The Church Didn't Know It Was Dying

I walked into the church on what I assumed was a typical Sunday morning.

I don't know what I expected, but I certainly didn't expect this.  The building, which had always been a bigger church in the community, sat nearly empty.  On the first few pews, a small gathered group of people met for worship.

My wife and I were greeted as we sat down for worship.  The pastor got up and introduced us to the 30 or so people in the room.  It felt awkward.

You see, a week or so prior, the pastor had approached me, out of the blue, about becoming the youth pastor of the church.  There would be a very small part-time salary, but not much else and not much in the way of resources.  He didn't know it, but God has been working on me about ministry.  It seemed like a divine moment.

Until I got to the church.  Immediately, upon seeing the small group of people, I realized something wasn't right.  I couldn't put my finger on it, but I sensed this church was not doing well.  Sure, it looked good on the outside with it's large building and prominent location, but on the inside, we could tell something was off.

I turned down the job.  Four weeks later, the church closed it's doors and sold the building to another congregation.

The church at Laodicea was very similar.  On the outside, everything seemed great.  They were in an affluent city.  There was no strife in the church or with the surrounding community.  The only  problem they had was a poor water supply.

Yet in Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus calls them poor, pitiful, naked and blind.  They were dying and they didn't even know it.

Somewhere along the line, they figured they could handle any problem on their own.  They became arrogant, and in their self-sufficiency, they rejected Christ's help.  They could do it all on their own.

When we try to do things apart from Christ, we can do nothing.  That's exactly what had happened in Laodicea.  Without Christ, they were doing nothing for the kingdom.  They were a waste.  So much so, that Jesus wanted to vomit them from his mouth.

When we no longer need Jesus, we no longer are useful or fit for kingdom work.  Jesus is so disgusted, he wants to vomit.

It's a lesson and a warning.  We must constantly reevaluate our place and our work and our service.  To serve God, we must rely upon Christ instead of our own skills and talents.  If we do, he promises great things.  If we don't, we're useless.