The final letter written by Jesus in Revelation 3 is to the church in a city named Laodicea. It was a wealthy city. Their homes were large. They had plenty of money. They were proud of all their material possessions an accomplishments. They thought that they had no needs. In this letter to a wealthy church, Jesus paints what might be the saddest picture of any of these seven churches. He portrays Himself as OUTSIDE the church, knocking on the door , waiting to be allowed into His own church. Why was Jesus outside the church? What had caused these people to shut Him out?
The church at Laodicea had allowed some things to come before Jesus. They were no longer filled with passion and energy for God, but were instead focused only on their own comfort and wealth. Jesus told them that they didn’t even realize their own situation. In reality, they were not rich at all. In fact, Spiritually, they were destitute. They were not hot and passionate for God, but only lukewarm in their love for Him. No one likes a “lukewarm” cup of coffee. In fact, we might even pour it down the drain. Jesus makes it clear that a “lukewarm” church or believer is not acceptable, and in fact, it sickened Him. So, in the end, we see Jesus patiently knocking outside the door of a church that has chosen comfort over Christ. He lovingly calls them, and us, to fan the flame in our lives and to live passionately for Him.