Disgustingly Distasteful

 

“I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit.”

—Revelation 3:15-16 MSG

Imagine someone in her car arriving at the coffee shop’s drive-thru window and purposely ordering lukewarm coffee. She’s missing some of the great comfort of a well-brewed, piping hot cup of “joe,” or an ice cold cup on a very hot summer day. (Personally, I prefer tea, but only if it’s very hot or very cold.)

Can you imagine your church having the kind of evaluation that you read in the Scripture at the top of this devotional? Can you imagine reading that your church is stale, stagnant—lukewarm—when God made your church, and those who belong to it, with the purpose of being present in order to refresh and to revive others, as well as to please Him?

Not only that, but this ancient church of Laodicea—located in a region of Greece that is now a part of modern day Turkey—received even more accusations from God. In the passage from The Message, found in Revelation 3:17, God says:

“You brag, I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone, oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.”

This sentence reminds me of the twisted American mentality that has crept into our churches. We have readily accepted God’s blessings, believing that through our hard work and wisdom we have created the riches to which we have grown so accustomed. Have we gotten to the point where we no longer hear the warnings of Scripture? Do we really intend to ignore the calls to put God and His Kingdom first? Does God have to vomit us out of His mouth, or can we become useful and thirst-quenching again?

Laodicea had much to brag about. The region was known for its industries in banking, black wool making, and manufacturing of eye salve for tired eyes. And, this geographic region contained followers of Christ that God greatly valued. So, He warns them in Revelation 3:18:

“Here’s what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that’s been through the refiner’s fire. Then you’ll be rich. Buy your [white] clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You’ve gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see.”

Do you hear the urgency in this passage of Scripture? Just as He spoke to the church at Laodicea, I think that God calls us and our church to change our ways.

Have the COVID-19 Pandemic and the tragedies in leaving Afghanistan caused us to hear our Lord’s voice? Will we heed the warning He gives us? Will we seriously repent of our uselessness and our pride? Will we plead with Him to send the Holy Spirit to empower us?

We need divine power in order to get busy supplying the Water of Life to this world. We need holy power in order to display the gold that shows the richness of His glory. We need God to give us white clothing to replace the clothing of those still wearing worldly rags. We need God’s holy medicine to heal the spiritual blindness of our world.

Spread the word! Hurry! The coffee is getting cold!