So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Christ who knows every work warns that to be neither cold nor hot but lukewarm causes Him to spew out of His mouth, that is, to utterly reject and cast off. To be lukewarm is half-hearted divided service, professing to serve Christ while serving self and the world, professing sanctifying truth while denying it in life without wholehearted obedience and vital connection with Him. It is self-satisfied self-exaltation saying I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, while in truth being wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. To be spewed out means He cannot offer their prayers and service to God or take their names upon His lips to present them to the Father, but casts them off and blots the name out of the book of life unless there is zealous repentance. The remedy He still counsels before rejection is final is to buy of Him gold tried in the fire meaning faith and love proved in trial, white raiment meaning His righteousness covering nakedness, and eyesalve meaning spiritual discernment, by humbling the self, confessing, and being zealous to overcome. The warning is addressed not to the open sinner but to professing Christians who have had great light, above all Seventh-day Adventists in the last days, to be read, understood, and heeded now rather than remained in.
Speaker Message Setting
The utterance comes from the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God, addressed to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans concerning its works. He declares that He knows their works that they are neither cold nor hot, expresses His wish that they were cold or hot, and warns that because they are lukewarm He will spew them out of His mouth, which is expulsion and rejection. Those so addressed are a class who have not purified their souls by obedience to the truth, who say they are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing while in truth they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. To them He gives counsel to buy of Him gold tried in the fire that they may be rich, and white raiment that they may be clothed, and eyesalve that they may see. The warning belongs to the very last days of this earth's history, when revelation is given to the church and no one is left without opportunity to hear what the Spirit says to the churches, and it calls for united diligent searching of the heart for evasions and other evils hated by God, for the Lord will vindicate His word to the letter.
It belongs to the last testimony given to John on the Isle of Patmos, message after message to the churches including Ephesus, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, with the whole of chapter 3 carrying solemn warning about things that will be in the last events of this earth's history for these last days. The messages to the churches in the first, second and third chapters give the history of the effort to bring dissension into the church and show difficulties that must be met today. The names of the churches are symbolic of the Christian church in different periods of the Christian era, and the number seven indicates completeness, showing that the messages extend to the end of time and are in force today. They portray the state of things existing in the churches of the religious world today, with the lukewarm figure symbolic of the state of professed people, with wheat developing among tares and truth standing on its own eternal basis in contrast with error. In this message character is weighed, every individual is under supervision, and thoughts and intents of the heart as well as every word and act and all about religious experience are known, calling for close self-examination and for minds kept from confusion and deception by evil angels working in all deceivableness to deceive if possible the very elect. It comes as God's message through John to His people in these last days, warning that to be lukewarm and neither cold nor hot puts them in danger of being separated from the Sun of Righteousness to be spewed out of His mouth.
The whole third chapter is to be studied by all who watch for souls as those who must give an account. It charges watchmen, ministers and doctors to guard every outpost, to speak in clear decided tones under the Holy Spirit, and to rouse from stubborn unbelief, so that no soul is permitted to pass into uncertainty or be led on in wrong into the snare of the enemy to perish, lest blood of souls caused to become confused and to perish be required at their hands. Diligent study of the chapter guards faith in Jesus Christ against human interpretations and the reception of fables that would loosen one pin and remove one pillar from the platform of truth, spoil faith and confuse understanding, pointing out the danger of losing hold upon things heard and learned from the Source of all light. It calls to remember how truth was received and heard, and to hold fast and repent, since faults have entered as theories so subtle that through mind acting upon mind by those departed from the faith the foe causes souls imperceptibly to be imbued with a spirit that draws away from the faith.
The message to Laodicea gives more fully the explanation and Christ's verdict upon the condition existing in the churches today, that a lukewarm people neither cold nor hot He will spew out of His mouth. It is not a smooth or undeserved rebuke that excuses the people from the wrongs for which they have been reproved, but a solemn rebuke exposing false confidence, neglected duties, selfishness, pride and love of the world, requiring wrongs to be faced rather than shielded. It is a message of condemnation opposite to the message of commendation given to Ephesus, showing the difference between the true humble sanctified child of God and the lukewarm professor, a contrast those having any part in advancing the work should keep in mind. It reproves, rebukes and chastens the militant church in order to restore and heal, not to discourage or destroy, and its correction is an act of love calling people to receive reproof. It proves dealing with the church is by rebuke and correction, not by pronouncing her Babylon and calling people out of her, for wheat and tares remain together until angels separate them at harvest.
The message of Revelation 3:14-22 applies to the present as a gracious last call to repentance and message of mercy to a backslidden church, still being sent with special meaning for the present time. It is to be read with prayer for God to show its import, received as God's Word rather than dismissed as of men, and given now with distinct and particular evidence as truth for this time calling for humble repentance to receive pardon and save souls from death. To be lukewarm neither cold nor hot means to be cold and formal in religious things, self-confident and determined to carry out one's own ideas and plans while claiming to be rich and in need of nothing, yet being wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, an indifference God abhors as bringing rejection. Its themes to a perishing world are justification by faith and the righteousness of Christ, with Jesus looking with sorrow upon unanswered expectations yet longing to bestow richest blessings and make them mouthpieces declaring indwelling grace, each to open the heart's door to Him as vendor of heavenly treasures offering gold tried in the fire and white raiment, that they may triumph with the third angel's message. It warns that accepting false theories regarding God such as those introduced in Living Temple puts souls in great danger of making the plain Word of no effect and finally coming to look upon the whole Bible as fiction, and that every evil work of wrong and underhand dealing, talking principle while acting satanic principles and mixing repentance with hay, wood and stubble, is coming into judgment.
Meaning of Lukewarm
To be lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, is the condition that brings rejection, pictured as being spewed out of the mouth. It is a spiritual response to Christ that is neither cold nor hot, a half-hearted faith held by person or church that remains in that state and resists counsel. Only the zealously repentant keep favor, while those remaining lukewarm are cast off completely.
To be lukewarm is divided service, trying to be half for Christ and half for the world, neither wholly opposed nor wholeheartedly committed. It is profession to serve Christ without obedience evident to others as a life shaped by knowing Jesus, hearing His words without doing them, praising Christ and the world together, serving God and mammon, wanting Christ as Saviour without bearing His cross and yoke. Half a Christian is no Christian, for anything drawing affections from God becomes an idol, partial service places one on the enemy's side, and entire wholehearted consecration and singleness of purpose are demanded. Such halfhearted ones witness against Him while professing to serve Him, and their deceptive words and noncommittal position deceive both parties and lead many astray, being neither good worldlings nor good Christians whom Satan uses to do a work no one else can do. Their criticism, harmful speech, resistance to correction, and failure to gather with Christ hinder the church, and unless they recognize need, heed counsel to become zealous and repent, and undergo genuine transformation, they face rejection.
To be lukewarm is to profess sanctifying truth while denying Christ in life, to be not thoroughly converted and not living wholly for God. It is to profess much while works deny profession, to hear the Word without applying it to self while applying it to neighbors, leaving the Word a dead letter. It is form of godliness without power, with old disposition unchanged from before knowing truth, worldly and unbelieving in practice, misrepresenting Christ, insipid like salt without savor whose advocacy of truth has no weight, lacking vital connection with Christ and partaking of the divine nature. Such merely nominal profession without fixed principle, living faith and true godliness may appear to keep commandments and pray yet remains self-deceived, and Satan can use the empty profession to mislead others who take them as standard instead of the Bible.
Lukewarm means self-satisfied self-exaltation saying rich and increased with goods and having need of nothing, while in truth being wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, deceived about true spiritual condition. Though thinking rich and needing nothing, such are in need of everything, and recognizing that need is necessary to receive the heavenly treasure, remedy and offered counsel to buy gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eyesalve. Self-confidence about riches may be sincere yet false because judgment differs from man's, and self-exalting coldness and hardness of heart come from pride in worldly wisdom and worldly ambition to be first, exalting self, refusing offered light, and trusting human plans and binding agreements. By contrast those as babes realizing weakness and dependence exert far stronger influence for good.
Lukewarmness is coldness, formality, indifference, carelessness, sloth, tame lifeless spiritless service and prayer, nominal morality and religion without Jesus carrying no burdens for sinners. It is religious pretension without genuine true pure religion, a careless course with no zeal making a person no different from the world, cold and formal, filled with egotism working against Christ, feeling no distress for sinners and no agony for souls dying around. It is lack of intimate acquaintance with Jesus and of the Holy Spirit, purposeless experience, spiritual feebleness and poverty that grows increasingly abhorrent until rejected, with unbelief conveying repulsiveness like tepid water and even much knowledge worthless without true religion. The careless and indifferent cannot be prepared for the day of trial, God has nothing to do with those neither cold nor hot, and the lukewarm will be rejected from His mouth.
The lukewarm position of professed Christians is more dangerous and harmful than open unbelief in both name and practice, so it would be better to be cold. Deceptive noncommittal profession misleads others, stumbles sinners and new believers, aids Satan, burdens faithful believers, reproaches God's cause, and dishonors God more than the avowed unbeliever. It is self-satisfied worldliness, pride and self-righteousness shutting Jesus out while claiming to need nothing, so life does not shine in good works, trying to serve God and selfish interests at once as a polluted sacrifice that cannot be accepted. Taking words that undermine faith has no true savor or value, and those long knowing truth yet unconverted become stumblingblocks working against efforts to bring souls to faith.
There is no safe neutral middle ground between right and wrong, serving God and serving the enemy. Half-hearted indifferent service separates the soul from Jesus the source of strength, and the call is for earnest decision to be wholly on the Lord's side and to trust God with everything rather than cling to worldly possessions or honor. The warning presses with highest consequence upon students and young men and young women when the world under Satan's training sustains and gives popularity to transgression of the law, but popularity does not lessen one principle of God, and as in Noah's day the largest number chose the wrong side. The time when the earth will be emptied, wasted, defiled and burned because of transgressed laws and broken covenant is very near, so indifference must not remain but decision must be made on which side to stand when the Lord comes out of His place to punish inhabitants for iniquity.
To be lukewarm is to be half-hearted, idle, indifferent and slothful without zeal, vitality and consecration, selfish and covetous and clouded in sight, neither wholly opposed to God nor wholeheartedly devoted to Him. It is to be out of harmony with truth and law with little purity and holiness, shown especially in selfish greedy grasping departing from equity in buying and selling, doing only surface work with occasional glances at the Word and formal petitions, unprepared to work at home, in neighborhood and church. It lacks training to put on the whole armor and depend on the Holy Spirit so words, spirit and actions are unlike Christ, void of warmth, with no lived religion shown at home, in church or in gifts, but selfish, satisfied and asleep while the world perishes. Unconsecration and self-righteousness in place of Christ's righteousness make deception hard to recognize and remove, so such a person is harder to reach than an unconverted godless sinner, yet coldness still leaves hope while lukewarmness means uninfluenced by the Spirit with no warm love and insensibility to mercy.
Meaning of Being Spewed
To be spewed out is to be utterly rejected and cast off for remaining lukewarm and resisting counsel, and only those who zealously repent keep favor. Those who glide along as before without letting the message have weight upon them will be cast out, including ministers, churches, families and responsible leaders who will not change in heart and character. Continuing in that state brings rejection, as applied to young people who fail to devote themselves zealously to serving God and helping others, and to professed believers whose pride and self-gratification show in satisfaction over a few accomplishments in contrast to true conversion, consecration, whole-hearted service, humility, confession and fervent prayer. A faith without power or life, lacking daily experience because Christ and His righteousness have been dropped, calls for zealous repentance to avoid being spewed out, and if the message is ignored with its pretentious piety and self-sufficiency and works opposed to holy principles, such people will be cast away.
To be spewed from the mouth means prayers and expressions of love cannot be offered to God, teaching of the Word and spiritual work cannot be endorsed, and religious exercises cannot be presented with request that grace be given. Sin in the services is like a dead fly in the ointment, so service is not heard or commended. Lukewarm labor in connection with the work and cause of God is nauseating, and coldness and hardness of heart from pride in worldly wisdom and ambition to be first, exalting self, feeling rich and needing nothing, refusing offered light and trusting human plans and agreements, leaves words and works disgusting to the self-denying Redeemer, while those who as babes realize weakness and dependence exert far stronger influence for good.
To be spewed out means names are no longer taken upon the lips to be presented to the Father as graven on the palms, but are cast off and, without confession and repentance, spued from the lips and blotted out of the book of life. None need remain in the neither-cold-nor-hot position so abhorrent to the Saviour, though continuing in it slights messages of mercy while actions are weighed, and coming out requires denying self, taking up the cross and following the path appointed for leaders and people. To trifle with soul interests until diseased and inefficient, deceived with truth not abiding in the heart, only occasionally Christian and devout with occasional glances at the Word and formal petitions without grace, instead of having truth implanted to regulate daily life by the law, brings this casting off of the name. By contrast the obedient, self-sacrificing and faithful who count no sacrifice too costly upon the altar of faith and love will not be spewed out but will be taken on the lips, with names engraven on the palms, specially pleaded for before the Father, remembered and immortalized when the selfish and proud are forgotten, finding happiness in yielding possessions, talents and affections in grateful devotion to make others happy and immortal glory hereafter, and God will pardon and bless all who come with full contrition aware of degradation and need.
The lukewarm will be utterly rejected and divine protection withheld when the avenging angel passes, so that lukewarm commandment-keeping people with opportunity to hear and receive truth yet no more vitality and consecration than nominal churches stand no better than fallen churches and will receive of the plagues just as verily as churches opposing the law. Half-hearted Christians are worse than infidels, for deceptive words and noncommittal position deceive both sides and lead many astray, being neither good worldlings nor good Christians whom Satan uses for a work no one else can do. Those pretending to be Sabbathkeepers while living a shameful openly disgraceful course known to the neighborhood are known in works and rejected in lukewarm profession, and their evil influence forms children to be cut down with the seven last plagues, a fearful burden borne by the father. Pride, fashion, empty talk and selfishness reveal the evil condition of lukewarm professors facing judgment, some calling themselves Christians with no light and no renewal by grace, while each person is tested, works are known, and a searching separation among professed people is about to be made.
Being spued out means the heavenly anointing departs and mischief comes in, as when souls for whom the Spirit breathed again and again walk as blind men not knowing at what they stumble and make crooked paths turning the lame out of the way, because the soul was not trained to pity, faith scarcely existed, and handlers of sacred things were sharp, critical and censorious at the time to honor God by responding to grace, cultivating love for heavenly things and beholding Jesus to reflect Him in cheerful grateful praise. Yet Jesus does not spew out at once but bears patiently and gives the message time to work to expose backsliding and sins that shut Him out, stir examination, confession and zealous repentance, and prepare for His presence and fitness for the loud cry of the third angel. The delay develops character and brings out what is in the heart to separate the precious from the vile, testing whether people will obey the True Witness from principle and faith after first excitement, feeling and fear wear off. The message applies to God's people at the present time as a fearful arousing message to discover backslidings and lead to purification, and though hardness of heart has kept it from accomplishing greater work and it will not finish in a few short months, its presentation led to close heart examination, deep humility, angels preparing unbelieving hearts, the cause rising as position was learned, many brought from error and darkness to rejoice in truth, and greater power would have followed full heed to counsel. Rejection is therefore not yet final while time for repentance remains, though outward pride in dress such as ruffles and ribboned bonnets indexes inner pride marking the lukewarm in contradiction to looking for Jesus to change vile bodies like His glorious body, and self-satisfied profession saying rich and increased with goods and needing nothing while wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked, with fault-finding against message and messenger instead of discerning Satan's working, must heed light in Word and testimonies. Those refusing to overcome selfishness, pride and evil passions remain impure and are left to evil angels, while those heeding and overcoming are promised the latter rain and preparation for translation into a pure holy self-denying people with cherished idols exposed.
Christ will spue lukewarm souls because He is disgusted with their works and finds the state repellent like nauseous lukewarm water, hating and loathing indifference and preferring cold or hot. Lukewarm means slothful and half-hearted with divided heart trifling with God instead of entire whole-hearted service, saying to His invitation that one will obey but not going, not surrendering to abide in Jesus and come for life, choosing sin, bringing truth into disrepute and letting the devil control the mind. It means great profession without following Jesus and bearing the cross in self-denial, weaving imperfections by self-invented pattern instead of the divine Example, boasting spiritual riches while filled with conceit, and having left first love for self-centeredness, selfishness, idolatry of self, jealousy, strife, evil thinking and speaking, with wicked underhanded workings He will not work with or ordain, pronouncing them tried and unsanctified in words, spirit and action with no second trial as leaders unless they repent and do first works. Religious ceremonies and appearance of life without vital connection to the source of life cannot make the soul alive, and such merely professing life unlike His is utterly distasteful. Yet rebuke is given in love to save, accompanied by hope and call to repent and to rise to diligent work, seek grace with whole heart, might, mind and strength, live in contact with Christ and abide as fruitful branches to win others, with the only hope a clear view of standing before God and knowledge of the disease because the inward work of grace is wanting and the neutral aloof position flatters itself in need of nothing while aiding the enemy and ready to leave posts for worldly interests.
As the True Witness He knows every work and keeps faithful record with nothing escaping searching gaze, seeing to the soul's center, reading secrets, thoughts and intents with all naked and open like flame of fire, exposing cold hardness from pride in worldly wisdom and ambition and boasting of riches while sensing no weakness. Human plans and agreements cannot cure this self-satisfied unwillingness to receive light, which leaves words and works disgusting and without Christ's character, while those recognizing weakness and depending on Him exert stronger good influence. The warning means rejection for bracing against light and evidence, trifling with God, and persisting in unbelief and rejection of light sent to heal spiritual disease, exposing what they are and what they must be to be saved. It calls for humbling the heart, confessing errors, coming into light and freedom, and repenting now while there is a Mediator to plead and lay sins on the Sin-bearer, for no one could stand if iniquities were marked and no deed of darkness or meditated sin is hidden.
Remedy and Overcomer Promise
The warning to the lukewarm is joined to a counsel to buy from Christ gold refined in fire, white clothing, and eye salve, and to do so urgently before it is too late, for the day of God will reveal every case as it is. The gold is faith and love and character tested in fire, precious character tried and purified, to make the buyer truly rich; the white raiment is pure faultless character and the righteousness of Christ to cover nakedness so its shame does not appear; the eyesalve is spiritual discernment to see sin, to discern Satan's working, and to perceive the true spiritual condition beneath the claim to be rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing while wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. That counsel comes from the faithful and true Witness who knows the works of those who have had truth and know God's requirements, and it is given in love to save, rebuking and chastening those He loves, knocking at the door of the heart, promising to come in and sup with whoever opens and to grant the overcomer to sit with Him on His throne, as the Spirit speaks to the churches. Those in this condition must stop caviling, gossiping, faultfinding, self-pity, and resistance to light in Word and testimony, humble themselves and confess sins lest God humble them, and heed with zealous repentance, for opening the door brings His presence into the soul to reflect His image with intensity of love.
The call is to be zealous and repent, to arise from indifferent careless backsliding in which warnings have only temporary effect because danger is not realized and no thorough work is done. It requires throwing away feeling as a guide, feeling spiritual destitution and poverty, humbling self, confessing sins and errors, righting known wrongs, and exchanging lukewarmness for love and zeal by earnest determined effort to overcome worldly and selfish love, for without this culture of the heart there will be failure of heaven. The testimony has been lightly heeded and calls for deep repentance, with sins plainly reproved, named as sin, and promptly put away by pointed testimony; those truly receiving it obey and are purified, while resistance brings a shaking, and unless the church speedily arouses it will go into darkness and be ensnared and overcome.
The downcast lukewarm church that knows not how to rise can rise and drink of God's salvation and move understandingly by taking hold of the work individually. The way is to be zealous and repent, right all known wrongs, then believe God accepts and receives, seek Him diligently, take Him at His word, go not mourning, climb by faith, for believing is part of the work and He who promised is faithful, giving liberty and confidence instead of stiffness, suspicion, and watching to make an offender for a word. Opening to the Redeemer who gave His life and now stands at the door and knocks brings His presence to sup with whoever opens, reflecting His image; what is needed is faith in and love for a personal Saviour beyond mere profession, so that Christ as chief Cornerstone is represented in spirit, words, and all character, with Jesus remaining the chief love and center of hope, and the overcomer granted a seat with Him on His throne, while only those sanctified through truth will compose the royal family in the mansions prepared for those who love Him and keep His commandments.
The message must be experienced by each person for himself with the greatest possible independence, with deep personal interest in one's own case, turning the eyes within, afflicting the soul, mourning, praying, and begging for salvation. Heeding means humbling the soul before God, turning from one's own way and counsel that counterworks God, changing purposes, and bringing more of Christ's purity, meekness, and lowliness into the work, believing God accepts, seeking diligently, taking Him at His word, and climbing by faith; refusal to turn leads to death. No one is to repent for brother or sister, watch others to judge whether they move fast enough, reprove and bear them down, take charge of their consciences, or bind upon them burdens God did not dictate, for that leaves a person worse off and in darkness without wisdom to separate right from wrong, and false burdens taken up must be yielded, laid aside, and begun anew, with God willing to restore all former good. In the home this means showing true colors by reforming the church in the home, keeping conversation pure and elevating, with parents aroused, converted, and letting sanctification shine in clear rays, humbling self, repenting, confessing, drawing near to God who will draw near, fearing continued transgression, for the great day of salvation has come and everlasting life is by seeing the Son and believing on Him.
Rejection is not yet final, for Christ still counsels to buy of Him, showing it is not too late, and now is the time to work with awareness of danger, no longer under the deceiver, in earnest work for repentance. Everyone is called to come into close relation with God, come out from the world and be separate and touch not the unclean so God will receive them as sons and daughters, walk humbly and contritely so the high and lifted up One revives them, appreciate the great gift of Christ, wrestle for the crown of immortality and the life that measures with God's life and the eternal weight of glory promised every overcomer, and get ready to meet the Lord in peace at His very soon coming in the clouds. When the lukewarm come in repentance He gives spiritual life and power and heals backslidings, and only the zealously repentant keep favor, even after sin and refusal, upon return.
Heeding brings thorough reformation that revives the living testimony, purges hypocrites and sinners, and brings the church again into favor with God, uplifting and refreshing it as the world's light. That arousing is the testimony exalting Christ's righteousness, to be cried aloud and spared not, for if opposition silences it the work of arousing ceases; Christ's righteousness working in the heart awakens lukewarm souls and restores vitality. It is advanced by keeping His excellencies, matchless love, and power before the mind until the Sun of righteousness rises in the heart, complying with the offer to buy gold, raiment, and eyesalve and finding the pearl of great price, bringing a new song of His love, confession of wrongs to believers and unbelievers, and restitution, with the spirit and power that attended the first and second angels' messages.
Escape requires simplicity, humility of mind, and contrition of soul, humbling the heart, crying after God, wrestling in earnest agonizing prayer like Jacob, dying to self, believing and showing faith by works, and coming into close connection with heaven with Jesus as strength. It means sanctification through obedience with conscience purged from dead works, perfect love and entire conformity to God's will, cutting away from self and sin until mind, soul, and body conform to Christ, for lukewarmness is becoming more conformed to the world than to Christ's image, turning toward Egypt instead of Canaan, backsliding while professing godliness yet inactive, worldly, fruitless, and barren despite every advantage and promise. Without this, fruitless professors face rejection and curse like the fig tree with only leaves; with it, zealous response to loving rebuke brings fellowship with Christ and a seat with Him on His throne to the overcomer, while angels expect much more in view of infinite sacrifice, divine power through His blood, partaking of the divine nature, and power to lay hold of infinite might, so true faith in the last days will not bury capabilities in perishing temporal interests or treat salvation as secondary content with inefficiency, but will seek God-given power, keep living connection with heaven, increase in faith and love without which salvation cannot be worked out, and labor day by day as workers together with God.
People and Time Addressed
If ever a people are pictured by the Laodicean message it is those who have had great light and the revelation of the Scriptures, Seventh-day Adventists in the last days, and the verse with the whole chapter is a lesson of warning for the important present hour to the end of time, showing their present lukewarm condition, to be read, understood, heeded and changed and not remained in. To be neither cold nor hot is to be lukewarm, and because of that condition Christ will spue His people out of His mouth, revealing their true condition and bringing danger of rejection. That lukewarm condition includes leaving first love, failure to follow clear light, self-righteousness, pride, self-reliance, self-importance, boastfulness and an unconverted state, demanding diligent study of every verse of Revelation 3, humbling of heart, walking in the light, and coming to Jesus in childlike trust with melting love to receive the graces of the Spirit of truth and righteousness instead of depending on human ability and exalting self. Those who make great profession yet fail to keep in step with their Leader will be spued out unless they repent, for God deals with His church by rebuke and correction, not by pronouncing her Babylon and calling His people out of her.
The verse warns professing Christians who have become so like the world that no difference can be seen, applies especially to God's people in the present day, and is the Lord's rebuke to His erring people under His eye calling them to repentance. Their lukewarm state of being neither cold nor hot brings His warning that He will spue them out of His mouth, and this denunciation applies to God's people in the present time, including ministers and churches, calling them to heed received light rather than remain complacent. It is not addressed to the common sinner or to those making no profession, but to professing churches living in transgression of God's law, in every one of which are found those it addresses, who must hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The message belongs to the church in Los Angeles and to churches generally, calling for a deep work of grace in the heart, to awake and arouse and do the work God has given to do, to believe truth of heavenly origin and practice professed truth so as to give the unconverted evidence that truth is believed. It belongs to the church in California and throughout America and to Battle Creek with its school, publishing house and institutions, standing with the declaration that Christ comes quickly to reward each according to work. The lukewarm unconsecrated condition at Battle Creek counteracted the influence of the institutions among it and hindered bringing people to truth, for Laodicean blindness existed there even while people looked to it for guidance, with blinded eyes and confused experience so light could not be discerned from darkness and truth from error because counsel was not heeded but trust was put in weak men who talk but seldom pray. That church had become alarmingly lukewarm by taking on the spirit of the world, some only briefly stirred by others' fervor then chilled by formality, pride and worldly influence, leaving them unaware of need, and the call is to seek purification while Christ comes quickly.
The warning applied in Iowa calls the churches there to heed by repenting, humbling the heart, seeking the Lord most earnestly, letting prayer rise from hearts burdened over defective experience, learning to wrestle with God in prayer for perishing souls as Jacob wrestled, and improving in prayer and in opening the Scriptures to others. Lukewarmness there is loss of earnest prayer, tame lifeless heartless spiritless prayers destitute of the Holy Spirit, long prayers God does not accept, defective experience and lack of deeper piety and earnestness, and without repentance the candlestick is removed, while turning fully to the Lord ends lifeless prayers and sends light worldwide. It applied to Battle Creek when the time had come to honor God and reflect Him by responding to grace, cultivating love for heavenly things and beholding Jesus, warning those resisting light that they walk as blind men not knowing at what they stumble and make crooked paths turning the lame out of the way, where being spued out means the heavenly anointing departs and mischief comes in.
The warning applies to many ministers and many churches they serve, whose works Christ knows, whose lukewarmness is spiritual slumber, vanity and boasting, a kingly ruling spirit repressing Spirit-enlightened bearers, prejudice against God's leading, failure to establish truth in new places, hearing without practicing, and self-satisfaction claiming riches while wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, and unless zealous and repentant and receiving gold tried in fire, white raiment and eyesalve He will cast them off. Those in charge of publishing houses in this neither-cold-nor-hot state are on losing ground and must examine, pity their souls, humble proud spirits, see error, and repent of injurious matter, worldly methods, unchristlike spirit and deception. Missionaries with great light and opportunities become lukewarm and ready to be spewed out unless constantly seeking a higher standard and living connection, without which self and common earthly habits mingle with holy principles in a mixture God spews out. Leading men in publishing work who profess godliness but work against truth, setting aside It is written for human inventions, departing from justice, mercy and love of God with low spirituality and corrupted covetous principles, will not have their names taken on His lips because pretense dishonors Him and brings confusion and disrepute. Ministers lacking heartfelt piety and helpers claiming to be Christians yet worldly, selfish, covetous and seeking applause are in danger, and workers breaking unity by publishing opposing views with more confidence in human judgment than His words must heed Christ and love one another.
The verse is applied to Sister Palmer, who though thinking herself favorable before God is left spiritually lukewarm under warning of rejection by selfishness and lack of Christlike love in actual character and conduct, not mere profession. It is applied to a person whose threats and conduct show the neither-cold-nor-hot condition, calling to be zealous and repent, and to one holding unsanctified ambition for worldly praise who has drunk deeply of worldlings, who must get heavenly wisdom, walk in the cast-up path, come out separate to follow Jesus wholly so as not to lead others astray. It is applied as Revelation 3:14-22 to Sister J to wake from indifference and neglect endangering her soul, to heed counsel and repent zealously. Workers in the Review and Herald Office handling sacred work with unsanctified minds, tongues and corrupted precepts without God's marks are spued as a disgusting morsel with I know you not, having become lost sheep instead of saving the lost, and are to be disbanded not merely relocated. It touches a demoralized class encouraged by sympathizing teachers, and nominal first-day Adventists lost in foggy fear daring not admit the door is shut, whose sin was ascribing to Satan what the Holy Ghost had done, for whom remedy is to look at the meek Pattern and follow present saving truth.
The message must now be presented before men to show their real condition of need, received not as of men but as God's Word working effectually in believers, exposing blindness and self-deception in which many religious lives are a lie, and calling for dissatisfaction deep and painful enough to work reform. When barred out by unbelief, doubt of message and messenger, ridicule and treating it as human word, it has no influence and leaves believers in darkness. Rightly understood its work is to search and correct evil, calling those addressed to leave the tangled mass and dwell on great principles of faith, while Satan opposes right understanding and where it is not understood the reproved remain blind and plunge deeper though the Lord has shown things not right.
The Laodicean message was being given through chosen messengers and must be received into a good honest heart after unprejudiced Berean searching to see if testimony agrees with Scripture, rather than barred by prejudice and reports, and those long in truth should catch and voice it first. Receiving it brings vantage ground, advancement, clear perception, sanctified imagination, exalted conceptions, joy in God and clear powerful testimony as living channels, while refusing brings loss of rich experience, failure to stand where God intends, missing providential links, and becoming a continual snare. Its solemn warnings apply directly now and must have weight, demanding humbling, keeping commandments, loving God supremely and neighbor as self, maintaining Christ's Spirit with fairness toward differing views, receiving old light on law as Christ's righteousness is presented, praying and studying more, and receiving nothing as God's voice without heaven's credentials.
