The first part of this process is accomplished by pulverizing or crushing the gold ore and then placing it in a furnace. Actions, behaviors, motives, and the heart are all intertwined; they cannot be separated. What does it mean to purchase something? All things are from Him, and we exist for Him. The essential element in real repentance is that we must come to God in humbleness to request his forgiveness. The problem seems to be in their motives. Laodicea also had a medical school for training people to become doctors. We cannot deny our sin or find excuses to justify it. We cant relax and mistakenly assume we have it made. The Laodicean Church became predominant towards the end of the twentieth century. Gold mined from rock always has impurities. 2. The Corinthian believers were engaged in some seriously messed up things. How is your hearing? Nine miles to the east of Laodicea lay the town of Colossae. 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. Lets remember the overall lesson from Christs message to Laodicea. Laodicea quickly became a rich city, rich enough to be able to rebuild itself without outside help after the destructive earthquake of 60 A.D. The fertile fields below the city were excellent for growing crops, and the foothills had good pastureland. The residents of Laodicea would have also traveled up to Hierapolis to sit in the hot mineral baths. 1 Peter 1:7 states that spiritual gold is your faith in Christ, and every true believers faith in Jesus will go through a fiery trial during which all that is dross is to be done away with (burned away) to bring forth a finished product of pure, refined gold. It is important to understand that Jesus does not call just anyone his friend. With so much wealth pouring into Laodicea, one of the most noted banks in the Greek and Roman world was located there. What did we read in Isaiah 55:1-3? His motivation is His Sovereign rule over the Church He built and bought, as well as by His unfailing fierce love for those He has redeemed and called. The eye salve must be purchased, and it is expensive. What does it mean to be hot? 5. I got caught. The promise in this verse is that the church will reign with Christ if they overcome. We're currently processing your request and we'll be in touch soon. Jesus used scripture as a weapon. Only a few are willing; the rest have ears, but they do not have ears to hear (Matthew 7:1314, 2427). Jesus' friendship with this church is so deep that he is willing to point out their problems. The wine was almost always served either hot or warm, as the ancient Greeks had no efficient way to chill the wine. The third theory (I tend to side with this one) is that the angel is simply a personification of the church itself.6 A personification is an imaginary person or creature conceived to represent something. Along with Colosse and Hierapolis, it was one of the cities in the fertile Lyous [sic.] Yet this wealth had blinded them from seeing their true spiritual condition. This process causes the gold to coagulate and form nuggets and clumps of gold. Jesus knows what it is like to be human. To look at being cold in context, we need to look at it from the Laodicean perspective. 2. He currently pastors the Austin, Texas, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. Good deeds (Ephesians 2:10), godliness (1 Peter 1:15), Christ-likeness (1 Peter 2:21), and fulfilling the demands of the Law (Rom 8:4) are all part of the cost in purchasing white garments from Christ.). (16) So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Additionally, it was the home of a medical school known for the treatment of eye problems, where it produced a famous eye salve. 21bI will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 1 Peter 1:5-9 compares faith with refined gold. 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. Mrs Salve Aldea Pineda, RPH is a Pharmacist based in Baldwin Park, California. ""To the angel of the church in Laodicea write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God's creation: 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. A 1,000-year-old Anglo-Saxon 'eye salve' made from onion, garlic, wine and part of a cow's stomach has been shown to wipe out 90 percent of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, otherwise known as MRSA. After letting him ineffectively try to cover himself, God provided clothing for him. Kris Udd In Revelation 3:18, God advises the church in Laodicea to purchase eye salve from him, "so that you may see." In the context this is clearly a metaphor for gaining spiritual sight and avoiding spiritual blindness, but the metaphor is based off of a well-known Roman practice. There is a difference between transliteration and translation. After he sinned, he felt his nakedness and shame. In the New Testament, eyes tend to represent spiritual discernment (Matthew 13:10-17, 1 John 2:11). The word rebuke is the Greek word (elegch) and means to convict, to prove one in the wrong.21 Jesus is doing more than just telling the Laodiceans their faults; he is convicting them of their sin. Blaiklock speculated that this probably came from dried mud from one of the numerous hot springs in the area. What they were doing wasnt being done for the glory of God. Of course, Gods love extends to all humanity. The second thing we need to look at is what it means to be hot. Near the temple of the special god associated with healing, Men Karou (who later became identified with Asclepius), there was a market for trading all sorts of goods (Ramsay, Seven Churches, p. 417). Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Gold ore extracted from mines in the earth contains a significant amount of impurities, including traces of other metals. It is a process where God makes us holy. 19btherefore be zealous and repent. In our world filled with technology, material prosperity and modern conveniences, many mistakenly assume that they do not need God. Jesus doesnt just look at the actions we perform; he focuses on the heart. Call (626) 587-0033! It is my opinion, therefore, that the angel is a symbol, or personification, of the church, rather than one of the heavenly angelic hosts. What exactly is forgiveness? The also liked to add a little hot water to their wine. We know from this introduction that what follows is being said by Jesus. To answer these questions, we need to look at Laodicea from the eyes of the Laodiceans. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:34-35). All of their success and self-righteousness was nakedness in Gods sight. It was a banking center. It is showing that all things were created through Him. 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. Laodicea lies 40 miles southeast from Philadelphia in the Lycus Valley. Dont become lukewarm about Gods way of life! The church at Laodicea stands accused of being shamefully naked. Christ told the church at Laodicea to buy____from Him to become truly rich. In Gods eyes, the Laodiceans are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. The mineral water from Hieroplis helped to lock in the color dyes so that the color did not fade after being washed multiple times. Please understand that this verse does NOT say that hot is good and cold is bad; they are both good. 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). As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Get the latest blog posts from Life, Hope & Truth straight to yourinbox. In Matthew 4:1-11, during Jesus' temptations, His reply always started with, it is written. But Jesus didnt only quote the Word; He had authority when He used Gods Word because He also lived by it. If we are humble and willing to obey, He will give us the strength and resolve we need to endure in the battle. Hebrews 5:11-14 shows how the eye salve to fix spiritual discernment is utilized. This act concealed the shame of his nakedness. Pay close attention! 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. and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. We can get so busy doing things for God that at some point, we stop doing them Him and begin doing them for ourselves. Hierapolis had a hot spring that was considered to be medicinal. Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. 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 . He encourages them to overcome just as He did. Hot water is only effective while it is hot. Spiritual discernment fends off temptation and allows us to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. 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. This theory deems the letter addressed to a human messenger rather than an angelic one. Water is an important necessity for any metropolis, and the ancient city of Laodicea accommodated this need. Having gotten their attention, Jesus then explains why He described their spiritual condition as lukewarm. At the foot of Mount Cadmus, it benefited from an endless supply of cold, freshwater coming down from the snow caps. About Laodicea (See Colossians 2:1; 4:13-16) . Repentance comes from the heart and involves confessing from the heart. Revelation 3:20. He reckons it to our account.18 The process of reckoning is what we call salvation. 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. 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. Dinner was a time for everyone to catch up on the daily activities of the rest of the family, and whatever friends were in attendance. It was about 100 miles east of the port city of Ephesus. The word cold is the Greek word (psuchros) and means cool, fresh, or cold.14 It should be obvious that being cold must be a good thing, or Christ would not have recommended it. What did Christ tell the Laodiceans to buy to cover their nakedness? When we see mega churches today respond to criticisms they . Near the temple of the special god associated with healing there was a market for trading all sorts of goods. 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