Listen!

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Revelation 3.19

Jesus' message to the church at Laodicea wings through the ages as a searing rebuke against nominalism. It wasn't just that the Laodicean Christians were lukewarm in their faith; they thought they were doing just fine. In their ignorance they considered themselves secure. So they were complacent, as well as lukewarm. Sound familiar? Perhaps even uncomfortably close to the bone?

Jesus addresses us, through our Laodicean forefathers, with 3 messages: First, he confirms his love and it is important to remember that, when we are under his discipline, God's censure is motivated by loving concern and not by angry judgment. Second, Jesus is always ready to reconcile with us, so we need to respond in order to restore the relationship which was broken by our sin and now is ready to be healed thanks to Jesus having paid our debt. Third, it is not a grudging handshake which Jesus extends to those who repent and turn back to God, it is the full wealth of our spiritual inheritance, as if we had never turned away.