The testimony was intended to free the church from fanatical influences, calling each to examine own heart and do own work without judging or dictating to others, but it was misused to oppress with extreme demands about selling possessions or dress, narrowing the third angel's message, or spreading fear. Threats to use the law against opposers showed the same condition it rebukes.
The verse applies to all church members today in lukewarm condition with spiritual temperature very low, laying off spiritual garments, having no time for services, absenting from prayer and praise meetings, failing to keep lamps trimmed and burning and reflecting only feebly God's light, keeping Sabbath merely as cessation of labor instead of sweet foretaste above, letting religion degenerate into form dishonoring the Lord, and having a name to live while dead. Remaining in this feeling of being rich and increased with goods and needing nothing is as much a stumbling block as running ahead with ideas and work Christ has not entrusted.
The verse applies to Seventh-day Adventists knowing present truth with great light, large opportunities and many privileges, where to be lukewarm is to cease witnessing, feel no burden to reveal corresponding works, and fail to communicate graciously given light to penetrate error's darkness, walking as the Jewish nation in Christ's day. Every converted soul is appointed to witness not merely in talk but in good works, trading every talent of light, ability and influence for the Lord not self-pleasing, yoked with Christ in obedience with consecration, efficiency and tact as laborers together with God.
Marks of Lukewarm Life
Lukewarm members profess to keep all the commandments yet mix light with darkness by joining worldlings in amusement and singing schools even in a time of religious interest. They stand under worldly policy in mirth, jesting, singing and music that gives no light of God's glory, with careless indifference to counsels, warnings and reproof. Angels do not attend on such occasions, leaving them to go in their own strength, and Satan is well pleased because their profession makes them more efficient in his service than open unbelief. The plain fearful writing on the wall stands against such a company, though they cannot see it and despise it.
To be lukewarm is to profess to serve Christ while conforming to the world and seeking human approval and applause more than God's approval. It is to be cold and formal like the nominal church left, loving this world and earthly treasure better than Jesus and heaven, with those who do so perishing with their treasure. Fashion after fashion is adopted, peculiarity is lost, the cross of coming out and being separate is refused, warfare against worldly influence is given up, and friendship with the world steals step by step. The change comes gradually until darkness gathers, the transforming influence of the Spirit is lost and heaven's light is withdrawn without realizing when God left, yet profession remains with no glaring departure from the appearance of right, thinking to be in good case and not meaning to backslide while growing weaker, blind, wretched and naked, assimilated to the world.
Lukewarmness is loss of first love, leaving hearts cold as icebergs toward brethren when feeling hurt and unappreciated. Instead of warmth of affection and friendship there is drawing away, enclosing in walls of self-righteousness, and climbing upon the judgment seat to weigh moral worth and measure sins against others. When love for Christ grows dull, love for those He died for declines, and outward zeal, service, knowledge, ability and ceremonies cannot hide a self-centered church repulsive to Christ. The cure is thorough transformation and working in Christ's way in meekness and lowliness to seek and save the lost with the Spirit of the true Helper.
Very many are lukewarm through envy, evil-surmising, circulation of false reports, faultfinding, criticism, gossiping, caviling, sitting in judgment on messengers, obstructing the Holy Spirit and standing directly in the way of God's work on Satan's side as His allies. Virtue, holiness, is the only bond between heaven and earth, and to Christ they are a disgusting morsel to His taste. They say they are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and know not they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, without clear spiritual eyesight, hardened by years of schooling in resisting reproof. The warning calls those long in light to put away self-sufficiency, buy gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eyesalve, and be zealous and repent before repentance cannot be found though sought with tears.
Lukewarmness is tame, pointless, lifeless, purposeless preaching without sense of the awful judgment soon to fall and without a message of life and death, lulling people to sleep and leaving them spiritually asleep instead of awakening them to the urgent warning. It bears a smooth, general, easy, peaceful testimony calculated to suit the half-hearted, careless and drowsy, shunning the straight testimony and lacking moral courage to lay the hand decidedly upon wrong to reprove, rebuke and exhort. Careless neglectful habits in home and temporal affairs are carried into spiritual matters, passing along with crooked half-hearted ones and leaving laborious thorough work for another, so the minister is no advantage, disappoints God's people and leaves them lower. The call is for appropriate pointed sermons from lips touched with a live coal from the divine altar, with earnest powerful proclamation offering spiritual riches, righteousness and sight, for elegant speech is unnecessary but God's power is necessary. Those in charge of publishing houses on losing ground must likewise examine, humble proud spirits, pity their souls, and repent of injurious matter, worldly methods, unchristlike spirit and deception.
Lukewarmness is self-love, self-deception, self-justification and self-righteousness neutralizing otherwise excellent qualifications. It shows in selfishness and covetousness, hearts hard as steel and flint toward brethren, gross neglect to help by encouraging word and deed, holding opinion and self-exaltation, grasping all for self and refusing to relieve necessities of trying workers, seeing others' mistakes while blind to own defects. Such works contradict profession, show Christ's love is not an abiding principle, self is un-crucified and conversion unperfected, and weighed by One who never mistakes they are found wanting. Love of earthly wealth overcomes love of God and truth and endangers young and old alike in entering the kingdom, calling for turning from others' faults to one's own, drawing near to do present duty, and letting grace open the heart to give offerings and be channels of light in preparation for lying wonders that will ensnare many. Working to save others melts the cold icy atmosphere around the soul.
A church becomes lukewarm when it takes on the spirit of the world, neglecting self-examination and secret prayer as worldly cares fill minds, leaving spiritual insensibility open to Satan's influence. Worldly-mindedness, selfishness, covetousness and greed eat away spiritual life, love of wealth overcomes love of God, theory remains without saving power, and departure from God brings a low state though He has not departed. Efforts to restore lead some to press toward the light, while many do not persevere long enough for truth to sanctify heart and life, and what is needed is earnest taking hold of repentance.
Lukewarmness is acting as Lucifer acted with conniving, double-dealing, secret working and satanic craft and art. It boasts of being rich and increased with goods and needing nothing while poor, wretched, blind and miserable and knowing it not, being pompous, demeriting the good and true and righteous, unable to appreciate virtue, choosing defective traits with schemes and resentment so the devil is accepted as god. It is pretentious piety and self-sufficiency with works opposed to holy principles, despiteful words against the Lord's messages, unsanctified cruelty and disloyalty, following own way and working insidiously to harass minds and bring confusion and discouragement into churches. A converted soul unless staying converted will be left outside heaven where he would become an accuser and spoil happiness, for God has no place for such mind, while the opposite course gains the overcomer's reward, requiring power from the Lord to rise above discouragement.
To be lukewarm is patchwork religion mixing some of self with some of Christ, weaving selfishness into the fabric. At first it may appear to contain Christ, but patches increase until the whole garment is covered, worthless, unable to stand trial and temptation, which He will spew out. It is thinking oneself clothed in righteousness while wearing only civilian dress unfit for the marriage supper, with boasting bringing glory to men rather than God, threats to bring law against opposers, and meetings not led by God's Spirit. Such words and acts greatly displease Christ, fail to teach truth, lead in strange paths, and reveal need for conversion lest rejection come.
Lukewarm means great profession without really following Jesus, bearing the cross, or self-denial and self-sacrifice, weaving imperfections by self-invented pattern instead of the divine Example. It is unwillingness to follow Christ while desiring worldly fashions, refusing the self-denial that hinders perfecting character, though His life was constant self-denial calling disciples to deny self, take up the cross and follow. It applies to those holding mighty truths yet lifted up as rich and needing nothing, fast losing peculiarity and simplicity by imitating the world. Outward pride in dress such as ruffles and ribboned bonnets indexes inner pride and marks this condition, contradicting profession of looking for Jesus to change vile bodies like His glorious body. Rejection is not yet final, for while this class is numerous there is still time to repent and be converted, or they cannot be saved and would mar heaven.
Lukewarm means taking the Christian name while deficient in graces, serving self and pleasure instead of duty, withholding the heart's best affections, and appearing indifferent to others' salvation. By unfaithful example aiding others to neglect great salvation, such become a stumbling block, shut heaven, stand in sinners' way, and bring blood of souls, as false representatives whom Christ will cast out; half a Christian is no Christian. Having no vital connection they fail to stand in allotted place and shine, are powerless for good, and it were better sinners never associated with them than be influenced by empty profession. They please themselves as smart, wise and rich in truth while sinking into cheap habits and common talk, spurious coin without right ring, salt without savor with no saving influence, separated from Jesus, blind to being wretched and naked, offensive to God, not keeping His law nor what pleases Him, with garments defiled and no correct standard uplifted. Profession contradicted by life is insipid and disagreeable to people and angels, with advocacy of truth carrying no weight for lack of connection.
Being lukewarm is staying under scarcely any influence of truth's saving power, making religion secondary while self, gain and accumulation come first and heaven afterwards. God sends leanness into souls and withholds precious light from those who attain what they desire on those terms. It is giving up to self-indulgence rather than self-denial, backsliding on health reform, not cherishing light, sacrificing health by appetite and lust instead of closely following the self-denying Saviour. It includes knowing health light yet refusing decided obedience, requiring sacred relation by temperance to keep mind and body fit for service, conversion to stand by light, and denial of perverted appetite so God can cooperate. Decided witness includes not placing meat before sanitarium patients, for flesh animalizes nature, robs of love and sympathy, and lets lower passions control higher powers, especially where fruits, grains and nuts abound, though no single precise diet line is marked. Institutions permeated with the world's spirit need this reform and an insipid experience that bears no decided witness must change.
Becoming absorbed in commercial work leaves people spiritually lukewarm, unable to grasp present truth. The half-hearted Laodicean condition comes from leaning on law, putting dependence on lawyers, legal documents and agreements, stealthily taking worldly principles into religious institutions and making civil law a defense. Such dependence is a disgrace to Christians, abhorrent to God, which He will not endorse. Leaders persisting in their own way will be left in the enemy's hands to be spoiled, where even success brings certain ruin.
Lukewarm means vain, fickle and trifling, loving social gathering more than prayer meeting and fiction more than the Bible. The Word seems uninteresting because the mind is bewitched by fiction, disqualified for sound principles and practical godliness, vain and foolish, without Christ's Spirit, with no disposition to know Him and no sense of obligation to sacrifice, falling below conscientious worldlings. God cannot connect with them, angels cannot cooperate, they are of no benefit to His work, yet in sins and controlled by Satan in mind and thought. It also means claiming discipleship while carrying ambitious schemes, stumbling over character faults, feeding on gossip and circulating Satan's false reports, which God cannot endorse until evil is put away, unregretted repentance shown, self hidden, and self given to Christ's service so light and the Spirit work through them to bring others to the Saviour.
The True Witness condemns lukewarm blindness coming above all from refusing correction and despising reproofs and warnings, giving Satan great power in the waiting watching time. The selfish, proud and lovers of sin are assailed with doubts, Satan suggests doubts and objections to pointed testimony, and many treat unbelief, questioning and quibbling as virtue and intelligence. Those desiring doubt will have room, for God gives evidence to be investigated humbly and teachably by weight of evidence without removing all occasion for unbelief. Clinging to doubts and cherished sins while believing need of nothing hides lack of humility, patience, faith, love, self-denial, watchfulness, sacrifice, practical Bible knowledge and obedience, calling for waking from slumber to decisive action.
Those whose religion is only form without vital godliness follow own will with little thought of offending God, yet flatter themselves they will be saved. God has no pleasure in them, their lives displease Him and their prayers offend Him. They must choose to be zealous, repent, buy gold, white raiment and eyesalve, and partake largely of salvation, or be rejected from His mouth as disgusting and thrust from Him. God will not bear always; though tender in pity, His Spirit will at last be grieved away, mercy's voice heard no more, and the rejected left to their ways and filled with their doings. This is backsliding from early devotion with first love lost, blindly unacknowledged, requiring breaking with darkness, dying to self, coming to Jesus and repenting.
The condition of most is complacently hearing for years the most solemn soul-stirring truths, including justification by faith and Christ's righteousness, without practicing what pleases God and without love and gratitude. Lukewarmness grows less sensible of truth's preciousness, unmoved by reproof and warning, steels the heart when Christ offers gold, raiment and eyesalve, folds hands in complacency, professes but denies power, and tries to praise world and God together, which God never accepts. It must be exchanged for love and zeal, and if continued causes rejection with abhorrence, so they must awake before everlastingly too late.
The lukewarm state is reached when Satan lulls God's people under a cloud of darkness as a spell, alarming truths stir only a little, feeble efforts soon tire for lack of perseverance and fixed determination, and sinking back follows. The spell breaks only by earnest persevering prayer and energy for salvation equal to seeking worldly treasure, for empty profession is useless and the church must drink a full cup. Long torpor like apparent death settles, with passion, worldliness, malice, envy, pride and strife leaving weakness, some briefly stirred then falling back unaware, requiring renewal of straight testimony, revival of spiritual life and resurrection by holding present truth point by point steadfast to the end and refusing teachers who tear down the foundation.
Being lukewarm is not being in harmony with straight testimony, shunning decided laying of hand on wrong, being tried with reprovers, sympathizing with the disaffected, and thereby becoming weak. It is pointed in pulpit yet failing to reprove individual wrong, letting prejudice affect labor, misunderstanding circumstances and character, censuring those to unite with and building up those needing severe censure. It is set willfulness in own opinions while deeming preaching brethren lacking judgment, chafing when confidence is withheld, feeling wronged toward fellow laborers, pulling apart in jealousy, injuring influence, differing before others, and scattering instead of pulling together. Where plain reproof is resisted, smooth words preferred and direct testimony called harsh, the sign is sad and dangerous.
To be lukewarm is to have made holy profession yet sunk to the dead level of ordinary professors, without undivided affections, appearing like worldly associates, loving society with no regard for sacred truth, content with religion agreeable to all and censured by none. Jesus demands whole sacrifice and entire consecration, so those in this state must arouse and make efforts for salvation or fail of everlasting life. They must feel individual responsibility, gain heart experience by the Holy Spirit, love and choose God's people above all, and separate from those with no love for spiritual things.
Lukewarmness is a disease of the soul no intellect or earthly riches can cure, with nominal morality and religion without Jesus, carrying no burdens, feeling no distress for sinners and no agony for dying souls. The blind feel well off because God's Spirit does not illumine minds to perceive sinfulness and need. The cure is faith and love, true riches and pure gold no earthly treasure can buy, with robes washed white in the Lamb's blood, eyesalve to discern needed righteousness and Satan's devices, and daily conquering by Christ as mediator.
Lukewarmness includes indifference and self-satisfaction, living without sobriety, seriousness and solemnity becoming a follower, upon whom God looks with indifference. It settles into lethargy and self-complacency, meeting Sabbath after Sabbath singing assigned songs without heart, without Christ's joy from inspired lips and thankful hearts, without meekness and humility, and without personal evangelistic labor to invigorate others with gospel hope. Unless changed to a becoming life, God gives sorrow instead of peace and certain failure of everlasting life follows. Hope lies in heart-searching gospel truths awakening conviction, arising from lethargy, removing self-complacency, exercising true faith so God's Spirit molds the soul into a holy dwelling with Christ formed within as hope of glory, setting firm purpose and devoting all energy to conform to God's will.
The verse shows people professing much but with works denying profession, resisting the Spirit and cherishing disbelief, worse off for unheeded messages. False repentance produces only false reformation, retaining cherished sins and secret evils such as envy, pride, self-preference and unbelief, while making outward show of grief, sorrow and assumed ecstasy to obtain sympathy and professing inspiration. Hearts remain strangers to true godliness, fired by zeal without knowledge with proud ambition dishonoring God, no more imbued with His Spirit than Satan in rebellion, deceiving the chosen for a time until time reveals their true light.
The verse describes a slumbering church losing personal religion through indifference and sloth, which must now be aroused with renewed energy, vigilance and earnest untiring effort. It must put on the whole armor to keep Satan from advantage while angels excelling in strength wait to aid faith in fierce conflict, for time is short, dangers increase, and Satan works with great power in all deceivableness of unrighteousness, with the Lord's day coming as a thief. Lukewarm churches have heard doctrinal teaching but not learned the simple art of believing, and hold camp-meetings tamely in hidden out-of-the-way places to save expense as if to hide light, which is not God's order.
Lukewarmness is a soul destitute of grace and love, marked by inconsistency and overbearing dictatorial spirit utterly unlike Christ. It is a curse making the church weak, inefficient and diseased, because many follow own impulses under another spirit instead of God's will, burdening the church with unconsecrated perversity, while standing for right keeps the soul refreshed with living experience that refreshes others. It is perilous murmuring when neglecting God's given work of earnestly seeking those outside the fold, to be met with plain decided testimony. God's servants must labor with Christ to roll away the curse through complete transformation, even through affliction's furnace burning away dross, with hope in rebuke leading to opening the door, supping with Him, overcoming, sitting with Him, and shining clear as sun, fair as moon, terrible as an army with banners.
The verse means God must discipline every worker into submission, bending the will after His will and way, working, fashioning and molding by the Holy Spirit under watchful care, as distasteful as a mother's discipline to a child, for none can retain perverse character and be led by God. Those irritated by reproof and hindered from selfish way, with pride of temperament, self-esteem, masterly subordination of all to own ideas, crude manners, discourteous unchristlike words and unsanctified practices, cannot be used until self dies and character is assimilated to His, as workers together with Him. It demands thorough home religion, educating children to well-balanced characters the Lord approves, for while these duties are neglected no blessing can be expected, though the Lord works with human effort He will not do the assigned work.
The verse calls for a living healthy all-round experience instead of divided self-satisfied religion, requiring cleansed sanctified discernment, an eye single to God's glory, vital union with Christ, and working, watching and praying with eye fixed on Him as model with nothing interposed. To be lukewarm is to be idle and indifferent, with no time left to remain so, while a heavenly Watcher marks words and reads motives and all choose blessing or curse. The call is to strive for character, with understanding cleansed, purified, sanctified and ennobled, and mind purified by obeying truth.
Warning Outcome and Response
The verse is a startling denunciation of lukewarmness as carnal security, being at ease while believing in exalted spiritual attainments, requiring ministers to warn with a practical message in every particular rather than peace and safety, with clear distinct utterance under the Holy Spirit to purify institutions like a cleansed temple and to rebuke detective controlling power, mote-seeing criticism, lack of eyesight, and criticism of others instead of own spirit, temper and words. It is counsel to those who corrupted ways, are covered in blindness and darkness, are not progressing in grace or knowledge of truth, follow imaginings and appetites while speaking opinions as if receiving light, and are unsafe for God's institutions; the rebuke rests for neglecting solemn responsibilities and not heeding testimonies so blessing is withdrawn, leaving destitution yet choosing own way because self is un-crucified, with light having little effect while angels go from church to church and Christ knocks for entrance but the True Witness is heard in reproof and not obeyed. The message will expose lukewarmness and bring a shaking among God's people, as a straight testimony decisive for destiny that must be taken seriously and has been lightly regarded; some will reject, resist and rise against it and be overcome by darkness unprepared to plead with God, while those truly receiving it repent deeply, obey, are purified, exalt the standard, pour forth straight truth, and plead earnestly with God. God's work has no place for half-hearted people but calls for whole-hearted service, complete consecration, thorough devotion and copying Christ the true pattern rather than measuring among selves; servants are to be alive and fervent with His love, hot with vivifying influence, seeing Him as supreme Ruler, taking the field trusting His power, and Christ has no need for and cannot use lukewarm men holding back from self-denial in saving the lost while required workers give wholly with hearts touched by woe, receiving and imparting light, life and grace. A tame position dishonors Christ and His warning is meant to awaken from sinful inaction leaving souls perishing, stir to fervent love in decisive action, and lead to work with zeal when others pray unitedly, live for God's glory and saving of souls, work harmoniously under Christ with Jesus as sufficiency, provoke to love and good works, and encourage the desponding to trust God. Christians refusing to use abilities and powers in His service are lukewarm, nauseating and cannot be endured in unsanctified character, showing indifference delaying confession until terrible anguish too late to right wrongs; all members are on trial and all dishonoring His name will have no place in His kingdom, for Christ moves amid the candlesticks and will never be without a church, and when the test comes faithful true witnesses will stand unflinchingly while failing lights are put out and the faithful take the places of those refusing to shine. In a most solemn time only a small portion professing truth will be sanctified by it and saved, with the lukewarm as indifferent world-lovers above the work's simplicity, conforming to the world, cherishing idols, spiritually dead, careless in little matters deviating widely from Christ's perfect example, groping in darkness when they could walk in noon light under unerring guidance, dishonoring God more than the avowed unbeliever, lacking the seal, while humble self-sacrificing followers pass to perfection leaving the lukewarm unsanctified and those making His life their criterion will not be cast off but meet bitter disappointment awaits the rest. Lukewarm careless indifferent people who do not persevere for victory and salvation are shaken out and left behind in darkness with others taking hold of truth; those with sacred trusts must never take neutral both-sides position but be decided one thing or another, true to trust with firm courage, standing solidly against every evil work, and such decided change brings God's help. The message is to awaken a slumbering church and the surrounding warning against indifference and sloth shows need for earnest untiring effort while time is short; when expected zealous repentance does not appear it brings great perplexity which Satan uses with disease and affliction to depress toward discouragement, despair and even desire for death, and lukewarmness became more apparent amid rapid increase, prosperity, careless indifference instead of thankfulness, backsliding from health reform and mingling with worldly men expecting power from them. The verse warns against becoming lukewarm in God's given work especially urgent as evil forces unite, calling for earnest action bringing the will into harmony with God to become more than conquerors by overcoming self, temper and inclinations under discipline; those with God's work must not fail to discern signs of the times and act while Satan intensely unites enemies to control the world faster than imagined. The church is now in Laodicean lukewarmness and must decide to remain or change, leaving means showing true colors, beginning reform in the home with pure elevating conversation, parents aroused and converted with sanctification shining, humbling self, repenting, confessing, drawing near to God who will draw near, fearing transgression because the day of salvation has come, with families reforming homes at once by guarding associations, teaching purity, admitting neglect and working with children. After all given light, failure to understand and occupy the proper position puts God's people in Laodicean condition bringing rejection unless following counsel; danger lies in self-satisfied feeling of riches and needing nothing, and escape requires simplicity, humility and contrition, buying gold, raiment and eyesalve with zealous response to loving rebuke, with fellowship and throne promised to overcomers, while only hope for those not seeing application is to fall on the Rock and be broken with decided changes before God and people. The verse marks out the present condition as acting by halves instead of whole-hearted obedience to God and all commandments, and they must awake and strive to overcome as Christ overcame, where striving will be opposed by satanic agencies tempting to corrupt principles, for real virtue cannot act by halves and all graces together form symmetrical character, with obedience bringing salvation and disobedience ruin, applying to those claiming advanced knowledge but showing character God cannot approve. It describes people with clear light and much help who have not let truth change lives, whose obedience falls short of privileges while professing faith, neglecting salvation and imagining favor and thinking themselves good yet lacking light and renewal, with pride, fashion, empty talk and selfishness choking good seed, whom the True Witness exposes as wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked; it also describes those knowing truth whose works testify they are not walking, working, praying and teaching the word of life, with all heaven watching and eternal death soon the portion of all remaining lukewarm, for God tests each person knowing works and is about to make searching work. It shows a professed condition continued for years against light and knowledge, dishonoring profession by false paths for self and others, corrupted faith and principle, selling self to sin, leading others into strange paths until pure religion is unknown, sacrificing faith for favor and leavened with opposition, at first feeling compunction then refusing to turn until hardness prepares for hopeless apostasy and judgment; such are not Christ's servants lacking Christlikeness, boasting in self-deception, refusing His yoke, resisting appeals, abusing mercy and rejecting redeeming love by infinite sacrifice, yet His heart yearns with outstretched hand and power to become sons of God for all receiving Him if they see sinfulness, repent and be converted for their souls' sake lest they never have eternal life. Being halfhearted divided between Him and the world is ruinous, making neither successful Christians nor successful worldlings whom Christ rejects with abhorrence; it calls for sincere earnest commitment, taking Christ not others as pattern, imitating Him, ending lukewarmness by awakening, growing in faith and earnest trust and advancing from light to greater light. Lukewarmness is sin to be individually repented of by drawing near and doing present duty now, holding back goods in trust instead of returning offerings into the treasury and being channels of light, while true faith opens the heart to give; arousing prepares for coming trials when lying wonders will ensnare many, and working to save others melts the cold icy atmosphere, for it includes selfishness and covetousness. Half-hearted surrender making one neither cold nor hot is offensive while God spares life and draws to lead to unreserved surrender with thankfulness, giving self wholly and putting whole strength into turning from temptations causing forgetfulness of God; lukewarmness is slothful divided heart trifling with God, saying to His invitation that one will obey but not going, not abiding in Jesus for life, choosing sin and letting the devil control the mind and bringing truth into disrepute, calling to rise to diligent work, seek grace with whole heart, might, mind and strength, live in contact with Christ and abide as fruitful branches to win others. In God's service lukewarmness brings sorrow and disappointment to Heaven, for despite infinite sacrifice, divine power through His blood, possibility of partaking divine nature, elevation to His throne and power to lay hold of infinite might, to remain lukewarm is to attend trivial affairs while treating salvation as secondary, content with inefficiency and failing to increase in faith and love without which salvation cannot be worked out, while angels expect much more and true faith in the last days will seek power, keep heavenly connection and work daily with God, not burying capabilities in perishing interests. Lukewarm professors face judgment and searching separation where pride, fashion, empty talk and selfishness reveal evil and some have never experienced renewal, and God tests each person knowing works; Christ's inspection warns that failing to live and work truth endangers, truth must be shown in life and speech, and neglecting abilities can lead others away instead of drawing them. The verse applies to those trusting self and wisdom without recognizing poverty or need of a Saviour whose condition brings rejection, to those putting own meaning on calamity like Job's comforters searching to condemn another since their own condition brings rebuke, to idlers saying they are not qualified who must find fitted work, fill his place, seek wisdom, search for needy souls like a shepherd, study Scripture for himself and walk humbly, and to youth failing to devote zealously to serving God and helping others who will face rejection if continuing. Lukewarmness must be put away or inaction will destroy confidence in God, with changed example showing neighbors truth's power to refine life and elevate character; half-hearted work avails nothing and God requires decided living devotion, giving up pride of dress, appearance and opinion, shaking off shackles, taking firm stand with His humble people to become peculiar purified people zealous of good works, unlike the world with life centered in heaven, working for own salvation and leading others aright. For a time people neither cold nor hot profess Christianity but do not let grace change wrong tendencies, lose interest, return to sinful practices, have no root, grow careless, worldly and inattentive, hear without receiving until hardened to good impressions and fall completely like a house on sand; lukewarmness is backsliding endangering youth when lacking sympathy and feeling uncared for with temptation tracking them, worsened by cold blame but won by tender solicitude, personal effort, fervent prayer, faithful warning and glowing love to gain confidence, reform and save from perdition. A long period of general lukewarmness with worldly spirit brought alienation, fault-finding, malice, strife and iniquity; lukewarmness is indifference and worldly spirit seen in lack of deep humility, love as brethren, union, with hard speeches and selfish interests, requiring zealous repentance through humility, pity, courtesy, rallying around the standard, disentangling from the world, acting as waiting for the Lord and letting self die. Being lukewarm is a half-hearted experience where Christ's virtue is not taken in, not living wholly for God while the world is wholly given to evil, unsafe with no days or years safe to remain so, for probationary life belongs wholly to God claiming all endowments and entire consecration; leaving it requires reconsecration, determined obedience to impressed truth, climbing step by step the ladder to the kingdom, a pledged holy pure life, discernment by eyesalve and clothing in white garments walking with God ready for unexpected coming amid a world like Sodom and Noah's day, for failure to improve talents and grow means no spiritual life. Being lukewarm is staying selfish, self-sufficient and half-hearted without piety and zeal corresponding to responsibility, trifling with God instead of serving with single eye, professing to love God yet not advancing from light to greater light, unprepared to work at home, neighborhood and church as if under a spell while love of world expels love of God; it must be ended at once by seeing selfishness, humbling, resolving to be wholehearted, discharging every duty, improving every opportunity, learning in Christ's school and seeking first God's kingdom, for remaining brings shipwreck, being found wanting and loss of heaven while becoming wholehearted transforms character into Christ's mold partaking divine nature. The Saviour's message includes many and calls workers to advance the work rather than let anyone hinder it, to faithful active service letting light shine, encouraging daily, correcting errors and doing appointed duties; indifferent inactive members settle into lukewarmness doing nothing to put things in order when leaving matters to drift expecting the president alone to keep them healthy instead of looking to God and putting things in order. Christ does not accept half-hearted service and can only use cleansed vessels, requiring earnestness, cleansing from defilement and putting away unchristlike traits to receive His Spirit in pure sanctified hearts; lukewarmness is doing very little after His much, complaining and holding to ease and pleasure instead of laboring for souls, to be put away by drinking the fountain of life, fixing the eye on Jesus, fleeing to His side, humbling and seeking while He may be found to make calling and election sure. Revelation 3:14-22 outlines a condition lost in sophistry's fog harming many souls, requiring thorough breaking of fallow ground, dawning of light and straight paths, without which the Lord cannot work and hope lessens; it also rebukes taking words undermining faith as lukewarm faith with no savor and no value to be spewed out, less harmful if decided opposition, and calls to remember how truth was received, hold fast and repent because subtle mind-upon-mind theories imperceptibly draw away from faith and endanger losing hold on things learned from the Source of light. The verse shows the Laodicean church as neither cold nor hot marked by choosing anger and wickedness obnoxious to God, and shows the unacceptable condition of medical missionary work and the Medical Missionary Association failing to prepare people for a sound healthy experience that will stand the judgment, with commercial spirit dishonoring God so Christ will not accept its work. It warns lukewarmness brings rejection by the True Witness, where cold nominal faith presents theory without vital power and ministers are asleep while people perish in darkness; it calls for earnest Spirit-filled workers to respond and labor to save souls, and for ending it by awakening, growing in faith and earnest trust and advancing from light to greater light. It belongs to the True Witness's message that must affect the church exposing it as lukewarm, but its influence is soon lost because counsel is not heeded and zealous repentance lacking; the church scarcely hears though only a few afflict souls and heed, so unless speedily aroused it will go into darkness, be ensnared and overcome. It applies to the church at this time to be applied personally, where though richest