A LETTER TO THE CHURCH

I HOLD THIS AGAINST YOU:

• You have forsaken the love you had at first...If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Your purpose and influence will perish)
• There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak so that one could be fully cooperative with the world and still serve God. Blending into the world so as to not stand out as a holy and sanctified Christian.
• Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans whose teachings perverted grace and replaced liberty with license. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against you with the sword of my mouth.
• You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching (through fear, control, threats, plotting and scheming against innocent people, lies, deceit, producing false witnesses, abuse of power, and stopping at nothing to get her way)... I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
• I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
• You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
• I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
• Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. 
• So be earnest and repent.

(Read Revelation 2 and 3 for full context)

This is a compilation of things God has against the seven Churches mentioned in the book of Revelation. When studying these letters through the eschatological view taken by most dispensational, pre-millennial, pre-tribulational Bible students and scholars, you can say that today we are living in "The Church Age", specifically, "living in Laodicea" (the seventh church). Thus, being a popular view among those in the Baptist denomination, we would read the letter to the Church at Laodicea as if it was written to your Church. The previous six Churches mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3 all have good things about them that God praised them for. By in the letter written to the Church at Laodicea, there is only a pointing out of what is wrong and the warning to repent. The challenge for us is to read and study the Bible and ask, "How does this apply to me?" "How does this apply to those around me?" "How does this apply to the church?" And then make personal application. If we are living in the Church Age of Laodicea then what do we, as individuals, need to do? What do we, "as a church body" need to do?

The corrective action, as the Lord has prescribed in His Word, is this:

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

2 Chronicals 7:14 (NIV)

Otherwise, the Lord will rebuke (express sharp disapproval or criticism of someone because of their behavior or actions:) and discipline (train someone to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience:) His people. 

It's never too late to begin examining your own life (1Cor.11:28) to see if there is any wicked/offensive way in you (Ps.139:24). It is easy to evaluation and judge others around you - especially if you do not particularly care for them - but there's a verse or two for that as well! (Matthew 7:3-5 and Jn.13:35). 

I don't know about you but I don't favor "nasty grams" or "spew mail" from others. Especially, if the author "forgot" to sign their name to it. I throw the "no names" in the trash. We cannot do that with God's letter to us. He signed it! We've have to read it. We have to allow Him to search our hearts. We have to repent of every offensive or wicked way. Then we will be able to please Him. Not to mention the rewards we will receive for our obedience! But the point is, if we say we belong to Him then we do not belong to ourselves and we have to humble ourselves, surrender our "rights" to Him (deny yourself...), allowing Him to transform us into the Church He designed us to be. 

How do you think a letter from God to the "Church at ______________" would read?

Desiring Him,

Don