In a recent episode of the John Bevere Podcast, John and his son Arden walked through Jesus’ message to the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3. Their focus was not speculation or charts. It was the danger of becoming lukewarm. They highlighted how this warning applies to the modern Western church. It is possible to think we are spiritually healthy while living in self-deception. Revelation cuts through that delusion with clarity.
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By any honest read, the risen Jesus speaks most directly to the church in Revelation 2–3. That alone should end the debate about its relevance. These letters read like performance reviews from the King: clear praise when deserved, clear correction when needed and clear promises for those who overcome. If we ignore them, we risk drifting into the same spiritual fog that blinded Laodicea—comfortable, confident and deceived.
The problem is not ignorance of Scripture but indifference to it. Many can nod along on Sunday and blend into the world by Friday. That is lukewarm faith—religion that camouflages with whatever crowd it is in. Scripture calls that self-deception: hearing the word and not doing it. Jesus refuses to flatter what endangers us. His warnings are acts of love meant to restore vision, conviction and zeal.
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How do we step out of lukewarmness? Revelation’s counsel to Laodicea gives a simple, searching path—three “purchases” that cost us nothing in money but everything in will and attention:
- Buy gold refined by fire — embrace tested faith.
Trials expose whether our trust in God is alloyed with convenience. Enduring and obeying in hardship purifies faith. The result is spiritual wealth that cannot be counterfeited by comfort or culture. - Buy white garments — practice righteous works.
Love for God shows up in choices, not slogans. Acts of obedience—integrity, repentance, purity, generosity—become our “garments.” We are not earning salvation. We are clothing a saved life with evidence that matches our confession. - Buy eye salve — recover spiritual sight.
Selective hearing breeds blindness. Obedience restores clarity. As we turn from sin and distractions, the Spirit sharpens discernment so we can see our true condition and respond before apathy hardens into unbelief.
This is daily discipleship, not a one-time surge of emotion. Open the door where Jesus is knocking—through Scripture, prayer and honest repentance—and fellowship replaces fatigue. Examine yourself by the Word, not by social approval. Receive correction as care, not condemnation. Remember the promise attached to the warning: those who overcome share fellowship with Christ now and reign with Him then.
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Revelation is not a code to crack. It is a call to wake. Read it. Obey it. Let its sharp edges heal what dull living has numbed.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