blessings are offered reluctance to humble the heart to receive sent light leaves men destitute of the Spirit so the Lord cannot use them, and unless converted they will never enter the mansions; it also applies to commandment-keeping members marked by pride, self-sufficiency, stubborn unbelief and refusal to yield though evidence is piled, which does not blot out the church, make her Babylon, authorize calling out or disorganizing into independent atoms, for wheat and tares remain until angels separate at harvest. It shows God's people have become lukewarm because they departed from God though He has not departed from them, possessing theory without saving power in a low state; it shows a church can be lukewarm while believing itself rich and needing nothing, being wretched, blind, miserable and naked because failing to heed counsel, needing to leave that condition to become acceptable, with love of worldly things hindering growth. It shows those professing to believe truth but not practicing it are lukewarm, nauseating and will be spewed, warning against neglecting work and calling for repentance and living faith in service; it shows many knowing truth are neither cold nor hot whose works testify they are not walking, working, praying and teaching the word of life, with all heaven watching and eternal death soon the portion of all remaining. It describes the present state where true love for God and unselfish neighbor love have almost become extinct as religion is degraded by perverted piety requiring heart change and conversion, with churches everywhere needing to heed the message, practice sanctifying elevating faith and seek mercy and abundant pardon; it applies to a church with knowledge but lacking fervor of love and sanctifying power, joined to self-satisfaction, ingratitude, formalism and resistance, facing rejection unless repenting. It calls to remember justification by faith and Christ's righteousness to a perishing world, with Jesus sorrowing over unanswered expectations yet longing to bestow richest blessings and make them mouthpieces of indwelling grace, each to open the heart's door to Him as vendor of heavenly treasures of gold and raiment to triumph with the third angel's message which is the last message of mercy and last warning to a fallen world, while lukewarm commandment-keepers stand no better than fallen churches and will receive plagues unless zealous, with overcomers to sup with Him, sit on His throne and compose the royal family sanctified through truth. It means the Redeemer stands at the door inviting acceptance yet many have ears but will not hear; what is needed is faith and love beyond profession to practice faith so Christ as chief Cornerstone is represented in spirit, words and character, and a heavenly Watcher marking words and motives calls for striving for character with mind cleansed and sanctified by obeying truth, for those claiming belief lack power because they do not strive to be like Christ and His presence is not in the midst, with trials separating members disappearing if Christ were formed within. Indifference when one should work to draw others brings danger of being spued, applied to one whose influence leads a young person away instead of helping him be saved by failing to take Christ's side when urgent effort is needed; Christians must not be unreliable or set a lukewarm example encouraging others to sin. To be lukewarm is to be unconverted with way not God's and mind not quickened to discern and treasure instruction, mixed with human theories never leading to heaven and lacking sound doctrine so unable to lead others or conduct God's work, far from perfection while remaining; remedy is to see self, depart from evil, come out separate, follow Christ through the strait gate and be ruled by His Word with His grace producing practical godliness, including thorough transformation, cleansing from self and new birth as a little child, otherwise unfit as medical missionary or leading physician when expensive habits reveal wrong heart. Lukewarmness includes pretending to be in truth while unsanctified, cruel and disloyal, following own way and working insidiously against truth harassing minds and bringing confusion into churches, requiring power from the Lord girding with strength to rise above discouragement; a diseased heart from failing to live by every word makes service unacceptable, sustained only by eating the Word and the Spirit's work to prepare for immortal life. Revelation 3:14-19 portrays believers as fallen calling them to repent and return to first love Jesus as chief love and center of hope, warning that life lacking wholehearted love is unlike spiritual life in Him; a Christian profession without wholehearted love, conduct in harmony with law and love for believers, marked by selfishness, sin and discord despite high self-estimate, faces rejection. Lukewarm, worldly-minded, self-exalted people will be separated from God's work; God calls instead for workers whose hearts are warmed by Christ's love and who are loyal and willing to obey, loyalty mattering more than mere knowledge, and those burying entrusted talents will be replaced by workers using them wisely. The verse warns being lukewarm is unacceptable and calls for renewed consecration and wholehearted obedience so Christ's life is present in the believer's life; it warns half-hearted service is unacceptable calling for earnestness and change because Christ will not place His Spirit in impure unsanctified hearts, and lukewarm souls need the divine Spirit to awaken them so Christ's righteousness working in the heart can restore vitality. It applies to lifeless purposeless preaching leaving people asleep and to a church failing to join in helping sinners and backsliders, where members assent but are not wholehearted; it calls for obtaining spiritual riches, righteousness and discernment of gold, raiment and eyesalve and for zeal as earnest determined effort to overcome worldly selfish love and become devoted Christians whose lives show tender warmth, without which there is failure of heaven. Lukewarm Laodiceans claim to be God's children while disobeying commands they know and advocate, making them fraudulent heathen with God not known by experience nor power in daily transactions so preaching makes no impression and the Word is not practiced, unable to be surrounded with unseen realities or moved by reward or the great day at hand, with nothing helping until they realize their true condition; yet rebuke is not denial of love for He rebukes those He loves, showing those thinking prosperous are in need of everything. Revelation 3:15-16 warns lukewarmness is offensive to God, and those neither fervent nor wholly opposed must not be allowed to control or neglect faithful gospel workers because their condition offends God. Revelation 3:14-22 is applied to struggling world-bound hearts clinging to earthly treasure, coming to give up the world then pulled back, shown in unwillingness to lay property such as a farm on the altar while pleading to keep treasure here; heeding means giving up the world from the heart and surrendering property fully. In the last days Christ will reject those having great light who did not appreciate, improve, practice and obey its principles, leaving them through unfaithfulness to follow their own course distinguished as prominent unfaithful householders swayed by Satan for self-advancement, denying truth in practice and reproaching God's cause; in their place He will bring in those living up to all light received, recognizing them as true and faithful to give His message to them. Christ keeps no need for half-hearted service and rejects a spiritually lukewarm condition where pretentious piety and self-sufficiency are nauseating and works oppose holy principles; if the message is ignored He will cast such away, and those with God's work must not sink into failing to discern signs while Satan unites enemies to control the world faster than imagined. Those who know truth but neglect duty while neither active nor openly opposed are in a cold indifferent accountable condition; lukewarmness to be dreaded is receiving only the encouraging part of messages while treating cautions, warnings and reproofs as nothing in self-satisfaction, as the Jewish nation rejecting prophecies of Christ's coming by human judgment so they did not receive Him, standing as admonition against unbelief and worldliness. Christ rejects those cold and hard of heart, self-satisfied and unwilling to receive offered light, whose pride in wisdom and worldly ambition leaves them without His character so words and works disgust Him; human plans, documents and agreements cannot cure this, but those like babes realizing weakness and dependence exert stronger good influence, while to be spewed means He will not hear prayers or commend service. Lukewarmness is a curse making the church weak and inefficient because members follow own impulses and another spirit instead of God's will; servants must roll it away by laboring with Christ, requiring complete transformation and for some the furnace of affliction to burn dross, revealing hope of reform leading to opening the door, supping, overcoming, sitting on His throne and shining as sun and moon. To be lukewarm is to be a professing Christian living a cold-hearted selfish life treating others heartlessly, nauseating to Christ; the verse calls for the opposite course of refusing heartlessness and instead surrounding oneself with courage and hope and speaking pleasant encouraging words. To be lukewarm is to profess sanctifying truth while using His work to spread error, indifferent in practice, failing to guard His honor; printing false science and deception on consecrated presses reveals paralyzed sacredness, blindness and corrupted discernment nauseating to Christ, so it would be better to make no pretension than do the enemy's work, and He will spew them out and not walk among them. Those under the message sent to the church today must think and pray over it and must not remain strengthless but be strong in the Lord, understanding what the Lord's will is, for the church is lukewarm instead of cold or hot facing rejection. The verse is applied to prevalent faultfinding traits revealing an unsavory condition members must recognize and heed counsel to change, describing lukewarmness neither cold nor hot facing rejection. Laodicea had received faithful instruction and much labor but failed to take truth to heart and follow it, and its lukewarm condition followed rejection of warnings and appeals, warning that it will bring rejection. The warning addresses professing Christians claiming earnestness but following own pattern mixing imperfections into character; their self-satisfied condition means Christ cannot endorse their spirit or work and will reject them unless they repent and are converted, yet there is still time. God's professed people must not continue in the neither-cold-nor-hot position that makes men so abhorrent the Saviour cannot take their names on His lips; it is the danger for those claiming to be Seventh-day Adventists yet none need remain in it, for continuing slights mercy while God weighs actions, and coming out requires denying self, taking the cross and following Christ. Lukewarmness means lacking zeal and love moving people to reach the erring and lacking energy to save perishing souls, yet those in this condition are not left without hope or allowed simply to sink, though Christ rejects that state. Lukewarmness means lack of earnestness including failing to recognize the urgent life-and-death need to reach others; the remedy is to repent, seek the Lord wholeheartedly, and stir one another to active work for others' salvation. The message exposes the lukewarm need weakened by worldly-mindedness, selfishness, covetousness and failure in benevolence, with love of wealth overcoming love of God and endangering kingdom entry young and old alike, where profession cannot hide contradicting works and Christ will spew out those remaining without zealous repentance. The message applies to people receiving great light who rely on self and pride in abilities and remain unconverted, calling for humility, trust in Jesus and dependence on the Spirit's graces rather than human power. The condition represents those claiming to serve God while absorbed by worldly interests and self-exaltation with lapsed first love excluding Christ's love, hearts unaffected by present truth showing no power, holiness or sanctification, retaining only ceremonial zeal as self-inflated religion nauseating to Christ and unacceptable to God, for when love for Christ dulls love for those He died for declines. A lukewarm state where love of wealth blinds and weakens zeal for eternal life leads to rejection, requiring earnest examination and repentance, and those refusing the message and continuing as before will be spewed out; its straight testimony calls for deep repentance and persevering struggle while the careless are shaken out and others take hold of truth. Lukewarmness in God's service brings sorrow to Heaven when remaining content with inefficiency and failing to increase in faith and love without which salvation cannot be worked out, attending trivial affairs while treating salvation as secondary despite infinite provision. The verse is God's earnest warning to prepare to meet the Lord in the clouds with power and glory, rebuking indifference to foretold signs evidencing the end is right upon them; advance is possible by receiving grace daily, with blessing as strength and watchfulness, and prayer in faith bringing rich blessing through the Holy Spirit so grace is not received in vain. It calls for a straight testimony exposing indifference, decisive for destiny; those truly receiving it repent, obey and are purified, while rejecting and rising against it causes a shaking, though it has been lightly regarded and not half heeded. Murmuring at the message hides self-indulgence and resistance, with ingratitude and rebellion dishonoring the patient One, and refusal to repent now brings shame in judgment where deeds are recorded and confession cannot undo the course, exposing some professed followers as self-deceived unrepentant to ruin. The lukewarm condition is being neither cold nor hot toward God, not in open opposition yet not a faithful steward, following own ideas and remaining half-converted without genuine Bible religion, making one unsafe as a medical missionary and unfit as leading physician when expensive habits reveal a wrong heart, whose remedy is thorough transformation, cleansing from self and new birth through faith working by love as a little child in close tender stewardship. Being half-hearted like Laodiceans from depending on lawyers, documents and agreements, leaning on law and taking worldly principles into religious institutions and making civil law a defense, is abhorrent, a disgrace God will not endorse; if persisted in God will leave them exposed to the enemy and even success will bring ruin. Lukewarmness means claiming discipleship while carrying out ambitious schemes, stumbling over faults, feeding on gossip and circulating false reports furnished by Satan, so God cannot endorse the work; remedy requires putting away evil, showing unregretted repentance, siding with Christ, putting self out of sight and giving self to service, then He will impart light and the Spirit to bring others to the Saviour. It describes people with false repentance retaining cherished sins, envy, pride, self-preference and unbelief while making outward show of grief and assumed ecstasy to obtain sympathy, no more imbued with God's Spirit than Satan in rebellion, fired by zeal without knowledge, to be revealed in time though deceiving the chosen for a while. The church's lukewarm condition is a curse God's servants must work with Christ to remove. The straight testimony means God will have only those earnestly striving to be right with opportunity to develop character, and members developing unworthy character have no right to house privileges, while false sympathy excusing crookedness must die, having begun at Satan's fall and pleasing him by blunting testimony. When the end is at hand God's people in lukewarmness are backslidden and behind without knowing it, bringing grief, dearth and darkness from failure to thoroughly confess sin traceable to individuals whose unconfessed wrongs sow rebellion. The churches are lukewarm in having heard doctrinal teaching but not being taught the simple art of believing. A church settled in lethargy and self-complacency must heed the message, with hope if responding through heart-searching gospel truths and true faith letting the Spirit shape a holy dwelling, arising from lethargy, removing self-complacency, singing from the heart with joy, meekness and evangelistic labor, with Christ formed within. It shows the condition of most complacently listening for years to solemn truths without practicing what pleases God, becoming less sensible of truth's preciousness, unmoved by reproof, steeling the heart against offered gold, raiment and eyesalve, folding hands in complacency, professing but denying power while trying to praise world and God together, giving no love to justification by faith, which if continued causes rejection with abhorrence unless awaking before too late. A cold lukewarm state lacking spirituality, ambition and energy makes a minister no advantage, disappointing people and leaving them lower, shunning straight testimony and moral courage, carrying careless habits into spiritual matters, bearing smooth general testimony suiting the half-hearted and lulling to carnal security while leaving laborious work to others; the worker must have straight living testimony and God's power to become efficient, for elegant speech is unnecessary but power is necessary. It describes the present spiritual state where true love has almost become extinct as religion is degraded, needing to heed the message and seek pardon through elevating sanctifying faith and change of heart. It shows lukewarmness as inconsistency and dictatorial spirit unlike Christ, a soul destitute of grace calling to be zealous and repent, for they make churches weak, diseased and burdened while standing for right keeps the soul refreshed with living experience refreshing others. Being lukewarm neither cold nor hot means unconverted and not serving the Lord with mind not quickened to treasure instruction, mixed with human theories lacking true knowledge so unable to lead others, needing to see self, come out separate and be ruled by God's Word. It belongs to the Laodiceans' message requiring individual zeal for one's own wrongs, with no watching others to judge, no repenting for another, no binding undictated burdens or taking care of others' consciences, lest one be left worse; false burdens must be yielded and laid aside to commence anew with good restored. Revelation 3:14-22 outlines sophistry's fog harming souls, requiring breaking of fallow ground and straight paths without which the Lord cannot work. Lukewarmness is sin to be repented of by drawing near and doing present duty, holding back goods instead of returning offerings as channels of light. It describes a lukewarm condition thinking oneself clothed while wearing civilian dress unfit for the marriage supper, with boasting bringing glory to men, threatening law against opposers, and meetings not led by the Spirit, offensive to God, failing to teach truth and needing conversion lest people be led in strange paths. Those remaining lukewarm resisting God's work and refusing to overcome will be spued, for God tests step by step exposing what they prize above truth, cherished idols and preference above Jesus; those refusing to give up selfishness, pride and evil passions remain unpurified and left to evil angels, while those heeding and overcoming are promised latter rain and preparation for translation. Half-hearted surrender is offensive while God spares life to lead to unreserved surrender with thankfulness. God rejects lukewarmness and calls for earnest whole-souled live workers hot and fervent with His love, filled with vivifying influence, seeing God as supreme Ruler, taking the field against the mighty trusting His power in every extremity. Lukewarm professors are a burden to faithful followers and stumbling block to unbelievers, displeasing to God when hearts are far, giving evil angels cause to mock and harming God's cause at home and abroad, with outward profession not making them faithful. Half-hearted service to Christ is unacceptable, calling for earnestness and change of character because Christ will not place His Spirit in impure unsanctified hearts, so His people must serve earnestly. There is no neutral position between serving God and serving the enemy, meaning partial service places one under another power on the enemy's side as allies against Christ while claiming to serve Him. The Laodicean state as feeling rich and needing nothing, remaining in it is as much a stumbling block as running ahead with unentrusted ideas and work. The present condition as lack of fresh new experience lays on them the call to prepare for Christ's near coming. It belongs to the message applying to many not seeing it applies to them, rebuking selfish pride leaving them lukewarm, with only hope to fall on the Rock and be broken. After all given light, failure to occupy the proper position puts God's people in Laodicean condition bringing rejection unless following counsel. Against a lukewarm condition it calls for ending it by awakening, growing in faith and advancing from light to greater light with increased earnest trust. Many knowing truth are neither cold nor hot whose works testify they are not walking, working, praying and teaching the word. A church can be lukewarm and must leave that condition to become acceptable, with love of worldly things hindering growth. Christ will spue those having great light who did not practice and obey it, leaving them to follow their own course then bringing in those walking by all light to take their place as true and faithful by God's measurement. Revelation 3:14-22 plainly marks God's people's condition and calls them to awake, applying to those claiming advanced knowledge but showing character God cannot approve, who must not serve by halves but obey wholly as Christ overcame. Being half-hearted from leaning on law and agreements is abhorrent to God whom He will not endorse, a disgrace trusting worldly principles, commerce in religious institutions and laws as defense, leaving leaders in enemy hands where success brings ruin. Being lukewarm is spiritual feebleness charged against ministers and members, calling for revival and reformation unless which the weak will grow more abhorrent until rejected and refused as children, producing unwholesome sickly atmosphere worked by the enemy. Being lukewarm neither cold nor hot means unconverted and not serving the Lord with mind not quickened to discern instruction. Being lukewarm means pretending to be in truth while unsanctified and working against truth, requiring power from the Lord to rise above discouragement. Lukewarmness as destitution of grace marked by inconsistency calls to be zealous and repent. Against becoming lukewarm in urgent work it calls for earnest action overcoming self, temper and will into harmony with God to become more than conquerors under discipline. A lukewarm state where love of wealth blinds leads to rejection, requiring examination and repentance. The lukewarm have no vital connection, fail to stand in allotted place and shine, are powerless for good, insipid to people and angels like salt without savor, useless to society and rejected, better for sinners never to associate than be influenced by empty profession; His estimate contrasts with their self-pleasing smartness, supposed wisdom, cheap habits and common talk as spurious coin without ring, separated from Jesus, blinded to being wretched, offensive, without righteousness, not keeping law or garments undefiled. Outward pride in dress like ruffles and ribboned bonnets indexes inner pride and marks the lukewarm now being rejected while delay develops character to separate precious from vile, contradicting profession of looking for Jesus to change vile bodies. The warning applies to those holding mighty truths who are lifted up, rich and needing nothing, fast losing peculiarity and simplicity by imitating worldly fashions, unless zealous, repentant and heeding the True Witness. Lukewarm is tame lifeless purposeless preaching without sense of awful judgment and message of life and death lulling people to sleep and leaving them backslidden without proclaiming present truth; the verse calls for appropriate pointed sermons from lips touched with a live coal, while those in charge of publishing houses in this condition are on losing ground and must examine, humble and repent of injurious matter, worldly methods, unchristlike spirit and deception. Lukewarmness is coldness and hardness from pride in wisdom and ambition, trusting human plans and exalting self while refusing light; by contrast those realizing weakness exert stronger influence. The lukewarm are those long knowing truth in trust with great light yet feeble, inefficient and fragmentary for lack of the Holy Spirit, a sight for angels; the remedy is healthy action through practicing Bible principles, beginning with asking whether he has the Spirit, so they become burning lights reviving the church. Lukewarmness marked by self-sufficiency and leaving first love means having great light yet not striving to give that light in works as living principles, dishonoring and disgusting Christ so He will not take such names to present to the Father. Selfishness and covetousness can cloud sight and leave people lukewarm, neither wholly opposed nor wholeheartedly devoted, deceived in thinking they are rich and needing nothing while blind, calling for honest recognition and repentance rather than claiming well-being. Indifference is lukewarmness, and being spewed means He cannot offer prayers or expressions of love to God, endorse teaching or spiritual work, or present religious exercises asking grace be given. A self-centered church whose first love faded into selfishness is repulsive facing rejection; outward zeal and ceremonies cannot hide it, and when love for Christ dulls love for those He died for declines. God will renounce churches continuing lukewarm if they continue, but rejection is not yet final because Christ still counsels to buy; now is time to work aware of danger, come into close relation, wrestle for immortality, come out separate, walk humbly, appreciate His gift and get ready for His very soon coming to receive overcomers. The condition applies to Sabbath-school members whose self-esteem and self-sufficiency keep them from genuine piety and purity, bringing rejection. It calls to remember how truth was received, hold fast and repent, because subtle theories imperceptibly draw away from faith and endanger losing hold on things from the Source of light, rather than giving up received truth. Being lukewarm means doing only half-hearted surface work trifling with soul interests until diseased, deceived and only occasionally Christian with occasional glances and formal petitions, trying to be half for Christ and half for world, neither successful worldlings nor followers, spoiling for both worlds; without implanted truth regulating life there is no growth, blessings turn to curse, and surface workers weighed in the sanctuary are found wanting, with spewing meaning He will no longer present their name to the Father. A diseased heart from failing to live by every word makes service unacceptable; spiritual life requires eating and assimilating the Word and the Spirit's work to prepare for immortal life. All members are on trial and all dishonoring God's name will have no place; Christ moves amid candlesticks and will never be without a church, and when the test comes faithful witnesses will stand while failing lights are put out and the faithful take their places. The solemn warnings apply directly now with weight, meaning God's people must not let Satan control powers but humble themselves, keep commandments, love God and neighbor, keep Christ's Spirit with fairness, receive old light with Christ's righteousness, pray and study more, and receive nothing as God's voice without heaven's credentials. The warning applies to those abandoning truth and spreading spiritualistic theories weakening faith and making messages ineffective; professed harmony does not prevent rejection of the neither-opposed-nor-fervent. The message of condemnation is the opposite of commendation to Ephesus, exposing the lukewarm state for workers to keep in mind, showing the difference between the true humble sanctified child and the lukewarm professor. A Christian profession without wholehearted love, harmony with law and love for believers, marked by selfishness despite high self-estimate, faces rejection, calling for genuine wholehearted Christianity. The warning applies to professed believers with unconverted hearts indulging self and resisting straight testimony, deceived about fitness for judgment with ingratitude to be exposed; they must repent rather than evade truth. A self-satisfied faith claiming truth but lacking daily godliness fails to display Christ's humility, forbearance and love, facing rejection. The picture of many people's spiritual life stands together with precious promises to the overcomer in the chapter. The verse expresses preference to be cold or hot rather than lukewarm, hating indifference like nauseous water to be spued; the only hope is a clear view of standing before God and knowledge of the disease, with internal grace wanting, holding aloof, aiding the enemy and flattering self as needing nothing in neutral position without zeal, devotion or dying to self. The True Witness condemns the lukewarm condition as giving Satan great power during the waiting watching time. It describes people receiving clear light but not letting truth change lives, whose devotion falls short of privileges while imagining favor, whom the True Witness exposes as wretched. Those remaining lukewarm refusing counsel will be spued, for God tests step by step exposing idols and preference above Jesus, leaving the impure unsubdued refusing to overcome selfishness, pride and evil passions, while those heeding and overcoming are promised latter rain and translation. It describes professed Christians cold or lukewarm thinking they are good yet lacking light and renewal, with pride, fashion, empty talk and selfishness weighing against them while evil chokes good seed, and God tests each person knowing works and is about to make a searching work, warning against self-deception. Christ rejects a lukewarm condition where pretentious piety and self-sufficiency are nauseating and works oppose holy principles, and if the message is ignored He will cast such away. The Laodicean warning applies to those receiving great light but not walking in it, and those failing to keep in step with their Leader professing greatly will be spued unless they repent; it shows Christ reproving chosen depositaries of law with sacred trust to give to the world, proving God deals by rebuke not by pronouncing Babylon or calling out, with no such message from heavenly messengers. It applies to lifeless messages preached, where lukewarm preaching leaves people asleep without awakening to urgent warning, while Christ calls for earnest proclamation offering riches, righteousness and sight. The lukewarm state is reached gradually by separating from God and conforming little by little, adopting fashion after fashion, losing peculiarity, refusing separation, giving up warfare until enshrouded and transforming influence lost while still professing truth and thinking well off without realizing distance, growing weaker until Spirit withdrawn, angels bidden to let alone, intercession ceasing and names dropped while profession remains assimilated without missing heaven's light. The Laodicean message has special meaning and God continues to send these warnings as mercy, calling for its message to be read and meaning sought from God. The True Witness condemns lukewarm blindness from refusing correction and despising reproofs, giving Satan power in waiting time, with the selfish, proud and sin-lovers assailed by doubts Satan suggests against pointed testimony, many treating unbelief as virtue, while those desiring doubt will have room for God gives evidence to be investigated humbly with teachable spirit deciding by weight. Professed believers resisting testing and refusing counsel will be rejected, for God tests exposing idols and whether they prize anything above Jesus and truth, leaving the unpurified refusing to overcome unprepared. The call will affect souls, calling for becoming zeal instead of living guided by feeling, requiring throwing away feelings, recognizing poverty and buying gold, eyesalve and raiment with repentance and destitution felt. The present church is lukewarm loving world and treasure better than Jesus and heaven, perishing with treasure, and must arise because it does not half heed the message; the True Witness calls to be zealous and repent but the church scarcely hears, only a few afflicting souls and heeding, so unless speedily aroused it will go into darkness and be ensnared. God will spew those staying lukewarm not striving to arise and zealously repent of backslidings, where warnings have only temporary effect because danger is not realized and thorough work not made so they slide back; the time has come to arise, do great work, correct things, for God is displeased. It shows God's displeasure upon a course feeling rich while wretched, blind, poor and miserable, and the True Witness invites to buy now before too late gold, eyesalve and white raiment which is pure faultless character lest nakedness appear, urgent because the day of God will present every case as it is and the self-willed preoccupied will awfully awake. The Laodicean message reproves and chastens to restore, not to discourage or destroy. The church as lukewarm is a condition where worldly-mindedness, selfishness and covetousness have eaten away spiritual life, and the church has something to repent of and must take hold of repentance earnestly. It warns against lukewarm experience calling for renewed consecration and wholehearted obedience so Christ's life is present. Christ's rebuke rests for neglect and not heeding testimonies so blessing is withdrawn, meaning destitution yet choosing own way because self is un-crucified with light having little effect while Christ knocks. The Laodicean message is to awaken a slumbering church, showing need for earnest effort while time is short. The message is given to produce zealous repentance, and when it does not appear it brings perplexity which Satan uses with affliction to drive toward despair. It applies to those professing to follow Jesus but dishonoring profession by false paths for years against light, corrupted in faith, selling to sin and helping others in strange paths until pure religion is unknown. A church is lukewarm when members assent but are not wholehearted, shown by failure to help sinners and backsliders. The rebuke is not received by people clinging to doubts and cherished sins while believing they need nothing, hiding deficiencies in humility, patience, faith, love, self-denial, watchfulness, sacrifice, knowledge and obedience. Christ's rebuke shows those thinking prosperous are in need of everything, and His rebuke is not denial of love for He rebukes those He loves. The True Witness's counsel has been lightly heeded, calling for deep repentance where receivers obey and are purified while resistance brings a shaking. Those represented will be rejected if remaining lukewarm, where faith without power lacking daily experience because Christ's righteousness has been dropped calls for zealous repentance lest they be spewed. The church is in deplorable condition needing arousal to zealous repentance, with sins plainly reproved as sin and promptly put away by pointed testimony. The message must be proclaimed with power because now applicable, rebuking pride, ambition, self-exaltation, double-dealing, hypocrisy, deception and destitution while those in it claim riches with swelling vanity. The message's work is not completed at once, for time must be given for angels to work and character to develop while angels wait and weigh worth, though from God. The message's work is to search and correct evil, calling those addressed to leave tangled mass and dwell on great principles, while Satan opposes understanding and the uncomprehending remain blind plunging deeper though shown wrong for years. Christ is disgusted with today's churches unable to endure their taste because lukewarm, yet offers hope through rebuke and call to arise and shine because light has come, urging confession before evil becomes sole ruling power. A church can be lukewarm while believing itself rich, being wretched because failing to heed counsel. Christ reproves His chosen depositaries of law with sacred trust to give to the world, proving God deals by rebuke not by pronouncing Babylon. It belongs to solemn rebuke not smooth, exposing false confidence, requiring facing wrongs, neglected duties, selfishness, pride and love of world, where correction is love calling to receive reproof rather than shield. A lukewarm condition brings rejection, and the message must be proclaimed clearly with watchmen warning of peril, with institutions in Battle Creek called to seek purification. The warning is applied to families neglecting responsibilities, calling parents to reform homes by guarding associations, teaching purity, admitting neglect and working with children. The message reveals God's people have left first love, faith is weak and needs thorough transformation, where without that love outward zeal, service, knowledge and ability are worthless as a fall. People remaining lukewarm will be rejected, including responsible leaders keeping selfish unsympathetic ways who may not recognize being wretched, and must change in heart and reveal Christ's love in words and actions. The Lord will cast out those who will not let the message have weight but glide along, where lukewarmness covers sins and backslidings God offers to heal if they return and some will return, but only the zealously repentant keep favor while the unchanged are rejected. A church is lukewarm when departed from God and resisting plain reproof, where members avoid confronting sins, prefer smooth words and complain direct testimony is harsh, a sad dangerous sign. Continuing lukewarm will bring rejection, applied to young people failing to devote zealously to serving God and helping others. Unbelief leaves the church lukewarm disgusting to the Lord, with tepid water conveying repulsiveness of lack of faith, love and indifference. Christ rejects the lukewarm condition seen in the Medical Missionary Association in commercial spirit failing to prepare people for sound experience that can stand judgment. Lukewarmness is perilous and must be aroused if the church is to receive blessings, meaning vanity, words without vitality and character without moral strength, specifically pride, worldliness, formalism and self-sufficiency, joined to close scrutiny where Christ knows all faults with nothing escaping. God's people as lukewarm have theory without saving power and have departed from God in low state. The testimony applies to that time and stirred Sabbath-keepers to seek vital godliness, humble, confess, give up world and turn wholeheartedly so the Saviour could enter hearts. The message must affect the church but loses influence too soon, carrying counsel not heeded, calling to zealous repentance but