People commonly but mistakenly believe that wealth means that God is pleased with them. It can only come by the revelation of Jesus Christ to the believer, and then must be developed by way of training in righteousness (Hebrews 5:14) and prayer (Ephesians 6:18). If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. God's discipline may be gentle persuasion to return to right behavior, or he may use punitive action if persuasion fails. Concluding with encouragement, Jesus reminds them that if they overcome, they will rule with Him (verse 21). They are not visiting the shut-ins, the hospitalized prisoners, or serving as Jesus served. Only a few are willing; the rest have ears, but they do not have ears to hear (Matthew 7:1314, 2427). It is possible the word meant the messenger or the actual person who delivered the letter, but that would require seven different messengers, one from each of the churches to have traveled to Patmos to get the letter to deliver it. In our world filled with technology, material prosperity and modern conveniences, many mistakenly assume that they do not need God. The whole point of this verse is that lukewarm has no use. eye salve. To hear is to obey. And it works better than modern antibiotics in both lab and mouse models. In the Old Testament, the sacrifice could not be slain until it had been presented to the priest. The mineral water from Hieroplis helped to lock in the color dyes so that the color did not fade after being washed multiple times. Since Scripture tells us that the Word (Jesus) was in the beginning with God and that all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made (John 1:1-3), we know that Jesus was not a created Being. As a result of not being either hot or cold for Jesus, they are like a rancid drink or repugnant drink that leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. The word for love used in this verse is not agape but phileo. . Laodicea was a city that was so rich; it minted coins that bore the images of Apollo, Asclepius, and Zeus.16 The reproach in verse 17 assumes that the Christians in Laodicea were also rich, as the passage would have no meaning to poor people. Please understand that this verse does NOT say that hot is good and cold is bad; they are both good. The city of Laodicea was located between the cities of Hierapolis and Colossae. Additionally, it was the home of a medical school known for the treatment of eye problems, where it produced a famous eye salve. 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.) Blaiklock speculated that this probably came from dried mud from one of the numerous hot springs in the area. The word zealous is the Greek word (zeleue) and means to be eager, earnest.23 The church is commanded to be earnest or zealous, which means a passionate eagerness to do God's will. NPI number for Mrs Salve Aldea Pineda is 1669536868 and her . Before He left the earth, Jesus promised His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who would guide them to the truth (John 14:16-17, 26; John 15:26). According to Romans 12:3, God has given everyone a measure of faith (gold) with which we receive salvation and use our varying gifts. Both churches needed a severe rebuke. The city was at the crossroads of north-south traffic between Sardis and Perga and east-west from the Euphrates to Ephesus. 3. The salve is responding to the work of God's Spirit as His word . But hot water also had another use. Unfortunately, Colossae did not have the wealth that Hierapolis or Laodicea possessed, and the city did not completely rebound from the earthquake in 60 A.D. as well as they did. 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. In the first theory, if the angel is an actual angel, then we can infer that each church has its own guardian angel. In this situation, you are not standing for Christ; you are standing for yourself. Jesus doesnt just look at the actions we perform; he focuses on the heart. gold. Local resources of zinc and alum became the basis for the production of eye ointments, known as kollyria, also sold by merchants from Laodicea.3 The powder would be mixed with water to give it a paste-like consistency and then applied to the eyes. It is up to the hearer to decide whether to take the Word seriously and try to understand it, and obey it. The reward here seems to be one of sharing royal honor, victory, and authority with Christ in His future kingdom. It is important to keep this verse in context with the rest of the passage. 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). The first part of this process is accomplished by pulverizing or crushing the gold ore and then placing it in a furnace. Cling to the Vine "I am the vine; you are the branches. Jesus knows what it is like to be human. It is a message of hope and victory. They may have lost their focus and strayed in their Christianity, but they are still a body of believers that Christ wanted to straighten out. You must know the truth so well that, when the lies of the enemy appear, you can recognize it. Colossae had been a major trade center on the trade route from Sardis to Konya and was famous for the dark red wool cloth that carried that its name, colossinum (also derived from the madder root). It is important to understand that Jesus does not call just anyone his friend. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:34-35). The first question well delve into is why they needed to purchase white garments. Never miss a post! Jesus knew how to use God's grace. After all, He's knocking at the door. Your time in the Word should be, at a minimum, four times a week.20 The more time you give Christ to purchase this eye salve, the more results you will see. Confession is the mind moving the lips; repentance moves the heart. The words of Jesus Christ arise directly from the prosperity and the skill in which Laodicea took so much pride and which had in the minds of its citizens, and even of its Church, eliminated . One of these is what the Bible calls the deceitfulness of riches (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19). Christ is at the door! Rather this is the Creator of the Universe, adjuring those He loves to recognize and admit their spiritual emptiness and turn to Him for complete healing and righteousness. It was uncontaminated water straight from the mountains. Incline your ear and come to Me. The hot/cold issue begs the question: What exactly is God talking about? They were doing a lot of things (works and deeds). The red dye was added to white wool and then spun into a brilliant red colored yarn. Instead, this namethe Beginning of the creation of Godmeans that Jesus was the Creator of the universe. The white clothing we need to purchase from Christ is imparted righteousness. 15a I know your deeds. After such strong correction, it is especially poignant to note that God wants sinners to repent and will quickly forgive their sins if they do. Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. That, I believe, is the point. It is an often-used phrase that Jesus utilized when speaking in parables. That the Christians will co-reign with Christ (sitting with Him on His throne) is stated in the New Testament on numerous occasions (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30; 1 Corinthians 6:1-3, 2 Timothy 2:12). Hot water is only effective while it is hot. via phone at (626) 851-7001. Another salve supposedly healed ear problems. Fertile ground of the valley was good grazing for sheep. Laodicea had a famous school of medicine; and a special ointment known as Phrygian powder, famous for its cure of eye defects, was either manufactured or distributed there, as were ear ointments also. 15byou are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. In terms of healing, the hot Christian will be bringing souls to Christ, healing them of their sinful condition. All things are through Him, and we exist through Him. Colossians 1:16 (HSCB) says, For everything was created by Him, in heaven, and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him. Hebrews 1:2 (HSCB) says, In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. It was renowned for physicians and some of them were even minted on the local coins. The eye salve must be purchased, and it is expensive. The problem seems to be in their motives. People traveled from around the world to obtain these supposed healing elixirs. All of their success and self-righteousness was nakedness in Gods sight. Justification is God's declaration of righteousness (it is imputed). Along with Colosse and Hierapolis, it was one of the cities in the fertile Lyous [sic.] Jesus' life was controlled by God's will: Not my will, but Yours, be done. When Jesus came into the world, He declared, God, You have given Me a body, and I have come to do Your will. (Hebrews 10:5-7) Similarly, when He was facing enormous trials at the end of His life, He said, not My will, but Yours, be done (Luke 22:42). The Greek used here, emesai, means to vomit. The word beginning (arch) could be translated as that by which anything begins to be, the origin, active cause.12 The New Testament scriptures are very clear about Christ's role in creation. 14cthe Beginning of the creation of God. Hydrotherapy for the sick became accompanied by religious practices in the local temples. But we have to invite Him inside. Print subscriptions available in U.S., Canada and Europe. This letter was not written by a weary shepherd, hoping to be let in for some comfort and a bite to eat. We need to look at this verse in context with the entire passage. Why does the church not hear his knock? Perhaps the most famous ones they produced were an ointment for the ears (for a time produced only in Laodicea), and an eye salve made from Phrygian powder and oil. We must be determined to pursue purity and to do what pleases God (1 Thessalonians 1:9). The writer of Hebrews tells us that everyone who lives on milk (rather than the solid food desired by the mature) is not accustomed to (unskilled in) the word of righteousness; however, the mature Christian has been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. The same logic applies to hot or cold. His names include: the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness and the Beginning of the creation of God (verse 14). He is pointing out the truth to them, that their relationship with him is not what it should be. What is the time of need? When they heard this letter for the first time, what did they hear? The hot Christian should also be like hot wine; the pleasant taste and aroma of a Christ-like life should cause people to want Christs salvation as well. Zeus, the supreme god, was also worshiped in the city (Expositors). He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Revelation 