The Church of Laodicea Is Alive and Well
Key Passage: Revelation 3:14-22
The church of Laodicea is not dead history buried under a pile of ancient ruins. It is alive and well, sitting in padded chairs, sipping designer coffee, counting its money, admiring its programs, bragging about its influence, and telling itself it is doing just fine while the Lord Jesus Christ stands outside the door. Revelation 3:14-22 is one of the most frightening passages in the Bible because it shows a church that does not look poor, persecuted, crushed, or outwardly defeated. It looks successful. It has goods. It has wealth. It has self-confidence. It has religious language. It probably has a full calendar, respectable people, polished machinery, and a nice reputation. But Christβs diagnosis is not their diagnosis. They say, βI am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.β He says they are βwretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.β That is not a small difference in opinion. That is heaven contradicting the churchβs brochure.
There is a way to be religiously busy and spiritually bankrupt. There is a way to have a crowd and no fire, music and no conviction, money and no power, buildings and no burden, education and no discernment, activity and no life, fellowship and no separation, sermons and no sword, prayers and no brokenness, Bible talk and no Bible authority, and Christianity without Christ in the center. Laodicea is comfortable. Laodicea is rich. Laodicea is lukewarm. Laodicea is modern. It is not atheism with a church sign; it is self-satisfied religion with enough Jesus language to keep the machine running while keeping the Lord Himself outside the place of rule. That is why this church is so dangerous. The drunk in the gutter knows he has a problem. The persecuted saint knows he needs God. The poor believer knows he must depend on the Lord. But the Laodicean church sits back, checks the account, counts the attendance, admires the lights, smiles at the branding, and says, βWe have need of nothing.β
Rightly divided, Revelation 2 and 3 deal with actual historical churches in Asia Minor, while also giving spiritual instruction and, I believe, a prophetic picture of church history. Laodicea is the final church named before John is caught up in Revelation 4, and that is not an accident worth ignoring. Whatever applications a man makes, the spiritual fingerprint of Laodicea is all over the closing age: rich, proud, self-measuring, lukewarm, blind, naked, and unwilling to admit its condition. The church that should be waiting for the Lord is too busy admiring itself in the mirror. The church that should be preaching the Book is too busy correcting it. The church that should be warning sinners is too busy entertaining saints. The church that should be looking for the blessed hope is too busy settling down in the present evil world. The church that should be on fire has found a comfortable temperature that offends nobody, costs nothing, and produces nothing but religious steam.
Chapter One
Laodicea Is the Church That Judges Itself by Itself
The first mark of Laodicea is self-evaluation. Revelation 3:17 says, βBecause thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.β Notice, βthou sayest.β Laodicea had a testimony about itself. It had a way of describing itself. It had a self-image. It had its own public relations statement. This church did not say, βWe are desperate for God.β It did not say, βSearch us, O God.β It did not say, βWe are weak and need grace.β It said, βI am rich.β It said, βI am increased with goods.β It said, βI have need of nothing.β That is one of the most dangerous things a church or a Christian can ever say, whether with the mouth or with the attitude: βI have need of nothing.β That sentence is a tombstone with good lighting.