Repentance Is The Seed Of Revival: Letter To The Church Of Laodicea Series

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, the many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

-April 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation for a National Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer.

Too proud, too self-sufficient, too intoxicated with success, all this is deceitfulness in our hearts, in the USA, ten times as much today as in Lincoln’s time, and it reminds of the letter to the church of Laodicea, in Revelation, it says this:

“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. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 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. 18 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.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 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.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” -Revelation 3:14-22

Today we focus in on the city of Laodicea in the ancient world. It was a city of about 40,000 people, which is about the size of my home town. It wasn’t as big as Pergamum, but it was powerful and affluent. This city had two theaters, not just one, like Pergamum which had a population of 200,000 people. So this was a rich city. It was located at a key point on the trade routes of Asia minor.

This was the banking center of Asia minor, working with money, and power and influence, business and jobs and industry, manufacturing, and goods and products. Reminds one of the United States of America, so much money, so many goods and services, and so much abundance.

The city was known for the productions of textiles, clothing and garments, and was known for a particular kind of wool. It was very soft, and black, and would be worn by the residents of the city, to display their wealth. You’d find a city full of black robed people.

It was also known for the production of medicine useful for the treatment of eye conditions. Once again this led to great wealth.

Laodicea had everything it needed. The people there tended to be wealthy and influential in the region. They were proud, arrogant even, and accustomed to getting what they wanted, accustomed to entertainment in the theaters, and many forms of pleasure.

But it did have a problem. It was not near any particular water sources. So water had to be piped in from outside the city. The water source they had was full of minerals as well, which gave the water a putrid taste. Additionally, piping in the water from far off, and then having to gather it in the hot sun, would leave the water lukewarm, not very enjoyable to drink.

In contrast, in nearby Hierapolis, they had hot springs to get their water from, bubbling hot springs. And in nearby Colossae they gathered their water from nearby mountains, from the ice melts, nice cold water.

So when Jesus gives this letter to the Laodicean church, it’s interesting he says you’re lukewarm in your faith, just like your water, and it’s offensive to me. I wish you were hot like the water in Hierapolis or cold like the water in Colossae, but you’re lukewarm, so I’m going to spit you out if you don’t repent.