the church does not zealously repent. It applies to the church now to be applied personally, where reluctance to humble to receive sent light leaves men destitute of the Spirit so the Lord cannot use them. Christians refusing to use abilities are nauseating and cannot be endured, showing indifference delaying confession until too late. People remaining lukewarm feeling rich and self-sufficient unaware of need are a stumbling block by remaining, just as running ahead with unentrusted work is. The True Witness knows every work keeping faithful record, and those lacking principle and offended by plain testimony weigh down the church half-hearted until God rejects them and God's people pass along unless they take hold in earnest. The True Witness will soon spue those professing truth yet lacking Jesus and remaining unconverted with self reigning and God forgotten, and to escape they must repent, be converted and bring forth fruit, for He will not have truth disgraced by crooked course stumbling others. The message applies to those with light, Bibles, ministry and testimonies, warning God's eye is as flame reading secrets with all naked and open and no hidden sin, calling to humble and repent now while there is a Mediator to bear sins, for none could stand if iniquities marked. The message applies in every way calling for more than common effort, turning eyes within, afflicting soul, mourning and begging for salvation with deep personal interest and energy. The message is applicable to present churches, meaning many have strengthened themselves in own way refusing admonitions following own minds, and many once firm have become careless yielding to Satan's plots. Christ will reject professed people remaining lukewarm, where lukewarmness is becoming more conformed to world than Christ's image, turning toward Egypt, backsliding while pretending godliness and staying fruitless despite advantages; escape requires humbling, repenting, crying after God, wrestling like Jacob, dying to self, showing faith by works in close connection, otherwise fruitless professors face rejection like the fig tree with only leaves. The True Witness gives counsel to a self-satisfied people destitute of true light, and this blindness exists in Battle Creek school and publishing house even while looked to for guidance, because they trusted weak men who seldom pray, laid too much on one man instead of united consecrated men relying on Thus saith the Lord, and brought in men's inventions, confusing light and darkness. In the last days Christ will reject those having great light but not practicing principles, leaving them to follow own course swayed by Satan for self-advancement, and bring in those living up to light to give His message to them as true and faithful. It marks out the present condition as acting by halves instead of whole-hearted obedience, and they must awake and strive to overcome as Christ overcame. It is Christ's warning to leading men in publishing work neither cold nor hot, where lukewarm means professing godliness but working against truth setting aside It is written for human inventions with corrupted selfish principles and low spirituality departing from justice and mercy; being spued means Christ will not take their names on His lips because dishonoring Him, bringing confusion and disrepute. It describes a slumbering church that must be aroused, meaning indifference and sloth resulting in loss of religion and heaven, demanding renewed energy, vigilant untiring effort and whole armor while angels wait to aid in fierce conflict as time shortens and Satan works with deceivableness. It applies most decidedly to those whose experience is insipid and does not witness decidedly, meaning institutions permeated with worldly spirit need reform, calling for decided testimony for health reform including not placing meat before patients. Lukewarm Christians claim to be Christians but do not reveal Christ's attributes, keeping form while lives contradict it, insipid like salt without savor to men and angels whom Christ rejects completely, with advocacy of truth having no weight for lack of connection. Lukewarmness is spiritual feebleness bringing rejection, growing abhorrent unless changed until He refuses to acknowledge them, identifying self-satisfied blindness and poverty and calling to receive counsel in revival and reformation. It belongs to a message calling to thorough reformation, which when received would revive testimony, purge hypocrites and sinners and bring favor. It belongs to the message calling to zealous repentance, which had not produced expected repentance. It shows God's people have become lukewarm because they departed from God though He has not departed, possessing theory without power. It shows God rejects divided allegiance as unacceptable, with anything drawing affections becoming an idol, and no one able to serve God while serving sin, Satan or world. It is part of the message spoken to God's professed people. It warns being lukewarm is unacceptable and servants are to be alive and fervent with His love not indifferent, calling for Spirit-filled workers to labor to save souls. It warns the lukewarm face rejection, applied to professed believers whose pride shows in satisfaction over few accomplishments, in contrast to true conversion, consecration, humility, confession and fervent prayer with zeal and whole-hearted service. It warns the lukewarm condition leads to rejection and warns not to remain in it, applied that families must reform homes and do God-appointed work. Revelation 3:15-16 warns lukewarmness is offensive, and those neither fervent nor wholly opposed must not control or neglect faithful workers. It describes the church at Battle Creek as alarmingly lukewarm because taking on the world's spirit, with some only briefly stirred then chilled by formality, pride and worldly influence unaware of need. Revelation 3:14-22 is a message for people in low worldly discouraged state clinging to earthly treasure, shown in unwillingness to lay property on the altar; heeding means surrendering fully. Those remaining lukewarm resisting God's work will be spued, for God tests exposing what they prize above truth. Half-hearted surrender is offensive, while God spares life to lead to unreserved surrender with thankfulness. God will reject lukewarm professed people and leave them behind only after character is proved, tested and tried, for God is now proving to see if they will obey while purifying a holy self-denying people, expelling those choosing own way, pride, fashion and evil passions unless zealous and repentant. Lukewarm Laodiceans claim to be God's children while disobeying commands they advocate, making them fraudulent heathen with God not known by experience. It is part of the message that must affect the church exposing it as lukewarm, but influence is soon lost because counsel is not heeded. Lukewarmness is serious where murmuring hides self-indulgence, with ingratitude dishonoring the patient One, and refusal to repent brings shame in judgment. The lukewarm condition is being neither cold nor hot, not in open opposition yet not faithful stewards following own ideas and remaining half-converted. The church as neither cold nor hot marked by choosing anger and wickedness is obnoxious to God to be spued. Being lukewarm neither cold nor hot is unsafe with no time safe to remain so, for probationary life belongs wholly to God claiming all endowments and entire consecration, meaning failure to improve every talent and grow means no spiritual life. It is part of the message coming with special meaning to be read with prayer as mercy still sent, applying to those accepting spiritualistic theories in Living Temple making the Word of no effect and leading to treating the Bible as fiction unless changed. Being half-hearted from leaning on law and depending on legal agreements is a disgrace abhorrent to God whom He will not endorse. Revelation 3:14-22 plainly marks God's people's condition and calls them to awake, applying to those claiming advanced knowledge but showing character God cannot approve. Revelation 3:14-19 portrays believers as fallen calling them to return to first love Jesus as center of hope. A church can be lukewarm and must leave that condition to become acceptable. Many knowing truth are neither cold nor hot whose works testify they are not walking, working, praying and teaching the word. It belongs to the message applying to many not seeing it applies to them, rebuking selfish pride leaving them lukewarm. There is no neutral position between serving God and serving the enemy. Half-hearted service is unacceptable, calling for earnestness and change because Christ will not place His Spirit in impure hearts. In a most solemn time only a small portion professing truth will be sanctified, with the lukewarm as indifferent world-lovers conforming to world and spiritually dead. Lukewarmness brings rejection by the True Witness, with ministers lacking piety in danger and needing to let light shine through works as well as words. Revelation 3:15-16 warns lukewarmness is unacceptable, applied to helpers claiming to be Christians but worldly, selfish, covetous and seeking applause, no help to visitors. It describes a lukewarm state calling for urgent change by seeking spiritual treasures, recognizing wrongs and repenting zealously. Lukewarmness in service brings sorrow to Heaven, for despite infinite sacrifice to remain lukewarm is to attend trivial affairs while treating salvation as secondary. A lukewarm condition brings rejection, where cold nominal faith presents theory without vital power and ministers are asleep while people perish. Christ has no need for lukewarm men in saving the lost, meaning holding back from self-denial, while required workers give wholly and cannot be used unless hearts respond and lives show light; those burying talents are replaced. Revelation 3:14-22 is applied as warning to Sister J to wake from indifference, heed counsel and repent zealously, for selfishness and neglect endanger her soul. It applies to professed followers resisting light, corrupted in faith and choosing worldly favor, calling to repent while resistance hardens toward apostasy and judgment, dishonoring God and leading others astray. Being halfhearted divided between Him and world is ruinous, making neither successful Christians nor worldlings whom Christ rejects, calling for earnest commitment. Lukewarm people disregarding counsel face rejection, with straight testimony calling for deep repentance while the careless are shaken out. Lukewarmness is lethargy on ministers and people over years, meaning being far behind in entering cities and erecting memorials, failing to bear burden, urge cooperation and set in order things ready to die, which must be cured by awakening, confession, humility, organized efforts, presenting truth with God, seeking under the Spirit, placing wholly on His side to be refreshed as the world's light. It is part of Christ's message applying to those among God's people putting own meaning on calamity like Job's comforters, since their own condition brings rebuke. It shows the condition of most complacently listening for years without practicing what pleases God, becoming less sensible of truth's preciousness. Christ spues as disgusting morsel those saying The temple of the Lord are we while handling sacred work with unsanctified minds, tongues and corrupted precepts without God's marks, saying I know you not because lost sheep themselves with plants too large and managers too small refusing Christ and letting Satan use instruments; the workers in the Review and Herald Office are to be disbanded not relocated. It describes the present state where true love has almost become extinct as religion is degraded, needing to heed the message and seek pardon. Against becoming lukewarm in urgent work it calls for earnest action overcoming self. Lukewarmness as destitution of grace marked by inconsistency calls to be zealous and repent, burdening churches while standing for right refreshes. To be lukewarm is to be under scarcely any influence of saving power, making religion secondary while self, gain and accumulation come first and heaven afterwards, so God sends leanness and withholds light though they attain desire. Lukewarmness includes knowing health reform yet refusing obedience which Christ will reject, meaning keepers must be in sacred relation with Him by temperance keeping mind and body fit, backsliders converted to stand by light denying appetite so God can cooperate, for flesh animalizes nature, robs love and lets lower passions rule, though no precise diet line is marked where fruits, grains and nuts abound. It describes people professing much but whose works deny profession, resisting the Spirit and cherishing disbelief, worse off for unheeded messages and becoming like Laodicea. God rejects lukewarmness and calls for earnest workers hot with His love. The church is lukewarm and needs an arousing message exalting Christ's righteousness to be cried aloud, and if opposition silences it arousing ceases. The church is now in lukewarmness and must decide to remain or change, with leaving meaning showing true colors and beginning reform in the home. The church left first love and became lukewarm showing hardness, coldness and want of sympathy except for favorites, needing the message to lift schools and workers to higher standard by working in Christ's way in meekness bringing rest, seeking the lost with Christ's Spirit. To be lukewarm means to be half-hearted, idle, indifferent and divided, professing faith without wholehearted love, zeal and piety, needing heart power not learning or wealth, demanding entire consecration and whole sacrifice with individual responsibility loving God's people above all and separating from those without love for spiritual things, lest failing of everlasting life; half-hearted workers have no place, calling for union and thorough devotion, and indifference failing to take Christ's side when drawing others brings danger of being spued. Christ will spue lukewarm souls because disgusted with works, yet rebuke is accompanied by hope, offer and call to repent, though mere profession without His character and vital connection is distasteful with ceremonies unable to give life. Christ will spew out professed Christians because life is unlike His, having left first love for self-centeredness, jealousy, strife, bitterness and underhanded workings unendurable to Him, so He will not work with them, ordain them or take their names on His lips, pronouncing them unsanctified unless they repent and do first work, having copied fallen angels instead of showing redemption. Being spued means the name is spued from His lips and blotted out of life if no confession and repentance, but God will pardon those coming with contrition aware of degradation and need. The great mass of half-hearted professors grope in darkness when they could walk in noon light, dishonor God more than unbelievers, lack the seal, deviate in little matters from Christ's example, and will meet rejection and bitter disappointment, while those studying His life as standard will not be cast off. Lukewarmness to be dreaded is receiving only encouraging part of messages while treating warnings as nothing; it was the condition of the Jewish nation rejecting prophecies of Christ's coming by human judgment and natural preference in unbelief and worldliness, recorded for admonition not to treat Revelation's messages as secondary but live with genuine faith. A heavenly Watcher marks words, deportment and motives, all are choosing blessing or curse, and the verse calls for striving for character and for mind cleansed, purified and ennobled by obeying truth, with no time left for idleness. Those claiming belief do not have power God would give if they really believed and strove to be like Christ, His presence is not in the midst, and if Christ were formed within likeness would be seen and trials separating members would disappear. The change calls every family to show true colors by reforming the church in the home, keeping conversation pure, being converted and letting sanctification shine, humbling, repenting, confessing, drawing near to God who will draw near, fearing transgression, for the day of salvation has come; families must not remain indifferent but reform at once. The Redeemer stands at the door inviting acceptance yet many will not hear, and what is needed is faith and love beyond profession so Christ is represented in character with Him as Cornerstone, calling for complete waking up. Lukewarmness is saying to His invitation that one will obey but not going, not abiding in Jesus for life, choosing sin and letting the devil control the mind. Those neither cold nor hot lack living connection and build after the world's pattern, even professed believers not partaking divine nature and not representing Christ, and unless gaining different experience they will never see the King, their lack of happiness in communion showing unfitness for heaven where they would not remain. It applies to the unacceptable condition of medical missionary work failing to prepare people for sound experience that will stand judgment. Remaining lukewarm feeling rich makes people a stumbling block, as does running ahead to take up unentrusted work. The message is sent to idlers saying they are not qualified, calling each to find fitted work, fill his place, seek wisdom, search for needy souls and study Scripture for himself walking humbly, stopping unfruitful thoughts. Being lukewarm means having backslidden from early devotion and lost first love, being blind without acknowledging it, and one must break with darkness, die to self, come to Jesus and repent. Lukewarmness is professing to love God yet not advancing from light to greater light to answer His claims, being unprepared to work and holding back as if under a spell while love of world expels love of God, calling for converting power and baptism of the Spirit with human effort keeping better world in view. Lukewarmness means claiming discipleship while carrying out ambitious schemes and feeding on gossip, so God cannot endorse the work. God calls the lukewarm to repent, and when they come He gives spiritual life and power. Laodiceans are nominal first-day Adventists making effort over victory but not getting it while those with truth put them to flight, lost in foggy fear daring not admit the door is shut, having ascribed God's work to Satan as sin against the Holy Ghost turning against their lives to death; remedy is to look at the Pattern meek and lowly with eyes shut to all but present saving truth. Indifference when one should work to draw others brings danger of being spued, applied to one whose influence leads a young person away instead of helping him be saved. The condition is self-deceived self-righteousness thinking oneself clothed while unfit for the supper, boasting and seeking human glory rather than God's, not led by the Spirit and threatening with law, displeasing Christ and endangering rejection. Lukewarmness is a sinful condition persisting for years, seen in lethargy keeping from working cities and establishing memorials, failing to bear burden or cooperate. The lukewarm condition will fail of everlasting life unless aroused to effort, calling for personal experience and heart work leading to love God's people above all. Each person must heed the message with independence by humbling, turning, changing purposes and bringing Christ's purity, meekness and lowliness into work instead of counterworking, and refusal leads to death. A church can receive great blessings yet remain lukewarm with passion, malice, envy, pride and strife leaving it weak, some stirred briefly then falling back unaware of sin and danger. God looks with indifference on the halfhearted, lukewarmness is living without sobriety, seriousness and solemnity becoming a follower, and unless changed God gives sorrow instead of peace with certain failure for those remaining. The line between serving God and not must be kept clear, to be Christian is to link with Christ, those standing half with believers and half with unbelievers are told to stand aside without endorsement because their course misleads and makes infidels. High profession with no practice is lukewarmness with no place in God's work, to be not with Christ is to be against Him scattering, and the lukewarm hearing truth but not purifying hearts by obeying it are very hard to reach, less receptive than unbelievers and ignorant sinners. The message applies to all professing to keep law yet not doing it, demanding reconversion with the Spirit softening hard hearts and using probationary time to work out salvation representing Christ without selfishness, otherwise title to inheritance is lost and mere professors hear I know you not. The lukewarm condition is a long torpor like apparent death, requiring renewal of straight testimony and revival bringing resurrection, holding confidence in present truth point by point and refusing teachers tearing down the foundation. Lukewarmness must be put away or inaction will destroy confidence, and changed example should show neighbors truth's power to refine life. Half-hearted work avails nothing and God requires decided devotion, giving up pride of dress and opinion, taking firm stand with His humble people to become peculiar purified people zealous of good works. For a time people profess but do not let grace change tendencies, lose interest and return to sinful practices with no root, growing careless until hardened and falling like a house on sand. Lukewarmness is backsliding endangering youth professing Christ falling into discouragement when lacking sympathy, worsened by cold blame while tender solicitude and fervent prayer are required to win them from perdition. The warning applies to those unchanged refusing the message, only the zealously repentant have favor, yet even after sin the Lord calls to return and promises to heal backslidings. Those knowing truth but neglecting duty while neither active nor openly opposed are in a cold indifferent accountable condition. A long period of general lukewarmness with worldly spirit brought alienation, fault-finding, malice and iniquity. Lukewarmness includes indifference and self-satisfaction, and Christ's people must wake, set firm purpose and devote all energy to conform to God's will or they will not become holy. Lukewarmness is indifference and worldly spirit seen in lack of humility, love and union with hard speeches, requiring zealous repentance through humility, pity, rallying around the standard and letting self die. Being lukewarm is a half-hearted experience where Christ's virtue is not taken in, not living wholly for God while the world is wholly given to evil. Being lukewarm is staying selfish and half-hearted without piety corresponding to responsibility, trifling with God instead of serving with single eye; it must be ended by seeing selfishness, humbling, resolving to be wholehearted and seeking first God's kingdom. The warning message about peril must be given by watchmen with clear utterance under the Holy Spirit, applied to institutions needing purifying, rebuking detective power and mote-seeing criticism. When the end is at hand God's people in lukewarmness are backslidden and behind without knowing it, bringing grief from failure to confess sin traceable to individuals. The straight testimony means God will have only those earnestly striving to be right, and members developing unworthy character have no right to house privileges. Lukewarmness is perilous murmuring when neglecting to seek those outside the fold, to be met with plain testimony. Members lukewarm for lack of zeal are not left so but are led to work with zeal when others pray unitedly, live for God's glory and encourage the desponding. Those with God's work must not sink into failing to discern signs and act while Satan unites enemies to control the world. Lukewarm souls need the divine Spirit to awaken them, and Christ's righteousness in the heart can restore vitality. The message includes many and calls workers to advance the work rather than let anyone hinder it, calling to faithful active service. Lukewarmness is doing very little after His much, complaining and holding to ease instead of laboring for souls, to be put away by drinking the fountain of life and seeking the Lord. Half-and-half service is no service, a pretension God cannot accept but finds offensive, producing no righteous fruits and failing to reveal Christ's character purposed in grace to the universe. Indifference must not be remained in, for the time when earth is emptied and burned for broken covenant is very near, so the church must decide which side to stand on when the Lord punishes inhabitants. Christ's inspection warns professed believers failing to live and work truth are in danger, truth must be shown in life, and neglecting abilities can lead others away. Lukewarmness must be repented of with zeal by keeping Christ's excellencies before the mind so the Sun of righteousness rises, complying with the offer to buy gold, raiment and eyesalve and finding the pearl, bringing new song, confession, restitution and power as with the first and second angels' messages. Lukewarmness became more apparent amid rapid increase and prosperity, meaning careless indifference instead of thankfulness, including backsliding from health reform and mingling with worldly men. Christians must not be unreliable or set a lukewarm example encouraging others to sin. Indifferent inactive members are lukewarm, churches settle into it when leaving matters to drift expecting the president alone to keep them healthy instead of looking to God. Christ does not accept half-hearted service, those serving Him must be earnest and cleansed putting away unchristlike traits, for He can only use cleansed vessels and put His Spirit in pure hearts. Christ as True Witness speaks to workers breaking unity by publishing opposing views, showing more confidence in human judgment than His words, calling for heeding Christ and loving one another instead of turning warfare against brethren. Lukewarmness includes selfishness and covetousness, and working to save others melts the cold atmosphere around the soul. The verse is God's message of warning and mercy to those sinning against great light, an earnest warning to prepare to meet the Lord with power and glory, rebuking indifference to signs and calling to receive grace daily with watchfulness and prayer through the Spirit. It demands thorough work in home life and educating children to balanced characters the Lord can approve; while these duties are neglected there is no reason to expect blessing, though the Lord works with human efforts and will not do their assigned work. It means God must discipline every worker into submission bending the will to His way, molding character by the Spirit under watchful care, separating perverse temperament, self-esteem, masterly subordination, crude manners and unchristlike words until self dies, for the irritated clinging to own way cannot be used. Lukewarmness is giving up to self-indulgence instead of self-denial, backsliding on health reform and sacrificing health by appetite and lust instead of following the self-denying Saviour and cherishing light. Becoming absorbed in commercial work can leave people lukewarm unable to grasp present truth for this time, distasteful to Christ. Christ's estimate contrasts with their own self-pleasing smartness, supposed wisdom and cheap habits, spurious coin without right ring and salt without savor with no saving influence, separated from Jesus, blinded to being wretched, offensive without righteousness or law-keeping. Lukewarmness is pretentious piety with works opposed to God's Word, including unbelief and resistance with despiteful words, nauseating to Christ who cannot tolerate and will reject them, though those who so spoke will be brought to see sinfulness. God claims all of a person, requiring connection, daily experience and perfected character rather than the world's standard or halting between opinions; the counsel is the heavenly anointing of gold, raiment and eyesalve as pure religion, applied by falling on the Rock, purifying the soul and doing thorough work for eternity without dallying while eternity is near. Taking words undermining faith is lukewarm faith with no savor to be spewed, worse than decided opposition. Lukewarm means vain and trifling, loving social gathering more than prayer and fiction more than the Bible, finding the Word uninteresting because bewitched and disqualified for godliness, of no benefit with angels unable to cooperate, lacking Christ's Spirit, feeling no obligation to sacrifice, falling below conscientious worldlings and controlled by Satan. A diseased heart from failing to live by every word makes service unacceptable. All members are on trial and all dishonoring God's name will have no place in His kingdom. God's work has no place for half-hearted people but calls for whole-hearted service and copying the true Pattern. The church's need of repentance is weakened by worldliness, selfishness and love of wealth overcoming love of God. Those in charge of publishing houses in this condition are on losing ground and must examine, humble and repent of injurious matter, worldly methods and deception. The condition represents those absorbed by worldly interests with lapsed first love, hearts unaffected showing no power, retaining only ceremonial zeal nauseating to Christ. It calls for a living healthy all-round experience instead of divided self-satisfied religion, requiring cleansed discernment, an eye single to God's glory, vital union with Christ, and working, watching and praying with eye fixed on Him with nothing interposed. The message to Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22 is truth for this time to be given now with distinct evidence, calling for humble repentance to receive pardon, exposing repentance mixed with hay, wood, stubble and underhand dealing while talking principle, for every evil work comes into judgment. The warning applies to churches when professing godliness ceases to be faithful; lukewarmness is a boastful faultfinding spirit, and those in it especially in responsibility must humble, put it away and repent to gain victories, otherwise Christ cannot present their names to the Father. The Laodicean message applies to many claiming present truth but remaining lukewarm failing to use abilities; neglecting work brings denunciation, calling to zeal proportionate to truth and practice of principles. It applies to a church with knowledge but lacking fervor of love and sanctifying power, joined to self-satisfaction and formalism, facing rejection unless it repents. It is an earnest warning to prepare to meet the Lord, rebuking indifference to signs evidencing the end is upon them. Lukewarmness is lack of acquaintance with Jesus, failure to carry out His purposes and daily grieving the Spirit, leaving followers lofty like worldlings without devotion instead of constrained by His love to show contrast and give Him glory. The lukewarm condition is becoming cold toward brethren when hurt, enclosing in self-righteousness and judging worth; the True Witness knows these works and will spew out those remaining in this state. Lukewarm means self-satisfied self-exaltation saying rich and needing nothing while wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked, needing humbling, confession and buying gold, raiment and eyesalve, else God will humble; it is cold hardness from pride in wisdom and ambition refusing light and trusting human plans, disgusting to the Redeemer, with spewing meaning He will not hear or commend, while babes depending realize stronger influence; it applies to those holding mighty truths lifted up imitating fashions, to those once knowing truth now satisfied under deception to be vindicated to the letter, and to great profession weaving imperfections by self-pattern boasting attainments in conceit that would mar heaven, yet rejection is not yet final and there is still time. Half-hearted professors are worse than infidels because deceptive profession misleads others, aids Satan, burdens the faithful, confirms the unconsecrated and shuts heaven, taking the name deficient in graces, serving self, withholding affections, indifferent to others and bringing blood of souls; their influence is more harmful than the avowed infidel and God has nothing to do with the neither-cold-nor-hot, with half-hearted unbelief undermining faith less tolerable than decided opposition and stumbling new believers. To be spewed means He will no longer present their name to His Father, trifling until diseased and only occasionally Christian without implanted truth. The threat is given in love to save, and rejection is not yet final; Jesus delays, bears patiently and gives time for excitement to wear off so character develops, idols are exposed, hearts examined, sins confessed and obedience from principle proved, to separate precious from vile and prepare a pure holy people for His presence and the loud cry, with hardness hindering greater work yet efforts blessed bringing many from darkness. It calls the lukewarm to humble, confess, be zealous, buy gold, raiment and eyesalve, open the door, sup with Him and sit with Him, else God will humble, with transformation, furnace cleansing, hope of reform and shining as sun promised to overcomers truly changed. Lukewarm is lifeless preaching lulling people to sleep; the verse calls for pointed sermons from lips touched with a live coal, warning ministers backslidden making no effort and publishing leaders on losing ground. The lukewarm condition is a curse making the church weak because members follow own impulses; servants must roll it away by laboring with Christ through transformation and affliction to reform and shine. Lukewarm means great profession without following Jesus and boasting of attainments while full of conceit; such wisdom would mar heaven, yet time remains. Lukewarm means taking the Christian name while deficient in graces, serving self and withholding best affections, becoming a stumbling block shutting heaven and bringing blood of souls to be cast out. The lukewarm have no vital connection, are powerless, insipid like salt without savor and useless to society, with profession contradicted and advocacy weightless, rejected by Christ. Lukewarmness is professing truth without letting it sanctify life, leaving the Word a dead letter applied to neighbors not self; such misrepresent Christ and Christ cannot present their case, worse than dead unless realizing sin to be aroused by the Spirit, unfit for service. The message given on Patmos must be studied now as warning that men will arise claiming new light whose theories would destroy faith in truths tested for half a century, a tremendous testimony of last events to guard against Satan's deception of the elect. The counsel applies to those corrupted, covered in blindness, not progressing and following own imaginings, unsafe for God's institutions. The message must be received as God's Word rather than dismissed as of men; when barred out by unbelief, doubt, ridicule and treating as human it has no influence and leaves in darkness, preventing effectual working in believers. The message exposes blindness where religious life is a lie, calling for dissatisfaction deep enough to work reform among brethren and churches. A lukewarm church faces warning shown by harshness, lack of sympathy and critical spirit, and counsel calls to be zealous and repent. The warning most appropriately represents those once knowing and loving truth, fully satisfied under terrible deception; being spewed is rejection as offensive to Him who loved and cooperated, calling for united heart-searching in the very last days when none lack opportunity to hear the Spirit, to be vindicated to the letter. The warning applies to Sister Palmer showing selfishness and lack of Christlike love left her lukewarm in actual character rather than profession though thinking favorable. Merely nominal profession without fixed principle, living faith and true godliness is lukewarm facing rejection, though appearing to keep commandments and pray while self-deceived; Satan can use empty profession to mislead others taking them as standard instead of the Bible. To be lukewarm is to be a professing Christian living selfishly and treating others heartlessly, nauseating to Christ, calling for courage, hope and encouraging words instead. Half-hearted service means neither serving wholeheartedly nor rejecting outright, with profession not matched by obedience evident as life shaped by knowing Jesus, to be spued. Lukewarm means out of harmony with truth shown in greedy grasping departing from equity in buying and selling with little purity; to spew means Christ will not take names on His lips but cast off, calling to cleanse the temple from merchandise making it thieves' den, where many will repent and others hardened refuse to be broken. It speaks to halfhearted Christians unwilling to follow Christ but desiring fashions; being lukewarm means refusing self-denial and the cross hindering character, calling for denying self to follow His self-sacrificing life as disciples. The warning addresses professing Christians claiming earnestness but mixing imperfections; their condition means Christ cannot endorse their work and will reject unless converted, yet still time. God has nothing to do with those neither cold nor hot; the careless cannot be prepared for trial and will be rejected, and the half-hearted exert more harmful influence than the infidel. Lukewarmness means lacking zeal and love to reach the erring, yet those in it are not left without hope. Coldness still leaves hope, but lukewarmness means uninfluenced by His Spirit with no warm love and insensibility to mercy; Christ desires to present names to the Father as graven on palms and send angels but cannot for the lukewarm selfish and asleep without lived religion at home, church or offerings while the world perishes, whose remedy is conversion, humbling, confession and putting away offense to become warm. Professing much while void of warmth is lifeless profession nauseating to God bringing rejection, for Christ cannot present such before the Father. Being divided between Christ and world is lukewarmness to be rejected; those connected work earnestly and bear fruit, while indolence, carelessness and frivolity separate and leave vulnerable to Satan, calling for real commitment. It is God's message of warning and mercy to those sinning against great light, showing the neither-cold-nor-hot to be spued. It points out danger of losing hold on things learned from the Source of light, where diligent study guards faith against human interpretations and fables loosening pins and pillars. Seventh-day Adventists are like the lukewarm church, and the verse with the whole chapter is a lesson of warning for the present hour while perils thicken until the close.
Christ who knows every work warns that to be neither cold nor hot but lukewarm causes Him to spew out of His mouth, that is, to utterly reject and cast off.
To be lukewarm is half-hearted divided service, professing to serve Christ while serving self and the world, professing sanctifying truth while denying it in life without wholehearted obedience and vital connection with Him.
It is self-satisfied self-exaltation saying I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, while in truth being wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
To be spewed out means He cannot offer their prayers and service to God or take their names upon His lips to present them to the Father, but casts them off and blots the name out of the book of life unless there is zealous repentance.
