Hopefully after so many decades as a Christian I am not so foolish to believe that I understand God and see everything from his perspective. Instead, actually, I realize that while I can grow in my knowledge of God, I certainly do not have his depth and breadth of understanding. This, of course, is only a confirmation of Isaiah 55:9 (ESV): “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – God So, before I get into today’s topic I want to say that I am NOT in any way naming names or casting stones. While I may have opinions, I simply do not have God’s perspective.
But He sees and knows everything. He does judge churches.
As I was thinking of how to pray for Christ’s Church today, I was drawn to the warning to the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3. Jesus has a harsh word for that local congregation that evidently has gone so far astray from their original fervor for the Gospel.
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
YIKES! This sounds awful! Who wants to be forcefully thrown out of God’s presence? Not me.
“For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,’ not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.“
Ought-oh. This church says it is rich, prosperous, and self-sufficient and God says it’s wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Sounds like the church is seeing things rather differently than God sees them.
Then God gives them some pretty severe “advice.”
“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.“
Kind of like “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” God can tell when we are faking, empty, naked, and clueless.
Finally we hear God’s heart for this Church he loves:
“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
He disciplines us because he loves us. He lovingly and generously knocks at the door of our hearts (and our churches) waiting for them to be open so he can come spend time with us. He even wants us to persevere and “conquer” or “overcome” the world so he can invite us to sit with him.
So, what does all this have to do with praying for the Church today?
I believe that there are local churches whose “fire” has burned low or even gone out. The spiritual fervor has died down – or even died out – to the point that God would see that individual congregation as “cold” or “lukewarm.” How is that measured? By our works: How do we care for others? How do we demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, and all the rest of the Fruits of the Spirit? How do we reach out to the lonely and broken – and especially to the lost? How passionately do we worship God – both when alone and when gathered together as a church? These are just a few of the ways we would measure the spiritual temperature of a church.
If our fire is low, we must return to Jesus and “Buy [our] gold from [him], gold that’s been through the refiner’s fire. Then [we’ll] be rich. Buy [our] clothes from [him], clothes designed in Heaven. [We’ve] gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for [our] eyes from [him] so [we] can see, really see.” Only by seeking God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, repenting of our lukewarm-ness, and asking for a relighting or restoking of the Holy Spirit’s fire within our churches can we then fulfill our mission to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20 AMP). After all, the best news is that Jesus is with us always, “[remaining with [us] perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”
Today we must pray that Jesus’s Church is not cold or lukewarm, but hot with the fire of Holy Spirit within us!
God,
In this day and age we know that you need “all hands on deck” to influence the world for your righteousness, truth, goodness, and love. We know you have called us to go and make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and we confess that we are not always “on fire” for you; we allow our spiritual flame to burn low or even go out because we are not tending that fire. We confess that we get distracted, we tire of the struggle, we find easier things to do. Forgive us for not following you wholeheartedly. Realign us your children to your will, your ways, your heart, and your Spirit. We recognize we are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked without you, and we pray you will help us accept your love, reproof, and discipline so we can hear your voice and follow your leading. Light the fire again in each and every local Church, God, and do not let them resist you so they are spit out. Fill us to overflowing with the fullness of your Spirit we pray in Jesus’s name. Amen.
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” (Revelation 3:14-22 ESV)
“He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21 AMP)
“Here’s what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that’s been through the refiner’s fire. Then you’ll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You’ve gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see.” (Revelation 3:18 MSG)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20 AMP).