To the angel, divine messenger of the church in Laodicea write.
These are the words of the Amen, the trusted and faithful and true Witness, the Beginning and Origin of God’s creation.
I know your deeds. That you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic). I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, spiritually useless, and neither hot nor cold. I will vomit you out of My mouth, rejecting you with disgust.
Because you say, “I am rich and have prospered and grown wealthy and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, without hope and in great need. I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich. And white clothes, representing righteousness to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen. And healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I dearly and tenderly love. I rebuke and discipline. showing them their faults and instructing them. So be enthusiastic and repent. Change your inner self— your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior— seek God’s will.
Behold, I stand at the door of the church and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, restore him and he with Me. He who overcomes the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God. I will grant to him the privilege to sit beside Me on My throne. As I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne.
He who has an ear. Let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.
Prosperity abounded in Laodicea because the major world trade routes intersected at Laodicea. Known far and wide as a banking center, the home of two theaters and the producer of exquisite textiles and salve to treat eye problems. Even after a devastating earthquake in 17 AD, the inhabitants were able to rebuild without Roman aid.
However, the water supply was a major issue. Water had to be transported through a system of pipes from a great distance. Tepid and filled with minerals made drinking and cooking with the water unpleasant.
Unlike the Christians in the other six churches, Christians prospered in Laodicea. Unfortunately for many, their affluence had severed a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus. Loving and seeking Papa’s gifts more than loving loyalty to Jesus and the Gospel was the foundation of their spiritual lives.
FIRES OF PURIFICATION
Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them. If you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line mature, complete. and wanting nothing. James 1:2-4
Easier said than done. Especially when you’re in the direct path of a category five hurricane that threatens to destroy you and everything you hold precious. Weakened by the winds of adversity and uncertainty, you no longer have the strength to stand. Wave after wave of hopelessness and despair pummel you, shaking the very foundation of your being. As the winds of death howl at the front door of your heart, it takes all your willpower to resist opening the door and inviting in the darkness. A darkness that threatens your will to live a holy and righteous life.
By purging faulty paradigms and character traits, Papa equips you to fight the good fight of the faith in the conflict with evil. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession of faith in the presence of many witnesses. To keep all His precepts without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Which He will bring about in His own time. He who is the blessed and only Sovereign. the absolute Ruler, the King of those who reign as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords, He alone possesses immortality— absolute exemption from death and lives in unapproachable light. Whom no man has ever seen or can see.To Him be honor and eternal power and dominion! 1 Timothy 6:12-13 and 14-16
Yes, Papa wants to instill confidence that is unwavering no matter what life throws at you.
Confidence to cope with the unexpected.
Because he set his love on Me. Therefore, I will save him. I will set him securely on high because he knows My name. He confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon him, no, never.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him, and I will let him see My salvation. Psalm 91:14-16
Confidence to vow loving loyalty to Jesus.
I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean. I will wash away all of your dirtiness, and you will be clean and pure, free from the taint of idols. I will plant a new heart and new spirit inside of you. I will take out your stubborn, stony heart and give you a willing, tender heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit inside of you and inspire you to live by My statutes and follow My laws. Ezekiel 36:25-27
Confidence to obey Papa’s instructions.
For as rain and snow can’t go back once they’ve fallen, but soak into the ground and nourish the plants that grow, providing seed to the farmer and bread for the hungry, So it is when I declare something.
My word will go out and not return to Me empty, but it will do what I wanted. It will accomplish what I determined.
For it will go out in joy, be led home in peace. And as you go the land itself will break out in cheers. The mountains and the hills will erupt in song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands. Prickly thorns and nasty briers will give way to luxurious shade trees, sweet and good. And they’ll remind you of the Eternal One, and how God can be trusted absolutely and forever. Isaiah 55:10-13
Confidence to live for eternal rewards.
See, I am coming soon, and I will bring My reward with Me. I will pay back every person according to the deeds he has done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the First One and the Last One, the beginning and the end.
Blessed are those who wash their garments. In the end, they have rightful access to the tree of life and will enter the city through its gates. The dogs, the sorcerers, those who commit immoral acts, the murderers, the idolaters and all who love and practice deception must remain outside the gates for all eternity. Revelation 22:12-15
CLOTHES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Are you righteous? Have you conformed to Papa’s will in purpose, thought and action?
Ask yourself.
Do I seek Papa’s will for my life or seek man’s approval?
Do I invest my time, resources and talents into the building of Papa’s kingdom or for my personal glory?
Do I obey Papa’s eternal truth or go along to get along?
Do I patiently trust Papa’s timing or take matters into my own hands when circumstances don’t change?
Do I receive Papa’s grace unconditionally, or try to manipulate Him with my works of self-righteousness?
Do I remain peaceful and joyful in the midst of a storm or fearful and hopeless?
