# 7 - Letter To The Church At Laodicea Series

Letter # 7 – Letter to the Church at Laodicea

Revelation 3:14 - “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:’”

The Lord Jesus begins by introducing Himself to the church at Laodicea as ‘The Amen,’ and ‘The Faithful and True Witness.’

The Amen

The word, ‘Amen, means, ‘So be it.’ Jesus seems to be saying that when He says something, there’s no doubt about it happening – it will.

The Faithful and True Witness

He then says that He is the Faithful and True Witness. When Jesus walked the earth, witnessed concerning all that He knew about His Father in heaven, about the kingdom of heaven and about God’s plan for salvation. In the book of Revelation, Jesus is witnessing about the church, the rewards and the punishments on those who obey and rebel against God respectively. Since He is the Truth, He is also the True Witness, and there is nothing false about what He says.

The Beginning of the creation of God

Jesus refers to Himself as the Beginning of the creation of God, meaning that not only was He present at Creation but He was also instrumental in God’s creation. The Apostle John said in Jn.1:1-3 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

Revelation 3:15,16 – “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Neither cold nor hot

Jesus begins by telling this church that He is aware of their works, and that they were neither cold nor hot. This church was neither rebellious against Him and living in denial of His existence, nor were they passionate about the Lord and in their service to Him. They seemed be indifferent towards God. It’s almost like it would not have made a difference to them whether God existed or not, or if they were followers of Christ or not.

The Tax-collectors and ‘sinners’ were cold towards God – they had no interest in God until Jesus came into this world, and when they saw and heard what he did and spoke they followed Him, but the Pharisees were pretentious and hypocritical in their relationship with God – they were lukewarm. The Apostles like Peter, James and John, and most others were on fire for God, especially after they were baptized with the Holy Spirit and began serving the Lord.

Jesus preferred that the Church at Laodicea was either cold or hot, because the Lord can always work on people who are cold and distant towards Him, just as He did with the Tax collectors and ‘sinners.’ Jesus can work with people who are passionate about Him, like the disciples, but He cannot work on people who are insincere and hypocritical in their faith in and walk with the Lord – like the Pharisees, Sadducees and other religious leaders of His day.

I will vomit you out of my mouth

Jesus then says that because they were lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, He would vomit them out of His mouth. He seemed to be comparing them to a drink that is best drunk cold or hot. This church was not serving any purpose as such, but merely functioning for the sake of functioning as a church. They did not love the Lord or serve Him, nor did they love and serve one another or the community around. Jesus was dissatisfied with them and was about to chastise them for their careless attitude to their faith and relationship with Him.

Jesus seemed to have been making reference to their lives as a sacrifice being offered to Him (just as the Apostle Paul referred to in Rom.12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” It’s clear that the sacrifice of the people at the Church at Laodicea was anything but acceptable to the Lord, and so He was about to spew them out of His mouth.

What about us?

• Are we cold and distant in our relationship with the Lord, are we passionate about Him or are we so indifferent that it doesn’t matter anymore whether or not we believe in Him?

• May our lives be lived as a living sacrifice to the Lord

Revelation 3:17 – “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.