The letter to the Laodiceans

The Letter to the Philadelphians is covered in 2 recent lessons; “Reinstating the office of the Prophets” (9/5) and “True and False brethren” (9/6). I will not review those lessons but ask you to read them if you have not already done so for the message of Jesus to the Church at Philadelphia. Thank you.


The letter to the Church at Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22) begins by Jesus calling Himself the “Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.” (Rev 3:14) He is telling us that He is in agreement with God, which is what “Amen” means; to be in agreement. This has a deeper meaning than what we give it when we tag amen to the end of our prayers. Jesus’ agreement with His father caused Him to live a life faithful to God’s purposes and molded Him to be inwardly honest, or true. In the plan of God, we begin with agreement, our works spring from obedience, all the while our inner man is converted to truth, and not only do we become a witness on His earth to God’s nature through the life we live, but we rule with Jesus.

Agreement with God is what satan, the enemy of our souls, works against. In the Garden of Eden satan asked Eve “has God said?” (Gen 3:1). He wanted her to question God’s words, and thus prevent her agreement. Our enemy is the same today, placing his questions of doubt in our mind when we hear or read God’s words. He does this because we would be a scary threat to satan’s kingdom if we all agreed with God, obeyed Him, became His image, and ruled with Him. When we are finishing reading the book of Revelation the last word written is “Amen.” It is of great significance that the people of God are in agreement with Him.

Christians are on a continuum of knowing God’s word and learning how to obey Him. At any point, should we disagree with what He is saying, we will not be able to obey Him. This was the problem with the church at Laodicea. They were insincere; lukewarm. Their hearts were not united with His, as a bride would become one with her groom. They had picked out what to agree with and therefore, what to obey, themselves. This left them untrue, and not formed into His image. They were unfit for rulership and Jesus offered them one last chance to change.

The first step in repentance was that the Laodiceans needed to have trials. Jesus says “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire.” The Laodiceans had avoided trials that the Lord had sent their way. In order to have “gold refined in the fire” they needed to submit to His hand in their lives. Peter tells us that our faith is tried by fire (1 Pet 1:7). We cannot have faith without agreement with God. Trials come upon us to prove whether or not our faith is genuine.

The second step in their repentance was to buy “white garments to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness.” The white clothes represent purity of works and are evidence of both agreement and obedience. When we see the bride of Christ, prepared for the wedding, she is clothed in “clean and bright linen” (Rev 19:8). We should find ourselves in agreement with what God requires of us, no matter how inconvenient, distasteful, or what suffering it may cause. This agreement allows us to be formed inside to God’s purposes. As we obey Him we take on His image. Of significance, in the parable of the ten virgins awaiting the bridegroom, there were five virgins who were not prepared. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” (Mt 25:12). They weren’t in His image, and could not be let into the wedding feast.

The question is, how much do we want our lives to be comfortable, and how many seeker-friendly churches will be formed because of this? We need spiritual insight to be inwardly honest in our Christian walk. The third step in repentance was to buy “eye salve” so that they could see. The Laodiceans could not see because they thought they already had all they needed. They said “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” (Rev 3:17). This is a quote from Hosea 12:8 and embodies the belief that riches would cover spiritual lack and deceitfulness. The heart that loves ease and insists on its own way becomes full of deceit. Jesus is offering to open the Laodicean’s eyes so that they could see that they were not rich . . . indeed, they were spiritually impoverished! When our security comes from what we have, works that are a pleasure for us to do, and a refusal of the life laid down to the cross, we become spiritually bankrupt.

Jesus set out the plan of restoration for the Laodiceans, affirming His love of them. He also offers the repentant believer His fellowship, saying “I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” (Rev 3:20) This offer holds true for us today. If we are sensitive to the Spirit of Jesus, we will hear Him call us aside to have conversation with Him. Jesus wants to lead us away from seeing things through our own eyes and show us how He sees things. This inner dining requires the kind of honesty in our inward parts that allows correction and redirection by His Spirit. And this fellowship, built on honesty and obedience, prepare the believer to sit down with Jesus on His throne.

Jesus says “To him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Rev 3:21) We have to overcome to obtain the right because that is how Jesus got the right to sit down on His Father’s throne. He learned obedience through those things He suffered, became obedient to the cross, and then was glorified by His Father. There is no way to walk the walk to the throne without taking the steps of Jesus. Amen.