Reveling in the RevelationRevelation 2-3 Lukewarm

Heat Exchange

The other night, we had chicken for dinner. So, I rescued

a frozen chicken breast from the freezer and put it into

warm water to thaw. Later, I checked the thawing

progress and found that the cold chicken and the warm

water were nearly the same lukewarm temperature.

According to the laws of thermodynamics, two bodies

with different temperatures will do what my chicken and

water did—move toward the same temperature. In

Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, John describes how this

process impacts believers and churches—not in food

prep, but in how the coldness of sin and false teaching

can creep in and displace the warmth of righteousness.

In Revelation 2 and 3, the Apostle John transcribes

letters from Jesus to seven churches in Asia Minor. In

these letters, Jesus warns the churches of destructive

practices. He especially rebuked two of them, Thyatira

and Laodicea, because they allowed false teaching to

water down their ministry.

Thyatira – The Tolerant Church

What does tolerance mean to you today? Does it mean

respecting others and allowing them to maintain their

beliefs, even though you disagree? Or does it mean

approving those beliefs or even adopting them?

The church at Thyatira faced this question because

many of its members were tradesmen who could not

work unless they belonged to the guild. However, guild

members were forced to worship at the local pagan

temple. So, some church leaders encouraged the

church to compromise and allow pagan immorality to

mix with Christian beliefs for economic benefit.

Jesus addressed three groups at this church: the

faithful, the unfaithful idolaters, and the large middle

group of tolerating people. He encouraged the faithful to

remain steadfast in their faith, condemned the

unfaithful who followed idol worship, and urged the

middle wishy-washy group to get serious about their

faith and reject false teachings.

Laodicea – The Lukewarm Church

Laodicea was one of the wealthiest cities in the region,

even though it did not control its water supply. It

depended on aqueducts to bring cold water from

nearby streams or warm water from neighboring hot

springs. As a result, by the time the water reached the

city, it was all lukewarm.

Jesus noted that this church mirrored the city and its

water supply. They acted like they were wealthy,

independent, and godly. But they were fooling

themselves as they followed a watered-down version of

faith, saying and doing what was in their best interests.

To this, Jesus declared, “You are lukewarm—neither hot

nor cold- so I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Despite this condemnation, Jesus still called them back

to follow him when he told them, “Behold, I stand at the

door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the

door, I will come in and eat with that person...” What a

fabulous invitation for all of us.

Managing Our Temperature Changes

How are you maintaining your spiritual temperature in a

world that beckons you to cool off rather than warm up

your faith in Jesus? Here are some thoughts to help:

Flow - The law of spiritual thermodynamics dictates

that everything flows to the wishy-washy middle

because that’s where we are least effective. What

worldly things are flowing into your life that threaten to

water down your relationship with the Living Lord?

Fight - Jesus understands we are in a spiritual battle we

cannot win alone. So, he gave us the Holy Spirit to fight

our spiritual struggles with us. How are you allowing the

Holy Spirit to fight your battles for you today?

Finish - Regardless of where you are on the hot-cold

spectrum, Jesus’s door is wide open to you. He always

invites us to join him in a lifelong spiritual adventure.

What do you need to claim victory over today?

Maranatha

Andy