After a brief study of how Christ introduces himself to each church in Rev. 2 & 3, what he praised them for, and what he was displeased with, I realized something very significant: the church at Laodicea had absolutely NOTHING said in its favour!  NOT ONE THING!
    T. Austin-Sparks, in an article titled “The Urgency and Necessity for a Life in the Fullness of the Spirit”, calls our position in church history “the Laodicean age”.  Considering that this article was written some time before 1971, when he died, how much MORE has the church drifted into Laodicea since then?  My desire for this paper is to examine this question, and show the church just where it stands today.  All emphasis in scripture is mine, and all comments made inside scripture quotes will be in parentheses.
    Revelation 3:15-17:  “I know thy works, (and there are MANY), 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 spue thee out of my mouth.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”
    It is true, and quite obvious, that today’s churches are very rich in material goods.  There are gigantic, multi-million dollar church buildings everywhere we look, complete with all that the heart of man could desire – including gyms and even coffee shops!  “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.”
    It is just as obvious there is very little genuine passion – if any – for Christ, in today’s churches.  One or two here and there (what the Bible calls “the remnant”) who really do have a fire inside for the truth, are considered strange, too serious, too literal, and even prickly or hard to get along with.  Why is this? 
    Jesus said, “thou art lukewarm”.  Most professing Christians in North America today fall into this lukewarmness, which is also called “complacency”.  This means “desiring to please, courteous, polite (don’t step on anybody’s toes by pointing out the sin in today’s congregations!), softness of manner (today’s interpretation of “love”), obliging”; all the traits of those who “go along to get along”, certainly NOT the traits of one who will be “earnestly contending for the faith”!  Jude 3
    Those who believe they are God’s people are also very indifferent (unconcerned, feeling no interest or anxiety, no real care for one thing or another).  As long as nothing ruffles their “peace”,  as long as nobody says anything they perceive as “negative”, they’re content to drift along with the current, feeling good about themselves.  They have a great many material things; they think they’re rich.  Their comfort is all that matters.  They read their Bibles, but it does nothing either to ignite their hearts into flame, or even to make them cold.  If spoken to about sin, they complain that the speaker is being judgmental or critical.  When warned about the dangers of complacency, and the need for obedience, they tell us that we’re being self-righteous, and worse, that complete obedience is not possible!  All the comfort scriptures are applied to these indifferent ones, while all the warnings and judgments are for what they call “the lost”.  BUT, ask yourselves this one VITAL question:  WHO DID GOD WRITE HIS WORD FOR??  Answer:  HIS OWN PEOPLE!!
    “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  Romans 3:18.  This is even more obvious today than when Paul penned these words.  Even the FACTUAL REALITY of eternal punishment in hell doesn’t frighten today’s churchgoers!  “That’s for all those sinners out there, who have never heard the gospel; certainly not for me!” they say, “I’ve said the sinner’s prayer, my sins are all forgiven (even future ones); I’m saved forever!”  This false line of thinking is driving millions of professing Christians straight into the fires of hell!  These complacent, indifferent church people forget that Jesus was speaking to professing believers in Matthew 7:22 and 23, when he said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord…”, and he will have to say, “I never knew you:  depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  ALL THE WARNINGS IN SCRIPTURE are meant for GOD’S PEOPLE!!  Will ANYONE take heed, and repent?
    The Laodicean spirit of compromise abounds in today’s churches, including the home groups.  The world and the things of the world (1 John 2:15) have been invited and welcomed into almost every gathering of professing Christians.  It has become acceptable to dress like the world in various degrees of modesty (or lack thereof); to listen to any of the devil’s inspired music, and even to imitate it by changing the words a little, and calling it Contemporary Christian Music.  I have been told that “if believers only examine their own hearts”, it becomes acceptable to participate in pagan festivals, as long as they believe (sincerely, of course!) that by changing the name of these things, they can change the nature of them; that these things can be “redeemed”.  It is even acceptable in many so-called Christian circles to watch almost any kind of sin in movies.  And professing Christian authors have written blasphemous allegories which compare Christ to “good” people or things that use occult powers to overcome the “evil” people or things!  And these books are extremely popular in and out of church circles!  Witchcraft abounds, but as long as it is rationalized as “science fiction”, or “just for fun”, it is somehow justified! 
