The prosperity of the land had dulled their spiritual fervor and caused them to become lazy and more interested in the pursuit of pleasure rather than the pursuit of God. Because of this, they received a strong rebuke and were urged to repent of their wicked ways.
The Question remains did they repent and change their ways, or did they continue in error drowning in their prosperity and receiving judgement from the hand of God? Honestly, we do not really know what their response was, what we do know however is that they had fallen away from the grace they once knew because they sought the riches of this world and became nominal in their faith.
God says to them "I wish that you were either hot or cold". God would prefer people either to be on fire for him or ice cold and rejecting him altogether. God does not like it when people become lukewarm as the church in Laodicea did, in fact, God's says that he will vomit them out of his mouth. Lukewarm Christian and lukewarm Church make God nauseated, and it makes him want to puke!
The Church was essentially dead in Laodicea, it had become a spiritually lifeless and powerless group of people who cared nothing for the things of God. They had lost their passion for God and their love for him because of the vast wealth they were enjoying. These people were not true followers of Christ, they were not born-again. They had a degree of religion but it was dead religion, fake religion, they were 'Christians in name ONLY'.
Does any of this sound familiar? It should, because we in America are living in the same type of lukewarm that the Laodiceans were living in. We Americans have been blessed with an over abundance of material blessings and as a result we have also lost our passion for God, and our desire to chase after him, and carry his Gospel into the streets and win the lost to Christ.
The Church in Laodicea and the Church in American are essentially in the same boat, and that boat is sinking more every day. The Church is just like in that day is full of people who really don't believe and are not true Christians. The spiritual life has been sucked out of our lives by our desire for the things of this world, and as we pursue the things of this world we slow down and stop in our pursuit of God.
I think you get the point do you not? God is NAUSEATED by the Modern American Church!
God wants to vomit us out of his mouth, and then what?
There are only a handful of local assemblies that even preach the truth anymore! Only a few Pastors that dare to speak the truth because the truth is not a popular subject with most people in our culture today. There is NO spiritual power in most Churches because the people are more into the things of this world, than they are the things of God.
The prayer life of most professing Christians consists of a token prayer at the dinner table, or a learned prayer with the children at bedtime. There are few that truly pray with fervor in the Power of the Holy Spirit! Prayer is ridiculously powerful if we are truly following Christ and are pure in heart before him.
Fervent prayer would save this nation from self-destructing but not enough people care about praying, it's easier to go out and protest or be political because then we are the ones in control, but when we are walking in the Spirit of God and praying we can do far more and God is control, not us.
How many professing believers actually pick up the Word of God and spend some real time reading and meditating on it, hiding it in their heart where no one can take it away from them?
Judgement, however, is NOT coming, it's Here!
..and Judgement begins in the House of God, with the Church, we in fact are the Church, so God will judge us for our lazy lukewarmness long before he turns and judges the sinful lifestyles of unregenerated men. If we will not turn around now we will deserve every bit of judgement we get, and it will not be pretty, you can mark my words.
God is Holy and Righteous. He is Just and he is judging America for its wickedness, and the Spiritually Weak Christian Church is to blame for not being the salt and light in the American society that it was called to be. It's impossible for a people to remain passionate for God and for the Gospel when they are drowning in luxury, and addicted to being entertained all the time.
I think we need to simplify our lives and start putting the things of God back in first place where they belong. Making lots of money is never satisfying and it tends to draw one away from God. All of a sudden that boat or motorhome or that cottage becomes more of a stumbling block to our spiritual lives than it does anything else. Materialism has destroyed the spiritual life of America and it's people.
Nothing is more important that sharing the Gospel and bringing people into the Kingdom of God. It should take precedence over every other thing in our lives, even our jobs. Is it right to receive a paycheck from this world when you are ignoring the command of Christ to reach the lost and make disciples? We are to set our sites on things above not on things below.
You think this message is extreme and you think I am an idiot for preaching these things but when you stand before God to give an account of the life you have lived on this earth, I wonder if he will know you, or not? Because "many will come to him on that day saying Lord, Lord, and he will tell them I don't know you" These are people on the inside of the Church who were never truly saved and lived carnal worldly lives enjoying the pleasures of life instead of being focused on God, Christ, and the Gospel Message.
Every morning we ought to wake up with one thing on our mind. Who can I reach today with the hope of the Gospel? Whose life can I help change today? How can I spread salt and shine a light in this Hellbound culture we live in? Our entire focus day and night should be the things of God not the things of this world! The love and grace of God are what we ought to exuberate, or bleed each and every day. If we as believers lived like this we would change the world!
We need to stop hating and start loving. We need to stop taking each other to court and start showing mercy and extending forgiveness to each other in the body of Christ, not tearing each other apart, or spreading nastiness about fellow Christians in an attempt to destroy them. Those who do such things within our churches I seriously doubt are even saved to begin with.
It is time for major changes to occur where Christianity is concerned in America, otherwise, the Church is done for, and society will turn on us in ways you have not imagined yet. The overall message I am preaching here to the modern day Church is - Turn from your own sin and wickedness and make sure you are truly born-again by the Spirit of God. Fall down before our Holy Heavenly Father and be broken over your sin. Weep and mourn before the Lord, and cry out to him to send revival into our lives why there is still time because our time is running out.