The remedy He still counsels before rejection is final is to buy of Him gold tried in the fire meaning faith and love proved in trial, white raiment meaning His righteousness covering nakedness, and eyesalve meaning spiritual discernment, by humbling the self, confessing, and being zealous to overcome.
The warning is addressed not to the open sinner but to professing Christians who have had great light, above all Seventh-day Adventists in the last days, to be read, understood, and heeded now rather than remained in.
Speaker Message Setting
The utterance comes from the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God, addressed to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans concerning its works. He declares that He knows their works that they are neither cold nor hot, expresses His wish that they were cold or hot, and warns that because they are lukewarm He will spew them out of His mouth, which is expulsion and rejection. Those so addressed are a class who have not purified their souls by obedience to the truth, who say they are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing while in truth they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. To them He gives counsel to buy of Him gold tried in the fire that they may be rich, and white raiment that they may be clothed, and eyesalve that they may see. The warning belongs to the very last days of this earth's history, when revelation is given to the church and no one is left without opportunity to hear what the Spirit says to the churches, and it calls for united diligent searching of the heart for evasions and other evils hated by God, for the Lord will vindicate His word to the letter.
It belongs to the last testimony given to John on the Isle of Patmos, message after message to the churches including Ephesus, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, with the whole of chapter 3 carrying solemn warning about things that will be in the last events of this earth's history for these last days. The messages to the churches in the first, second and third chapters give the history of the effort to bring dissension into the church and show difficulties that must be met today. The names of the churches are symbolic of the Christian church in different periods of the Christian era, and the number seven indicates completeness, showing that the messages extend to the end of time and are in force today. They portray the state of things existing in the churches of the religious world today, with the lukewarm figure symbolic of the state of professed people, with wheat developing among tares and truth standing on its own eternal basis in contrast with error. In this message character is weighed, every individual is under supervision, and thoughts and intents of the heart as well as every word and act and all about religious experience are known, calling for close self-examination and for minds kept from confusion and deception by evil angels working in all deceivableness to deceive if possible the very elect. It comes as God's message through John to His people in these last days, warning that to be lukewarm and neither cold nor hot puts them in danger of being separated from the Sun of Righteousness to be spewed out of His mouth.
The whole third chapter is to be studied by all who watch for souls as those who must give an account. It charges watchmen, ministers and doctors to guard every outpost, to speak in clear decided tones under the Holy Spirit, and to rouse from stubborn unbelief, so that no soul is permitted to pass into uncertainty or be led on in wrong into the snare of the enemy to perish, lest blood of souls caused to become confused and to perish be required at their hands. Diligent study of the chapter guards faith in Jesus Christ against human interpretations and the reception of fables that would loosen one pin and remove one pillar from the platform of truth, spoil faith and confuse understanding, pointing out the danger of losing hold upon things heard and learned from the Source of all light. It calls to remember how truth was received and heard, and to hold fast and repent, since faults have entered as theories so subtle that through mind acting upon mind by those departed from the faith the foe causes souls imperceptibly to be imbued with a spirit that draws away from the faith.
The message to Laodicea gives more fully the explanation and Christ's verdict upon the condition existing in the churches today, that a lukewarm people neither cold nor hot He will spew out of His mouth. It is not a smooth or undeserved rebuke that excuses the people from the wrongs for which they have been reproved, but a solemn rebuke exposing false confidence, neglected duties, selfishness, pride and love of the world, requiring wrongs to be faced rather than shielded. It is a message of condemnation opposite to the message of commendation given to Ephesus, showing the difference between the true humble sanctified child of God and the lukewarm professor, a contrast those having any part in advancing the work should keep in mind. It reproves, rebukes and chastens the militant church in order to restore and heal, not to discourage or destroy, and its correction is an act of love calling people to receive reproof. It proves dealing with the church is by rebuke and correction, not by pronouncing her Babylon and calling people out of her, for wheat and tares remain together until angels separate them at harvest.
The message of Revelation 3:14-22 applies to the present as a gracious last call to repentance and message of mercy to a backslidden church, still being sent with special meaning for the present time. It is to be read with prayer for God to show its import, received as God's Word rather than dismissed as of men, and given now with distinct and particular evidence as truth for this time calling for humble repentance to receive pardon and save souls from death. To be lukewarm neither cold nor hot means to be cold and formal in religious things, self-confident and determined to carry out one's own ideas and plans while claiming to be rich and in need of nothing, yet being wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, an indifference God abhors as bringing rejection. Its themes to a perishing world are justification by faith and the righteousness of Christ, with Jesus looking with sorrow upon unanswered expectations yet longing to bestow richest blessings and make them mouthpieces declaring indwelling grace, each to open the heart's door to Him as vendor of heavenly treasures offering gold tried in the fire and white raiment, that they may triumph with the third angel's message. It warns that accepting false theories regarding God such as those introduced in Living Temple puts souls in great danger of making the plain Word of no effect and finally coming to look upon the whole Bible as fiction, and that every evil work of wrong and underhand dealing, talking principle while acting satanic principles and mixing repentance with hay, wood and stubble, is coming into judgment.
Meaning of Lukewarm
To be lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, is the condition that brings rejection, pictured as being spewed out of the mouth. It is a spiritual response to Christ that is neither cold nor hot, a half-hearted faith held by person or church that remains in that state and resists counsel. Only the zealously repentant keep favor, while those remaining lukewarm are cast off completely.
To be lukewarm is divided service, trying to be half for Christ and half for the world, neither wholly opposed nor wholeheartedly committed. It is profession to serve Christ without obedience evident to others as a life shaped by knowing Jesus, hearing His words without doing them, praising Christ and the world together, serving God and mammon, wanting Christ as Saviour without bearing His cross and yoke. Half a Christian is no Christian, for anything drawing affections from God becomes an idol, partial service places one on the enemy's side, and entire wholehearted consecration and singleness of purpose are demanded. Such halfhearted ones witness against Him while professing to serve Him, and their deceptive words and noncommittal position deceive both parties and lead many astray, being neither good worldlings nor good Christians whom Satan uses to do a work no one else can do. Their criticism, harmful speech, resistance to correction, and failure to gather with Christ hinder the church, and unless they recognize need, heed counsel to become zealous and repent, and undergo genuine transformation, they face rejection.
To be lukewarm is to profess sanctifying truth while denying Christ in life, to be not thoroughly converted and not living wholly for God. It is to profess much while works deny profession, to hear the Word without applying it to self while applying it to neighbors, leaving the Word a dead letter. It is form of godliness without power, with old disposition unchanged from before knowing truth, worldly and unbelieving in practice, misrepresenting Christ, insipid like salt without savor whose advocacy of truth has no weight, lacking vital connection with Christ and partaking of the divine nature. Such merely nominal profession without fixed principle, living faith and true godliness may appear to keep commandments and pray yet remains self-deceived, and Satan can use the empty profession to mislead others who take them as standard instead of the Bible.
Lukewarm means self-satisfied self-exaltation saying rich and increased with goods and having need of nothing, while in truth being wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, deceived about true spiritual condition. Though thinking rich and needing nothing, such are in need of everything, and recognizing that need is necessary to receive the heavenly treasure, remedy and offered counsel to buy gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eyesalve. Self-confidence about riches may be sincere yet false because judgment differs from man's, and self-exalting coldness and hardness of heart come from pride in worldly wisdom and worldly ambition to be first, exalting self, refusing offered light, and trusting human plans and binding agreements. By contrast those as babes realizing weakness and dependence exert far stronger influence for good.
Lukewarmness is coldness, formality, indifference, carelessness, sloth, tame lifeless spiritless service and prayer, nominal morality and religion without Jesus carrying no burdens for sinners. It is religious pretension without genuine true pure religion, a careless course with no zeal making a person no different from the world, cold and formal, filled with egotism working against Christ, feeling no distress for sinners and no agony for souls dying around. It is lack of intimate acquaintance with Jesus and of the Holy Spirit, purposeless experience, spiritual feebleness and poverty that grows increasingly abhorrent until rejected, with unbelief conveying repulsiveness like tepid water and even much knowledge worthless without true religion. The careless and indifferent cannot be prepared for the day of trial, God has nothing to do with those neither cold nor hot, and the lukewarm will be rejected from His mouth.
The lukewarm position of professed Christians is more dangerous and harmful than open unbelief in both name and practice, so it would be better to be cold. Deceptive noncommittal profession misleads others, stumbles sinners and new believers, aids Satan, burdens faithful believers, reproaches God's cause, and dishonors God more than the avowed unbeliever. It is self-satisfied worldliness, pride and self-righteousness shutting Jesus out while claiming to need nothing, so life does not shine in good works, trying to serve God and selfish interests at once as a polluted sacrifice that cannot be accepted. Taking words that undermine faith has no true savor or value, and those long knowing truth yet unconverted become stumblingblocks working against efforts to bring souls to faith.
There is no safe neutral middle ground between right and wrong, serving God and serving the enemy. Half-hearted indifferent service separates the soul from Jesus the source of strength, and the call is for earnest decision to be wholly on the Lord's side and to trust God with everything rather than cling to worldly possessions or honor. The warning presses with highest consequence upon students and young men and young women when the world under Satan's training sustains and gives popularity to transgression of the law, but popularity does not lessen one principle of God, and as in Noah's day the largest number chose the wrong side. The time when the earth will be emptied, wasted, defiled and burned because of transgressed laws and broken covenant is very near, so indifference must not remain but decision must be made on which side to stand when the Lord comes out of His place to punish inhabitants for iniquity.
To be lukewarm is to be half-hearted, idle, indifferent and slothful without zeal, vitality and consecration, selfish and covetous and clouded in sight, neither wholly opposed to God nor wholeheartedly devoted to Him. It is to be out of harmony with truth and law with little purity and holiness, shown especially in selfish greedy grasping departing from equity in buying and selling, doing only surface work with occasional glances at the Word and formal petitions, unprepared to work at home, in neighborhood and church. It lacks training to put on the whole armor and depend on the Holy Spirit so words, spirit and actions are unlike Christ, void of warmth, with no lived religion shown at home, in church or in gifts, but selfish, satisfied and asleep while the world perishes. Unconsecration and self-righteousness in place of Christ's righteousness make deception hard to recognize and remove, so such a person is harder to reach than an unconverted godless sinner, yet coldness still leaves hope while lukewarmness means uninfluenced by the Spirit with no warm love and insensibility to mercy.
Meaning of Being Spewed
To be spewed out is to be utterly rejected and cast off for remaining lukewarm and resisting counsel, and only those who zealously repent keep favor. Those who glide along as before without letting the message have weight upon them will be cast out, including ministers, churches, families and responsible leaders who will not change in heart and character. Continuing in that state brings rejection, as applied to young people who fail to devote themselves zealously to serving God and helping others, and to professed believers whose pride and self-gratification show in satisfaction over a few accomplishments in contrast to true conversion, consecration, whole-hearted service, humility, confession and fervent prayer. A faith without power or life, lacking daily experience because Christ and His righteousness have been dropped, calls for zealous repentance to avoid being spewed out, and if the message is ignored with its pretentious piety and self-sufficiency and works opposed to holy principles, such people will be cast away.
To be spewed from the mouth means prayers and expressions of love cannot be offered to God, teaching of the Word and spiritual work cannot be endorsed, and religious exercises cannot be presented with request that grace be given. Sin in the services is like a dead fly in the ointment, so service is not heard or commended. Lukewarm labor in connection with the work and cause of God is nauseating, and coldness and hardness of heart from pride in worldly wisdom and ambition to be first, exalting self, feeling rich and needing nothing, refusing offered light and trusting human plans and agreements, leaves words and works disgusting to the self-denying Redeemer, while those who as babes realize weakness and dependence exert far stronger influence for good.
To be spewed out means names are no longer taken upon the lips to be presented to the Father as graven on the palms, but are cast off and, without confession and repentance, spued from the lips and blotted out of the book of life. None need remain in the neither-cold-nor-hot position so abhorrent to the Saviour, though continuing in it slights messages of mercy while actions are weighed, and coming out requires denying self, taking up the cross and following the path appointed for leaders and people. To trifle with soul interests until diseased and inefficient, deceived with truth not abiding in the heart, only occasionally Christian and devout with occasional glances at the Word and formal petitions without grace, instead of having truth implanted to regulate daily life by the law, brings this casting off of the name. By contrast the obedient, self-sacrificing and faithful who count no sacrifice too costly upon the altar of faith and love will not be spewed out but will be taken on the lips, with names engraven on the palms, specially pleaded for before the Father, remembered and immortalized when the selfish and proud are forgotten, finding happiness in yielding possessions, talents and affections in grateful devotion to make others happy and immortal glory hereafter, and God will pardon and bless all who come with full contrition aware of degradation and need.
The lukewarm will be utterly rejected and divine protection withheld when the avenging angel passes, so that lukewarm commandment-keeping people with opportunity to hear and receive truth yet no more vitality and consecration than nominal churches stand no better than fallen churches and will receive of the plagues just as verily as churches opposing the law. Half-hearted Christians are worse than infidels, for deceptive words and noncommittal position deceive both sides and lead many astray, being neither good worldlings nor good Christians whom Satan uses for a work no one else can do. Those pretending to be Sabbathkeepers while living a shameful openly disgraceful course known to the neighborhood are known in works and rejected in lukewarm profession, and their evil influence forms children to be cut down with the seven last plagues, a fearful burden borne by the father. Pride, fashion, empty talk and selfishness reveal the evil condition of lukewarm professors facing judgment, some calling themselves Christians with no light and no renewal by grace, while each person is tested, works are known, and a searching separation among professed people is about to be made.
Being spued out means the heavenly anointing departs and mischief comes in, as when souls for whom the Spirit breathed again and again walk as blind men not knowing at what they stumble and make crooked paths turning the lame out of the way, because the soul was not trained to pity, faith scarcely existed, and handlers of sacred things were sharp, critical and censorious at the time to honor God by responding to grace, cultivating love for heavenly things and beholding Jesus to reflect Him in cheerful grateful praise. Yet Jesus does not spew out at once but bears patiently and gives the message time to work to expose backsliding and sins that shut Him out, stir examination, confession and zealous repentance, and prepare for His presence and fitness for the loud cry of the third angel. The delay develops character and brings out what is in the heart to separate the precious from the vile, testing whether people will obey the True Witness from principle and faith after first excitement, feeling and fear wear off. The message applies to God's people at the present time as a fearful arousing message to discover backslidings and lead to purification, and though hardness of heart has kept it from accomplishing greater work and it will not finish in a few short months, its presentation led to close heart examination, deep humility, angels preparing unbelieving hearts, the cause rising as position was learned, many brought from error and darkness to rejoice in truth, and greater power would have followed full heed to counsel. Rejection is therefore not yet final while time for repentance remains, though outward pride in dress such as ruffles and ribboned bonnets indexes inner pride marking the lukewarm in contradiction to looking for Jesus to change vile bodies like His glorious body, and self-satisfied profession saying rich and increased with goods and needing nothing while wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked, with fault-finding against message and messenger instead of discerning Satan's working, must heed light in Word and testimonies. Those refusing to overcome selfishness, pride and evil passions remain impure and are left to evil angels, while those heeding and overcoming are promised the latter rain and preparation for translation into a pure holy self-denying people with cherished idols exposed.
Christ will spue lukewarm souls because He is disgusted with their works and finds the state repellent like nauseous lukewarm water, hating and loathing indifference and preferring cold or hot. Lukewarm means slothful and half-hearted with divided heart trifling with God instead of entire whole-hearted service, saying to His invitation that one will obey but not going, not surrendering to abide in Jesus and come for life, choosing sin, bringing truth into disrepute and letting the devil control the mind. It means great profession without following Jesus and bearing the cross in self-denial, weaving imperfections by self-invented pattern instead of the divine Example, boasting spiritual riches while filled with conceit, and having left first love for self-centeredness, selfishness, idolatry of self, jealousy, strife, evil thinking and speaking, with wicked underhanded workings He will not work with or ordain, pronouncing them tried and unsanctified in words, spirit and action with no second trial as leaders unless they repent and do first works. Religious ceremonies and appearance of life without vital connection to the source of life cannot make the soul alive, and such merely professing life unlike His is utterly distasteful. Yet rebuke is given in love to save, accompanied by hope and call to repent and to rise to diligent work, seek grace with whole heart, might, mind and strength, live in contact with Christ and abide as fruitful branches to win others, with the only hope a clear view of standing before God and knowledge of the disease because the inward work of grace is wanting and the neutral aloof position flatters itself in need of nothing while aiding the enemy and ready to leave posts for worldly interests.
As the True Witness He knows every work and keeps faithful record with nothing escaping searching gaze, seeing to the soul's center, reading secrets, thoughts and intents with all naked and open like flame of fire, exposing cold hardness from pride in worldly wisdom and ambition and boasting of riches while sensing no weakness. Human plans and agreements cannot cure this self-satisfied unwillingness to receive light, which leaves words and works disgusting and without Christ's character, while those recognizing weakness and depending on Him exert stronger good influence. The warning means rejection for bracing against light and evidence, trifling with God, and persisting in unbelief and rejection of light sent to heal spiritual disease, exposing what they are and what they must be to be saved. It calls for humbling the heart, confessing errors, coming into light and freedom, and repenting now while there is a Mediator to plead and lay sins on the Sin-bearer, for no one could stand if iniquities were marked and no deed of darkness or meditated sin is hidden.
Remedy and Overcomer Promise
The warning to the lukewarm is joined to a counsel to buy from Christ gold refined in fire, white clothing, and eye salve, and to do so urgently before it is too late, for the day of God will reveal every case as it is. The gold is faith and love and character tested in fire, precious character tried and purified, to make the buyer truly rich; the white raiment is pure faultless character and the righteousness of Christ to cover nakedness so its shame does not appear; the eyesalve is spiritual discernment to see sin, to discern Satan's working, and to perceive the true spiritual condition beneath the claim to be rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing while wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. That counsel comes from the faithful and true Witness who knows the works of those who have had truth and know God's requirements, and it is given in love to save, rebuking and chastening those He loves, knocking at the door of the heart, promising to come in and sup with whoever opens and to grant the overcomer to sit with Him on His throne, as the Spirit speaks to the churches. Those in this condition must stop caviling, gossiping, faultfinding, self-pity, and resistance to light in Word and testimony, humble themselves and confess sins lest God humble them, and heed with zealous repentance, for opening the door brings His presence into the soul to reflect His image with intensity of love.
The call is to be zealous and repent, to arise from indifferent careless backsliding in which warnings have only temporary effect because danger is not realized and no thorough work is done. It requires throwing away feeling as a guide, feeling spiritual destitution and poverty, humbling self, confessing sins and errors, righting known wrongs, and exchanging lukewarmness for love and zeal by earnest determined effort to overcome worldly and selfish love, for without this culture of the heart there will be failure of heaven. The testimony has been lightly heeded and calls for deep repentance, with sins plainly reproved, named as sin, and promptly put away by pointed testimony; those truly receiving it obey and are purified, while resistance brings a shaking, and unless the church speedily arouses it will go into darkness and be ensnared and overcome.
The downcast lukewarm church that knows not how to rise can rise and drink of God's salvation and move understandingly by taking hold of the work individually. The way is to be zealous and repent, right all known wrongs, then believe God accepts and receives, seek Him diligently, take Him at His word, go not mourning, climb by faith, for believing is part of the work and He who promised is faithful, giving liberty and confidence instead of stiffness, suspicion, and watching to make an offender for a word. Opening to the Redeemer who gave His life and now stands at the door and knocks brings His presence to sup with whoever opens, reflecting His image; what is needed is faith in and love for a personal Saviour beyond mere profession, so that Christ as chief Cornerstone is represented in spirit, words, and all character, with Jesus remaining the chief love and center of hope, and the overcomer granted a seat with Him on His throne, while only those sanctified through truth will compose the royal family in the mansions prepared for those who love Him and keep His commandments.
The message must be experienced by each person for himself with the greatest possible independence, with deep personal interest in one's own case, turning the eyes within, afflicting the soul, mourning, praying, and begging for salvation. Heeding means humbling the soul before God, turning from one's own way and counsel that counterworks God, changing purposes, and bringing more of Christ's purity, meekness, and lowliness into the work, believing God accepts, seeking diligently, taking Him at His word, and climbing by faith; refusal to turn leads to death. No one is to repent for brother or sister, watch others to judge whether they move fast enough, reprove and bear them down, take charge of their consciences, or bind upon them burdens God did not dictate, for that leaves a person worse off and in darkness without wisdom to separate right from wrong, and false burdens taken up must be yielded, laid aside, and begun anew, with God willing to restore all former good. In the home this means showing true colors by reforming the church in the home, keeping conversation pure and elevating, with parents aroused, converted, and letting sanctification shine in clear rays, humbling self, repenting, confessing, drawing near to God who will draw near, fearing continued transgression, for the great day of salvation has come and everlasting life is by seeing the Son and believing on Him.
Rejection is not yet final, for Christ still counsels to buy of Him, showing it is not too late, and now is the time to work with awareness of danger, no longer under the deceiver, in earnest work for repentance. Everyone is called to come into close relation with God, come out from the world and be separate and touch not the unclean so God will receive them as sons and daughters, walk humbly and contritely so the high and lifted up One revives them, appreciate the great gift of Christ, wrestle for the crown of immortality and the life that measures with God's life and the eternal weight of glory promised every overcomer, and get ready to meet the Lord in peace at His very soon coming in the clouds. When the lukewarm come in repentance He gives spiritual life and power and heals backslidings, and only the zealously repentant keep favor, even after sin and refusal, upon return.
Heeding brings thorough reformation that revives the living testimony, purges hypocrites and sinners, and brings the church again into favor with God, uplifting and refreshing it as the world's light. That arousing is the testimony exalting Christ's righteousness, to be cried aloud and spared not, for if opposition silences it the work of arousing ceases; Christ's righteousness working in the heart awakens lukewarm souls and restores vitality. It is advanced by keeping His excellencies, matchless love, and power before the mind until the Sun of righteousness rises in the heart, complying with the offer to buy gold, raiment, and eyesalve and finding the pearl of great price, bringing a new song of His love, confession of wrongs to believers and unbelievers, and restitution, with the spirit and power that attended the first and second angels' messages.
Escape requires simplicity, humility of mind, and contrition of soul, humbling the heart, crying after God, wrestling in earnest agonizing prayer like Jacob, dying to self, believing and showing faith by works, and coming into close connection with heaven with Jesus as strength. It means sanctification through obedience with conscience purged from dead works, perfect love and entire conformity to God's will, cutting away from self and sin until mind, soul, and body conform to Christ, for lukewarmness is becoming more conformed to the world than to Christ's image, turning toward Egypt instead of Canaan, backsliding while professing godliness yet inactive, worldly, fruitless, and barren despite every advantage and promise. Without this, fruitless professors face rejection and curse like the fig tree with only leaves; with it, zealous response to loving rebuke brings fellowship with Christ and a seat with Him on His throne to the overcomer, while angels expect much more in view of infinite sacrifice, divine power through His blood, partaking of the divine nature, and power to lay hold of infinite might, so true faith in the last days will not bury capabilities in perishing temporal interests or treat salvation as secondary content with inefficiency, but will seek God-given power, keep living connection with heaven, increase in faith and love without which salvation cannot be worked out, and labor day by day as workers together with God.
People and Time Addressed
If ever a people are pictured by the Laodicean message it is those who have had great light and the revelation of the Scriptures, Seventh-day Adventists in the last days, and the verse with the whole chapter is a lesson of warning for the important present hour to the end of time, showing their present lukewarm condition, to be read, understood, heeded and changed and not remained in. To be neither cold nor hot is to be lukewarm, and because of that condition Christ will spue His people out of His mouth, revealing their true condition and bringing danger of rejection. That lukewarm condition includes leaving first love, failure to follow clear light, self-righteousness, pride, self-reliance, self-importance, boastfulness and an unconverted state, demanding diligent study of every verse of Revelation 3, humbling of heart, walking in the light, and coming to Jesus in childlike trust with melting love to receive the graces of the Spirit of truth and righteousness instead of depending on human ability and exalting self. Those who make great profession yet fail to keep in step with their Leader will be spued out unless they repent, for God deals with His church by rebuke and correction, not by pronouncing her Babylon and calling His people out of her.
The verse warns professing Christians who have become so like the world that no difference can be seen, applies especially to God's people in the present day, and is the Lord's rebuke to His erring people under His eye calling them to repentance. Their lukewarm state of being neither cold nor hot brings His warning that He will spue them out of His mouth, and this denunciation applies to God's people in the present time, including ministers and churches, calling them to heed received light rather than remain complacent. It is not addressed to the common sinner or to those making no profession, but to professing churches living in transgression of God's law, in every one of which are found those it addresses, who must hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The message belongs to the church in Los Angeles and to churches generally, calling for a deep work of grace in the heart, to awake and arouse and do the work God has given to do, to believe truth of heavenly origin and practice professed truth so as to give the unconverted evidence that truth is believed. It belongs to the church in California and throughout America and to Battle Creek with its school, publishing house and institutions, standing with the declaration that Christ comes quickly to reward each according to work. The lukewarm unconsecrated condition at Battle Creek counteracted the influence of the institutions among it and hindered bringing people to truth, for Laodicean blindness existed there even while people looked to it for guidance, with blinded eyes and confused experience so light could not be discerned from darkness and truth from error because counsel was not heeded but trust was put in weak men who talk but seldom pray. That church had become alarmingly lukewarm by taking on the spirit of the world, some only briefly stirred by others' fervor then chilled by formality, pride and worldly influence, leaving them unaware of need, and the call is to seek purification while Christ comes quickly.
The warning applied in Iowa calls the churches there to heed by repenting, humbling the heart, seeking the Lord most earnestly, letting prayer rise from hearts burdened over defective experience, learning to wrestle with God in prayer for perishing souls as Jacob wrestled, and improving in prayer and in opening the Scriptures to others. Lukewarmness there is loss of earnest prayer, tame lifeless heartless spiritless prayers destitute of the Holy Spirit, long prayers God does not accept, defective experience and lack of deeper piety and earnestness, and without repentance the candlestick is removed, while turning fully to the Lord ends lifeless prayers and sends light worldwide. It applied to Battle Creek when the time had come to honor God and reflect Him by responding to grace, cultivating love for heavenly things and beholding Jesus, warning those resisting light that they walk as blind men not knowing at what they stumble and make crooked paths turning the lame out of the way, where being spued out means the heavenly anointing departs and mischief comes in.
The warning applies to many ministers and many churches they serve, whose works Christ knows, whose lukewarmness is spiritual slumber, vanity and boasting, a kingly ruling spirit repressing Spirit-enlightened bearers, prejudice against God's leading, failure to establish truth in new places, hearing without practicing, and self-satisfaction claiming riches while wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, and unless zealous and repentant and receiving gold tried in fire, white raiment and eyesalve He will cast them off. Those in charge of publishing houses in this neither-cold-nor-hot state are on losing ground and must examine, pity their souls, humble proud spirits, see error, and repent of injurious matter, worldly methods, unchristlike spirit and deception. Missionaries with great light and opportunities become lukewarm and ready to be spewed out unless constantly seeking a higher standard and living connection, without which self and common earthly habits mingle with holy principles in a mixture God spews out. Leading men in publishing work who profess godliness but work against truth, setting aside It is written for human inventions, departing from justice, mercy and love of God with low spirituality and corrupted covetous principles, will not have their names taken on His lips because pretense dishonors Him and brings confusion and disrepute. Ministers lacking heartfelt piety and helpers claiming to be Christians yet worldly, selfish, covetous and seeking applause are in danger, and workers breaking unity by publishing opposing views with more confidence in human judgment than His words must heed Christ and love one another.
The verse is applied to Sister Palmer, who though thinking herself favorable before God is left spiritually lukewarm under warning of rejection by selfishness and lack of Christlike love in actual character and conduct, not mere profession. It is applied to a person whose threats and conduct show the neither-cold-nor-hot condition, calling to be zealous and repent, and to one holding unsanctified ambition for worldly praise who has drunk deeply of worldlings, who must get heavenly wisdom, walk in the cast-up path, come out separate to follow Jesus wholly so as not to lead others astray. It is applied as Revelation 3:14-22 to Sister J to wake from indifference and neglect endangering her soul, to heed counsel and repent zealously. Workers in the Review and Herald Office handling sacred work with unsanctified minds, tongues and corrupted precepts without God's marks are spued as a disgusting morsel with I know you not, having become lost sheep instead of saving the lost, and are to be disbanded not merely relocated. It touches a demoralized class encouraged by sympathizing teachers, and nominal first-day Adventists lost in foggy fear daring not admit the door is shut, whose sin was ascribing to Satan what the Holy Ghost had done, for whom remedy is to look at the meek Pattern and follow present saving truth.
The message must now be presented before men to show their real condition of need, received not as of men but as God's Word working effectually in believers, exposing blindness and self-deception in which many religious lives are a lie, and calling for dissatisfaction deep and painful enough to work reform. When barred out by unbelief, doubt of message and messenger, ridicule and treating it as human word, it has no influence and leaves believers in darkness. Rightly understood its work is to search and correct evil, calling those addressed to leave the tangled mass and dwell on great principles of faith, while Satan opposes right understanding and where it is not understood the reproved remain blind and plunge deeper though the Lord has shown things not right.
The Laodicean message was being given through chosen messengers and must be received into a good honest heart after unprejudiced Berean searching to see if testimony agrees with Scripture, rather than barred by prejudice and reports, and those long in truth should catch and voice it first. Receiving it brings vantage ground, advancement, clear perception, sanctified imagination, exalted conceptions, joy in God and clear powerful testimony as living channels, while refusing brings loss of rich experience, failure to stand where God intends, missing providential links, and becoming a continual snare. Its solemn warnings apply directly now and must have weight, demanding humbling, keeping commandments, loving God supremely and neighbor as self, maintaining Christ's Spirit with fairness toward differing views, receiving old light on law as Christ's righteousness is presented, praying and studying more, and receiving nothing as God's voice without heaven's credentials.
The testimony was intended to free the church from fanatical influences, calling each to examine own heart and do own work without judging or dictating to others, but it was misused to oppress with extreme demands about selling possessions or dress, narrowing the third angel's message, or spreading fear. Threats to use the law against opposers showed the same condition it rebukes.
