The Laodiceans were rich and self-sufficient, with no need for God to supply their needs. We can get so busy doing things for God that at some point, we stop doing them Him and begin doing them for ourselves. 18band white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed. It was a central banking center and traded well in black wool and an innovative eye salve used for medicinal purposes. By knowing and obeying the Word of God, you will be trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Moses was rebuking the rebellious Israelites by saying, But to this day, the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. He was not referring to physical hearing, but to those who may hear the commands of the Lord but who lacked comprehension and desire to act upon those words (Jeremiah 5:21; Ezekiel 12:2). He reckons it to our account.18 The process of reckoning is what we call salvation. To hear is to obey. Copyright 2004 -, Transliteration of Amen From Hebrew to Greek to English. It takes a true friend to point out negative things in your life, and then be willing to be part of the solution. According to Roman writer Tacticus, Rome offered to pay for the city to be rebuilt, but the people declined, saying that they were wealthy enough to restore their own city. It is the foundation of wisdom. In terms of healing, the hot Christian will be bringing souls to Christ, healing them of their sinful condition. Whats valuable both now and in eternity is what God cares about: treating people right, forgiveness, and loyalty (Matthew 23:23, Micah 6:8).Were meant to use possessions and love people, not love possessions and use people. hippie fest 2022 michigan; family picture poses for 5 adults; unforgettable who killed rachel; pacific northwest college of art notable alumni; adler sense of belonging family constellation; Sign up to receive the week's latest articles, blog posts andupdates. Theater of popular music. We must ask God for forgiveness and for strength to avoid sinning. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. Also, read Proverbs chapter eight. Gold mined from rock always has impurities. After letting him ineffectively try to cover himself, God provided clothing for him. Revelation 3:14-22. 2. All rights reserved. It is to have a sense of what is right and what is wrong. Verse 14 leaves no doubt the Jesus Christ is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. Similar to how some people likely spewed the citys unpleasant drinking water out of their mouths, Jesus said He would do the same, yet more violently. The residents would go there daily to fill their jars with the cold refreshing water from Colossae. Then we must take active, practical steps to avoid falling into sin. They think they have need of nothing because they are saved and on their way to heaven. The angel of the churches are addressed, not simply as touched by the faults of the church, but as guilty of them as well.7 Since the letters are written to an angel, about the sins of the church, and the coming punishment for those sins, it is not logical that the angel would be a heavenly being. The problem lies in that it seems improbable that Christ would use a human to write a physical letter to an angel, rebuking it for falling short in its duties as a Christ-follower.4 If the angel is an actual angelic representative of the local church, and answerable for its failure, then the seven angels in chapters 1 through 3 failed miserably. Water is an important necessity for any metropolis, and the ancient city of Laodicea accommodated this need. Physical money cannot purchase the merchandise Christ has for sale; it takes something else. We must pray and cry out to God, and our lust for sin has to feel the pain of being denied. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Transliterations show us how to pronounce the word, whereas translations give us meaning of the word. But we have to invite Him inside. You, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. The city was at the crossroads of north-south traffic between Sardis and Perga and east-west from the Euphrates to Ephesus. In Gods eyes, anything not done for Him, has no value, no use, no purpose. All of their success and self-righteousness was nakedness in Gods sight. 19a Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Mrs Salve Aldea Pineda is licensed to practice in California (license number 45219) and her current practice location is 1011 Baldwin Park Blvd, Baldwin Park, California.She can be reached at her office (for appointments etc.) It has everything to do with imparted righteousness. 20band will dine with him, and he with Me. Are so busy doing "things" for Christ that they're too busy to open the door? The phrase he who has an ear qualifies everyone who will listen and obey. How is your hearing? valley. It was about 100 miles east of the port city of Ephesus. 1 Peter 1:7 states that spiritual gold is your faith in Christ, and every true believers faith in Jesus will go through a fiery trial during which all that is dross is to be done away with (burned away) to bring forth a finished product of pure, refined gold. Youre going to have to spend time reading the Word, studying the Word, memorizing the Word, meditating on the Word, and obeying the Word. It is very important to understand that this verse is NOT saying that Jesus was the first thing created; rather, it is stating that Jesus was the source of creation. The city's reputation was for its money transactions and the good quality of raven-black wool grown in the area.1 The black wool, spun into dark yarn, was added to yarn dyed in other colors and made some very intricately patterned colored clothing, which sold for a high price in Rome. God cares more about the condition of our hearts than the condition of wallets. One of these is what the Bible calls the deceitfulness of riches (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19). As the faithful and true witness, Jesus is relaying to us what he heard from God the Father. These rivers provided the water the crops and flocks needed in the Lycos valley. Another lesson from the message to Laodicea is that we must be doers of Gods Word. As Jesus warned in His Olivet Prophecy, But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. The ancient Greeks liked their wine hot or cold. Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothingand do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and nakedI counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. Dont become lukewarm about Gods way of life! Jesus knows what it is like to be human. To fully understand what amen means, you must turn to the Old Testament. Imputed righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, credited to a person enabling him/her to be justified in the eyes of God. And finally, like all the previous messages, Jesus says, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (verse 22). God's discipline may be gentle persuasion to return to right behavior, or he may use punitive action if persuasion fails. They may have been well off economically, but they were poor in their relationship with God. God expects His people to maintain zeal for His way of life. No, it does not; just dont sit in the center. You will know Gods character and will, and that is the heart of spiritual discernment being able to distinguish the voice of God from the voice of the world. The sin in His nature had received its death sentence when He said, Your will be done, God. As disciples who follow Jesus, we must learn to hate the sin in our own life, deny ourselves, and take up our cross. But this can only happen when we are in the right relationship with him. White clothes. You, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Although the Bible does not reveal how the Church of God began in Laodicea, a faithful minister named Epaphras served this congregation as well as members in Colosse and Hierapolis sometime during the first few decades after Christs death. Does it matter which side of the room you sit in? They are not getting people saved or healing the sick, or leading lives that are a pleasant taste and aroma to Christ. Spiritual discernment fends off temptation and allows us to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. The stones were ground up to powder which was mixed with oil producing a well-known eye balm that was distributed throughout the Greek and Roman world. He is the one who addressed the church at Laodicea. Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. As we await the return of Jesus Christ to earth, we need to avoid becoming callous to Gods way of life and His expectations of us. Website design, HTML and CSS coding by Steven P. Wickstrom After the gold smelting process is complete, the gold gets melted again, and then poured into molds to form ingots.17. Remains of a water pipe in Laodicea (photo by David Treybig). Time. Laodicea quickly became a rich city, rich enough to be able to rebuild itself without outside help after the destructive earthquake of 60 A.D. His names include: the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness and the Beginning of the creation of God (verse 14). For the Laodiceans, this meant forsaking whatever might perpetuate the lack of spirituality and unwarranted self-sufficiency in which they languished. For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis (Colossians 4:12-13, also see Colossians 1:7). Theres no time to waste. So, as a faithful shepherd, He commands the church to repent immediately. 19btherefore be zealous and repent. The Laodicean church is not cold. Hierapolis had a hot spring that was considered to be medicinal. Gratitude Vision Optometry offers premier primary eye care, specialty contact lenses & more. EYESALVE i'-sav (kollourion; collyrium; Revelation 3:18 ): A Phrygian powder mentioned by Galen, for which the medical school of Laodicea seems to have been famous (see Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia), but the figurative reference is to the restoring of spiritual vision. Six miles to the north, the town of Hierapolis sat on the top of the cliffs overlooking the valley. Laodicea was a city full of merchants. Spiritual discernment is the ability to tell the difference between truth and error. Laodicea was a city located in what is today the nation of Turkey, then called Asia Minor, in a section of the Roman Empire called "Phrygia" (Acts 18:23). After identifying Himself, Jesus immediately tells the church at Laodicea that He knows their worksthat they are neither cold nor hotand because they are lukewarm, He will vomit them out of His mouth (Revelation 3:15-16). In our world filled with technology, material prosperity and modern conveniences, many mistakenly assume that they do not need God. What did they think it meant to be cold? From sexual promiscuity to getting drunk while meeting together to quarreling amongst themselves, these people were far from the ideal loving and thriving church body. Jesus wants you to be hot. Call (626) 587-0033! If were doing something for recognition, then were not doing it for God. The keys, according to this passage, are becoming skilled in the Word of God (by which we define righteousness) and practice (through which we gain experience). While God sanctifies by grace, Christians are responsible to appropriate God's grace by faith. Whatever were doing, or however were serving, we need to examine our hearts and our motives and see if were doing it for the right reason. This theory deems the letter addressed to a human messenger rather than an angelic one. "11 (According to dictionary.com, the word "aver" means to declare positively, or state something as a fact.) Suffer in the flesh, cease from sin. What is the time of need? Temples had a joint purpose of worship and medical studies. They were doing a lot of things (works and deeds). How do you buy gold when youre poor? Since Christ is referring to spitting something out of his mouth, the image of lukewarm wine comes to mind. Laodicea was also known as a center for the wool and dye trade. "Eyesalve to rub in your eyes" Laodicea was also famous as a healing center. The truth is that sometimes the wicked prosper (Jeremiah 12:1). Fortunately for us, Jesus is that friend. Why does the church not hear his knock? Near the temple of the special god associated with healing there was a market for trading all sorts of goods. The ancient Greeks thought that only a barbarian would drink undiluted wine. The Greek word for deeds ( - ergon) means means denotes comprehensively what a man is and how he acts.13 Typically translated as works or deeds, these words do not accurately convey the richness of the Greek word. You will know Gods character and will, and that is the heart of spiritual discernment being able to distinguish the voice of God from the voice of the world. It covers a myriad of areas, including pride, impatience, selfishness, unrighteousness, irritation, laziness, vanity, complaining, sexual impurity, unbelief, discouragement, envy, greed, ingratitude, etc. A change in behavior will follow true repentance. The main problem with this theory is that is always translated as an angel in Revelation and always used in that context.5 This does not mean that cannot refer to a human being as a messenger; it is simply not typical in the book of Revelation. Gods word be gentle persuasion to return to right behavior, or leading lives that are a pleasant taste aroma... 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