# 7 - Letter To The Church At Laodicea Series

Just like the Church at Sardis had a false impression that they were alive, when they were in fact dead, this church too seemed to have a false impression of themselves. They thought that since they were rich and had become wealthy, that they needed nothing, when in fact, in God’s eyes they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. What a terrible revelation about themselves by their Master.

What about us?

How do we perceive ourselves, both individually, as a local church, as a city church or even as a national church, or as a church globally? If the impression we have of ourselves, and that of the Lord don’t match, then we’re in trouble, and in danger of being pulled up by the Lord.

Revelation 3:18 – “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”

Real Gold

The Lord is so gracious to His people that He doesn’t reject them for the lackadaisical attitude to their faith in Him; but instead, He gives them a few words of advice. He offers to ‘sell’ them gold refined in the fire so that they may be truly rich. They were focusing on earthly riches perhaps and so thought they were rich, but here Jesus offers them true riches, referring to their faith in Him, which James refers to in 1 Pet.1:6,7 – “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ…”

Jesus is telling them that their faith in Him, which they seem to have put on the back burner is far more precious than all the gold in the world. This faith will be tested, just like earthly gold is refined in the fire, but in the end of this testing, those who are tested will come forth refined, strong and better than when they entered the phase of testing.

What about us?

• Have we confused real gold (our faith) and false gold?

• Do we consider the riches of this world true and the riches Jesus offers us cheap or irrelevant?

• Is living out our faith, and sharing our faith as important as it was when we first came to Christ, or have we become careless about these things?

• Have we shied away from suffering for Christ to avoid the pain and discomfort it brings or are we willing to endure it, knowing that it’s only through suffering that our faith is tested and refined?

White Garments

Jesus then goes on to offer them white garments in exchange for their filthy, soiled garments – soiled with sin and selfishness. Perhaps this city church had forgotten that they had been cleansed from their sinful ways, and were dabbling in sin all over again. The Apostle Peter talked about such people who had forgotten that faith in Christ was just the first step and that they had to grow in their faith thereafter. Read what he says in 2 Peter. 1: 5-9 “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is short sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” This church had stopped walking in holiness, and had soiled their ‘garments’ all over again. They had got entangled once again in the sins of the past, making a mockery of the salvation they received, and the faith they so professed. They had forgotten that faith was the first step in this journey of becoming transformed into the likeness or image of Christ.