The verse applies to all church members today in lukewarm condition with spiritual temperature very low, laying off spiritual garments, having no time for services, absenting from prayer and praise meetings, failing to keep lamps trimmed and burning and reflecting only feebly God's light, keeping Sabbath merely as cessation of labor instead of sweet foretaste above, letting religion degenerate into form dishonoring the Lord, and having a name to live while dead. Remaining in this feeling of being rich and increased with goods and needing nothing is as much a stumbling block as running ahead with ideas and work Christ has not entrusted.
The verse applies to Seventh-day Adventists knowing present truth with great light, large opportunities and many privileges, where to be lukewarm is to cease witnessing, feel no burden to reveal corresponding works, and fail to communicate graciously given light to penetrate error's darkness, walking as the Jewish nation in Christ's day. Every converted soul is appointed to witness not merely in talk but in good works, trading every talent of light, ability and influence for the Lord not self-pleasing, yoked with Christ in obedience with consecration, efficiency and tact as laborers together with God.
Marks of Lukewarm Life
Lukewarm members profess to keep all the commandments yet mix light with darkness by joining worldlings in amusement and singing schools even in a time of religious interest. They stand under worldly policy in mirth, jesting, singing and music that gives no light of God's glory, with careless indifference to counsels, warnings and reproof. Angels do not attend on such occasions, leaving them to go in their own strength, and Satan is well pleased because their profession makes them more efficient in his service than open unbelief. The plain fearful writing on the wall stands against such a company, though they cannot see it and despise it.
To be lukewarm is to profess to serve Christ while conforming to the world and seeking human approval and applause more than God's approval. It is to be cold and formal like the nominal church left, loving this world and earthly treasure better than Jesus and heaven, with those who do so perishing with their treasure. Fashion after fashion is adopted, peculiarity is lost, the cross of coming out and being separate is refused, warfare against worldly influence is given up, and friendship with the world steals step by step. The change comes gradually until darkness gathers, the transforming influence of the Spirit is lost and heaven's light is withdrawn without realizing when God left, yet profession remains with no glaring departure from the appearance of right, thinking to be in good case and not meaning to backslide while growing weaker, blind, wretched and naked, assimilated to the world.
Lukewarmness is loss of first love, leaving hearts cold as icebergs toward brethren when feeling hurt and unappreciated. Instead of warmth of affection and friendship there is drawing away, enclosing in walls of self-righteousness, and climbing upon the judgment seat to weigh moral worth and measure sins against others. When love for Christ grows dull, love for those He died for declines, and outward zeal, service, knowledge, ability and ceremonies cannot hide a self-centered church repulsive to Christ. The cure is thorough transformation and working in Christ's way in meekness and lowliness to seek and save the lost with the Spirit of the true Helper.
Very many are lukewarm through envy, evil-surmising, circulation of false reports, faultfinding, criticism, gossiping, caviling, sitting in judgment on messengers, obstructing the Holy Spirit and standing directly in the way of God's work on Satan's side as His allies. Virtue, holiness, is the only bond between heaven and earth, and to Christ they are a disgusting morsel to His taste. They say they are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and know not they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, without clear spiritual eyesight, hardened by years of schooling in resisting reproof. The warning calls those long in light to put away self-sufficiency, buy gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eyesalve, and be zealous and repent before repentance cannot be found though sought with tears.
Lukewarmness is tame, pointless, lifeless, purposeless preaching without sense of the awful judgment soon to fall and without a message of life and death, lulling people to sleep and leaving them spiritually asleep instead of awakening them to the urgent warning. It bears a smooth, general, easy, peaceful testimony calculated to suit the half-hearted, careless and drowsy, shunning the straight testimony and lacking moral courage to lay the hand decidedly upon wrong to reprove, rebuke and exhort. Careless neglectful habits in home and temporal affairs are carried into spiritual matters, passing along with crooked half-hearted ones and leaving laborious thorough work for another, so the minister is no advantage, disappoints God's people and leaves them lower. The call is for appropriate pointed sermons from lips touched with a live coal from the divine altar, with earnest powerful proclamation offering spiritual riches, righteousness and sight, for elegant speech is unnecessary but God's power is necessary. Those in charge of publishing houses on losing ground must likewise examine, humble proud spirits, pity their souls, and repent of injurious matter, worldly methods, unchristlike spirit and deception.
Lukewarmness is self-love, self-deception, self-justification and self-righteousness neutralizing otherwise excellent qualifications. It shows in selfishness and covetousness, hearts hard as steel and flint toward brethren, gross neglect to help by encouraging word and deed, holding opinion and self-exaltation, grasping all for self and refusing to relieve necessities of trying workers, seeing others' mistakes while blind to own defects. Such works contradict profession, show Christ's love is not an abiding principle, self is un-crucified and conversion unperfected, and weighed by One who never mistakes they are found wanting. Love of earthly wealth overcomes love of God and truth and endangers young and old alike in entering the kingdom, calling for turning from others' faults to one's own, drawing near to do present duty, and letting grace open the heart to give offerings and be channels of light in preparation for lying wonders that will ensnare many. Working to save others melts the cold icy atmosphere around the soul.
A church becomes lukewarm when it takes on the spirit of the world, neglecting self-examination and secret prayer as worldly cares fill minds, leaving spiritual insensibility open to Satan's influence. Worldly-mindedness, selfishness, covetousness and greed eat away spiritual life, love of wealth overcomes love of God, theory remains without saving power, and departure from God brings a low state though He has not departed. Efforts to restore lead some to press toward the light, while many do not persevere long enough for truth to sanctify heart and life, and what is needed is earnest taking hold of repentance.
Lukewarmness is acting as Lucifer acted with conniving, double-dealing, secret working and satanic craft and art. It boasts of being rich and increased with goods and needing nothing while poor, wretched, blind and miserable and knowing it not, being pompous, demeriting the good and true and righteous, unable to appreciate virtue, choosing defective traits with schemes and resentment so the devil is accepted as god. It is pretentious piety and self-sufficiency with works opposed to holy principles, despiteful words against the Lord's messages, unsanctified cruelty and disloyalty, following own way and working insidiously to harass minds and bring confusion and discouragement into churches. A converted soul unless staying converted will be left outside heaven where he would become an accuser and spoil happiness, for God has no place for such mind, while the opposite course gains the overcomer's reward, requiring power from the Lord to rise above discouragement.
To be lukewarm is patchwork religion mixing some of self with some of Christ, weaving selfishness into the fabric. At first it may appear to contain Christ, but patches increase until the whole garment is covered, worthless, unable to stand trial and temptation, which He will spew out. It is thinking oneself clothed in righteousness while wearing only civilian dress unfit for the marriage supper, with boasting bringing glory to men rather than God, threats to bring law against opposers, and meetings not led by God's Spirit. Such words and acts greatly displease Christ, fail to teach truth, lead in strange paths, and reveal need for conversion lest rejection come.
Lukewarm means great profession without really following Jesus, bearing the cross, or self-denial and self-sacrifice, weaving imperfections by self-invented pattern instead of the divine Example. It is unwillingness to follow Christ while desiring worldly fashions, refusing the self-denial that hinders perfecting character, though His life was constant self-denial calling disciples to deny self, take up the cross and follow. It applies to those holding mighty truths yet lifted up as rich and needing nothing, fast losing peculiarity and simplicity by imitating the world. Outward pride in dress such as ruffles and ribboned bonnets indexes inner pride and marks this condition, contradicting profession of looking for Jesus to change vile bodies like His glorious body. Rejection is not yet final, for while this class is numerous there is still time to repent and be converted, or they cannot be saved and would mar heaven.
Lukewarm means taking the Christian name while deficient in graces, serving self and pleasure instead of duty, withholding the heart's best affections, and appearing indifferent to others' salvation. By unfaithful example aiding others to neglect great salvation, such become a stumbling block, shut heaven, stand in sinners' way, and bring blood of souls, as false representatives whom Christ will cast out; half a Christian is no Christian. Having no vital connection they fail to stand in allotted place and shine, are powerless for good, and it were better sinners never associated with them than be influenced by empty profession. They please themselves as smart, wise and rich in truth while sinking into cheap habits and common talk, spurious coin without right ring, salt without savor with no saving influence, separated from Jesus, blind to being wretched and naked, offensive to God, not keeping His law nor what pleases Him, with garments defiled and no correct standard uplifted. Profession contradicted by life is insipid and disagreeable to people and angels, with advocacy of truth carrying no weight for lack of connection.
Being lukewarm is staying under scarcely any influence of truth's saving power, making religion secondary while self, gain and accumulation come first and heaven afterwards. God sends leanness into souls and withholds precious light from those who attain what they desire on those terms. It is giving up to self-indulgence rather than self-denial, backsliding on health reform, not cherishing light, sacrificing health by appetite and lust instead of closely following the self-denying Saviour. It includes knowing health light yet refusing decided obedience, requiring sacred relation by temperance to keep mind and body fit for service, conversion to stand by light, and denial of perverted appetite so God can cooperate. Decided witness includes not placing meat before sanitarium patients, for flesh animalizes nature, robs of love and sympathy, and lets lower passions control higher powers, especially where fruits, grains and nuts abound, though no single precise diet line is marked. Institutions permeated with the world's spirit need this reform and an insipid experience that bears no decided witness must change.
Becoming absorbed in commercial work leaves people spiritually lukewarm, unable to grasp present truth. The half-hearted Laodicean condition comes from leaning on law, putting dependence on lawyers, legal documents and agreements, stealthily taking worldly principles into religious institutions and making civil law a defense. Such dependence is a disgrace to Christians, abhorrent to God, which He will not endorse. Leaders persisting in their own way will be left in the enemy's hands to be spoiled, where even success brings certain ruin.
Lukewarm means vain, fickle and trifling, loving social gathering more than prayer meeting and fiction more than the Bible. The Word seems uninteresting because the mind is bewitched by fiction, disqualified for sound principles and practical godliness, vain and foolish, without Christ's Spirit, with no disposition to know Him and no sense of obligation to sacrifice, falling below conscientious worldlings. God cannot connect with them, angels cannot cooperate, they are of no benefit to His work, yet in sins and controlled by Satan in mind and thought. It also means claiming discipleship while carrying ambitious schemes, stumbling over character faults, feeding on gossip and circulating Satan's false reports, which God cannot endorse until evil is put away, unregretted repentance shown, self hidden, and self given to Christ's service so light and the Spirit work through them to bring others to the Saviour.
The True Witness condemns lukewarm blindness coming above all from refusing correction and despising reproofs and warnings, giving Satan great power in the waiting watching time. The selfish, proud and lovers of sin are assailed with doubts, Satan suggests doubts and objections to pointed testimony, and many treat unbelief, questioning and quibbling as virtue and intelligence. Those desiring doubt will have room, for God gives evidence to be investigated humbly and teachably by weight of evidence without removing all occasion for unbelief. Clinging to doubts and cherished sins while believing need of nothing hides lack of humility, patience, faith, love, self-denial, watchfulness, sacrifice, practical Bible knowledge and obedience, calling for waking from slumber to decisive action.
Those whose religion is only form without vital godliness follow own will with little thought of offending God, yet flatter themselves they will be saved. God has no pleasure in them, their lives displease Him and their prayers offend Him. They must choose to be zealous, repent, buy gold, white raiment and eyesalve, and partake largely of salvation, or be rejected from His mouth as disgusting and thrust from Him. God will not bear always; though tender in pity, His Spirit will at last be grieved away, mercy's voice heard no more, and the rejected left to their ways and filled with their doings. This is backsliding from early devotion with first love lost, blindly unacknowledged, requiring breaking with darkness, dying to self, coming to Jesus and repenting.
The condition of most is complacently hearing for years the most solemn soul-stirring truths, including justification by faith and Christ's righteousness, without practicing what pleases God and without love and gratitude. Lukewarmness grows less sensible of truth's preciousness, unmoved by reproof and warning, steels the heart when Christ offers gold, raiment and eyesalve, folds hands in complacency, professes but denies power, and tries to praise world and God together, which God never accepts. It must be exchanged for love and zeal, and if continued causes rejection with abhorrence, so they must awake before everlastingly too late.
The lukewarm state is reached when Satan lulls God's people under a cloud of darkness as a spell, alarming truths stir only a little, feeble efforts soon tire for lack of perseverance and fixed determination, and sinking back follows. The spell breaks only by earnest persevering prayer and energy for salvation equal to seeking worldly treasure, for empty profession is useless and the church must drink a full cup. Long torpor like apparent death settles, with passion, worldliness, malice, envy, pride and strife leaving weakness, some briefly stirred then falling back unaware, requiring renewal of straight testimony, revival of spiritual life and resurrection by holding present truth point by point steadfast to the end and refusing teachers who tear down the foundation.
Being lukewarm is not being in harmony with straight testimony, shunning decided laying of hand on wrong, being tried with reprovers, sympathizing with the disaffected, and thereby becoming weak. It is pointed in pulpit yet failing to reprove individual wrong, letting prejudice affect labor, misunderstanding circumstances and character, censuring those to unite with and building up those needing severe censure. It is set willfulness in own opinions while deeming preaching brethren lacking judgment, chafing when confidence is withheld, feeling wronged toward fellow laborers, pulling apart in jealousy, injuring influence, differing before others, and scattering instead of pulling together. Where plain reproof is resisted, smooth words preferred and direct testimony called harsh, the sign is sad and dangerous.
To be lukewarm is to have made holy profession yet sunk to the dead level of ordinary professors, without undivided affections, appearing like worldly associates, loving society with no regard for sacred truth, content with religion agreeable to all and censured by none. Jesus demands whole sacrifice and entire consecration, so those in this state must arouse and make efforts for salvation or fail of everlasting life. They must feel individual responsibility, gain heart experience by the Holy Spirit, love and choose God's people above all, and separate from those with no love for spiritual things.
Lukewarmness is a disease of the soul no intellect or earthly riches can cure, with nominal morality and religion without Jesus, carrying no burdens, feeling no distress for sinners and no agony for dying souls. The blind feel well off because God's Spirit does not illumine minds to perceive sinfulness and need. The cure is faith and love, true riches and pure gold no earthly treasure can buy, with robes washed white in the Lamb's blood, eyesalve to discern needed righteousness and Satan's devices, and daily conquering by Christ as mediator.
Lukewarmness includes indifference and self-satisfaction, living without sobriety, seriousness and solemnity becoming a follower, upon whom God looks with indifference. It settles into lethargy and self-complacency, meeting Sabbath after Sabbath singing assigned songs without heart, without Christ's joy from inspired lips and thankful hearts, without meekness and humility, and without personal evangelistic labor to invigorate others with gospel hope. Unless changed to a becoming life, God gives sorrow instead of peace and certain failure of everlasting life follows. Hope lies in heart-searching gospel truths awakening conviction, arising from lethargy, removing self-complacency, exercising true faith so God's Spirit molds the soul into a holy dwelling with Christ formed within as hope of glory, setting firm purpose and devoting all energy to conform to God's will.
The verse shows people professing much but with works denying profession, resisting the Spirit and cherishing disbelief, worse off for unheeded messages. False repentance produces only false reformation, retaining cherished sins and secret evils such as envy, pride, self-preference and unbelief, while making outward show of grief, sorrow and assumed ecstasy to obtain sympathy and professing inspiration. Hearts remain strangers to true godliness, fired by zeal without knowledge with proud ambition dishonoring God, no more imbued with His Spirit than Satan in rebellion, deceiving the chosen for a time until time reveals their true light.
The verse describes a slumbering church losing personal religion through indifference and sloth, which must now be aroused with renewed energy, vigilance and earnest untiring effort. It must put on the whole armor to keep Satan from advantage while angels excelling in strength wait to aid faith in fierce conflict, for time is short, dangers increase, and Satan works with great power in all deceivableness of unrighteousness, with the Lord's day coming as a thief. Lukewarm churches have heard doctrinal teaching but not learned the simple art of believing, and hold camp-meetings tamely in hidden out-of-the-way places to save expense as if to hide light, which is not God's order.
Lukewarmness is a soul destitute of grace and love, marked by inconsistency and overbearing dictatorial spirit utterly unlike Christ. It is a curse making the church weak, inefficient and diseased, because many follow own impulses under another spirit instead of God's will, burdening the church with unconsecrated perversity, while standing for right keeps the soul refreshed with living experience that refreshes others. It is perilous murmuring when neglecting God's given work of earnestly seeking those outside the fold, to be met with plain decided testimony. God's servants must labor with Christ to roll away the curse through complete transformation, even through affliction's furnace burning away dross, with hope in rebuke leading to opening the door, supping with Him, overcoming, sitting with Him, and shining clear as sun, fair as moon, terrible as an army with banners.
The verse means God must discipline every worker into submission, bending the will after His will and way, working, fashioning and molding by the Holy Spirit under watchful care, as distasteful as a mother's discipline to a child, for none can retain perverse character and be led by God. Those irritated by reproof and hindered from selfish way, with pride of temperament, self-esteem, masterly subordination of all to own ideas, crude manners, discourteous unchristlike words and unsanctified practices, cannot be used until self dies and character is assimilated to His, as workers together with Him. It demands thorough home religion, educating children to well-balanced characters the Lord approves, for while these duties are neglected no blessing can be expected, though the Lord works with human effort He will not do the assigned work.
The verse calls for a living healthy all-round experience instead of divided self-satisfied religion, requiring cleansed sanctified discernment, an eye single to God's glory, vital union with Christ, and working, watching and praying with eye fixed on Him as model with nothing interposed. To be lukewarm is to be idle and indifferent, with no time left to remain so, while a heavenly Watcher marks words and reads motives and all choose blessing or curse. The call is to strive for character, with understanding cleansed, purified, sanctified and ennobled, and mind purified by obeying truth.
Warning Outcome and Response
The verse is a startling denunciation of lukewarmness as carnal security, being at ease while believing in exalted spiritual attainments, requiring ministers to warn with a practical message in every particular rather than peace and safety, with clear distinct utterance under the Holy Spirit to purify institutions like a cleansed temple and to rebuke detective controlling power, mote-seeing criticism, lack of eyesight, and criticism of others instead of own spirit, temper and words.
It is counsel to those who corrupted ways, are covered in blindness and darkness, are not progressing in grace or knowledge of truth, follow imaginings and appetites while speaking opinions as if receiving light, and are unsafe for God's institutions; the rebuke rests for neglecting solemn responsibilities and not heeding testimonies so blessing is withdrawn, leaving destitution yet choosing own way because self is un-crucified, with light having little effect while angels go from church to church and Christ knocks for entrance but the True Witness is heard in reproof and not obeyed.
The message will expose lukewarmness and bring a shaking among God's people, as a straight testimony decisive for destiny that must be taken seriously and has been lightly regarded; some will reject, resist and rise against it and be overcome by darkness unprepared to plead with God, while those truly receiving it repent deeply, obey, are purified, exalt the standard, pour forth straight truth, and plead earnestly with God.
God's work has no place for half-hearted people but calls for whole-hearted service, complete consecration, thorough devotion and copying Christ the true pattern rather than measuring among selves; servants are to be alive and fervent with His love, hot with vivifying influence, seeing Him as supreme Ruler, taking the field trusting His power, and Christ has no need for and cannot use lukewarm men holding back from self-denial in saving the lost while required workers give wholly with hearts touched by woe, receiving and imparting light, life and grace.
A tame position dishonors Christ and His warning is meant to awaken from sinful inaction leaving souls perishing, stir to fervent love in decisive action, and lead to work with zeal when others pray unitedly, live for God's glory and saving of souls, work harmoniously under Christ with Jesus as sufficiency, provoke to love and good works, and encourage the desponding to trust God.
Christians refusing to use abilities and powers in His service are lukewarm, nauseating and cannot be endured in unsanctified character, showing indifference delaying confession until terrible anguish too late to right wrongs; all members are on trial and all dishonoring His name will have no place in His kingdom, for Christ moves amid the candlesticks and will never be without a church, and when the test comes faithful true witnesses will stand unflinchingly while failing lights are put out and the faithful take the places of those refusing to shine.
In a most solemn time only a small portion professing truth will be sanctified by it and saved, with the lukewarm as indifferent world-lovers above the work's simplicity, conforming to the world, cherishing idols, spiritually dead, careless in little matters deviating widely from Christ's perfect example, groping in darkness when they could walk in noon light under unerring guidance, dishonoring God more than the avowed unbeliever, lacking the seal, while humble self-sacrificing followers pass to perfection leaving the lukewarm unsanctified and those making His life their criterion will not be cast off but meet bitter disappointment awaits the rest.
Lukewarm careless indifferent people who do not persevere for victory and salvation are shaken out and left behind in darkness with others taking hold of truth; those with sacred trusts must never take neutral both-sides position but be decided one thing or another, true to trust with firm courage, standing solidly against every evil work, and such decided change brings God's help.
The message is to awaken a slumbering church and the surrounding warning against indifference and sloth shows need for earnest untiring effort while time is short; when expected zealous repentance does not appear it brings great perplexity which Satan uses with disease and affliction to depress toward discouragement, despair and even desire for death, and lukewarmness became more apparent amid rapid increase, prosperity, careless indifference instead of thankfulness, backsliding from health reform and mingling with worldly men expecting power from them.
The verse warns against becoming lukewarm in God's given work especially urgent as evil forces unite, calling for earnest action bringing the will into harmony with God to become more than conquerors by overcoming self, temper and inclinations under discipline; those with God's work must not fail to discern signs of the times and act while Satan intensely unites enemies to control the world faster than imagined.
The church is now in Laodicean lukewarmness and must decide to remain or change, leaving means showing true colors, beginning reform in the home with pure elevating conversation, parents aroused and converted with sanctification shining, humbling self, repenting, confessing, drawing near to God who will draw near, fearing transgression because the day of salvation has come, with families reforming homes at once by guarding associations, teaching purity, admitting neglect and working with children.
After all given light, failure to understand and occupy the proper position puts God's people in Laodicean condition bringing rejection unless following counsel; danger lies in self-satisfied feeling of riches and needing nothing, and escape requires simplicity, humility and contrition, buying gold, raiment and eyesalve with zealous response to loving rebuke, with fellowship and throne promised to overcomers, while only hope for those not seeing application is to fall on the Rock and be broken with decided changes before God and people.
The verse marks out the present condition as acting by halves instead of whole-hearted obedience to God and all commandments, and they must awake and strive to overcome as Christ overcame, where striving will be opposed by satanic agencies tempting to corrupt principles, for real virtue cannot act by halves and all graces together form symmetrical character, with obedience bringing salvation and disobedience ruin, applying to those claiming advanced knowledge but showing character God cannot approve.
It describes people with clear light and much help who have not let truth change lives, whose obedience falls short of privileges while professing faith, neglecting salvation and imagining favor and thinking themselves good yet lacking light and renewal, with pride, fashion, empty talk and selfishness choking good seed, whom the True Witness exposes as wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked; it also describes those knowing truth whose works testify they are not walking, working, praying and teaching the word of life, with all heaven watching and eternal death soon the portion of all remaining lukewarm, for God tests each person knowing works and is about to make searching work.
It shows a professed condition continued for years against light and knowledge, dishonoring profession by false paths for self and others, corrupted faith and principle, selling self to sin, leading others into strange paths until pure religion is unknown, sacrificing faith for favor and leavened with opposition, at first feeling compunction then refusing to turn until hardness prepares for hopeless apostasy and judgment; such are not Christ's servants lacking Christlikeness, boasting in self-deception, refusing His yoke, resisting appeals, abusing mercy and rejecting redeeming love by infinite sacrifice, yet His heart yearns with outstretched hand and power to become sons of God for all receiving Him if they see sinfulness, repent and be converted for their souls' sake lest they never have eternal life.
Being halfhearted divided between Him and the world is ruinous, making neither successful Christians nor successful worldlings whom Christ rejects with abhorrence; it calls for sincere earnest commitment, taking Christ not others as pattern, imitating Him, ending lukewarmness by awakening, growing in faith and earnest trust and advancing from light to greater light.
Lukewarmness is sin to be individually repented of by drawing near and doing present duty now, holding back goods in trust instead of returning offerings into the treasury and being channels of light, while true faith opens the heart to give; arousing prepares for coming trials when lying wonders will ensnare many, and working to save others melts the cold icy atmosphere, for it includes selfishness and covetousness.
Half-hearted surrender making one neither cold nor hot is offensive while God spares life and draws to lead to unreserved surrender with thankfulness, giving self wholly and putting whole strength into turning from temptations causing forgetfulness of God; lukewarmness is slothful divided heart trifling with God, saying to His invitation that one will obey but not going, not abiding in Jesus for life, choosing sin and letting the devil control the mind and bringing truth into disrepute, calling to rise to diligent work, seek grace with whole heart, might, mind and strength, live in contact with Christ and abide as fruitful branches to win others.
In God's service lukewarmness brings sorrow and disappointment to Heaven, for despite infinite sacrifice, divine power through His blood, possibility of partaking divine nature, elevation to His throne and power to lay hold of infinite might, to remain lukewarm is to attend trivial affairs while treating salvation as secondary, content with inefficiency and failing to increase in faith and love without which salvation cannot be worked out, while angels expect much more and true faith in the last days will seek power, keep heavenly connection and work daily with God, not burying capabilities in perishing interests.
Lukewarm professors face judgment and searching separation where pride, fashion, empty talk and selfishness reveal evil and some have never experienced renewal, and God tests each person knowing works; Christ's inspection warns that failing to live and work truth endangers, truth must be shown in life and speech, and neglecting abilities can lead others away instead of drawing them.
The verse applies to those trusting self and wisdom without recognizing poverty or need of a Saviour whose condition brings rejection, to those putting own meaning on calamity like Job's comforters searching to condemn another since their own condition brings rebuke, to idlers saying they are not qualified who must find fitted work, fill his place, seek wisdom, search for needy souls like a shepherd, study Scripture for himself and walk humbly, and to youth failing to devote zealously to serving God and helping others who will face rejection if continuing.
Lukewarmness must be put away or inaction will destroy confidence in God, with changed example showing neighbors truth's power to refine life and elevate character; half-hearted work avails nothing and God requires decided living devotion, giving up pride of dress, appearance and opinion, shaking off shackles, taking firm stand with His humble people to become peculiar purified people zealous of good works, unlike the world with life centered in heaven, working for own salvation and leading others aright.
For a time people neither cold nor hot profess Christianity but do not let grace change wrong tendencies, lose interest, return to sinful practices, have no root, grow careless, worldly and inattentive, hear without receiving until hardened to good impressions and fall completely like a house on sand; lukewarmness is backsliding endangering youth when lacking sympathy and feeling uncared for with temptation tracking them, worsened by cold blame but won by tender solicitude, personal effort, fervent prayer, faithful warning and glowing love to gain confidence, reform and save from perdition.
A long period of general lukewarmness with worldly spirit brought alienation, fault-finding, malice, strife and iniquity; lukewarmness is indifference and worldly spirit seen in lack of deep humility, love as brethren, union, with hard speeches and selfish interests, requiring zealous repentance through humility, pity, courtesy, rallying around the standard, disentangling from the world, acting as waiting for the Lord and letting self die.
Being lukewarm is a half-hearted experience where Christ's virtue is not taken in, not living wholly for God while the world is wholly given to evil, unsafe with no days or years safe to remain so, for probationary life belongs wholly to God claiming all endowments and entire consecration; leaving it requires reconsecration, determined obedience to impressed truth, climbing step by step the ladder to the kingdom, a pledged holy pure life, discernment by eyesalve and clothing in white garments walking with God ready for unexpected coming amid a world like Sodom and Noah's day, for failure to improve talents and grow means no spiritual life.
Being lukewarm is staying selfish, self-sufficient and half-hearted without piety and zeal corresponding to responsibility, trifling with God instead of serving with single eye, professing to love God yet not advancing from light to greater light, unprepared to work at home, neighborhood and church as if under a spell while love of world expels love of God; it must be ended at once by seeing selfishness, humbling, resolving to be wholehearted, discharging every duty, improving every opportunity, learning in Christ's school and seeking first God's kingdom, for remaining brings shipwreck, being found wanting and loss of heaven while becoming wholehearted transforms character into Christ's mold partaking divine nature.
The Saviour's message includes many and calls workers to advance the work rather than let anyone hinder it, to faithful active service letting light shine, encouraging daily, correcting errors and doing appointed duties; indifferent inactive members settle into lukewarmness doing nothing to put things in order when leaving matters to drift expecting the president alone to keep them healthy instead of looking to God and putting things in order.
Christ does not accept half-hearted service and can only use cleansed vessels, requiring earnestness, cleansing from defilement and putting away unchristlike traits to receive His Spirit in pure sanctified hearts; lukewarmness is doing very little after His much, complaining and holding to ease and pleasure instead of laboring for souls, to be put away by drinking the fountain of life, fixing the eye on Jesus, fleeing to His side, humbling and seeking while He may be found to make calling and election sure.
Revelation 3:14-22 outlines a condition lost in sophistry's fog harming many souls, requiring thorough breaking of fallow ground, dawning of light and straight paths, without which the Lord cannot work and hope lessens; it also rebukes taking words undermining faith as lukewarm faith with no savor and no value to be spewed out, less harmful if decided opposition, and calls to remember how truth was received, hold fast and repent because subtle mind-upon-mind theories imperceptibly draw away from faith and endanger losing hold on things learned from the Source of light.
The verse shows the Laodicean church as neither cold nor hot marked by choosing anger and wickedness obnoxious to God, and shows the unacceptable condition of medical missionary work and the Medical Missionary Association failing to prepare people for a sound healthy experience that will stand the judgment, with commercial spirit dishonoring God so Christ will not accept its work.
It warns lukewarmness brings rejection by the True Witness, where cold nominal faith presents theory without vital power and ministers are asleep while people perish in darkness; it calls for earnest Spirit-filled workers to respond and labor to save souls, and for ending it by awakening, growing in faith and earnest trust and advancing from light to greater light.
It belongs to the True Witness's message that must affect the church exposing it as lukewarm, but its influence is soon lost because counsel is not heeded and zealous repentance lacking; the church scarcely hears though only a few afflict souls and heed, so unless speedily aroused it will go into darkness, be ensnared and overcome.
