So far in the new year of 2018 we can describe the weather in America in two simple words – “ICE COLD.” Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast, experienced 90 mph winds with a temperature of 37 degrees below zero and a wind chill factor of 93 degrees below zero. The temperature in New Hampshire tied Armstrong, Ontario, for second place as the coldest location in the world during the first week of the year.
The Bible does not have a lot to say about cold temperatures in the air, but the Book of Revelation has something very important to tell us about our spiritual temperatures. In chapters 2 and 3, the apostle John, who wrote the Book of Revelation, was instructed to write letters to seven different churches about their spiritual conditions. One of these letters was written to a church in Laodicea, and it was a message from the Son of God, who referred to Himself as a true and faithful witness for God.
The message for the church in Laodicea was that after looking at their lives, Jesus considered them to be “neither cold nor hot,” and He wanted them to be one or the other. He considered them to be lukewarm, and He told them that if they stayed that way, He planned to spew them out of His mouth. If we thought we were about to have an ice cold drink of water on a hot day, and it turned out to be lukewarm, we would probably spew it out of our mouth as well.
It is important to know that Laodicea received its water from two nearby cities. The water from one city came from a hot springs and was transported underground. By the time it reached Laodicea, it became lukewarm. The water from the other city came from a cold spring, but again by the time it reached Laodicea, it was also lukewarm. So, in both cases, the water was not very suitable for drinking. The point of the message to the church of Laodicea was that a spiritual condition that was lukewarm, is definitely not any more suitable for entrance into the kingdom of God than lukewarm water is for entrance into the human mouth.
One other point of the message to the church of Laodicea is that Jesus was standing at the door of their heart, knocking on that door, and asking to be invited into their hearts. He promised that if they would open the door of their heart, He would come into their lives and increase their spiritual temperatures through a personal relationship with them. He also promised that if they would change their ways, they would be granted the privilege of sitting with Him on His throne in heaven. John was also instructed to make this same promise to anyone who would follow their example in overcoming their lukewarm spiritual condition. So the promise is also for us today.
Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville. Everyone is welcome to attend. For information, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.