Do I persevere or wave the white flag of surrender when life is uncomfortable, unpredictable or prayers remainunanswered?
Yes, a life totally surrendered to Papa’s definition of righteousness is no small feat.
BUT
Well worth your pursuit because it has the power to permanently free you from the evils of this world.
So put the word into action. If you think hearing is what matters most, you are going to find you have been deceived.
If some fail to do what God requires, it’s as if they forget the word as soon as they hear it. One minute they look in the mirror, and the next they forget who they are and what they look like. However, it is possible to open your eyes and take in the beautiful, perfect truth found in God’s law of liberty and live by it. If you pursue that path and actually do what God has commanded, then you will avoid the many distractions that lead to an amnesia of all true things, and you will be blessed.
If you put yourself on a pedestal, thinking you have become a role model in all things religious, but you can’t control your mouth. Then think again. Your mouth exposes your heart, and your religion is useless. Real, true religion from the Father’s perspective is about caring for the orphans and widows who suffer needlessly and resisting the evil influence of the world. James 1:22-27
Sitting in a pew Sunday morning won’t make you righteous. Papa’s righteousness must be lived daily.
So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust and evil desires. Don’t be greedy. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. Colossians 3:5-10
THE BLIND WILL SEE
It’s the demise of Papa’s truth— His wisdom that makes faith a noble ideal but unattainable by many. No one is surprised when unbelievers ridicule biblical wisdom and ignore its application in their lives. But it’s a different matter when “Christians” are either ignorant or purposely disobedient. Something the apostle Peter pondered.a
So, my friends, while we wait for the day of the Lord. Work hard to live in peace without flaw or blemish and look at the patience of the Lord as your salvation. Our dearly loved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, has written about this. He says essentially the same in all of his letters. Although uneducated and unstable readers misinterpret the difficult passages, just as they always misread Scripture, to their spiritual ruin.
So hear my final words, my friends. Now that I have warned you about what’s ahead. Keep up your guard and don’t let unprincipled people pull you away from the sure ground of the truth with their lies and misunderstandings. Instead, grow in grace and in the true knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Anointed, to whom be glory, now and until the coming of the new age. 2 Peter 3:14-18
Papa expects His disciples to practice discernment. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the Church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow. So that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:14-16
Regrettably, as in the days of the apostles, false doctrine and legalism reigns in many churches today. Unless Christians are able to discern Papa’s wisdom from man’s, they’ll be led down the road of destruction. Something that Jesus warns us will become more prevalent prior to His imminent return..
Take care that you are not deceived. For many will come in My name claiming they are the Anointed One, and many poor souls will be taken in. You will hear of wars, and you will hear rumors of wars, but you should not panic. It is inevitable, this violent breaking apart of the sinful world, but remember, the wars are not the end. The end is still unfolding. Nations will do battle with nations, and kingdoms will fight neighboring kingdoms, and there will be famines and earthquakes. But these are not the end. These are the birth pangs, the beginning. The end is still unfolding.
They will hand you over to your enemies who will torture you and then kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. Many who have followed Me and claim to love Me and sought God’s kingdom will turn away. They will abandon the faith and betray and hate one another. The love that they had for one another will grow cold because few will obey the law.
False prophets will appear. Many will be taken in by them, and the only thing that will grow is wickedness. There will be no end to the increase of wickedness. But those who do not waver from our path and do not follow those false prophets. Those among you will be saved. Matthew 24:4-13
Discerning Papa’s voice is vital in these last days. So trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.
My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline and don’t be upset when He corrects you. For the Lord corrects those He loves. Just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:5-12
Faith is the transit authority in Papa’s kingdom.
Without faith it is impossible to walk with God and please Him. For whoever comes near to God must necessarily believe that God exists, and that He rewards those who earnestly and diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
Exercising your faith develops spiritual maturity.
Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them. If you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line— mature, complete, and wanting nothing. If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey. Then all you have to do is ask God for it, and God will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking.
The key is that your request be anchored by your single-minded commitment to God. Those who depend only on their own judgment are like those lost on the seas, carried away by any wave or picked up by any wind. Those adrift on their own wisdom shouldn’t assume the Lord will rescue them or bring them anything. The splinter of divided loyalty shatters your compass and leaves you dizzy and confused. James 1:2-8
A symbiotic relationship exists between faith and Papa’s wisdom.
How from childhood you have known the sacred writings, Hebrew Scriptures which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus Surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness.
All Scripture is God-breathed— given by divine inspiration and is profitable for instruction, for conviction of sin, for correction of error and restoration to obedience. For training in righteousness, learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately. Behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage. 2 Timothy 3:15-16
Yes, these last days are treacherous. Evil appears to have the upper hand.
BUT
Read the end of the book.
JESUS WINS!
letsloveothers 