The “Amen, the faithful and true Witness,” has invited all who are a part of His Bride to a table. In Revelation 3, He speaks to an unfaithful assembly, Laodicea. She was lukewarm, neither hot nor fervent in devotion nor did she in lowliness acknowledge herself to be cold; neither having fervent hearts in holy affection nor consciously lacking holy fervor and confessing it, she was in a deceived state. This deceived state receives the severest rebuke from the Lord, the ever “True One.” This was an affluent assembly that seemed “dead while she seemed alive.” There was no antagonism towards religious error neither was there any heart for contesting false teaching. Open hostility to the truth is better than being lukewarm, ignoring error. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” This is very scary—what about those who were in the assembly He DIDN’T LOVE? Jesus had said; “you are either for Me or against Me.” Churches that seemed not to care either way are sick assemblies and those of us who participate in a sick assembly die from malnutrition!! They have a condition called “rickets.” This is a disease that does not have enough strength in their bones to stand up on those bones. The numbness of spiritual indifference is the worst kind of sickness; it is a hopelessness that is worse than toleration of false doctrine.
Usually, this occurs in assemblies that think they are already “safe” from any kind of activity Satan will throw at them. It is possible that dead assemblies are the results of the absence of feeling any need for fire (hard positive preachers and preaching of the gospel) that puts out the sin of laziness in defending the truth and stomping out the error of denominational doctrines, feeling they are safe from any harm from them!! It reminds one of the rich farmer of Luke 12. He had so-0-0 much of the world’s goods and was so-o-0 safe within himself, he could not think of anything to do but to “tear down his old barns and build bigger ones.” What did Christ say to him? “Thou fool, this night your soul is required of thee, then whose shall these things belong to??” You can watch this kind of assembly, they have the white gloves when they partake and when they break the bread or partake of the contents of the cup, and they have no movement on their heart monitors!! They are not happy WHEN they partake nor do they feel any loss WHEN they miss the next time the supper is served and they are not there!! If you check their pulse, there is no reading!! Laodicea is typical of congregations that have a baptistery with no water in it and no one can remember the last time someone was baptized, there!!
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcome, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” Laodicea was about 20 miles from Colosse. In this city in the fourth century there was a council held in the fourth century, now it lies in ruins. The Amen, One that is steady and unchangeable in all His purposes and promises, which are always “yea, yea and amen,” whose testimony from God to men was always faithful and true, who was the head of the Body, the firstborn from the dead, who raised Himself from the dead by His own divine power, raises up dead souls to be in a living temple and church. He who adds, puts saved souls in what meant everything to the Son of God, the Church of Christ, cries out; “why halt you between two opinions,” from His servant Joshua, “if God be God, follow Him; if Baal (be God), follow him.” There is NO ROOM for neutrality. An open enemy shall have a fairer quarter from Christ than a disgusting neutral; and there is more hope of a heathen that one who will not declare his or her faith in Jesus Christ because she or he is afraid to offend the lost one. It is a nauseous thing the Christ of God cannot tolerate!! Isaiah cries out: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Isaiah 55:1-3
Imagine, Christ knocking at the door of His purchased Bride!! Here, He stands using all the proper means to awaken us from sleep, He knocks by the impulses of His Spirit on our consciences as we partake of this bread and cup, invites us to commune with He and the Father—and each other. Correction and instruction is a blessing from our Master, and all we who partake of this bread and fruit of the vine are being judged as we partake; for as promised to His disciples before He suffered; “I will drink it anew with you, in the Father’s kingdom,” “the Lord omnipotent reigns, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. Blessed are they who are called to the Supper.”
