Laodicea in a glass...

My daughter came to me and asked me to help her with her science project this week. Of course, I agreed. But now that I was on board, we had to find an actual experiment that would be 1. fun and 2. educational. She settled on the question of whether or not mint actually decreases temperature or if it is simply the sensation of cooling; i.e. it seemed cooler. And before I realized it I had in front of me an even more important experimental project: Laodicea in a glass.

For those who don't understand the term "Laodicea", it is the 7th of 7 churches in the book of Revelation chapter 3 and it is known for something not attractive (at least not in the spiritual sense): it is lukewarm.

So what's the big deal with lukewarm? I mean, lukewarm is "room temperature" which means its a comfortable temperature to dwell and live in, right? But you see...that's the point. It's comfortable. It's nice. Which means it's also a state in which change is not necessary; and God's all about change. Not on His side...let's face it, you can't change perfection. But us...us. Now that's a whole other problem isn't it?

What am I talking about? Let me quote the matter succinctly from a song called "Stained Glass Masquerade" by Casting Crowns:
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade.

You see...that's how people act when they're lukewarm. They have no spine...no drive to really live. And so because of that, people just pretend. Now listen to me carefully here...especially in church! We don't want to change...we just want to seem like we have changed. We are just like that lukewarm water in the glass for the science project. We want to say we are changed when we are really unchanged! 

And that's exactly what God refers to in Revelation 3:16--

"But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!"

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the lukewarm church of today: LAODICEA. Desire change. God's change, not yours; not mine. We can only change ourselves on the outside, but real change comes from the inside and it only comes from Jesus Christ. Don't be the Laodicea in a glass. You'll drown.