Among the seven churches who the book of Revelation was directly addressed to (Rev. 1:4, 11), only the church at Laodicea received no commendation from the Lord.
What was their chief error addressed by the Lord? False doctrine? Division? Sexual immorality? While any of these sins might have existed there (and, if so, would also need to be corrected), the sin of theirs highlighted by the Lord is lukewarmness.
Notice Revelation 3:15-16: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.
The Christians at Laodicea were spiritually apathetic. They lacked fire, enthusiasm, and passion for the Lord. In other words, they were omitting the positive virtue of zeal.
God shows us that misdirected zeal can cause harm rather than good (Rom. 10:2-3; Phil. 3:6). This is reason for caution, but it doesn’t excuse omitting properly directed zeal. Knowledge without zeal is no better than zeal without knowledge.
Properly directed zeal is summarized in Titus 2:14. Speaking of “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (verse 13), the Holy Spirit says “who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.” If our zeal is directed toward what God defines as “good works,” it will please Him. To know what God defines as a good work, we need only look to inspired Scripture (2 Tim. 3:17). More specifically, we must look to what the New Testament authorizes as a good work (cf. Col. 2:14).
For instance, Scripture shows that studying God’s Word is a good work (cf. Acts 17:11). We should be zealous for this. Such zeal is alluded to in the command, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2). Christians must have a strong spiritual appetite.
As we zealously feast on the spiritual nourishment God provides through His Word, we should be zealous to examine ourselves by it (2 Cor. 13:5). When we see something in our lives that does not measure up to God’s standard, we should zealously correct it (cf. 2 Cor. 7:9-11).
We should each be zealously devoted to prayer (Eph. 6:18). We should be zealous to edify brethren (1 Thes. 5:11), and help others as we have opportunity (Gal. 6:10).
Zeal for good works such as these is a must for God’s children. If we are lukewarm like the Laodiceans, the same rebuke given to them could be given to us. Moreover, the same solution given to them applies to any Christian living in spiritual apathy. Revelation 3:19: As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent.
– Michael Hickox