Devotions with Dre Episode 24: Book of Revelation Part 9: Laodicea
Laodicea
MSG: 14 Write to Laodicea, to the Angel of the church. God’s Yes, the Faithful and Accurate Witness, the First of God’s creation, says: 15-17 “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. 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. 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 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. 19 “The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!
20-21 “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That’s my gift to the conquerors!
22 “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”
Amplified:
Message to Laodicea
14 “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in [e]Laodicea write:
“These are the words of the Amen, the trusted and faithful and true Witness, the [f]Beginning and Origin of God’s creation:
15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are [g]neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were [h]cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need], 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see. 19 Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]. 20 Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me. 21 He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Context: Laodicea (in Turkey now known as Turkeieyeye) was founded by Antiochus II Theos, king of the Seleucid Empire, in 261-253 BC in honour of his wife Laodice, together with several other cities of the same name. According to Pliny the Elder, the town was originally called Diospolis, "City of Zeus", and afterwards Rhoas. It soon became a wealthy city. - wiki
It's likely that one of Pauls disciples Epaphras may have planted it (he's the guy that founded the Colossian church)
It was a center for textile production
The roman emperor at the time was Domitian, and he demanded that ppl worship him as a god - first emperor to try and become a god while still alive - he exempted ppl if they happened to be jewish
From a blog entitled "the church of Laodicea in the Bible and archeology" on BiblicalArchaeology.com :
Fairchild explains, “As part of the Pax Romana, the staunchly monotheistic Jews in the cities of the Mediterranean world were exempt from the requirements of emperor worship. As long as Christianity was considered a sect within Judaism, the Christians in these cities were likewise exempt from emperor worship.” At first, the Christian Church was composed almost entirely of Jews. However, as more Gentiles (non-Jews) converted to Christianity, the percentage of Jewish people in the Christian Church decreased, and, therefore, Christians’ special status as Jewish monotheists, which permitted them to refrain from emperor worship, was removed.
The Christians at Laodicea were affected by Domitian’s decrees. Their response to this persecution—which even involved their ability to buy and sell—is what causes the author of Revelation to call them “lukewarm.” Fairchild elaborates: The difficulties that this placed upon the Christians of Asia were expressed in detail throughout the Book of Revelation. Those who refused to worship the image of the beast (the emperor) were killed. Christians could no longer buy or sell unless they had taken the mark of the beast (Revelation 13). The pressure upon rich Christians to maintain their wealth was intense. Since a great deal of Laodicea’s wealth depended upon trade, the Christian merchants were in a quandary. Would they cooperate with the imperial cult and maintain their trade associations, or would they forswear Domitian and reaffirm their faith in Christ? Many of the Laodicean Christians compromised their faith in such ways that the writer of the apocalypse could say, “I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Other churches throughout the Roman Empire responded differently. For example, the Christians at Smyrna are applauded in the Book of Revelation for maintaining their faith in the midst of extreme difficulty by refusing to participate in the imperial cult—even though this meant affliction and poverty for them (see Revelation 2:9). Yet the Laodicean church’s “lukewarm” legacy was not its final legacy. The church at Laodicea survived Domitian’s reign. The city became a bishopric (seat of a Christian bishop), and a Christian council was even held there in the fourth century C.E. Archaeologists have discovered about 20 ancient Christian chapels and churches at the site. The largest church at Laodicea, called the Church of Laodicea took up an entire city block and dates to the beginning of the fourth century.
From an article “Laodicea’s ‘Lukewarm’ Legacy: Conflicts of Prosperity in an Ancient Christian City,” by Mark R. Fairchild in the March/April 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, AND from a blog entitled "the church of laodicea in the Bible and archeology" on BiblicalArchaeology.com
The correction of God ... involves
Accuracy Rev3:14 (msg) (story: needs and values quiz) ...the first description of Jesus in the book of Revelation is that he is a faithful and true witness (1:5) and the letter to L. emphasizes this trait again. you may be able to image manage and deceive those around u but Jesus knows everything and He's accurate and true. the good thing is He loves you no matter what and wants to work with u on ur stuff.
Priority (spiritual instead of earthly wealth) (marshmallow kids study about delayed gratification) the universal conundrum of every Christian in each historical context is, can we set our sights on things above not earthly. can we live with eternity in mind and learn to share the values of heaven instead of the materialistic culture we find ourselves in on earth. can we walk by the Spirit not the flesh. can we get our priorities straight; and it's not a one time process, it's a continual conversation with God and a yielding to His ways over our own.
Conviction (Jer 4:1-2 "O Israel, says the Lord, if you wanted to return to me, you could. you could throw away your detestable idols and sin no more. .. then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world and all people would come and praise My name") (Holy Spirit convicts about of sin, righteousness, judgement Jn 16:8) (his kindness leads us to repentance Romans 2:4 / tell gas station story)
The guidance of God ... in this instance involves these directives:
Buy your gold, clothes, and medicine from Jesus (Isaiah 55“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts) (gold, garments, eye salve were Laodicea's main exports - everything u think u can manufacture on ur own, you need Jesus' version)
Repent
Let Jesus in for dinner - when u see in a letter to a church that Jesus is standing outside the church knocking, that's not good. (expound/His patience for still wanting to commune w them!)
the dinner table motif is huge in Bk of Rev - the Lord longs for all of us to take our place at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb where we celebrate victory and life in His good presence forever. Dont reject or ignore the invite, and dont be found disqualified to enter.