My Laodicean Condition

As I grow spiritually and move from the stage of discipleship to the stage of success, I begin to understand that I have grown. New and additional knowledge and revelations help me understand matters of truth more clearly, while my senses become trained to discern both good and evil. I begin to be entrusted with responsible ministries, which at first cause me fear but later awaken a special interest and a desire to engage in them.

At the stage of success, I acquire a fullness of knowledge and can distinguish truth from error. I have the right answers for every situation in life. I can boldly oppose those who are mistaken or preach heresies. Truth is unique in that it always remains true and always defeats every error. Knowledge of the Bible shapes my mind so thoroughly that I filter every situation and every teaching through a biblical worldview.

The Word of God is written upon my heart by the finger of God. At the right moment, the necessary verses from the Bible come to my memory to show me how to live correctly or to help me recognize danger in a particular teaching or activity. Every undertaking I begin achieves a certain measure of success. I understand that with God I can take on anything, and He blesses everything.

My heart sings with joy as I see God’s wonderful works in my life and in the life of the church. As I fellowship with Christians who are like me, I come to understand very important things that have been revealed to other people, and together we share our experiences of spiritual growth.

Not knowing the ultimate goal toward which I must grow and which I must attain, I prefer to live within what I can see and understand. If I stop growing upward, I begin to grow outward. I acquire new knowledge. I can plan and carry out any undertaking. I can become a teacher and mentor to people who have recently believed and have just joined the church. And if I desire, I can train to become a pastor and engage in pastoral care. In a word: I, I, and I—together with God in every spiritual sphere.

My outward growth impresses me so much with its size that I begin to realize I no longer have enough room within my expanded condition, and I start inventing something unique. I need new spiritual sensations and vivid experiences with which to amaze others. Simple reading, repeating what I already know, and reflecting on what was revealed to me long ago no longer satisfy me. I want something new, “delicious,” and unique.

Because I am surrounded by friends who are just as “broad,” we begin forming interest-based clans that are difficult for other fellow believers to enter. We become special in order to attract attention and amaze others with the achievements and discoveries we experience. The entire life of our church appears before us like an open book. We know all the distinctive features of our spiritual fellowship. We know the abilities of every church member and have a general idea of what can be expected from each person. Sometimes we gather to pick someone apart, discuss another person’s bad behavior, and prove to ourselves that we have attained something special on our spiritual journey and that we have so many opportunities for ministry that it simply takes our breath away.

When we hear Christ’s warning that we are lukewarm and must not remain in this lukewarm condition for long, we generally agree with this rebuke because the Lord said it. And in order to rehabilitate ourselves somehow, we devise new forms of ministry through which we try to prove to God that we are hot.

But the Lord loves us too much to leave us stewing in our own juices, and in His love He creates a crisis and a certain darkness in the life of each of us to help us obtain something more important.

Each of us experiences a personal crisis that can be understood only by the one passing through it. No person can help me during this time or walk this path in my place.

I see the success I have at the stage of faith in which my entire beloved church remains. And I can return there at any time to continue doing what is ordinary and familiar. Spiritual darkness, although it brings me closer to Christ, does not offer any great prospects for public success.

I understand that I will have to continue onward alone, and I cannot even imagine what awaits me at the end. Unfortunately, we were not taught what we must grow into or what lofty goal we must attain.

I have the power to return to the place from which the Lord desires to lead me out, or to go where I do not know and attain what, in this darkness, I cannot even imagine.

No matter how much anyone may criticize Laodicea, it is quite successful in its ministry and in gaining new church members throughout the world. We already have proven evangelistic programs that illuminate the darkness and draw new people to Jesus. Our books destroy many stereotypes and teach people how to live correctly. We have been given the Spirit of Prophecy, and we know what awaits us at the end of time and exactly which events must take place before Jesus comes. We clearly see prophecies being fulfilled in the political world, and we understand the times. As a worldwide organization, we have reached such a level and such a scope of activity that no one can find any dark stain in the teachings of our church that would testify against us. We have the truth. Yet despite all this, we still remain God’s sinful children who desperately need the Savior.

The most interesting thing is that, as a church and as God’s people, we all grow in our faith to a certain stage of success, after which we can no longer continue growing together. Further spiritual growth takes place only on an individual basis. The church cannot experience a crisis of faith—it must believe, whatever the cost. In this sense, the church is the most stable social structure, enduring every political and economic crisis without changing anything in its teaching, even when pressure is placed upon it from outside.

But Christ addresses each Laodicean personally in order to lead him out of the lukewarm condition. A Laodicean is a person living in the Laodicean period who is a member of the Laodicean church.

Jesus gives the most solemn rebuke, in which He reveals the prospects of spiritual growth through a relationship with Himself and through accepting and putting into practice the counsel that unmistakably points to the acquisition of special heavenly blessings.

But we cannot obtain these blessings as a church because they are directed to me personally and are given in order to change my heart. And with this changed heart, I can adorn and transform any church and any spiritual community.

The message to Laodicea is directed toward my personal spiritual growth. It identifies me as an overcomer if I follow the counsel of the Faithful Witness and buy what He offers me.

Whether I want it or not, this message in Revelation 3:14–22 teaches me that I must grow and move into a new stage of my faith in order to attain that very love which can be bought only from Christ.

I may pass through this growth without understanding it and continually stumble over my ignorance. But how good it would have been if someone had told me about it earlier and instructed me.

1. Please read 2 Timothy 3:1–5; 1 Corinthians 8:1–3; 10:12; Romans 11:20; James 1:22–25; 3:13–18; Hebrews 5:12–14; 10:38–39.

2. What other Bible verses came to your mind?

3. What did you understand?

4. Has my ministry become an attempt to prove my usefulness to God?

5. Has my spiritual development become a cause of hidden pride?

6. Am I able to admit that I may be mistaken?

7. Am I seeking new spiritual experiences instead of deep fellowship with God?

8. Am I living on memories of past spiritual experiences instead of a present life with God?

9. Am I hiding behind ministry to avoid the need to change myself?

10. Why does Christ specifically counsel us to “buy” gold, white raiment, and eyesalve?

11. Am I willing to lose my former understanding of myself so that Christ may reveal something greater to me?

12. Why does Christ stand at the door and knock on the doors of those who consider themselves believers and have already entered into a trading relationship with Him?

13. Am I building my Christianity around myself?

14. Do I possess the love that can be bought only from Christ?