“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I 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. Revelation 3:14-18
As a little boy I would have severely painful migraine headaches. Pulsating pain would hit me like an oncoming freight train. With every beat of my heart, icepick-like pain would drive deeper into my skull. It was excruciating. Agonizing. Torturing. Massive migraines would strike me and leave me paralyzed and immobilized for hours at a time. However, the most debilitating part would be the onslaught of nausea. My impaled stomach would become so upset, it felt like an angry volcano erupting.
When I would wake up with the headache, my mom would try to hold the pain off with Anacin pain relievers. But I eventually would succumb to its agonizing grip, which overpowered me. Squirming in bed, I would unsuccessfully try to sleep it off. I would eventually throw up and become so weak that I would collapse from sheer exhaustion. In a few hours I would wake up, only to throw up again. What would make me so sick? My mom was convinced that she could tell when it was going to rain because I would get a migraine just hours before a storm. Those are some of the most painful childhood memories I have.
Jesus told the Laodicean Church “because you are lukewarm…I will vomit you out of My mouth.” What is it about the Church that makes God sick, nauseated, makes Him want to throw up? What is it about His people that could possibly cause Him to have such a violent reaction? Lukewarmness. Spiritual indifference in the Church makes Christ want to throw up. Apathy makes our Lord ill. Lukewarm preaching. Indifferent worship. Bland prayer. Stale fellowship. Insipid evangelism. It all makes Christ sick!
Not just on Sunday. But Monday through Saturday, as well. When our lives, once on fire for Him, cool off into a state of lukewarmness, it makes Jesus nauseated and sick to His stomach, making Him want to throw up. It’s all provoked by our sin of lukewarmness. The sin of being spiritually half in, half out. The sin of yawning in Christ face with our indifference toward His Grace. The sin of being bored with walking in close intimacy to God. It makes Christ sick! He can’t stomach it! Half-hearted devotion is absolutely revolting to Him! Jesus warns that He will vomit any lukewarm church from His mouth. This is a serious call to spiritual fervency, heart devotion, and holy zeal. Christ is commanding us to be on fire for Him, not lukewarm. That’s what America needs to see!
Laodicea was affluent and prosperous. The worlds of commerce, manufacturing, and medicine all came together to make this a very wealthy city. Laodicea occupied a critical juncture on the major highway that ran from Ephesus to Phrygia. In addition, the road from Pergamum and Sardis crossed this route here in Laodicea. It was the most prosperous of a tri-city that consisted of Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea.
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Laodicea refused government help to rebuild when the devastating earthquake in 60 A.D. leveled their city and the surrounding cities. Laodicea even contributed a massive amount of money to other cities to help them rebuild. Large amounts of gold, silver and Roman currency were kept there since they were considered a great financial center in that part of the world.
Laodicea was a manufacturing hub where factories were famous for making shiny, black wool that would be woven into expensive clothing. They were a fashion-conscious city with the most up to date styles. They were also the seat of a famous medical center with a leading school of medicine. A well known eye salve that helped cure eye diseases was created by doctors here. Laodicea was a thriving, prosperous city! The only draw back was its water supply. As the city grew they had to import water from outside sources such as underground aqueducts from Colossae and Hierapolis. Laodicea was a growing, prosperous, affluent, materialistic, high-fashion, self-sufficient, self-made city on the rise much like Dallas, TX.
It has the appearance that the church was being influenced by the prosperous culture of Laodicea. The previous churches were first commended, but not the Laodicean church. Jesus was very direct with a strong rebuke as He addressed this church. They were vain, self-absorbed, self-confident, self-satisfied, self-deceived. I’m sure they thought the Lord was going to pour the praises on thick. To the contrary, they received the most severe, harsh reprimand of all of the churches. No commendations. No compliments. Jesus gave them a devastating assessment.
When Jesus said, “I know your works”, He was saying, “I have intimate knowledge of precisely where you are as a church.” From without, the Laodicean church looked extremely successful. Giving, attendance, and activities were at an all time high. On todays standards they would have had the most cutting edge facilities, lights, social media and television outreach. However, the Lord saw a church that was not hot or cold. Just something in-between, lukewarm. Jesus said, “I’d rather you be cold or hot. Anything but lukewarm. Get hot or get cold. Just don’t be lukewarm!”
Some of the believers in the Laodicean church had once been on fire for God. These were individuals that had genuinely been saved but had become worldly. At one time they were hot for Christ, but they had cooled off and adapted to the environment around them. They were now room temperature. Because of the world’s influence, they had cooled off in their love for Jesus. They had become carnal and worldly…lukewarm.
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Others in the Laodicean church had never been born again. They professed to know Christ, but they had never truly been born again. Their name was in the church role but not in the Lambs book of Life. They were cold, unsaved, and gradually adapted to the environment in the church. While at church functions they warmed up to the excitement of the true believers. They were lukewarm, but not saved.
This is one of the biggest problems in the church in America today. I’m afraid that we have filled many of our churches with unregenerated people. People that have never truly been born again. Unregenerated, board members, elders, deacons, even preachers, God help us! Judases among real Christians. Chaff among the wheat.
In one of our revivals in Alabama, a lady ran to the altar gave her life to Jesus Christ. She stayed on her knees weeping with a heart of repentance until almost everyone else had gone home. In the following service she said, “Brother Todd, I was raised in a Methodist Church. I’ve taught Sunday school for more than 20 years. But never one time did our pastor ever say anything about being born again.” She said, “Last night when I got up off of my knees from the altar I knew that Jesus Christ had washed my sins away with His blood and He now owns me lock stock and barrel!”
A top priority of the church has got to be the spiritual well-being of those that are already attending church. Many who say, “Lord, Lord” are on the broad road to hell!
There were many in the Laodicean church that were lukewarm. Some had been hot but were now lukewarm. Some had been cold but were also lukewarm. Both looked and sounded the same. Just enough warmth to get to church, but not enough warmth to be in right relationship with Jesus. Addressing the problem directly, Jesus said, “I know your works, that you are neither cold or hot. You’re right in the middle. You’re lukewarm. I wish that you were cold or hot.” Our nation needs to see the church on fire!
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Jesus said that if you are lukewarm that He will vomit you out of His mouth. Lukewarmness makes God sick! That is strong, crude, shocking language, but it’s true! God is saying, “When you are indifferent and lukewarm about Me, you make Me sick to My stomach.” Let that settle down in your heart.
God loves us so much that He gave His only son to die on the cross. When we turn our backs on Him, we callously yawn in His face. His response to that is, “You make me want to throw up! Vomit! Puke! You are obnoxious to me! You bring a sickening effect to the very pit of my stomach!” Lukewarmness brings about a violent reaction from God.
Sweet tea is very popular here in Louisiana. When we drink tea we want it to be hot or cold. Just not lukewarm. Iced tea is great! Hot tea is great! But lukewarm tea is sickening! Lukewarm tea is nauseating!
Jesus is compelling His bride, “Quit riding the fence.” He said, “He that is not with me is against me, and He that gathers not unto me scatters abroad” Matthew 12:30 “No man can serve two masters” Matthew 6:24 Strong words from a passionate Lord.
Are you lukewarm, indifferent, apathetical? Don’t fall prey to lukewarmness in your devotion to God. Keep your daily personal prayer time and devotion to reading and studying His Word hot and on fire! Keep your church attendance hot and on fire for God! Keep your soul winning hot and on fire for God!
I’m convinced that one of the greatest needs of the church is to be totally consumed with a red hot fire for God! Jesus is telling us, “Fan the flames of fire in your daily spiritual walk with Me!” America, the world, is in desperate need of witnessing the reality of our love for Christ!
A church building caught fire. The entire community was trying to put the flames out. The fire had engulfed the building and there was no hope. In the crowd of people there was a man that they’d been trying to get to church for years. One of the deacons smirked and said to him, “John, we haven’t seen you at church in a long time.” John said, “I haven’t seen this church on fire in a long time.”
I believe, that’s what America and the world needs to see. The church of our Lord Jesus Christ on fire! Not lukewarm, indifferent, and apathetical. But a church with the red-hot love for Jesus!

