+DEV+ The Church

Date: November 24, 2010 9:53 PM
Topic: +DEV+ The Church

The Church

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock., If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20).
Scripture Focus: Revelation 3:7-13

Laodicea was about 100 miles east of Ephesus and was known as a banking center and the location of a famous medical school. Though it was a prosperous community at one time, today the city is in complete ruins. John writes about the successes and failures of churches in that 1st century. The church of Laodicea was complacent. Over the years I've read about the church of Laodicea, and I get chills when I think of how affluence ruined it. They had the form, but no life. Their spiritual value system had collapsed.

There is an echo of Laodicea ringing out in our culture today. We must resolve to fight that apathy and not become nominal Christians. Being luke-warm dampens faith. But the invitation of Jesus is to "open the door" of our life to Him. There is action each of us must take to keep the flame of faith hot. It begins with repentance followed by absolute devotion and zeal. It's a wonderful example of both God's grace extended to us freely and our responsibility acted out gratefully.

Insight: Be a wise believer, listening with your spiritual hearing to what God is saying to the church today, realizing your responsibility as a member.