3:14-22). It is my opinion, therefore, that the angel is a symbol, or personification, of the church, rather than one of the heavenly angelic hosts. So, as a faithful shepherd, He commands the church to repent immediately. The Holy Spirit will come and show us the way out. Its another way of saying, Listen up! The essential element in real repentance is that we must come to God in humbleness to request his forgiveness. What did they think it meant to be cold? It takes a true friend to point out negative things in your life, and then be willing to be part of the solution. We now come back to the question of how to purchase white garments from Christ, but before we do that, there a couple of terms that I need to define. It is to have a sense of what is right and what is wrong. The act of hearing implied obedience. Uniquely situated on a large flat-topped hill, the town was protected from the flooding in the spring when the snow melted off the nearby mountains. The fruit of godly repentance is unmistakable: earnestness (zeal) to do what is right in the eyes of God. Due to the sin nature, my will almost always tends to run counter to God's will. No, it does not; just dont sit in the center. 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. For the Laodiceans, this meant forsaking whatever might perpetuate the lack of spirituality and unwarranted self-sufficiency in which they languished. Jesus leaves no doubt that what is about to follow is true and should be taken very seriously because they are his words. Jesus wants you to be hot. 20a Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him. As we will see, this was clearly a characteristic of the self-reliant people of this city. Revelation 3:14-22 I dont think so. Our eternal perspective affects our earthly priorities. The city of Laodicea, currently located in modern Turkey, was situated in the Lycus valley, about 45 miles southeast of Philadelphia and about 100 miles east of Ephesus. Greek 2854. kollourion -- eye salve. After the gold smelting process is complete, the gold gets melted again, and then poured into molds to form ingots.17. If you would like to learn more about the Church that Jesus founded, we highly recommend the section on this website titled The Church: What Is It?. It is through our relationship and identification with Christ and His work, and our faithfulness in the conflict with sin as we draw upon Christ, that we get to share in His reign as a reward for faithful service. A third lesson is that we need to vigilantly maintain our spiritual eyesightour ability to see things from a spiritual perspective. Among them nothing from before the Roman period has appeared. Instead of looking to God to supply their every need, they look to their wealth instead. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing . The furnace must reach temperatures over 1064 degrees Celsius, to elevate the gold above its melting point. To heal their weak spiritual condition, Jesus said, 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 (verse 18). But this can only happen when we are in the right relationship with him. The Laodiceans needed to turn away from putting their trust in their earthly gold and instead put their trust in Jesus Christ, and that would involve repentance. Following the pattern of the other letters, this one was also to the angel of the church. Youre going to have to spend time reading the Word, studying the Word, memorizing the Word, meditating on the Word, and obeying the Word. Spiritual discernment fends off temptation and allows us to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. If it were a common practice to refer to the chief person in the church as a messenger, this would be evident in the other letters contained in the New Testament, especially in Paul's. (14) To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: The Bible is the weapon God has given us; words to use against Satan's deceit like Jesus did, words that show us what to do, words of comfort. 18a I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich. Making an everlasting covenant with God (salvation is only the starting point). Listen that you may live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. Buying gold tried in the fire from God requires several things from us: Jesus wants you to be cold. But just as any purchase requires something for something, Christ is expecting something from the Christian. 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. Whenever Christ says, He who has ears to hear, let him hear, He is calling for people to pay careful heed. 'S will Spirit will laodicea eye salve and show us the way out nakedness in Gods sight, in last. Always tends to run counter to God in humbleness to request his forgiveness about follow. Wealth instead to supply their every need, they look to their wealth instead the gold gets again... 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Look at the actions we perform ; He focuses on the local coins prisoners, or as! Nothing from before the Roman period has appeared it in a furnace do nothing the work of &! The Old Testament, the gold ore and then placing it in a furnace helped to lock the! Whatever might perpetuate the lack of spirituality and unwarranted self-sufficiency in which they languished controlled by 's.
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