Living In Laodicea

Mar 6, 2021

Pastor Jared said this weekend that much like the church at Laodicea, neither hot nor cold, “apathy is the greatest danger to Christians today.”

In Exodus 3, Moses was tending his flocks and God appeared in a fiery bush. He tells Moses He is sending him to Egypt to demand that Pharaoh free the Israelite slaves. In Exodus 3 and 4, you read about Moses’ apathy and fear. He didn’t feel qualified for the job and he had better things to do with his time.

However, God was inviting Moses to be MORE THAN A CONQUEROR and, although reluctant at first, he ultimately led the Israelites out of Egypt.

God did great things through Moses, and He can through you and me as well, regardless of our apathy and fear.

In the mid 1980’s, Steve Camp released a song titled, “Living in Laodicea.” Ken and I were working with high school students at the time. One of our big events each year was to host a “live in” at the church for a week with about 30 local high school students. We moved in. Yes, we were crazy! We, along with two other couples, 4 toddlers and 2 infants, were their parents for the week.

One year, the theme song was “Living in Laodicea.”

Oh Lord, take Your plow to my fallowed ground

Let Your blade dig down to the soil of my soul

For I've become dry and dusty, Lord I know there must be

Richer earth lying below

For I've been living in Laodicea

And the fire that once burned bright, I've let it grow dim

And the very Word I swore that I would die for all has been forgotten

As the world's become my friend

We have turned from Your Law to try to find a better way

Each man does today what is right in his own eyes

We will pay the price for our sinning

We can never know true living, we've exchanged His truth for lies

(Chorus)

It is no small of a thing that He's done for you

By shutting the gates of hell upon the cross

We were sentenced once but now we are pardoned

And He chooses to use us though we fall

So while we're living in Laodicea

Keep the fire burning bright, don't let it grow dim

For the very Word we swore that we would die for, it must not be forgotten

Fear the world become a friend

For the very Word we swore that we would die for, it must not be forgotten

Each night after dinner, we would gather for a time of worship and reflection. We talked about the apathy of the Laodicean church. They had lost their fire for Jesus! We challenged the students to let their fire burn bright for Jesus by showing their peers extraordinary love and serving their families and our community.

As I worshipped with the students that week, I saw something happening in them - a revival of sorts. Their faith was being ignited and the excitement in the room was palpable! Something powerful happened that year and many of the students went on to be MORE THAN CONQUERORS in their community!

I sense that groundswell now! God is doing something in me, in us! Do you feel it? Maybe, like Moses, you don’t feel qualified. But God doesn’t call the qualified, He equips and qualifies the called, the image bearers of Christ!