Because You Say...

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see.  Revelation 3:17,18

I have had on occasion a certain image course through my mind.  I wonder if you might bear with me, and as I describe this image, try to picture it as well.  This is a fictitious image, yet one that may make a strong impression upon those which “have ears to hear” it, and even upon them which do not, in which case it may serve as a “thorn in the flesh,” an unwanted challenge to an established ideology.

Ready?

In my mind, I have pictured a large gathering of believers assembled in a certain place.  Whether a large church building, or a convention center is irrelevant.  There is an excitement in the air, as this large assembly awaits a highly respected evangelist to enter.  At last, the awaited speaker arrives, with not a hair out of place, perfectly manicured nails, a suit and watch which speak of considerable success, and lastly, a large ring.  Shortly thereafter, he is officially announced and enters the pulpit, and enjoins the great congregation to stand with him. He then begins to speak in a strong voice:

Evangelist:  “Praise the Lord!”

Congregation:  “Praise the Lord!”

Evangelist:  “Say this with me, ‘I am the righteousness of God.’”

Congregation:  “I am the righteousness of God.”

Evangelist:  “I am blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.”

Congregation:  “I am blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.”

Evangelist:  “I am the head, and not the tail, I am only above, and not underneath, I have authority over all the power of the enemy.”

Congregation:  “I am the head and not the tail, I am only above and not underneath, I have authority over all the power of the enemy.”

Evangelist:  “I am not poor, I am rich, my needs are met and I have need of nothing.”

Congregation:  “I am not poor, I am rich, my needs are met, and I have need of nothing.”

Evangelist:  “AMEN!”

Congregation:  “AMEN!”

Then the congregation breaks into spontaneous praise and loud applause- for what, I know not.  Do they applaud themselves? Or is it the evangelist? Or is it the Lord?  I think it’s the Lord.

But as the applause begins to wane, and before the speaker begins his message, a most outstanding thing occurs.  A certain figure appears at the rear of this great room.  He does not speak, but slowly walks toward the stage.  His eyes are crystal clear, and his face radiant.  Many, who see him, recognize him immediately- others do not- but all feel compelled to look upon him, sensing that He has something to say.  When he reaches the podium, He opens the evangelist’s bible to the third chapter of Revelation, and hands it back to him. And looking over the great congregation He begins to say:

“BECAUSE YOU SAY, ‘I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing;’ and you do not know that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked; I counsel you to buy from me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich, and white garments, that you may be clothed, so that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eyesalve, that you may see.’”

And without a further word, He passes through their midst, and He is gone…

As I said earlier, this is obviously a fictitious scene.  However, other than the appearance of the Lord, The rest of the scene could possibly play out exactly as I have described.  I have often thought that the corporate “faith confessions” quite common in certain evangelical circles often sound very much like the attitude of the Laodicean church which Christ so severely rebuked.  In fact, I am quite certain that it would be easy to get many Christians within these circles to zealously stand and confidently confess, “I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing!”  And this they would boldly confess, thinking themselves to somehow do the word of God great honour, when in truth, they actually repeat the very thoughts of them which were indeed in gross error regarding the whole of God’s word, and which were contrary to the spirit of the true Christian faith.  Sadly, not only do I think that this scenario is possible, and easily created, but I am confident that it indeed has happened already as I have described.

So one may argue, “What does it prove if the above scenario has occurred?  The people, who confess these things, though they may unwittingly use the words of the Laodiceans, certainly intend something different.”  But it does indeed prove something.  It proves that they are not as familiar with the word of God as they think- else they would be ashamed to use the same words, or similar words of the Laodiceans.  And if so oblivious to the word of God here, does it not follow that their particular expression of the Christian faith may be grossly flawed in other areas as well?  For if one can be so foolish as to parrot the very words which drew such a scathing rebuke from Christ, then how many other foolish ideas has he swallowed along the way?

Thus, I write, in the hope that the comparisons that I make between the modern evangelicals - especially they of “charismatic” persuasion- and the ancient Laodiceans, may stir some to re-evaluate their position and philosophy regarding their beliefs. Now I must state for the record that I am neither “anti-charismatic,” nor “anti-Pentecostal,” but rather one who is opposed to a certain mentality, attitude, and philosophy that unfortunately are prevalent within these camps.

Now what precisely did Christ take issue with regarding the Laodiceans?  He begins with the nature of their devotion:

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.  Rev.3 15, 16

The Laodiceans were not entirely contrary to the Christian faith. They were a church, they regularly came together, and they professed faith in Jesus Christ.  However, their devotion was void of passion for Jesus himself. They were compromisers; they were not altogether in the world, but they were definitely not in heart committed to Christ.  They thought themselves acceptable, but were unacceptable in his eyes and offensive to him.

I am certain that this could be applicable to various churches throughout the ages, this charge of being lukewarm. However, it is especially applicable to the modern evangelical church as a whole:  For the evangelical church of today is becoming less and less distinguishable from the world with each year that passes.  The enormous amount of moral compromise that is accepted among today’s evangelicals, I have addressed in other posts, and thus I will refrain from commenting again on those specific issues here.

After taking issue with the offensive nature of their lukewarm devotion, The Lord addresses their attitude.  This is addressed in our text: Because thou sayest, I am rich… and have need of nothing.  I am not sure if they actually said these words with their lips, but they certainly said them with their attitude.  It would appear from this verse, that the Laodicean believers interpreted their prosperous natural state as being somehow confirmative of a prosperous spiritual state as well.  I have need of nothing indicates an air of cockiness, of having “already attained,” and of spiritual superiority.  They considered themselves to be quite secure in God.

