He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:22
Most recovery programs will tell you that an addict’s first step on the road to recovery is the willingness to admit that there is actually a problem. For instance, consider step one from the well-known “12 Steps” of Alcoholics Anonymous1:
Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Regardless of the addiction—whether it’s alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography, or anything else—this step is unavoidable. Because until a person is willing to acknowledge that something is wrong with the status quo, there’s no basis for talking about the need for change. Clearly though, simply naming the problem doesn’t make it go away, and once the addiction is “out in the open” is when the hard work really begins in earnest.
Take for example an alcoholic who is trying to get sober. Having admitted his problem and expressed his desire to change, he is then presented with the prospect of altering his lifestyle and habits so that he can overcome his addiction. Ultimate success requires a commitment to the belief that sobriety is indeed preferable to drunkenness, a life-long resolve to make the necessary changes, and a support system that can both encourage him and keep him accountable. Remind you of anything?
In a very real sense, this is also the blueprint for salvation—God’s “recovery program” for sinners—whereby we come and confess our hopeless condition before a holy God, embrace the Gospel’s promise of salvation for all who believe, and turn from the sin which both ensnares and enslaves us. Along the way, the local church functions as our support group which is there to both encourage and reprove us in our walk with Christ. Granted, the analogy is not perfect, but one thing is clear: confession is an absolute prerequisite for any kind of meaningful change to occur.
For this reason, the American Church is in dire need of an “intervention”—we need to be shaken from our spiritual stupor. Because just as the alcoholic becomes accustomed to the binges and the hangovers that accompany his addiction, so too has the Body of Christ in this nation grown comfortable with a lifeless form of religion that is the byproduct of years of compromise. So like the addict, we too need to be confronted with the fact that we are daily being unfaithful to our Lord.
The Mandate for Change
Thanks in large part to the success of the “Left Behind” series, most of us are at least generally familiar with the latter chapters of the book of Revelation; the opening chapters, on the other hand, have gotten lost in the shuffle. And while I’m not about to discourage interest in Scripture, I submit that there is an unhealthy fixation on the “forward-looking” portions of the book of Revelation—if not the Bible in general. Because especially when it comes to Revelation, we can get so engrossed in prophecies about the future that we completely miss the first three chapters: the letters of admonition written to the first century church. For this reason, I encourage you to take a few minutes and read through the opening chapters of this prophetic book.
Reviewing the list of grievances that our risen Lord mentions, you quickly see that we have a lot in common with our first century brothers and sisters. Haven’t we also become somewhat dead and lifeless? Tolerated false teaching? Left our first love? Indeed, for the same reasons that Jesus rebuked the early church, He would rebuke us today.
In particular, though, I believe that we need to hear Jesus’ reprimand of the church in Laodicea. Commonly referred to as the “lukewarm church,” Jesus warns that their material prosperity has blinded them to the fact they are nowhere near where He expects—indeed demands—them to be. They falsely believe that everything is going along just fine and that they are in the center of God’s will, when in fact their complacency disgusts Him:
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 then, 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 may 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.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.
Revelation 3:14-19
So was the Laodiceans’ problem their wealth? Yes…and no. For while their wealth was clearly the object of the problem, the real problem was that they had become spiritually complacent and unfruitful. The Laodiceans were in need of nothing, had become content with being content, and their fire for God had disappeared. In the process, the Laodiceans had turned away from serving Christ, and were serving instead those things which they could see and touch—their material possessions.
In other words, the Laodiceans had allowed their hearts to stray; and their wealth—while clearly a distraction—was serving as an enabler by providing them with a false sense of security. Or to continue the prior analogy, wealth was the Laodiceans’ “alcohol”, the substance which had both ensnared them and become their master. Indeed, the situation in Laodicea is virtually a textbook illustration of the verse from Proverbs which reads:
Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown You and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Proverbs 30:8-9
Now ask yourself this question: Doesn’t the situation in Laodicea bear a striking resemblance to the American Church today? What is the primary desire of our hearts? Do we long for God, or have our affections likewise shifted to earthly substitutes? Furthermore, and perhaps most important, is it possible that we have we become just as blind to our own spiritual barrenness?
In light of the fact that the United States is one of the wealthiest nations in world history, we would be wise to evaluate ourselves against the warnings given to this group of affluent believers. Unfortunately, though, it is so easy to detach ourselves from the text of Scripture that it fails to penetrate our hearts. This being the case, we should always aspire to read the Bible in the “1st person” rather than the “3rd person,” the “I” instead of the “they.” Put it this way, read this letter again and substitute the name of your church for “Laodicea.” Or better yet, imagine that the letter is addressed directly to you.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I put myself in the crosshairs of this passage it brings me to my knees. Am I on fire for God, or is my devotion bordering on lukewarm? Have I become so comfortable with the wealth and lifestyle that we enjoy in this country that I have compromised myself spiritually? Am I naked before a holy God and completely oblivious to that fact, or am I truly clothed in the righteousness of Christ?
These are serious questions that we in America need to wrestle with, because our Lord was clearly not pleased with the Laodiceans. So to the extent that we find similarities between ourselves and the “lukewarm church” we need to realize that Jesus will no more tolerate our complacency than He did theirs. This means that like our first century brethren, we have only two options before us:
- We can heed Jesus’ admonition to turn from our idols, or
- We can count on being chastened by God as He disciplines us, His defiant children
In other words, as we allow our hearts to wander after anything other than Christ—which is the essence of idolatry—we need to understand that He will discipline us for the same reasons that He chastised the Laodiceans. For just as earthly parents correct their own children, God wants us to recognize that we are getting off course and to turn back to Him: His ultimate goal is our repentance. So even though His chastening may be painful, it is truly for our own good:
And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.
Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:5-11 (NKJV)
Does that mean we always respond as we ought to when God rebukes us? Clearly not, for in our fallen natures we continue to resist God even after our conversion. Either way, though, whether we respond in submission or defiance to God’s correction, one thing is certain: whenever God is trying to get us to change our ways, the status quo is clearly not an option.
Next –> Houston, We Have a Problem – Part 2
- “A Brief Guide To Alcoholics Anonymous,” Alcoholics Anonymous,
January 2008, . ↩︎
Socratic Christianity 