It applies to the church at this time to be applied personally, where though richest blessings are offered reluctance to humble the heart to receive sent light leaves men destitute of the Spirit so the Lord cannot use them, and unless converted they will never enter the mansions; it also applies to commandment-keeping members marked by pride, self-sufficiency, stubborn unbelief and refusal to yield though evidence is piled, which does not blot out the church, make her Babylon, authorize calling out or disorganizing into independent atoms, for wheat and tares remain until angels separate at harvest.
It shows God's people have become lukewarm because they departed from God though He has not departed from them, possessing theory without saving power in a low state; it shows a church can be lukewarm while believing itself rich and needing nothing, being wretched, blind, miserable and naked because failing to heed counsel, needing to leave that condition to become acceptable, with love of worldly things hindering growth.
It shows those professing to believe truth but not practicing it are lukewarm, nauseating and will be spewed, warning against neglecting work and calling for repentance and living faith in service; it shows many knowing truth are neither cold nor hot whose works testify they are not walking, working, praying and teaching the word of life, with all heaven watching and eternal death soon the portion of all remaining.
It describes the present state where true love for God and unselfish neighbor love have almost become extinct as religion is degraded by perverted piety requiring heart change and conversion, with churches everywhere needing to heed the message, practice sanctifying elevating faith and seek mercy and abundant pardon; it applies to a church with knowledge but lacking fervor of love and sanctifying power, joined to self-satisfaction, ingratitude, formalism and resistance, facing rejection unless repenting.
It calls to remember justification by faith and Christ's righteousness to a perishing world, with Jesus sorrowing over unanswered expectations yet longing to bestow richest blessings and make them mouthpieces of indwelling grace, each to open the heart's door to Him as vendor of heavenly treasures of gold and raiment to triumph with the third angel's message which is the last message of mercy and last warning to a fallen world, while lukewarm commandment-keepers stand no better than fallen churches and will receive plagues unless zealous, with overcomers to sup with Him, sit on His throne and compose the royal family sanctified through truth.
It means the Redeemer stands at the door inviting acceptance yet many have ears but will not hear; what is needed is faith and love beyond profession to practice faith so Christ as chief Cornerstone is represented in spirit, words and character, and a heavenly Watcher marking words and motives calls for striving for character with mind cleansed and sanctified by obeying truth, for those claiming belief lack power because they do not strive to be like Christ and His presence is not in the midst, with trials separating members disappearing if Christ were formed within.
Indifference when one should work to draw others brings danger of being spued, applied to one whose influence leads a young person away instead of helping him be saved by failing to take Christ's side when urgent effort is needed; Christians must not be unreliable or set a lukewarm example encouraging others to sin.
To be lukewarm is to be unconverted with way not God's and mind not quickened to discern and treasure instruction, mixed with human theories never leading to heaven and lacking sound doctrine so unable to lead others or conduct God's work, far from perfection while remaining; remedy is to see self, depart from evil, come out separate, follow Christ through the strait gate and be ruled by His Word with His grace producing practical godliness, including thorough transformation, cleansing from self and new birth as a little child, otherwise unfit as medical missionary or leading physician when expensive habits reveal wrong heart.
Lukewarmness includes pretending to be in truth while unsanctified, cruel and disloyal, following own way and working insidiously against truth harassing minds and bringing confusion into churches, requiring power from the Lord girding with strength to rise above discouragement; a diseased heart from failing to live by every word makes service unacceptable, sustained only by eating the Word and the Spirit's work to prepare for immortal life.
Revelation 3:14-19 portrays believers as fallen calling them to repent and return to first love Jesus as chief love and center of hope, warning that life lacking wholehearted love is unlike spiritual life in Him; a Christian profession without wholehearted love, conduct in harmony with law and love for believers, marked by selfishness, sin and discord despite high self-estimate, faces rejection.
Lukewarm, worldly-minded, self-exalted people will be separated from God's work; God calls instead for workers whose hearts are warmed by Christ's love and who are loyal and willing to obey, loyalty mattering more than mere knowledge, and those burying entrusted talents will be replaced by workers using them wisely.
The verse warns being lukewarm is unacceptable and calls for renewed consecration and wholehearted obedience so Christ's life is present in the believer's life; it warns half-hearted service is unacceptable calling for earnestness and change because Christ will not place His Spirit in impure unsanctified hearts, and lukewarm souls need the divine Spirit to awaken them so Christ's righteousness working in the heart can restore vitality.
It applies to lifeless purposeless preaching leaving people asleep and to a church failing to join in helping sinners and backsliders, where members assent but are not wholehearted; it calls for obtaining spiritual riches, righteousness and discernment of gold, raiment and eyesalve and for zeal as earnest determined effort to overcome worldly selfish love and become devoted Christians whose lives show tender warmth, without which there is failure of heaven.
Lukewarm Laodiceans claim to be God's children while disobeying commands they know and advocate, making them fraudulent heathen with God not known by experience nor power in daily transactions so preaching makes no impression and the Word is not practiced, unable to be surrounded with unseen realities or moved by reward or the great day at hand, with nothing helping until they realize their true condition; yet rebuke is not denial of love for He rebukes those He loves, showing those thinking prosperous are in need of everything.
Revelation 3:15-16 warns lukewarmness is offensive to God, and those neither fervent nor wholly opposed must not be allowed to control or neglect faithful gospel workers because their condition offends God.
Revelation 3:14-22 is applied to struggling world-bound hearts clinging to earthly treasure, coming to give up the world then pulled back, shown in unwillingness to lay property such as a farm on the altar while pleading to keep treasure here; heeding means giving up the world from the heart and surrendering property fully.
In the last days Christ will reject those having great light who did not appreciate, improve, practice and obey its principles, leaving them through unfaithfulness to follow their own course distinguished as prominent unfaithful householders swayed by Satan for self-advancement, denying truth in practice and reproaching God's cause; in their place He will bring in those living up to all light received, recognizing them as true and faithful to give His message to them.
Christ keeps no need for half-hearted service and rejects a spiritually lukewarm condition where pretentious piety and self-sufficiency are nauseating and works oppose holy principles; if the message is ignored He will cast such away, and those with God's work must not sink into failing to discern signs while Satan unites enemies to control the world faster than imagined.
Those who know truth but neglect duty while neither active nor openly opposed are in a cold indifferent accountable condition; lukewarmness to be dreaded is receiving only the encouraging part of messages while treating cautions, warnings and reproofs as nothing in self-satisfaction, as the Jewish nation rejecting prophecies of Christ's coming by human judgment so they did not receive Him, standing as admonition against unbelief and worldliness.
Christ rejects those cold and hard of heart, self-satisfied and unwilling to receive offered light, whose pride in wisdom and worldly ambition leaves them without His character so words and works disgust Him; human plans, documents and agreements cannot cure this, but those like babes realizing weakness and dependence exert stronger good influence, while to be spewed means He will not hear prayers or commend service.
Lukewarmness is a curse making the church weak and inefficient because members follow own impulses and another spirit instead of God's will; servants must roll it away by laboring with Christ, requiring complete transformation and for some the furnace of affliction to burn dross, revealing hope of reform leading to opening the door, supping, overcoming, sitting on His throne and shining as sun and moon.
To be lukewarm is to be a professing Christian living a cold-hearted selfish life treating others heartlessly, nauseating to Christ; the verse calls for the opposite course of refusing heartlessness and instead surrounding oneself with courage and hope and speaking pleasant encouraging words.
To be lukewarm is to profess sanctifying truth while using His work to spread error, indifferent in practice, failing to guard His honor; printing false science and deception on consecrated presses reveals paralyzed sacredness, blindness and corrupted discernment nauseating to Christ, so it would be better to make no pretension than do the enemy's work, and He will spew them out and not walk among them.
Those under the message sent to the church today must think and pray over it and must not remain strengthless but be strong in the Lord, understanding what the Lord's will is, for the church is lukewarm instead of cold or hot facing rejection.
The verse is applied to prevalent faultfinding traits revealing an unsavory condition members must recognize and heed counsel to change, describing lukewarmness neither cold nor hot facing rejection.
Laodicea had received faithful instruction and much labor but failed to take truth to heart and follow it, and its lukewarm condition followed rejection of warnings and appeals, warning that it will bring rejection.
The warning addresses professing Christians claiming earnestness but following own pattern mixing imperfections into character; their self-satisfied condition means Christ cannot endorse their spirit or work and will reject them unless they repent and are converted, yet there is still time.
God's professed people must not continue in the neither-cold-nor-hot position that makes men so abhorrent the Saviour cannot take their names on His lips; it is the danger for those claiming to be Seventh-day Adventists yet none need remain in it, for continuing slights mercy while God weighs actions, and coming out requires denying self, taking the cross and following Christ.
Lukewarmness means lacking zeal and love moving people to reach the erring and lacking energy to save perishing souls, yet those in this condition are not left without hope or allowed simply to sink, though Christ rejects that state.
Lukewarmness means lack of earnestness including failing to recognize the urgent life-and-death need to reach others; the remedy is to repent, seek the Lord wholeheartedly, and stir one another to active work for others' salvation.
The message exposes the lukewarm need weakened by worldly-mindedness, selfishness, covetousness and failure in benevolence, with love of wealth overcoming love of God and endangering kingdom entry young and old alike, where profession cannot hide contradicting works and Christ will spew out those remaining without zealous repentance.
The message applies to people receiving great light who rely on self and pride in abilities and remain unconverted, calling for humility, trust in Jesus and dependence on the Spirit's graces rather than human power.
The condition represents those claiming to serve God while absorbed by worldly interests and self-exaltation with lapsed first love excluding Christ's love, hearts unaffected by present truth showing no power, holiness or sanctification, retaining only ceremonial zeal as self-inflated religion nauseating to Christ and unacceptable to God, for when love for Christ dulls love for those He died for declines.
A lukewarm state where love of wealth blinds and weakens zeal for eternal life leads to rejection, requiring earnest examination and repentance, and those refusing the message and continuing as before will be spewed out; its straight testimony calls for deep repentance and persevering struggle while the careless are shaken out and others take hold of truth.
Lukewarmness in God's service brings sorrow to Heaven when remaining content with inefficiency and failing to increase in faith and love without which salvation cannot be worked out, attending trivial affairs while treating salvation as secondary despite infinite provision.
The verse is God's earnest warning to prepare to meet the Lord in the clouds with power and glory, rebuking indifference to foretold signs evidencing the end is right upon them; advance is possible by receiving grace daily, with blessing as strength and watchfulness, and prayer in faith bringing rich blessing through the Holy Spirit so grace is not received in vain.
It calls for a straight testimony exposing indifference, decisive for destiny; those truly receiving it repent, obey and are purified, while rejecting and rising against it causes a shaking, though it has been lightly regarded and not half heeded.
Murmuring at the message hides self-indulgence and resistance, with ingratitude and rebellion dishonoring the patient One, and refusal to repent now brings shame in judgment where deeds are recorded and confession cannot undo the course, exposing some professed followers as self-deceived unrepentant to ruin.
The lukewarm condition is being neither cold nor hot toward God, not in open opposition yet not a faithful steward, following own ideas and remaining half-converted without genuine Bible religion, making one unsafe as a medical missionary and unfit as leading physician when expensive habits reveal a wrong heart, whose remedy is thorough transformation, cleansing from self and new birth through faith working by love as a little child in close tender stewardship.
Being half-hearted like Laodiceans from depending on lawyers, documents and agreements, leaning on law and taking worldly principles into religious institutions and making civil law a defense, is abhorrent, a disgrace God will not endorse; if persisted in God will leave them exposed to the enemy and even success will bring ruin.
Lukewarmness means claiming discipleship while carrying out ambitious schemes, stumbling over faults, feeding on gossip and circulating false reports furnished by Satan, so God cannot endorse the work; remedy requires putting away evil, showing unregretted repentance, siding with Christ, putting self out of sight and giving self to service, then He will impart light and the Spirit to bring others to the Saviour.
It describes people with false repentance retaining cherished sins, envy, pride, self-preference and unbelief while making outward show of grief and assumed ecstasy to obtain sympathy, no more imbued with God's Spirit than Satan in rebellion, fired by zeal without knowledge, to be revealed in time though deceiving the chosen for a while.
The church's lukewarm condition is a curse God's servants must work with Christ to remove.
The straight testimony means God will have only those earnestly striving to be right with opportunity to develop character, and members developing unworthy character have no right to house privileges, while false sympathy excusing crookedness must die, having begun at Satan's fall and pleasing him by blunting testimony.
When the end is at hand God's people in lukewarmness are backslidden and behind without knowing it, bringing grief, dearth and darkness from failure to thoroughly confess sin traceable to individuals whose unconfessed wrongs sow rebellion.
The churches are lukewarm in having heard doctrinal teaching but not being taught the simple art of believing.
A church settled in lethargy and self-complacency must heed the message, with hope if responding through heart-searching gospel truths and true faith letting the Spirit shape a holy dwelling, arising from lethargy, removing self-complacency, singing from the heart with joy, meekness and evangelistic labor, with Christ formed within.
It shows the condition of most complacently listening for years to solemn truths without practicing what pleases God, becoming less sensible of truth's preciousness, unmoved by reproof, steeling the heart against offered gold, raiment and eyesalve, folding hands in complacency, professing but denying power while trying to praise world and God together, giving no love to justification by faith, which if continued causes rejection with abhorrence unless awaking before too late.
A cold lukewarm state lacking spirituality, ambition and energy makes a minister no advantage, disappointing people and leaving them lower, shunning straight testimony and moral courage, carrying careless habits into spiritual matters, bearing smooth general testimony suiting the half-hearted and lulling to carnal security while leaving laborious work to others; the worker must have straight living testimony and God's power to become efficient, for elegant speech is unnecessary but power is necessary.
It describes the present spiritual state where true love has almost become extinct as religion is degraded, needing to heed the message and seek pardon through elevating sanctifying faith and change of heart.
It shows lukewarmness as inconsistency and dictatorial spirit unlike Christ, a soul destitute of grace calling to be zealous and repent, for they make churches weak, diseased and burdened while standing for right keeps the soul refreshed with living experience refreshing others.
Being lukewarm neither cold nor hot means unconverted and not serving the Lord with mind not quickened to treasure instruction, mixed with human theories lacking true knowledge so unable to lead others, needing to see self, come out separate and be ruled by God's Word.
It belongs to the Laodiceans' message requiring individual zeal for one's own wrongs, with no watching others to judge, no repenting for another, no binding undictated burdens or taking care of others' consciences, lest one be left worse; false burdens must be yielded and laid aside to commence anew with good restored.
Revelation 3:14-22 outlines sophistry's fog harming souls, requiring breaking of fallow ground and straight paths without which the Lord cannot work.
Lukewarmness is sin to be repented of by drawing near and doing present duty, holding back goods instead of returning offerings as channels of light.
It describes a lukewarm condition thinking oneself clothed while wearing civilian dress unfit for the marriage supper, with boasting bringing glory to men, threatening law against opposers, and meetings not led by the Spirit, offensive to God, failing to teach truth and needing conversion lest people be led in strange paths.
Those remaining lukewarm resisting God's work and refusing to overcome will be spued, for God tests step by step exposing what they prize above truth, cherished idols and preference above Jesus; those refusing to give up selfishness, pride and evil passions remain unpurified and left to evil angels, while those heeding and overcoming are promised latter rain and preparation for translation.
Half-hearted surrender is offensive while God spares life to lead to unreserved surrender with thankfulness.
God rejects lukewarmness and calls for earnest whole-souled live workers hot and fervent with His love, filled with vivifying influence, seeing God as supreme Ruler, taking the field against the mighty trusting His power in every extremity.
Lukewarm professors are a burden to faithful followers and stumbling block to unbelievers, displeasing to God when hearts are far, giving evil angels cause to mock and harming God's cause at home and abroad, with outward profession not making them faithful.
Half-hearted service to Christ is unacceptable, calling for earnestness and change of character because Christ will not place His Spirit in impure unsanctified hearts, so His people must serve earnestly.
There is no neutral position between serving God and serving the enemy, meaning partial service places one under another power on the enemy's side as allies against Christ while claiming to serve Him.
The Laodicean state as feeling rich and needing nothing, remaining in it is as much a stumbling block as running ahead with unentrusted ideas and work.
The present condition as lack of fresh new experience lays on them the call to prepare for Christ's near coming.
It belongs to the message applying to many not seeing it applies to them, rebuking selfish pride leaving them lukewarm, with only hope to fall on the Rock and be broken.
After all given light, failure to occupy the proper position puts God's people in Laodicean condition bringing rejection unless following counsel.
Against a lukewarm condition it calls for ending it by awakening, growing in faith and advancing from light to greater light with increased earnest trust.
Many knowing truth are neither cold nor hot whose works testify they are not walking, working, praying and teaching the word.
A church can be lukewarm and must leave that condition to become acceptable, with love of worldly things hindering growth.
Christ will spue those having great light who did not practice and obey it, leaving them to follow their own course then bringing in those walking by all light to take their place as true and faithful by God's measurement.
Revelation 3:14-22 plainly marks God's people's condition and calls them to awake, applying to those claiming advanced knowledge but showing character God cannot approve, who must not serve by halves but obey wholly as Christ overcame.
Being half-hearted from leaning on law and agreements is abhorrent to God whom He will not endorse, a disgrace trusting worldly principles, commerce in religious institutions and laws as defense, leaving leaders in enemy hands where success brings ruin.
Being lukewarm is spiritual feebleness charged against ministers and members, calling for revival and reformation unless which the weak will grow more abhorrent until rejected and refused as children, producing unwholesome sickly atmosphere worked by the enemy.
Being lukewarm neither cold nor hot means unconverted and not serving the Lord with mind not quickened to discern instruction.
Being lukewarm means pretending to be in truth while unsanctified and working against truth, requiring power from the Lord to rise above discouragement.
Lukewarmness as destitution of grace marked by inconsistency calls to be zealous and repent.
Against becoming lukewarm in urgent work it calls for earnest action overcoming self, temper and will into harmony with God to become more than conquerors under discipline.
A lukewarm state where love of wealth blinds leads to rejection, requiring examination and repentance.
The lukewarm have no vital connection, fail to stand in allotted place and shine, are powerless for good, insipid to people and angels like salt without savor, useless to society and rejected, better for sinners never to associate than be influenced by empty profession; His estimate contrasts with their self-pleasing smartness, supposed wisdom, cheap habits and common talk as spurious coin without ring, separated from Jesus, blinded to being wretched, offensive, without righteousness, not keeping law or garments undefiled.
Outward pride in dress like ruffles and ribboned bonnets indexes inner pride and marks the lukewarm now being rejected while delay develops character to separate precious from vile, contradicting profession of looking for Jesus to change vile bodies.
The warning applies to those holding mighty truths who are lifted up, rich and needing nothing, fast losing peculiarity and simplicity by imitating worldly fashions, unless zealous, repentant and heeding the True Witness.
Lukewarm is tame lifeless purposeless preaching without sense of awful judgment and message of life and death lulling people to sleep and leaving them backslidden without proclaiming present truth; the verse calls for appropriate pointed sermons from lips touched with a live coal, while those in charge of publishing houses in this condition are on losing ground and must examine, humble and repent of injurious matter, worldly methods, unchristlike spirit and deception.
Lukewarmness is coldness and hardness from pride in wisdom and ambition, trusting human plans and exalting self while refusing light; by contrast those realizing weakness exert stronger influence.
The lukewarm are those long knowing truth in trust with great light yet feeble, inefficient and fragmentary for lack of the Holy Spirit, a sight for angels; the remedy is healthy action through practicing Bible principles, beginning with asking whether he has the Spirit, so they become burning lights reviving the church.
Lukewarmness marked by self-sufficiency and leaving first love means having great light yet not striving to give that light in works as living principles, dishonoring and disgusting Christ so He will not take such names to present to the Father.
Selfishness and covetousness can cloud sight and leave people lukewarm, neither wholly opposed nor wholeheartedly devoted, deceived in thinking they are rich and needing nothing while blind, calling for honest recognition and repentance rather than claiming well-being.
Indifference is lukewarmness, and being spewed means He cannot offer prayers or expressions of love to God, endorse teaching or spiritual work, or present religious exercises asking grace be given.
A self-centered church whose first love faded into selfishness is repulsive facing rejection; outward zeal and ceremonies cannot hide it, and when love for Christ dulls love for those He died for declines.
God will renounce churches continuing lukewarm if they continue, but rejection is not yet final because Christ still counsels to buy; now is time to work aware of danger, come into close relation, wrestle for immortality, come out separate, walk humbly, appreciate His gift and get ready for His very soon coming to receive overcomers.
The condition applies to Sabbath-school members whose self-esteem and self-sufficiency keep them from genuine piety and purity, bringing rejection.
It calls to remember how truth was received, hold fast and repent, because subtle theories imperceptibly draw away from faith and endanger losing hold on things from the Source of light, rather than giving up received truth.
Being lukewarm means doing only half-hearted surface work trifling with soul interests until diseased, deceived and only occasionally Christian with occasional glances and formal petitions, trying to be half for Christ and half for world, neither successful worldlings nor followers, spoiling for both worlds; without implanted truth regulating life there is no growth, blessings turn to curse, and surface workers weighed in the sanctuary are found wanting, with spewing meaning He will no longer present their name to the Father.
A diseased heart from failing to live by every word makes service unacceptable; spiritual life requires eating and assimilating the Word and the Spirit's work to prepare for immortal life.
All members are on trial and all dishonoring God's name will have no place; Christ moves amid candlesticks and will never be without a church, and when the test comes faithful witnesses will stand while failing lights are put out and the faithful take their places.
The solemn warnings apply directly now with weight, meaning God's people must not let Satan control powers but humble themselves, keep commandments, love God and neighbor, keep Christ's Spirit with fairness, receive old light with Christ's righteousness, pray and study more, and receive nothing as God's voice without heaven's credentials.
The warning applies to those abandoning truth and spreading spiritualistic theories weakening faith and making messages ineffective; professed harmony does not prevent rejection of the neither-opposed-nor-fervent.
The message of condemnation is the opposite of commendation to Ephesus, exposing the lukewarm state for workers to keep in mind, showing the difference between the true humble sanctified child and the lukewarm professor.
A Christian profession without wholehearted love, harmony with law and love for believers, marked by selfishness despite high self-estimate, faces rejection, calling for genuine wholehearted Christianity.
The warning applies to professed believers with unconverted hearts indulging self and resisting straight testimony, deceived about fitness for judgment with ingratitude to be exposed; they must repent rather than evade truth.
A self-satisfied faith claiming truth but lacking daily godliness fails to display Christ's humility, forbearance and love, facing rejection.
The picture of many people's spiritual life stands together with precious promises to the overcomer in the chapter.
The verse expresses preference to be cold or hot rather than lukewarm, hating indifference like nauseous water to be spued; the only hope is a clear view of standing before God and knowledge of the disease, with internal grace wanting, holding aloof, aiding the enemy and flattering self as needing nothing in neutral position without zeal, devotion or dying to self.
The True Witness condemns the lukewarm condition as giving Satan great power during the waiting watching time.
It describes people receiving clear light but not letting truth change lives, whose devotion falls short of privileges while imagining favor, whom the True Witness exposes as wretched.
Those remaining lukewarm refusing counsel will be spued, for God tests step by step exposing idols and preference above Jesus, leaving the impure unsubdued refusing to overcome selfishness, pride and evil passions, while those heeding and overcoming are promised latter rain and translation.
It describes professed Christians cold or lukewarm thinking they are good yet lacking light and renewal, with pride, fashion, empty talk and selfishness weighing against them while evil chokes good seed, and God tests each person knowing works and is about to make a searching work, warning against self-deception.
Christ rejects a lukewarm condition where pretentious piety and self-sufficiency are nauseating and works oppose holy principles, and if the message is ignored He will cast such away.
The Laodicean warning applies to those receiving great light but not walking in it, and those failing to keep in step with their Leader professing greatly will be spued unless they repent; it shows Christ reproving chosen depositaries of law with sacred trust to give to the world, proving God deals by rebuke not by pronouncing Babylon or calling out, with no such message from heavenly messengers.
It applies to lifeless messages preached, where lukewarm preaching leaves people asleep without awakening to urgent warning, while Christ calls for earnest proclamation offering riches, righteousness and sight.
The lukewarm state is reached gradually by separating from God and conforming little by little, adopting fashion after fashion, losing peculiarity, refusing separation, giving up warfare until enshrouded and transforming influence lost while still professing truth and thinking well off without realizing distance, growing weaker until Spirit withdrawn, angels bidden to let alone, intercession ceasing and names dropped while profession remains assimilated without missing heaven's light.
The Laodicean message has special meaning and God continues to send these warnings as mercy, calling for its message to be read and meaning sought from God.
The True Witness condemns lukewarm blindness from refusing correction and despising reproofs, giving Satan power in waiting time, with the selfish, proud and sin-lovers assailed by doubts Satan suggests against pointed testimony, many treating unbelief as virtue, while those desiring doubt will have room for God gives evidence to be investigated humbly with teachable spirit deciding by weight.
Professed believers resisting testing and refusing counsel will be rejected, for God tests exposing idols and whether they prize anything above Jesus and truth, leaving the unpurified refusing to overcome unprepared.
The call will affect souls, calling for becoming zeal instead of living guided by feeling, requiring throwing away feelings, recognizing poverty and buying gold, eyesalve and raiment with repentance and destitution felt.
The present church is lukewarm loving world and treasure better than Jesus and heaven, perishing with treasure, and must arise because it does not half heed the message; the True Witness calls to be zealous and repent but the church scarcely hears, only a few afflicting souls and heeding, so unless speedily aroused it will go into darkness and be ensnared.
God will spew those staying lukewarm not striving to arise and zealously repent of backslidings, where warnings have only temporary effect because danger is not realized and thorough work not made so they slide back; the time has come to arise, do great work, correct things, for God is displeased.
It shows God's displeasure upon a course feeling rich while wretched, blind, poor and miserable, and the True Witness invites to buy now before too late gold, eyesalve and white raiment which is pure faultless character lest nakedness appear, urgent because the day of God will present every case as it is and the self-willed preoccupied will awfully awake.
The Laodicean message reproves and chastens to restore, not to discourage or destroy.
The church as lukewarm is a condition where worldly-mindedness, selfishness and covetousness have eaten away spiritual life, and the church has something to repent of and must take hold of repentance earnestly.
It warns against lukewarm experience calling for renewed consecration and wholehearted obedience so Christ's life is present.
Christ's rebuke rests for neglect and not heeding testimonies so blessing is withdrawn, meaning destitution yet choosing own way because self is un-crucified with light having little effect while Christ knocks.
The Laodicean message is to awaken a slumbering church, showing need for earnest effort while time is short.
The message is given to produce zealous repentance, and when it does not appear it brings perplexity which Satan uses with affliction to drive toward despair.
It applies to those professing to follow Jesus but dishonoring profession by false paths for years against light, corrupted in faith, selling to sin and helping others in strange paths until pure religion is unknown.
A church is lukewarm when members assent but are not wholehearted, shown by failure to help sinners and backsliders.
The rebuke is not received by people clinging to doubts and cherished sins while believing they need nothing, hiding deficiencies in humility, patience, faith, love, self-denial, watchfulness, sacrifice, knowledge and obedience.
Christ's rebuke shows those thinking prosperous are in need of everything, and His rebuke is not denial of love for He rebukes those He loves.
The True Witness's counsel has been lightly heeded, calling for deep repentance where receivers obey and are purified while resistance brings a shaking.
Those represented will be rejected if remaining lukewarm, where faith without power lacking daily experience because Christ's righteousness has been dropped calls for zealous repentance lest they be spewed.
The church is in deplorable condition needing arousal to zealous repentance, with sins plainly reproved as sin and promptly put away by pointed testimony.
The message must be proclaimed with power because now applicable, rebuking pride, ambition, self-exaltation, double-dealing, hypocrisy, deception and destitution while those in it claim riches with swelling vanity.
The message's work is not completed at once, for time must be given for angels to work and character to develop while angels wait and weigh worth, though from God.
The message's work is to search and correct evil, calling those addressed to leave tangled mass and dwell on great principles, while Satan opposes understanding and the uncomprehending remain blind plunging deeper though shown wrong for years.
Christ is disgusted with today's churches unable to endure their taste because lukewarm, yet offers hope through rebuke and call to arise and shine because light has come, urging confession before evil becomes sole ruling power.
A church can be lukewarm while believing itself rich, being wretched because failing to heed counsel.
Christ reproves His chosen depositaries of law with sacred trust to give to the world, proving God deals by rebuke not by pronouncing Babylon.
It belongs to solemn rebuke not smooth, exposing false confidence, requiring facing wrongs, neglected duties, selfishness, pride and love of world, where correction is love calling to receive reproof rather than shield.
A lukewarm condition brings rejection, and the message must be proclaimed clearly with watchmen warning of peril, with institutions in Battle Creek called to seek purification.
The warning is applied to families neglecting responsibilities, calling parents to reform homes by guarding associations, teaching purity, admitting neglect and working with children.
The message reveals God's people have left first love, faith is weak and needs thorough transformation, where without that love outward zeal, service, knowledge and ability are worthless as a fall.
People remaining lukewarm will be rejected, including responsible leaders keeping selfish unsympathetic ways who may not recognize being wretched, and must change in heart and reveal Christ's love in words and actions.
The Lord will cast out those who will not let the message have weight but glide along, where lukewarmness covers sins and backslidings God offers to heal if they return and some will return, but only the zealously repentant keep favor while the unchanged are rejected.
A church is lukewarm when departed from God and resisting plain reproof, where members avoid confronting sins, prefer smooth words and complain direct testimony is harsh, a sad dangerous sign.
Continuing lukewarm will bring rejection, applied to young people failing to devote zealously to serving God and helping others.
Unbelief leaves the church lukewarm disgusting to the Lord, with tepid water conveying repulsiveness of lack of faith, love and indifference.
Christ rejects the lukewarm condition seen in the Medical Missionary Association in commercial spirit failing to prepare people for sound experience that can stand judgment.
Lukewarmness is perilous and must be aroused if the church is to receive blessings, meaning vanity, words without vitality and character without moral strength, specifically pride, worldliness, formalism and self-sufficiency, joined to close scrutiny where Christ knows all faults with nothing escaping.
God's people as lukewarm have theory without saving power and have departed from God in low state.
