Revelation 3:14-22
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 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. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
What is the overall point of this passage? How would you summarize it in a sentence or two?
How does Jesus describe himself?
For what does Jesus commend this church?
What does Jesus have against this church?
What promise does he provide?
How do you think this letter applies to our church?
About Me
- Allen
- Mitchell, Indiana, United States
- I love my family, and I enjoy what I do. I am in my 18th year with the Mitchell Church of Christ. I am an endurance athlete. The parallels between endurance athletics and ministry are remarkable. They are mutually beneficial.
The Holy Trinity
My favorite Icon (see link below for more information)
22 comments:
It's cold out there! 10 degrees!
Are we having our January now?
How 'bout we start the week with a little N.T. Wright?
The resurrection was the full bursting in to this world of life of God’s new creation; Christian ethics is the lifestyle that celebrates and embodies that new creation. Living out a life of Christian holiness makes sense, perfect sense, within God’s new world, the world into which we are brought at baptism, the world where we are nourished by the Eucharist (communion). Of course, if you try to live a Christian lifestyle out of this framework, you will find it as difficult, indeed nonsensical, as it would be for an orchestral performer to play his or her part separated from the rest of the players amid the crashes and metallic screeching of an automobile factory. Not that we aren’t called, of course, to practice our discipleship in the hard, outside world, which rumbles on as though Easter had never happened. But if we are to be true to our risen Lord, we will need, again and again, to retune our instruments and practice once more alongside our fellow musicians.
I really enjoyed Wright's book, and I think this quote (above) is a neat way to look at being connected to the body. Weekly worship is where we are reminded of who we are and whose we are.
The Afterlife class seemed to get off to a good start last night. I did not hear a number, but it looked like a good crowd.
We looked at several passages regarding the second coming of Jesus and what will happen when he comes.
There are several passages that talk about a bodily resurrection. The body you have now, I believe, will be raised for the dead and then changed into a different kind of body. Read 1 Corinthians 15, especially toward the end.
Notice this also:
Philippians 3:20-1
. . . Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
You remember after the resurrection how people did not recognize Jesus? [See especially the end of Luke and John.] Does Jesus have his new body at this point? Seems so.
I wonder what our post-reserrection bodies will be like?
And how is this related to Heaven - the new heaven and the new earth?
We'll explore some more of this on Sunday evening.
I got an unusual number of responses regarding yesterday's sermon regarding the church in Philadelphia; must have touched a need that we all have. We all need to know that we are ok and that everything's going to be alright.
Sometimes it is hard to remember that, especially when Jesus challenges the other churches in Revelation.
This week we examine Laodicea. I really enjoyed visiting the site at Laodicea. It is on top of a hill and provides stunning views of snow-capped mountains and the white mineral deposits of Hierapolis.
The site at Laodicea is a work in progress, and a lot of progress has been made. I have some pretty good photos that I'll share with you on Sunday.
More N..T. Wright, Surprised by Hope, 274.
What happens in the Eucharist is that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this future dimension is brought sharply into play. We break this bread to share in the body of Christ; we do it in remembrance of him; we become for a moment the disciples sitting around the table at the Last Supper. Yet if we stop there we there we’ve only said half of it. To make any headway in understanding the Eucharist, we must see it as the arrival of God’s future in the present, not just the extension of God’s past (or of Jesus’s past) into our present. We do not simply remember a long-since dead Jesus; we celebrate the presence of the living Lord. And he lives, through the resurrection, precisely as the one who has gone on ahead into the new creation, the transformed new world, as the one who is himself its prototype. The Jesus who gives himself to us as food and drink is himself the beginning of God’s new world. At communion we are like the children of Israel in the wilderness, tasting fruit plucked from the promised land. It is the future coming to meet us in the present.
It's been a good day so far. Got a good workout/run in this morning. Had to watch for ice patches, but with my cat-like agility and ballerina grace, it was really no problem.
Spent some time with a couple of ministers from Salem. Gary has been talking to them and invited them to come up here. They hung around for our weekly staff meeting/lunch.
This afternoon my Capstone Ministries brothers and I spent some time looking at houses. It looks like we are going to be able to get a grant that will allow us to purchase homes out of foreclosure, refurbish them, and then rent them to people living in poverty. We plan to have a couple of houses dedicated to transitional housing -- for people who are temporarily homeless.
It's all pretty exciting stuff, and I'll share more details later.
I am looking forward to the men's Bible study at Jay's tonight. It will be a good way to end a long day.
We're going to talk about Temptation as discussed in James 1.
Two natures beat within my breast,
One is foul, the other blest
One I love, one I hate,
But the one I feed will dominate.
Here are a few thoughts for you about the battle you will face today. The battle is to "feed the right nature," to make the right choices when the temptations come (and they will come).
This is from St. John Climacus, written hundreds of years ago in The Ladder of Divine Ascent.
