There are some who say that if you put a frog into a pan of boiling water, it will hop right out fully aware of the danger. However, if you drop the frog into a pan of cold water and ever so slowly increase the temperature a few degrees at a time, the frog will cook to death.
Like the proverbial frog, the church for years has been sitting in the pans of the world. Over time, ever so slowly, the evil one and his minions have been increasing the temperature of the water to be more in line with the world’s desires. The church has been lulled to sleep and is either dead or at best, lukewarm!
Read the rest of this post at The Desert Pastor!
the Laodicean Church is active in America today! Active in the sense that they are doing their best to keep Jesus OUT of the church! I wrote about a church in OKC that was handing out a semiautomatic assault rifle to a youth at a youth conference this year. What has happened to our churches. Many of them will be boiling someday at this rate!
And what grows best in lukewarm conditions? Yeast. What Jesus called “leaven.” How do you “proof” bread (”proofing” means to make the dough rise)? Add your leaven, put it in a lukewarm oven, and don’t let in any light.
Lukewarm. No light. Lots of leaven.
Much like the church in
LaodiceaAmerica today.Many times I’ve seen “Laodicean Church” arround here. What does that mean?
Thanks.
Hello Karl,
The apostle John wrote to seven churches in the Book of Revelation. The last church he addressed was the assembly in the city of Laodicea.
Rev 3:14 ¶ “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
Rev 3:15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Rev 3:17 “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ –and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked–
Rev 3:18 “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
Rev 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
Rev 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Rev 3:21 “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Rev 3:22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”‘”
This church had grown full of its own self-importance. It felt that it could get along fine without God and His Holy commands. As they went this direction, the Lord through John informed them that they were no longer on fire for Him, but neither were they completely dead. However, they were headed in that direction.
The church had grown lukewarm! This is where many so-called fundamental, evangelical churches are today. They are not on fire for God, but neither are they completely dead. God stated that He wished they were one of the other for to be in the middle makes Him sick!
So, the term “Laodicean” church refers to that which is not where God wants it to be, is not following His Holy commands, is more desirous to be of the world than to be found in and of Christ, and chooses to please self instead of pleasing God.
The Desert Pastor
Great article. A pastor used this same analogy a few weeks ago when talking about NOT being a lukewarm church. So many churches are sleep at the wheel. They are caught up in gaining more money and stuff and missing the true message of the gospel.
I am studying the essence of the message of the cross and tying it back to Gen 1:1. What I have discovered is that most preachers today are so far from God’s original message.
DP, Thank you for the explanation. I really apreciate you writing all that out for me. Being new to all this, It’s hard to know just what to look for in a church. It’s also very easy to understand how we tend to gravitate towards churches that tell us what we want to hear. I think we’re all probably guilty of that at least to some degree.
-Karl