If anyone hears my voice and opens the door

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

 

The Laodicea Church one of the early churches, in 1st century AD, showed an attitude of lukewarm faith. Laodicea was an economically wealthy city in its day. In 61 AD, there had been an earthquake almost devastated the city of Laodicea. Although under the disaster then, their financial power was rich enough to rebuild the city on its own. Sadly, however, the spirituality of Laodicea Church was very in the state of weakness. As this is a time when money is in control on man, so many people have gold as their greatest purpose in life. Even with many valuable lessons for their soul around, they don’t accept them willingly it.

 

Laodicea is a city located about 72km southern-east of Philadelphia and 160km eastern-south of Ephesus, and Colossae located about at 14km eastern-south of Laodicea. And Hierapolis located nearby 10km northeast of Laodicea and Colossae located almost 14km east of Laodicea supplied waters to Laodicea. The Laodicea Church was founded through Epaphras who is in the Colossians 4:12, 13, and Paul seems to have lead the churches Colossae, Hierapolis, and Laodicea churches together. The gospel was delivered by the great apostle and leader to them, but unfortunately their religious life was not excellent. It is true that faith is much influenced by a family, the clan, or leader. Even so, faith is personal after all, so it is absolutely important than any other things to establish a relationship between oneself and God. Someone boasts that he grew up in a family of faiths for three or four generations and succeeded him as a pastor or an elder for generations to come. That is certainly a precious fact and a blessing to be proud of. But more importantly, the complete faith in God’s special grace, the solid sense of duty called the servant of the gospel for Jesus Christ, and maintaining the life of perseverance and praise with joy, peace and gratitude with unshakable faith.

The Lord said Laodicea Church to show clear the attitude of faith, whether cold or hot. And the Lord said, “If you don’t change your attitude, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” We need something both cold and hot. Here something cold means a cool-headed reason, and the hot means passion of energy. Because faith has to be a living thing, all understanding, judgment, and practice must be carried out in a passionate manner as well as cold at the same time. Alcohol should be alcohol, water should be water, but if alcohol is watery or water is like an alcohol, it is not worthy it because it is neither this nor that. That’s nothing more than a useless liquid to be thrown away. If someone have such a blurry faith, the person will never experience any fresh changes in life. For the faith that does not move lively from the inside is dead, it will be neither fun to oneself nor glory to the Lord. The Laodicea Church thought oneself was rich, but in fact, they were spiritually the poor, pitiful and blind that they didn’t even see the shameful nakedness of themselves.

The Lord prescribed them these three drugs, they are the refined gold by fire, white clothes, and eye drops. Those things mean each the discipline of faith, the salvation in Christ, and the enlightenment by the Holy Spirit. The three are essential elements for whole faith. A renewed life in the Holy Spirit, made by learning Christ with willingly effort, can bear a full fruit. Now let’s take a look at the self of each one. Haven’t I wasted until now my life without conviction like the faith of the Laodicea Church members? Faith and life must not be separated, and it has to be certainly one. Why Life dark, unadvanced and weak is, not for any other reason, but because of one’s wrong faith. Even such a man tell about faith, pray, donate, and come to church, but the inside of faith has seriously a problem.

 

The Lord is always knocking on the door of my heart as usual. But without understanding the voice of the Lord, I live hard continue to be like a stranger. If saying “I believe in Jesus,” but you don’t perceive His voice, what result would be going on there? As in a proverb, when you think it’s late is the earliest time. If you now understand what God wants you to do and live accompanying with the Lord, you will surely enjoy the happiness of sitting on the throne of holy glory.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Dec 6th 2020)