What is this mystery in me? What is the meaning of this blending of body and soul? How am I constituted a friend and foe to myself? Tell me, tell me, my yoke-fellow, my nature . . . How am I to remain unwounded by you? How can I avoid the danger of my nature? For I have already made a vow to Christ to wage war against you. How am I to overcome your tyranny? For I am resolved to be your master.
This is from Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Temptation:
In our members there is a slumbering inclination toward desire, which is both sudden and fierce. With irresistible power, desire seizes mastery of the flesh. All at once a secret, smoldering fire is kindled... It makes no difference whether it is a sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, or love of fame and power, or greed for money... At this moment God is quite unreal to us. He loses all reality, and only desire for the creature is real.... Satan does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God.
The crux of the matter in temptation is whether or not we will remember, in that moment, God and what he says.
I think that’s it!
And how well our memory functions at the point of temptation is based on how well we have fed it with Spirit-led thoughts that come from Scripture.
Right?
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
I woke this morning to find 2 emails from Tasmania. It was such a pleasant thing to find. I had written a couple of the guys earlier this week; their replies were informative and full of memories.
I was saddened to learn that the Cadbury chocolate factory in Hobart no longer allows tours. How tragic! I remember touring that plant back in the early 80s and can still remember the amazing aroma and stunning sight of liquid chocolate pouring out of huge mixers (like concrete truck mixers). I wanted to dive under the chute and allow liquid chocolate (with hazel nuts) to pour into my mouth. Probably would have killed me, but what a way to go!
My Tasmanian friends were remembering some good old times we had together.
Of course it is summer over there, and about this time each year the church gathers for a family camp in the northern part of the state. It was at that camp, probably in January of 1982, that I experienced one of the worst illnesses of my life.
The camp was somewhat primitive, so good drinking water was not quickly and easily available. There was a nice little stream running by; the water was clear and cool. Everyone warned me: "Don't drink the water." I drank the water. I ended up very ill with a high fever and other problems. Not a pleasant memory.
It was in the same stream that I saw a duck-bill platypus.
Precious memories...
Sitting here trying to figure out my day. It's a little complicated today. I have a meeting, need/want to go the Bloomington to see someone in the hospital, and have to get organized for the rapidly approaching Sunday.
Sermon (slides & video this week).
Revelation class.
Afterlife class.
Talking to yourself again I see.
When I read this weeks lesson plan, one statement sticks out to me.
"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline."
Though tough to handle sometimes, it gives me joy to know that if I wasn't loved, life might be "easier".
If it was always easy, I would have no reason to change. Ususally the things that we count as blessings (wealth, posessions, etc...) end up cuasing us more grief and stumbling than we want to admit.
I hope a few more show up so you won't look so goofy walking around in here talking to yourself.
;]>
Brent
I am getting used to talking to myself. I/we have some great debates and conversations.
The snow is beautiful!
Did you know that there are 7 "Beatitudes" in Revelation?
They are found in 1:3,14:13, 16:15, 19:9; 20:6, 22:7, and 22:14. They make for interesting reading and thinking.
I am busy finishing up Sunday's sermon. I really like having them done on Thursday, but this week didn't cooperate.
I'm also working on my Revelation class for Sunday morning and the Afterlife class for Sunday evening.
This Sunday evening we are going to talk about heaven. What do you think heaven will be like?
The birds are going crazy at my feeders. I really enjoy watching them.
How is that the Laodiceans have pushed Jesus out of their doors?
He wants back in.
He wants to commune with them again.
Tonight is going to reveal the biggest full moon of the year.
Click here to find out why.
I TALK TO MYSELF
I talk to myself
And I answer too.
Not much to say,
Just my point of view.
I’m quiet most times
But once in a while
Expressing myself in words
Brings an occasional smile.
If most of us said little
There would still be enough
Choice words to go around
Of just the necessary stuff.
So, with few who will listen
I keep the words inside
Except the occasional time
Thoughts inside can no longer abide
And I talk to myself
And I answer too.
Not much to say
Just my point of view.
Sherron Fields 2008
Very nice poem Sherron. Save me a copy of the book too, I'd like to buy one.
Snow is beautiful especially when you are inside looking out. I ran into a snow/sleet/freezing rain on my way to pa about 40 miles before wheeling wv. Then thunderstorm like rains once I was close to pittsburgh. It was already dark and it was soooo scary. Couldn't drive over 50.
Pittsburgh got around 3 inches and it was so frigid yesterday. Mr Sun came out to acompany me home this morning. The snow and ice were on every branch and weed so I got to see some beautiful sights going home.
The part of pittsburgh my daughter amber lives in is called turtle creek, and this morning the firemen came down her little brick laned 2 block street in their firetruck and an ambulance with santa and frosty and all their little helpers giving out candy canes and taking donations. That was so nice and little townsy for such a big place.
My daughter and I prayed together before I left this morning for my safe passage home. And don't you know at dusk I see at least three (maybe more I was too alarmed to count) running toward I 70 right in my path, I slammed on the breaks and the deer stopped right before the road and started turning circles like they were confused. Wow, what if we hadn't taken the time to pray?
Annette
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