Fermentation

The problem of Laodicea is described very clearly in Christ’s address to this church—or, more precisely, to the Christian era of the last days. The condition of the church is so lamentable that the Lord gives the sternest warning: if nothing is corrected, He will have to spue these people out of His mouth. This is very serious—serious enough to make me ask whether this warning concerns me personally and what I must do to avoid this judgment.

Whether we want it or not, at some moment in cosmic history the time will come when Jesus carries out His sentence and spues out of His mouth those who did not accept God’s plan for leaving the lukewarm condition. It is difficult to say what this will look like, but most likely the lukewarm church will continue doing what it does now. Meetings will be held, prayers offered, services conducted, many missionary projects planned, tithes collected, and some cosmic miracle awaited that is supposed somehow to change everything radically.

Meanwhile, Christ will be occupied with preparing a special group of those who responded to His counsel and accepted the invitation to pass through every stage of growth.

When reapers go to gather the harvest, they are not interested in empty blossoms. They intend to gather only whole ears filled with grain.

What makes the lukewarm Laodicean condition of God’s people in the last days dangerous to the soul? It contains many good and proper things and deeds and a fullness of light, but it lacks an understanding of the importance of unconditional love for one another and a recognition of this love as the moving force in every motive.

What happens to any living organism when it stops growing but continues to live? This is called a pathology, and something must be done about it. With a plant the matter is simpler: it can be removed and another planted. But a human being is not a plant and must be saved, with everything possible being done for him. Yet how can one save a person who considers himself healthy and rich and in need of nothing—not even in need of what Jesus considers important for leaving the lukewarm condition and necessary for victory?

When Christ invites someone to rise higher, He also arranges the way for this spiritual growth and the next victory. Every mistake along the way teaches and adds a sorrowful experience that later helps prevent its repetition. But when I reject God’s invitation, I remain where I was before. I know what to occupy myself with and from which sources to renew my strength. I am surrounded by fellow believers just like me, and together we do what we consider necessary, watching one another and inventing new ways to serve and please God. But a problem arises: there is no agape among us—the very love that makes us overcomers over every temptation at all times. Yet even this is not a problem to us. We organize psychological training, coaching, and consulting to resolve our inner problems. We conduct every kind of seminar and marathon and invent many projects through which we can show the world that we are capable of something and that God is with us.

Jesus holds precious gold, white raiment, and eyesalve in His hands and marvels at how we dishonor Him through our ignorance.

Among us are also those who leave our ranks and establish their own society, through which they begin to fight against the official organization. These people receive tangible support from those who decided to remain in the common pot but are dissatisfied with everything simmering in it. Those who left the ranks of Laodicea and created something of their own in opposition to the church suddenly begin to consider themselves the holy remnant that must somehow win the victory and receive the cherished reward of the overcomer.

Everything would be well if not for the constant inner conflicts among our members. Dissatisfaction, deception, and fraud continually arise, while gossip has already taken the form of internal news and disputes. We no longer have the strength even to fight them without becoming victims of the same gossip and disputes. To preserve their dignity somehow, many have to create their own clans and close themselves off from the needs of others. And because iniquity abounds, the love of many has grown cold.

The Lord looks upon all this happening on a worldwide scale and never ceases to invite us to Himself and to a new transaction that can take place only on an individual level. He condescends to address each of His sons and daughters personally and seeks to plunge them into darkness so that, in this darkness, He may open a little window of light and draw our attention to Himself.

For many of us, the most frightening undertaking is to be alone, one on one with our Savior. A mind unaccustomed to hearing God’s voice and God’s calls fears the unknown into which the Lord invites the weary soul.

Another danger of the Laodicean condition is that Laodicea has developed its own plan for leaving the lukewarm condition and approved it at its general meeting.

But Christ has established one common goal that all of us must reach. It is found in 1 Timothy 1:5: “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” What do we see in the definition of this goal? Gold tried in the fire, eyesalve, and white raiment, without which we cannot reach what God has appointed.

The purpose of this lesson is not to accuse God’s church of terrible sins, but to invite us to consider the way out that the Faithful Witness offers to us all. He invites us first to enter into a relationship with Himself, which will certainly lead us to love one another.

The stages of spiritual growth are sequential. I cannot leap from an early stage to a later one without passing through everything as God has appointed it. I will not become an overcomer if I do not obtain what the Faithful Witness offers. The Lord will not come to sup with me in pleasant fellowship if I do not show zeal in my repentance. What would be the point of endowing me with the whole armour of God if I have my own plan for victory and for leaving my lukewarm condition?

Among those whom Jesus calls overcomers, there will be no accidental people who were saved without understanding the full essence of the spiritual warfare of the last days and who somehow bypassed the counsel of the Faithful Witness in Revelation 3:18.

If the Lord has established particular laws for our spiritual growth, what will we grow into if we offer Him our own laws?

God’s mercy is very great, and for now it extends to every stage of faith. If I die without reaching the ultimate goal, perhaps I will be saved. But one day Jesus will pronounce the final verdict.

Jesus loves His Laodicea and sees within it the potential for victory. He is not in haste to carry out His terrible verdict. Day after day, He pours streams of His light upon those who consciously choose spiritual darkness and return to the place where spiritual growth is impossible. Again and again, the Lord sends His warriors into His church to awaken those who have fallen into a deathly sleep but still consider themselves awake because they have so many different ministries and responsibilities.

1. Please read Matthew 7:21–23; 24:12–13; 25:12; 1 Corinthians 13:1–3; Hebrews 5:12–14; 12:14; James 1:22; Proverbs 16:18; Revelation 3:18–21.

2. What other Bible verses came to your mind?

3. What did you understand?

4. Is it important to evaluate yourself and your relationship with Christ, or should this process begin with the church?

5. Does Jesus love Laodicea?

6. Do you think Jesus will one day carry out His promise to Laodicea in Revelation 3:16?

7. Why is God not satisfied with our personal plan for victory?

8. Do you see your own spiritual blindness, or do you notice only the faults of others?

9. What in your life testifies that you are truly obtaining gold tried in the fire?

10. Is there room in your life for deep personal fellowship with the Savior?

11. Are you drowning out God’s voice through constant busyness and commotion?

12. Has your ministry become a substitute for genuine love toward people?

13. What is more important to you: preserving your reputation or preserving love?

14. Do you think Jesus will knock at the doors of those who ignore His counsel in Revelation 3:18?