Now is not this attitude of the Laodiceans reproduced “a hundredfold” in certain evangelicals today?  I do not think that the Laodiceans necessarily verbalized the words of our text, but rather that Christ addressed the attitude of their heart.  How much more offensive to Christ are those believers today who not only have this same attitude in heart, but are actually zealous to proclaim it with their mouths?  Likewise, the Laodiceans erred in interpreting a prosperous natural state to be indicative of a healthy spiritual state.  But evangelicals today take it further by preaching and asserting this to be actual truth!  And if any dare raise an objection to their particular slant on scripture, he or she will be considered “unbelieving” and “unenlightened.”

But these modern “charismatics” have surpassed the Laodiceans in cockiness and arrogance many times over.  For these believers cannot abstain from proclaiming great things about themselves and one another.  They also openly mock and taunt the devil, boasting of all their triumphs over him, and exalt themselves as they whom the devil should fear.  And this some of their leaders do while at the same time they themselves serve the devil in adultery, homosexuality, embezzlement, fraud, and greed.   

And yet the angels of God would not dare to address the devil in the way that these do.  As it is written:

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.  Jude 9

Still, the attitude of arrogance proceeds:  For this is a movement which can only receive “truth” from itself.  They know very little regarding church history, or the history of doctrine.  They are ignorant of what the church has believed throughout its history, and they do not care to know.  It means nothing to them that many of their views are contrary to that which the saints have held as true from the first century onward.   Moreover, they believe themselves to possess more light than all of the generations before them: for they often flatter their hearers with these very words.

So what can be done with believers who believe that they possess more spiritual insight than all of the saints and martyrs that have gone before them?  Who believe themselves to be as righteous as Jesus Christ regardless of how they live?  Who in their own minds have the power to control the “heavenlies” at will, and the ability to “bind and loose” all things seen and unseen?  Who anxiously wait, not only for the coming of the Lord, but for the wealth of all secular institutions to be released into their hands!

If there is hope for these believers, it is found in our text.  Jesus said to the Laodiceans, “Because you say… and do not know… I counsel you …” In other words, Because you say and profess high and lofty things regarding yourself, when in truth the exact opposite is so, and because you do not know the depth of your error, and your true moral state- I counsel you.  

You see, just because you say, does not make it so.  The Laodiceans rejoiced that they were wealthy, but their riches were only of this world.  They claimed to be rich; Jesus said they were poor.  They confessed that they had need of nothing; Christ told them they were naked.  They thought themselves to have achieved a high spiritual state; the Lord charged them with being wretched.  They believed that they possessed insight, but Christ declared them blind.  They confessed that they were blessed; Jesus exposed them as miserable.

And what response would our modern Laodiceans have if they were charged with being wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked?  They would not receive it, they could not receive it.  They have been trained to view any charge against them as being of the devil, and to believe that God is only capable of telling them wonderful things about themselves.  If the fictitious scene that I earlier described somehow did occur, the congregation would reject the very words of Jesus himself as being “condemnation” and “negative,” and would then break into a confession of their own righteousness, of how they were “the children of God,” and of how “no weapon formed against them will prosper!”

What can be said of a belief system which cannot allow for Christ to speak to the church as He sees fit?  For it is certain within their beliefs, that a believer is not, and can never be considered wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.  That to even suggest this would in their mind be demonic.  Yet, Jesus uses these very words when addressing certain early believers, who in many ways did not go as far in the error and arrogance that has swallowed the modern “charismatics.”

So what counsel is there from the Lord?  He advises the Laodiceans to do three things: (1) buy of me gold tried in the fire, and white raiment, (2) to anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, and (3) be zealous therefore and repent.

Gold tried in the fire speaks of gold of high value, one that has been refined and is pure.  Impure gold may have value, but it is cheap in comparison to that which has been in the fire.  It may have some lustre, but it lacks depth. The religion of the Laodiceans was similar: cheap and shallow, glorying in their earthly gain, but bankrupt regarding true religion.  How applicable to the modern evangelicals, who being determined to make Christianity more palatable to both themselves and the world, have systematically compromised, gutted, and prostituted the faith, making it a shallow and cheap imitation of that which is truly golden.

White raiment speaks of one thing- purity. The Laodiceans thought so highly of themselves adorned in their expensive garments, but were in truth spiritually naked.  Men may clothe themselves with the very best suits and jewellery, settle for nothing less than the most extravagant accommodations and transportation, and may carry themselves and expect to be treated as princes, but if their faith does not beget purity of life, they are naked.  The exhortation to buy white raiment is a charge to the lukewarm to embrace moral purity as an essential to faith.

Therefore, do not speak to me, O evangelical, about how “blessed” you are while you sit in your dens of iniquity imbibing your poisonous swill, deceiving yourself that you are moderate and thus do not transgress.  Do not speak of the love of God when you in truth do not love him, neither take the name of the Lord upon your lips- that Name which you openly disgrace by your own immoralities and by your friendship with those who would so live.  If you are to be taken seriously, you must clothe yourself- for the words that proceed from the naked are hard to hear. 

Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve implies taking measures to recover one’s ability to perceive truth again- that thou mayest see.  I understand how naïve believers can fall prey to the errors set forth by the leaders of the modern “charismatic” movement, but I cannot understand how some never come to see through those errors.   OPEN YOUR EYES!

Lastly, the Lord counsels the lukewarm to repent:

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Rev.3:19

And herein may the eyesalve be found.  For if you will be serious about truly submitting yourself to God, if you will “surrender all,” and with all of your heart turn from sin, then your eyes will be opened and your nakedness covered.  Your faith also will be as gold tried in the fire.   

And your righteousness will no longer be BECAUSE YOU SAY, but rather because it is.