Laodicea

However, after twenty or so years, even the brothers were divided and we came to the seventh and final church, Laodicea. Laos means “common people” and dicea means “customs” or “opinions.” Laodicea is characterized by the church not following the Holy Spirit and Bible, nor even the pastoral or priestly system, but instead following the opinions of the common people. This leads to the Lord’s rebuke of “lukewarm” and a charge to buy gold refined by fire, white garments to be clothed with, and eye salve that they may see. Still there are overcomers here and the assurance that the Lord is standing at the door and knocking, and if we would hear His voice and open the door, He will come in and dine with us!

Concluding Words

This brings us to our concluding words. For the group of believers you meet with, the point is not to classify or determine “which church” we are in. Each epistle here ends with the sentence, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Each epistle has warnings and instructions for us to learn from. The Lord’s smile does not come as a result of the outward situation, but as a result of the inward measure of Christ in us. Let us fight for more of Christ, and the Lord will give us a love for the brothers and will bring us to Philadelphia. 

For the ones we care for, no matter where they are, the thought is not to “bring them to Philadelphia,” but instead to realize that the Lord has a call to overcomers in each city. May we help them to overcome by loving the Lord more, learning to take Him as their daily supply, and breaking out from all the commonness of the Christian life they are in.