    Where are the God-fearing women who dress themselves “in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety”?  1 Timothy 2:9.  Where are the “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” with which God’s people are instructed to teach and admonish one another?  Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16.  Where is the fear of God which makes people realize that Romans 1:32 is not ONLY for those who DO the preceding Romans 1 list of abominable sins, but ALSO for those who ENJOY THEM VICARIOUSLY!  (Through books, movies, or whatever.)  Those who ought to be God’s holy people “profess that they know God; but in WORKS they DENY him, being abominable, and DISOBEDIENT, and unto every good work reprobate” (lost to virtue or grace; abandoned in sin).  Titus 1:16.
    Why is this so?  What has happened?  How have God’s people strayed so far from the path of righteousness?  The first place in God’s word which gave me a clue to the answers was in Malachi.
    First we MUST realize that Malachi’s message is to the priests, exclusively.  God is very straight forward about that.  We get to Malachi 2:7 and 8, which says, “For the priest’s lips SHOULD keep knowledge, and they (the people) SHOULD (ought to be able to) seek THE LAW at his mouth: for he (the priest) is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.  BUT  ye (the priests) are departed out of the way; ye (the priests) have CAUSED MANY to STUMBLE at the LAW; ye (the priests) have CORRUPTED the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.”  How much clearer can this be?  Much more so.
    The Lord showed me Isaiah 5:20, 21 and 23, 24.  “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!  Which JUSTIFY THE WICKED for REWARD, and TAKE AWAY the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the RIGHTEOUS FROM HIM!  Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust:  because they have CAST AWAY the LAW of the LORD of hosts, and DESPISED the WORD of the Holy One of Israel.”  Our priests have done this thing by:
1)    claiming there are faults in the Authorized King James Bible, thereby casting doubt upon its veracity, leaving it open to anybody’s criticism or personal interpretation;
2)    by accepting without question all the new (per)versions published by basically anyone willing to do the work of significantly changing it;
3)    by teaching for doctrine the commandments of men;
4)    by interpreting scripture to suit their own particular “brand” of theology;
5)    by diminishing (or cancelling) the ABSOLUTE NECESSITY of obedience to God’s laws, and of righteous living; and
6)    by selling themselves to government for the sake of their non-profit status, to teach that sinful practices must be “tolerated”, “accepted”, and even considered “normal”!
By these things, and many others, our priests and pastors are deceived and deceiving millions of people who listen to them!
    Now look at Jeremiah 23, in which God addresses pastors.  Vs. 1 and 2:  “Woe unto the PASTORS that DESTROY and SCATTER the sheep of my pasture!  saith the LORD.  Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the PASTORS that feed my people; Ye (pastors) have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you (pastors) the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.”  Vs. 11: “For both prophet and priest are PROFANE; yea, IN MY HOUSE have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.”  Vs. 14: “I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they COMMIT ADULTERY, and WALK IN LIES: they STRENGTHEN also THE HANDS of EVILDOERS”.  Vs. 17: “They (pastors, priests, and prophets) say still unto them that DESPISE ME (God), The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they (pastors, et al) say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his OWN HEART, No evil shall come upon you.”
    “You’ve said the sinner’s prayer; and though you fall and stumble every day, you can’t help it,” they say.  “You’re saved now; you’ll go to heaven.”  And by these very words, our Laodicean, indifferent, uncaring, unconcerned, POLITE pastors, priests and prophets are doing two dreadful things:  Worst, they are CALLING GOD a LIAR; and they are deceiving millions of Christians and condemning them to hell with these lies.
    "The Laodicean age”:  indeed, it surrounds us.  The people of God who see it MUST SPEAK UP; and the people of God who have been deceived by it MUST WAKE UP – OR ELSE! 
In Revelation 3:19 and 20, Jesus pleads with those he loves, (HIS OWN PEOPLE, HIS CHURCH) “be zealous therefore, and REPENT.  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:”  Will you let me in?  I WANT to come in, but your sin prevents me!  I CANNOT abide in the same place as sin!
    My people, REPENT!! 

LK