Feeding the Lambs - Start And Stay On Fire For the Lord
-Jesus
Written by the Apostle John, 1st century
Revelation 3:15-16
[33rd message of the New Believer Series]
In the preceding message of this series, we read the Apostle John wrote that Jesus washed their feet during the occasion of the last Supper He had with all of His 12 apostles.
In this excerpt above, the Apostle John is writing how the Lord was feeling concerning the believers in the first church in Laodicea (a place now located in modern day Turkey).
This is a warning to the body of believers (both the new and not so new). And that is to not lose the fire and turn lukewarm (not hot or cold) in their faith.
Lukewarm
The verse after that stern warming is this:
"You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked."
Now we can understand what the context of being lukewarm was about. These believers in Laodicea would have been blessed with favor from God and with these blessings, they started placing their faith in the blessing and away from the blessor. Their earthly wealth and influence blinding them for the need or the reason to place their faith in God.
And what they fail to see is that apart from God they were miserable, pathetic, without real wealth, shameful and utterly not dressed to be in the presence of God.
Yes, they were fit to be vomited out of God's Kingdom.
Spiritual Things
In the natural, these believers think they were doing okay. (Because perhaps they are thinking, they are still meeting together and that outwardly they are still doing what a believer is supposed to be doing). But inwardly and spiritually they were doing quite the opposite.
In the following verse after that we read:
"I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see."
So here was the antidote for "lukewarmness" -- to find out that true riches (true wealth) comes from God -- not the kind of riches of this world which are fleeting, temporary and overrated.
Material Things
A dependence on ones self and what one has amassed while on earth leaves one without real covering to clothe themselves up even though they may be wearing the finest and the faddest that money can buy.
Also, all their wealth would make them unable to see the eternal if their eyes get locked on the temporary things of this world.
The Way
God continued by saying:
A dependence on ones self and what one has amassed while on earth leaves one without real covering to clothe themselves up even though they may be wearing the finest and the faddest that money can buy.
Also, all their wealth would make them unable to see the eternal if their eyes get locked on the temporary things of this world.
The Way
God continued by saying:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me."
God is calling out to us. He is doing so right now as you are reading this.
He is saying hear His call and have a real (a daily, moment by moment) relationship with Him, in spirit and in truth. Hear Him. Talk to Him.
He continues with:
"He (or she) who has an ear, let him (her) hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
We may be at times, unable to see but let us also not be unable to hear the knock, to listen to the voice and the proddings of the Spirit of the Lord.
God is calling out to us. He is doing so right now as you are reading this.
He is saying hear His call and have a real (a daily, moment by moment) relationship with Him, in spirit and in truth. Hear Him. Talk to Him.
He continues with:
"He (or she) who has an ear, let him (her) hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
We may be at times, unable to see but let us also not be unable to hear the knock, to listen to the voice and the proddings of the Spirit of the Lord.
Light The Fire Again
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