NATIONAL TRUTH FOR YOUTH BIBLE WEEK
Please pray with us for the Kingdom success of the 22nd Annual National Truth for Youth Bible Week on American Family Radio scheduled August 8-12. We will be giving thousands of Truth for Youth (TFY) Bibles to Christian young people that commit to give them to unsaved friends in school.

I believe Jesus Christ is the only hope for all of the hopelessness among so many young people in America! If we want to bring America back to God, we need to reach a generation of youth!
To date, we have given away more than 2.7 million TFY Bibles to teenagers and have received more than 25,000 decision cards from young people that have given their life to Jesus Christ! We are believing God for this years project to be more fruitful than all of the previous years.

As we continue to give Bibles away at the border we are witnessing THOUSANDS of these precious young people give their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ! (Most of these children are coming from Guatemala, El Salvador, Venezuela and Mexico.) Since October, more than 85,000 unaccompanied youth have crossed into America illegally. That’s enough young people to fill the entire Dallas Cowboy’s stadium! They all need Jesus! And they all need Bibles!

TRUTH FOR YOUTH BIBLES FOR YOUTH INCARCERATED IN AMERICA’S PRISONS AND JAILS
Teenagers in America’s prisons and jails many times feel overlooked. Revival Fires has made it a priority to be sure they are given a copy of the Truth for Youth Bible and realize their value in Christ. With the distribution of Bibles to these incarcerated youth the Lord becomes a steady voice in their lives.

Most of these teenagers are facing adverse situations such as a lack of family stability, relational trauma, and gang violence. It is during these moments of crisis, the Truth for Youth Bible is able to minister to these youth in a very personal way. The Truth for Youth offers true hope, the only hope, in their lives. That Hope is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Please pray as Revival Fires continues to provide full Bibles and Truth for Youth Bibles for the precious children, young people and adults that have never had a Bible. In most of our homes we have several Bibles. In most homes in Cuba, there are NO Bibles. We are running through this open door to give Bibles to the people of Cuba, while this door is open for the Gospel!
We are running through this open door to give Bibles to the people of Cuba, while this door is open for the Gospel! Thank you for your prayers!

As we celebrate the birth of America, let us remember and appreciate the freedoms we enjoy as a direct result of the many sacrifices that our men and women in the armed forces have made.
Please continue to pray as we continue to provide Bibles for our U.S. Military.

REVIVAL FIRES REVIVAL SERVICES
As we continue to travel across America preaching revival services please continue to pray for us! We are witnessing more people come to the Lord, filled with the Spirit, healed, delivered and set on fire for God, than ever before! Pray for the Kingdom success of these services, spiritual strength and a harvest of souls in each church body. And with gasoline prices at an all time high pray for supernatural provision.

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