The testimony applies to that time and stirred Sabbath-keepers to seek vital godliness, humble, confess, give up world and turn wholeheartedly so the Saviour could enter hearts.
The message must affect the church but loses influence too soon, carrying counsel not heeded, calling to zealous repentance but the church does not zealously repent.
It applies to the church now to be applied personally, where reluctance to humble to receive sent light leaves men destitute of the Spirit so the Lord cannot use them.
Christians refusing to use abilities are nauseating and cannot be endured, showing indifference delaying confession until too late.
People remaining lukewarm feeling rich and self-sufficient unaware of need are a stumbling block by remaining, just as running ahead with unentrusted work is.
The True Witness knows every work keeping faithful record, and those lacking principle and offended by plain testimony weigh down the church half-hearted until God rejects them and God's people pass along unless they take hold in earnest.
The True Witness will soon spue those professing truth yet lacking Jesus and remaining unconverted with self reigning and God forgotten, and to escape they must repent, be converted and bring forth fruit, for He will not have truth disgraced by crooked course stumbling others.
The message applies to those with light, Bibles, ministry and testimonies, warning God's eye is as flame reading secrets with all naked and open and no hidden sin, calling to humble and repent now while there is a Mediator to bear sins, for none could stand if iniquities marked.
The message applies in every way calling for more than common effort, turning eyes within, afflicting soul, mourning and begging for salvation with deep personal interest and energy.
The message is applicable to present churches, meaning many have strengthened themselves in own way refusing admonitions following own minds, and many once firm have become careless yielding to Satan's plots.
Christ will reject professed people remaining lukewarm, where lukewarmness is becoming more conformed to world than Christ's image, turning toward Egypt, backsliding while pretending godliness and staying fruitless despite advantages; escape requires humbling, repenting, crying after God, wrestling like Jacob, dying to self, showing faith by works in close connection, otherwise fruitless professors face rejection like the fig tree with only leaves.
The True Witness gives counsel to a self-satisfied people destitute of true light, and this blindness exists in Battle Creek school and publishing house even while looked to for guidance, because they trusted weak men who seldom pray, laid too much on one man instead of united consecrated men relying on Thus saith the Lord, and brought in men's inventions, confusing light and darkness.
In the last days Christ will reject those having great light but not practicing principles, leaving them to follow own course swayed by Satan for self-advancement, and bring in those living up to light to give His message to them as true and faithful.
It marks out the present condition as acting by halves instead of whole-hearted obedience, and they must awake and strive to overcome as Christ overcame.
It is Christ's warning to leading men in publishing work neither cold nor hot, where lukewarm means professing godliness but working against truth setting aside It is written for human inventions with corrupted selfish principles and low spirituality departing from justice and mercy; being spued means Christ will not take their names on His lips because dishonoring Him, bringing confusion and disrepute.
It describes a slumbering church that must be aroused, meaning indifference and sloth resulting in loss of religion and heaven, demanding renewed energy, vigilant untiring effort and whole armor while angels wait to aid in fierce conflict as time shortens and Satan works with deceivableness.
It applies most decidedly to those whose experience is insipid and does not witness decidedly, meaning institutions permeated with worldly spirit need reform, calling for decided testimony for health reform including not placing meat before patients.
Lukewarm Christians claim to be Christians but do not reveal Christ's attributes, keeping form while lives contradict it, insipid like salt without savor to men and angels whom Christ rejects completely, with advocacy of truth having no weight for lack of connection.
Lukewarmness is spiritual feebleness bringing rejection, growing abhorrent unless changed until He refuses to acknowledge them, identifying self-satisfied blindness and poverty and calling to receive counsel in revival and reformation.
It belongs to a message calling to thorough reformation, which when received would revive testimony, purge hypocrites and sinners and bring favor.
It belongs to the message calling to zealous repentance, which had not produced expected repentance.
It shows God's people have become lukewarm because they departed from God though He has not departed, possessing theory without power.
It shows God rejects divided allegiance as unacceptable, with anything drawing affections becoming an idol, and no one able to serve God while serving sin, Satan or world.
It is part of the message spoken to God's professed people.
It warns being lukewarm is unacceptable and servants are to be alive and fervent with His love not indifferent, calling for Spirit-filled workers to labor to save souls.
It warns the lukewarm face rejection, applied to professed believers whose pride shows in satisfaction over few accomplishments, in contrast to true conversion, consecration, humility, confession and fervent prayer with zeal and whole-hearted service.
It warns the lukewarm condition leads to rejection and warns not to remain in it, applied that families must reform homes and do God-appointed work.
Revelation 3:15-16 warns lukewarmness is offensive, and those neither fervent nor wholly opposed must not control or neglect faithful workers.
It describes the church at Battle Creek as alarmingly lukewarm because taking on the world's spirit, with some only briefly stirred then chilled by formality, pride and worldly influence unaware of need.
Revelation 3:14-22 is a message for people in low worldly discouraged state clinging to earthly treasure, shown in unwillingness to lay property on the altar; heeding means surrendering fully.
Those remaining lukewarm resisting God's work will be spued, for God tests exposing what they prize above truth.
Half-hearted surrender is offensive, while God spares life to lead to unreserved surrender with thankfulness.
God will reject lukewarm professed people and leave them behind only after character is proved, tested and tried, for God is now proving to see if they will obey while purifying a holy self-denying people, expelling those choosing own way, pride, fashion and evil passions unless zealous and repentant.
Lukewarm Laodiceans claim to be God's children while disobeying commands they advocate, making them fraudulent heathen with God not known by experience.
It is part of the message that must affect the church exposing it as lukewarm, but influence is soon lost because counsel is not heeded.
Lukewarmness is serious where murmuring hides self-indulgence, with ingratitude dishonoring the patient One, and refusal to repent brings shame in judgment.
The lukewarm condition is being neither cold nor hot, not in open opposition yet not faithful stewards following own ideas and remaining half-converted.
The church as neither cold nor hot marked by choosing anger and wickedness is obnoxious to God to be spued.
Being lukewarm neither cold nor hot is unsafe with no time safe to remain so, for probationary life belongs wholly to God claiming all endowments and entire consecration, meaning failure to improve every talent and grow means no spiritual life.
It is part of the message coming with special meaning to be read with prayer as mercy still sent, applying to those accepting spiritualistic theories in Living Temple making the Word of no effect and leading to treating the Bible as fiction unless changed.
Being half-hearted from leaning on law and depending on legal agreements is a disgrace abhorrent to God whom He will not endorse.
Revelation 3:14-22 plainly marks God's people's condition and calls them to awake, applying to those claiming advanced knowledge but showing character God cannot approve.
Revelation 3:14-19 portrays believers as fallen calling them to return to first love Jesus as center of hope.
A church can be lukewarm and must leave that condition to become acceptable.
Many knowing truth are neither cold nor hot whose works testify they are not walking, working, praying and teaching the word.
It belongs to the message applying to many not seeing it applies to them, rebuking selfish pride leaving them lukewarm.
There is no neutral position between serving God and serving the enemy.
Half-hearted service is unacceptable, calling for earnestness and change because Christ will not place His Spirit in impure hearts.
In a most solemn time only a small portion professing truth will be sanctified, with the lukewarm as indifferent world-lovers conforming to world and spiritually dead.
Lukewarmness brings rejection by the True Witness, with ministers lacking piety in danger and needing to let light shine through works as well as words.
Revelation 3:15-16 warns lukewarmness is unacceptable, applied to helpers claiming to be Christians but worldly, selfish, covetous and seeking applause, no help to visitors.
It describes a lukewarm state calling for urgent change by seeking spiritual treasures, recognizing wrongs and repenting zealously.
Lukewarmness in service brings sorrow to Heaven, for despite infinite sacrifice to remain lukewarm is to attend trivial affairs while treating salvation as secondary.
A lukewarm condition brings rejection, where cold nominal faith presents theory without vital power and ministers are asleep while people perish.
Christ has no need for lukewarm men in saving the lost, meaning holding back from self-denial, while required workers give wholly and cannot be used unless hearts respond and lives show light; those burying talents are replaced.
Revelation 3:14-22 is applied as warning to Sister J to wake from indifference, heed counsel and repent zealously, for selfishness and neglect endanger her soul.
It applies to professed followers resisting light, corrupted in faith and choosing worldly favor, calling to repent while resistance hardens toward apostasy and judgment, dishonoring God and leading others astray.
Being halfhearted divided between Him and world is ruinous, making neither successful Christians nor worldlings whom Christ rejects, calling for earnest commitment.
Lukewarm people disregarding counsel face rejection, with straight testimony calling for deep repentance while the careless are shaken out.
Lukewarmness is lethargy on ministers and people over years, meaning being far behind in entering cities and erecting memorials, failing to bear burden, urge cooperation and set in order things ready to die, which must be cured by awakening, confession, humility, organized efforts, presenting truth with God, seeking under the Spirit, placing wholly on His side to be refreshed as the world's light.
It is part of Christ's message applying to those among God's people putting own meaning on calamity like Job's comforters, since their own condition brings rebuke.
It shows the condition of most complacently listening for years without practicing what pleases God, becoming less sensible of truth's preciousness.
Christ spues as disgusting morsel those saying The temple of the Lord are we while handling sacred work with unsanctified minds, tongues and corrupted precepts without God's marks, saying I know you not because lost sheep themselves with plants too large and managers too small refusing Christ and letting Satan use instruments; the workers in the Review and Herald Office are to be disbanded not relocated.
It describes the present state where true love has almost become extinct as religion is degraded, needing to heed the message and seek pardon.
Against becoming lukewarm in urgent work it calls for earnest action overcoming self.
Lukewarmness as destitution of grace marked by inconsistency calls to be zealous and repent, burdening churches while standing for right refreshes.
To be lukewarm is to be under scarcely any influence of saving power, making religion secondary while self, gain and accumulation come first and heaven afterwards, so God sends leanness and withholds light though they attain desire.
Lukewarmness includes knowing health reform yet refusing obedience which Christ will reject, meaning keepers must be in sacred relation with Him by temperance keeping mind and body fit, backsliders converted to stand by light denying appetite so God can cooperate, for flesh animalizes nature, robs love and lets lower passions rule, though no precise diet line is marked where fruits, grains and nuts abound.
It describes people professing much but whose works deny profession, resisting the Spirit and cherishing disbelief, worse off for unheeded messages and becoming like Laodicea.
God rejects lukewarmness and calls for earnest workers hot with His love.
The church is lukewarm and needs an arousing message exalting Christ's righteousness to be cried aloud, and if opposition silences it arousing ceases.
The church is now in lukewarmness and must decide to remain or change, with leaving meaning showing true colors and beginning reform in the home.
The church left first love and became lukewarm showing hardness, coldness and want of sympathy except for favorites, needing the message to lift schools and workers to higher standard by working in Christ's way in meekness bringing rest, seeking the lost with Christ's Spirit.
To be lukewarm means to be half-hearted, idle, indifferent and divided, professing faith without wholehearted love, zeal and piety, needing heart power not learning or wealth, demanding entire consecration and whole sacrifice with individual responsibility loving God's people above all and separating from those without love for spiritual things, lest failing of everlasting life; half-hearted workers have no place, calling for union and thorough devotion, and indifference failing to take Christ's side when drawing others brings danger of being spued.
Christ will spue lukewarm souls because disgusted with works, yet rebuke is accompanied by hope, offer and call to repent, though mere profession without His character and vital connection is distasteful with ceremonies unable to give life.
Christ will spew out professed Christians because life is unlike His, having left first love for self-centeredness, jealousy, strife, bitterness and underhanded workings unendurable to Him, so He will not work with them, ordain them or take their names on His lips, pronouncing them unsanctified unless they repent and do first work, having copied fallen angels instead of showing redemption.
Being spued means the name is spued from His lips and blotted out of life if no confession and repentance, but God will pardon those coming with contrition aware of degradation and need.
The great mass of half-hearted professors grope in darkness when they could walk in noon light, dishonor God more than unbelievers, lack the seal, deviate in little matters from Christ's example, and will meet rejection and bitter disappointment, while those studying His life as standard will not be cast off.
Lukewarmness to be dreaded is receiving only encouraging part of messages while treating warnings as nothing; it was the condition of the Jewish nation rejecting prophecies of Christ's coming by human judgment and natural preference in unbelief and worldliness, recorded for admonition not to treat Revelation's messages as secondary but live with genuine faith.
A heavenly Watcher marks words, deportment and motives, all are choosing blessing or curse, and the verse calls for striving for character and for mind cleansed, purified and ennobled by obeying truth, with no time left for idleness.
Those claiming belief do not have power God would give if they really believed and strove to be like Christ, His presence is not in the midst, and if Christ were formed within likeness would be seen and trials separating members would disappear.
The change calls every family to show true colors by reforming the church in the home, keeping conversation pure, being converted and letting sanctification shine, humbling, repenting, confessing, drawing near to God who will draw near, fearing transgression, for the day of salvation has come; families must not remain indifferent but reform at once.
The Redeemer stands at the door inviting acceptance yet many will not hear, and what is needed is faith and love beyond profession so Christ is represented in character with Him as Cornerstone, calling for complete waking up.
Lukewarmness is saying to His invitation that one will obey but not going, not abiding in Jesus for life, choosing sin and letting the devil control the mind.
Those neither cold nor hot lack living connection and build after the world's pattern, even professed believers not partaking divine nature and not representing Christ, and unless gaining different experience they will never see the King, their lack of happiness in communion showing unfitness for heaven where they would not remain.
It applies to the unacceptable condition of medical missionary work failing to prepare people for sound experience that will stand judgment.
Remaining lukewarm feeling rich makes people a stumbling block, as does running ahead to take up unentrusted work.
The message is sent to idlers saying they are not qualified, calling each to find fitted work, fill his place, seek wisdom, search for needy souls and study Scripture for himself walking humbly, stopping unfruitful thoughts.
Being lukewarm means having backslidden from early devotion and lost first love, being blind without acknowledging it, and one must break with darkness, die to self, come to Jesus and repent.
Lukewarmness is professing to love God yet not advancing from light to greater light to answer His claims, being unprepared to work and holding back as if under a spell while love of world expels love of God, calling for converting power and baptism of the Spirit with human effort keeping better world in view.
Lukewarmness means claiming discipleship while carrying out ambitious schemes and feeding on gossip, so God cannot endorse the work.
God calls the lukewarm to repent, and when they come He gives spiritual life and power.
Laodiceans are nominal first-day Adventists making effort over victory but not getting it while those with truth put them to flight, lost in foggy fear daring not admit the door is shut, having ascribed God's work to Satan as sin against the Holy Ghost turning against their lives to death; remedy is to look at the Pattern meek and lowly with eyes shut to all but present saving truth.
Indifference when one should work to draw others brings danger of being spued, applied to one whose influence leads a young person away instead of helping him be saved.
The condition is self-deceived self-righteousness thinking oneself clothed while unfit for the supper, boasting and seeking human glory rather than God's, not led by the Spirit and threatening with law, displeasing Christ and endangering rejection.
Lukewarmness is a sinful condition persisting for years, seen in lethargy keeping from working cities and establishing memorials, failing to bear burden or cooperate.
The lukewarm condition will fail of everlasting life unless aroused to effort, calling for personal experience and heart work leading to love God's people above all.
Each person must heed the message with independence by humbling, turning, changing purposes and bringing Christ's purity, meekness and lowliness into work instead of counterworking, and refusal leads to death.
A church can receive great blessings yet remain lukewarm with passion, malice, envy, pride and strife leaving it weak, some stirred briefly then falling back unaware of sin and danger.
God looks with indifference on the halfhearted, lukewarmness is living without sobriety, seriousness and solemnity becoming a follower, and unless changed God gives sorrow instead of peace with certain failure for those remaining.
The line between serving God and not must be kept clear, to be Christian is to link with Christ, those standing half with believers and half with unbelievers are told to stand aside without endorsement because their course misleads and makes infidels.
High profession with no practice is lukewarmness with no place in God's work, to be not with Christ is to be against Him scattering, and the lukewarm hearing truth but not purifying hearts by obeying it are very hard to reach, less receptive than unbelievers and ignorant sinners.
The message applies to all professing to keep law yet not doing it, demanding reconversion with the Spirit softening hard hearts and using probationary time to work out salvation representing Christ without selfishness, otherwise title to inheritance is lost and mere professors hear I know you not.
The lukewarm condition is a long torpor like apparent death, requiring renewal of straight testimony and revival bringing resurrection, holding confidence in present truth point by point and refusing teachers tearing down the foundation.
Lukewarmness must be put away or inaction will destroy confidence, and changed example should show neighbors truth's power to refine life.
Half-hearted work avails nothing and God requires decided devotion, giving up pride of dress and opinion, taking firm stand with His humble people to become peculiar purified people zealous of good works.
For a time people profess but do not let grace change tendencies, lose interest and return to sinful practices with no root, growing careless until hardened and falling like a house on sand.
Lukewarmness is backsliding endangering youth professing Christ falling into discouragement when lacking sympathy, worsened by cold blame while tender solicitude and fervent prayer are required to win them from perdition.
The warning applies to those unchanged refusing the message, only the zealously repentant have favor, yet even after sin the Lord calls to return and promises to heal backslidings.
Those knowing truth but neglecting duty while neither active nor openly opposed are in a cold indifferent accountable condition.
A long period of general lukewarmness with worldly spirit brought alienation, fault-finding, malice and iniquity.
Lukewarmness includes indifference and self-satisfaction, and Christ's people must wake, set firm purpose and devote all energy to conform to God's will or they will not become holy.
Lukewarmness is indifference and worldly spirit seen in lack of humility, love and union with hard speeches, requiring zealous repentance through humility, pity, rallying around the standard and letting self die.
Being lukewarm is a half-hearted experience where Christ's virtue is not taken in, not living wholly for God while the world is wholly given to evil.
Being lukewarm is staying selfish and half-hearted without piety corresponding to responsibility, trifling with God instead of serving with single eye; it must be ended by seeing selfishness, humbling, resolving to be wholehearted and seeking first God's kingdom.
The warning message about peril must be given by watchmen with clear utterance under the Holy Spirit, applied to institutions needing purifying, rebuking detective power and mote-seeing criticism.
When the end is at hand God's people in lukewarmness are backslidden and behind without knowing it, bringing grief from failure to confess sin traceable to individuals.
The straight testimony means God will have only those earnestly striving to be right, and members developing unworthy character have no right to house privileges.
Lukewarmness is perilous murmuring when neglecting to seek those outside the fold, to be met with plain testimony.
Members lukewarm for lack of zeal are not left so but are led to work with zeal when others pray unitedly, live for God's glory and encourage the desponding.
Those with God's work must not sink into failing to discern signs and act while Satan unites enemies to control the world.
Lukewarm souls need the divine Spirit to awaken them, and Christ's righteousness in the heart can restore vitality.
The message includes many and calls workers to advance the work rather than let anyone hinder it, calling to faithful active service.
Lukewarmness is doing very little after His much, complaining and holding to ease instead of laboring for souls, to be put away by drinking the fountain of life and seeking the Lord.
Half-and-half service is no service, a pretension God cannot accept but finds offensive, producing no righteous fruits and failing to reveal Christ's character purposed in grace to the universe.
Indifference must not be remained in, for the time when earth is emptied and burned for broken covenant is very near, so the church must decide which side to stand on when the Lord punishes inhabitants.
Christ's inspection warns professed believers failing to live and work truth are in danger, truth must be shown in life, and neglecting abilities can lead others away.
Lukewarmness must be repented of with zeal by keeping Christ's excellencies before the mind so the Sun of righteousness rises, complying with the offer to buy gold, raiment and eyesalve and finding the pearl, bringing new song, confession, restitution and power as with the first and second angels' messages.
Lukewarmness became more apparent amid rapid increase and prosperity, meaning careless indifference instead of thankfulness, including backsliding from health reform and mingling with worldly men.
Christians must not be unreliable or set a lukewarm example encouraging others to sin.
Indifferent inactive members are lukewarm, churches settle into it when leaving matters to drift expecting the president alone to keep them healthy instead of looking to God.
Christ does not accept half-hearted service, those serving Him must be earnest and cleansed putting away unchristlike traits, for He can only use cleansed vessels and put His Spirit in pure hearts.
Christ as True Witness speaks to workers breaking unity by publishing opposing views, showing more confidence in human judgment than His words, calling for heeding Christ and loving one another instead of turning warfare against brethren.
Lukewarmness includes selfishness and covetousness, and working to save others melts the cold atmosphere around the soul.
The verse is God's message of warning and mercy to those sinning against great light, an earnest warning to prepare to meet the Lord with power and glory, rebuking indifference to signs and calling to receive grace daily with watchfulness and prayer through the Spirit.
It demands thorough work in home life and educating children to balanced characters the Lord can approve; while these duties are neglected there is no reason to expect blessing, though the Lord works with human efforts and will not do their assigned work.
It means God must discipline every worker into submission bending the will to His way, molding character by the Spirit under watchful care, separating perverse temperament, self-esteem, masterly subordination, crude manners and unchristlike words until self dies, for the irritated clinging to own way cannot be used.
Lukewarmness is giving up to self-indulgence instead of self-denial, backsliding on health reform and sacrificing health by appetite and lust instead of following the self-denying Saviour and cherishing light.
Becoming absorbed in commercial work can leave people lukewarm unable to grasp present truth for this time, distasteful to Christ.
Christ's estimate contrasts with their own self-pleasing smartness, supposed wisdom and cheap habits, spurious coin without right ring and salt without savor with no saving influence, separated from Jesus, blinded to being wretched, offensive without righteousness or law-keeping.
Lukewarmness is pretentious piety with works opposed to God's Word, including unbelief and resistance with despiteful words, nauseating to Christ who cannot tolerate and will reject them, though those who so spoke will be brought to see sinfulness.
God claims all of a person, requiring connection, daily experience and perfected character rather than the world's standard or halting between opinions; the counsel is the heavenly anointing of gold, raiment and eyesalve as pure religion, applied by falling on the Rock, purifying the soul and doing thorough work for eternity without dallying while eternity is near.
Taking words undermining faith is lukewarm faith with no savor to be spewed, worse than decided opposition.
Lukewarm means vain and trifling, loving social gathering more than prayer and fiction more than the Bible, finding the Word uninteresting because bewitched and disqualified for godliness, of no benefit with angels unable to cooperate, lacking Christ's Spirit, feeling no obligation to sacrifice, falling below conscientious worldlings and controlled by Satan.
A diseased heart from failing to live by every word makes service unacceptable.
All members are on trial and all dishonoring God's name will have no place in His kingdom.
God's work has no place for half-hearted people but calls for whole-hearted service and copying the true Pattern.
The church's need of repentance is weakened by worldliness, selfishness and love of wealth overcoming love of God.
Those in charge of publishing houses in this condition are on losing ground and must examine, humble and repent of injurious matter, worldly methods and deception.
The condition represents those absorbed by worldly interests with lapsed first love, hearts unaffected showing no power, retaining only ceremonial zeal nauseating to Christ.
It calls for a living healthy all-round experience instead of divided self-satisfied religion, requiring cleansed discernment, an eye single to God's glory, vital union with Christ, and working, watching and praying with eye fixed on Him with nothing interposed.
The message to Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22 is truth for this time to be given now with distinct evidence, calling for humble repentance to receive pardon, exposing repentance mixed with hay, wood, stubble and underhand dealing while talking principle, for every evil work comes into judgment.
The warning applies to churches when professing godliness ceases to be faithful; lukewarmness is a boastful faultfinding spirit, and those in it especially in responsibility must humble, put it away and repent to gain victories, otherwise Christ cannot present their names to the Father.
The Laodicean message applies to many claiming present truth but remaining lukewarm failing to use abilities; neglecting work brings denunciation, calling to zeal proportionate to truth and practice of principles.
It applies to a church with knowledge but lacking fervor of love and sanctifying power, joined to self-satisfaction and formalism, facing rejection unless it repents.
It is an earnest warning to prepare to meet the Lord, rebuking indifference to signs evidencing the end is upon them.
Lukewarmness is lack of acquaintance with Jesus, failure to carry out His purposes and daily grieving the Spirit, leaving followers lofty like worldlings without devotion instead of constrained by His love to show contrast and give Him glory.
The lukewarm condition is becoming cold toward brethren when hurt, enclosing in self-righteousness and judging worth; the True Witness knows these works and will spew out those remaining in this state.
Lukewarm means self-satisfied self-exaltation saying rich and needing nothing while wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked, needing humbling, confession and buying gold, raiment and eyesalve, else God will humble; it is cold hardness from pride in wisdom and ambition refusing light and trusting human plans, disgusting to the Redeemer, with spewing meaning He will not hear or commend, while babes depending realize stronger influence; it applies to those holding mighty truths lifted up imitating fashions, to those once knowing truth now satisfied under deception to be vindicated to the letter, and to great profession weaving imperfections by self-pattern boasting attainments in conceit that would mar heaven, yet rejection is not yet final and there is still time.
Half-hearted professors are worse than infidels because deceptive profession misleads others, aids Satan, burdens the faithful, confirms the unconsecrated and shuts heaven, taking the name deficient in graces, serving self, withholding affections, indifferent to others and bringing blood of souls; their influence is more harmful than the avowed infidel and God has nothing to do with the neither-cold-nor-hot, with half-hearted unbelief undermining faith less tolerable than decided opposition and stumbling new believers.
To be spewed means He will no longer present their name to His Father, trifling until diseased and only occasionally Christian without implanted truth.
The threat is given in love to save, and rejection is not yet final; Jesus delays, bears patiently and gives time for excitement to wear off so character develops, idols are exposed, hearts examined, sins confessed and obedience from principle proved, to separate precious from vile and prepare a pure holy people for His presence and the loud cry, with hardness hindering greater work yet efforts blessed bringing many from darkness.
It calls the lukewarm to humble, confess, be zealous, buy gold, raiment and eyesalve, open the door, sup with Him and sit with Him, else God will humble, with transformation, furnace cleansing, hope of reform and shining as sun promised to overcomers truly changed.
Lukewarm is lifeless preaching lulling people to sleep; the verse calls for pointed sermons from lips touched with a live coal, warning ministers backslidden making no effort and publishing leaders on losing ground.
The lukewarm condition is a curse making the church weak because members follow own impulses; servants must roll it away by laboring with Christ through transformation and affliction to reform and shine.
Lukewarm means great profession without following Jesus and boasting of attainments while full of conceit; such wisdom would mar heaven, yet time remains.
Lukewarm means taking the Christian name while deficient in graces, serving self and withholding best affections, becoming a stumbling block shutting heaven and bringing blood of souls to be cast out.
The lukewarm have no vital connection, are powerless, insipid like salt without savor and useless to society, with profession contradicted and advocacy weightless, rejected by Christ.
Lukewarmness is professing truth without letting it sanctify life, leaving the Word a dead letter applied to neighbors not self; such misrepresent Christ and Christ cannot present their case, worse than dead unless realizing sin to be aroused by the Spirit, unfit for service.
The message given on Patmos must be studied now as warning that men will arise claiming new light whose theories would destroy faith in truths tested for half a century, a tremendous testimony of last events to guard against Satan's deception of the elect.
The counsel applies to those corrupted, covered in blindness, not progressing and following own imaginings, unsafe for God's institutions.
The message must be received as God's Word rather than dismissed as of men; when barred out by unbelief, doubt, ridicule and treating as human it has no influence and leaves in darkness, preventing effectual working in believers.
The message exposes blindness where religious life is a lie, calling for dissatisfaction deep enough to work reform among brethren and churches.
A lukewarm church faces warning shown by harshness, lack of sympathy and critical spirit, and counsel calls to be zealous and repent.
The warning most appropriately represents those once knowing and loving truth, fully satisfied under terrible deception; being spewed is rejection as offensive to Him who loved and cooperated, calling for united heart-searching in the very last days when none lack opportunity to hear the Spirit, to be vindicated to the letter.
The warning applies to Sister Palmer showing selfishness and lack of Christlike love left her lukewarm in actual character rather than profession though thinking favorable.
Merely nominal profession without fixed principle, living faith and true godliness is lukewarm facing rejection, though appearing to keep commandments and pray while self-deceived; Satan can use empty profession to mislead others taking them as standard instead of the Bible.
To be lukewarm is to be a professing Christian living selfishly and treating others heartlessly, nauseating to Christ, calling for courage, hope and encouraging words instead.
Half-hearted service means neither serving wholeheartedly nor rejecting outright, with profession not matched by obedience evident as life shaped by knowing Jesus, to be spued.
Lukewarm means out of harmony with truth shown in greedy grasping departing from equity in buying and selling with little purity; to spew means Christ will not take names on His lips but cast off, calling to cleanse the temple from merchandise making it thieves' den, where many will repent and others hardened refuse to be broken.
It speaks to halfhearted Christians unwilling to follow Christ but desiring fashions; being lukewarm means refusing self-denial and the cross hindering character, calling for denying self to follow His self-sacrificing life as disciples.
The warning addresses professing Christians claiming earnestness but mixing imperfections; their condition means Christ cannot endorse their work and will reject unless converted, yet still time.
God has nothing to do with those neither cold nor hot; the careless cannot be prepared for trial and will be rejected, and the half-hearted exert more harmful influence than the infidel.
Lukewarmness means lacking zeal and love to reach the erring, yet those in it are not left without hope.
Coldness still leaves hope, but lukewarmness means uninfluenced by His Spirit with no warm love and insensibility to mercy; Christ desires to present names to the Father as graven on palms and send angels but cannot for the lukewarm selfish and asleep without lived religion at home, church or offerings while the world perishes, whose remedy is conversion, humbling, confession and putting away offense to become warm.
Professing much while void of warmth is lifeless profession nauseating to God bringing rejection, for Christ cannot present such before the Father.
Being divided between Christ and world is lukewarmness to be rejected; those connected work earnestly and bear fruit, while indolence, carelessness and frivolity separate and leave vulnerable to Satan, calling for real commitment.
It is God's message of warning and mercy to those sinning against great light, showing the neither-cold-nor-hot to be spued.
It points out danger of losing hold on things learned from the Source of light, where diligent study guards faith against human interpretations and fables loosening pins and pillars.
Seventh-day Adventists are like the lukewarm church, and the verse with the whole chapter is a lesson of warning for the present hour while perils thicken until the close.