least they weren’t called spiritually dead like in Sardis, right?? Well, Sardis was at least doing something, and there were a few members still actively living out the truths of Jesus’ ministry. It seems that Laodicea was truly doing nothing… they weren’t being useful in any capacity, and were so inflated with their own sense of self that they didn’t even notice they were really poor, blind, and naked (v.17)! They had turned their hearts so far towards their own wealth and recognition, that they truly just abandoned their faith. Maybe they still met at church for a social gathering, but there was no discussion, no action, no edification, no growth. They weren’t doing one thing wrong, they were doing absolutely nothing.

To correct this, Jesus gives them advice to buy gold from him that has been refined by fire, clothes to cover their nakedness, and salve to heal their blindness (v.18). In the context of this particular church and city, this probably felt a bit like a slap in the face. They had their own gold, they made their own beautiful linens, and they even were known for their medicinal salve! Why would anyone tell them they needed to go anywhere else to get those things? Well, Jesus was trying to point out the fact that what he was “selling” was nothing they could find in their own material possessions. He was intending to knock them down a few notches and realize what they needed was God’s grace, and that wasn’t something they could just buy at one of their various stores around town!

In verse 19, Jesus reminds this church that he rebukes and corrects the people he loves. One thing this church has going for them, that really every single person has, is that Jesus loves them enough to call them out! In this letter he reminds them that he is present, he is knocking at their door, calling for them, with an invitation to spend time with him (v.20). Jesus is actively pursuing this group of people with a desire to include them, to lift them up to a place of majesty (v.21). He deeply wants them to be part of the Kingdom, but they needed to first recognize how much they needed him to get there. There is a destruction coming that they aren’t going to be able to pay for themselves… and Jesus wants them to be on the side of redemption instead.

When we experience worldly wealth and success, we run the risk of becoming lukewarm in our faith, because we lose the recognition of our true need for God. We must have a level of humility and respect (or fear!) for the Creator of all things in order to really put our faith in action daily! We are dependent on God for so much more than we may consciously think throughout our days, but when we ignore how we desperately need His Grace, His Son, and His plan for salvation, we miss out on the opportunity to be in His Kingdom. Not to mention so many other blessings we could experience in this current life!

My prayer for anyone reading these devotions this week is that you were able to find something that spoke to you. Whether it was conviction, encouragement, or an idea for how to apply it in your home and church, I hope you found something in it for you. I pray it was a blessing and that you continue to dive deeper in Scripture to continue strengthening your faith!