Awakening Laodiceans: A Call to Repentance and Service

To help those in the Laodicean condition awake to their danger, you must first experience a thorough personal conversion and consecration yourself, then present the straight testimony of the True Witness with love and zeal, urging them to active service and repentance in light of the nearness of the end18MR 192.2+2. The remedy for their lukewarmness is to heed the counsel to buy gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eyesalve, which represents a complete surrender to Jesus and the reception of His righteousness Revelation 3:18GCB June 6, 1909, page 345.1.

Here is a practical guide on how to labor for this class:

1. Begin with Personal Consecration

You cannot awaken others if you are spiritually asleep yourself; a sleeping minister or worker preaching to a sleeping people will not arouse themGW92 121.2. You must possess the "gold" of faith and love and the "white raiment" of Christ's righteousness in your own life to effectively counsel others to buy them4T 87.2+1. Your own heart must be humble and broken before God, for if you have a beam in your own eye, you cannot see clearly to help your brother Matthew 7:23T26 49.2. A revival of true godliness in your own heart is the most urgent of all needsHM November 1, 1890, par. 26.

2. Present the "Straight Testimony"

The message to the Laodiceans is the specific remedy provided by God to cure the disease of lukewarmness4T 87.2+1.

• Identify the Condition: You must help them see that while they feel rich and increased with goods, they are actually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked Revelation 3:17GCB June 6, 1909, page 345.1+1. This deception is terrible because they do not realize their true stateT23 4.1.

• Call for Repentance: The message is a call to be zealous and repent Revelation 3:1911MR 290.3. Wrongs must be reproved and sins called by their right name, for this straight testimony will cause a shaking that separates the precious from the vile1SG 184.3+1.

• Offer the Cure: Point them to Jesus, who stands at the door knocking; urge them to exchange their own righteousness for the white raiment of Christ’s character and to seek the spiritual discernment that comes from the divine eyesalveGCB June 6, 1909, par. 4+1.

3. Avoid Harshness and Promote Love

While the testimony must be plain, it must not be borne with a harsh or overbearing spirit1EGWLM 417.6.

• Show Sympathy: Do not be cold or stand aloof; come close to the souls you wish to save with sympathy and loveRH August 8, 1878, Art. A, par. 8.

• Don't Drive Them Away: Harshness hurts the oil and the wine; you must not act from impulse or impatient feelings, which wound rather than heal Revelation 6:61EGWLM 417.6+1.

• Reveal Christ: Present the meekness and lowliness of Christ in your own life, which will have a subduing power upon hearts Matthew 11:2919LtMs, Lt 175, 1904, par. 9.

4. Encourage Active Service and Missionary Work

Spiritual lethargy is often the result of spiritual idleness; the cure for a feeble church is labor and burden-bearingChS 271.3+1.

• Set Them to Work: Those who are lukewarm need to be aroused to work for others; in trying to save others, their own souls will be revived12LtMs, Ms 172, 1897, par. 10+1.

• Personal Ministry: It is not enough to preach; there is a need for personal labor, visiting families, and praying with them to break the spell of indifferenceGW92 38.2+1.

• Share Your Testimony: Tell others how you found Jesus and the joy of His service; these warm, fervent words will convince them that you have found the pearl of great price and will wake them from their dreamChS 124.3.

5. Emphasize the Shortness of Time

The realization that we are on the verge of the eternal world should stimulate every believer to earnest energyLDE 42.6+1.

• Prophecy is Fulfilling: Remind them that the end of all things is at hand and that we have no time to lose in securing the crown of life Romans 13:125MR 5.1+1.

• Urgency of preparation: Teach that character is not transferable and that they must obtain the oil of grace in their vessels now, before the bridegroom comes and the door is shut Matthew 25:10-1210LtMs, Lt 64a, 1895, par. 11.

• A Call to Watch: Warn them against the spiritual stupor that comes from loving the world; they must watch and be sober, lest the day overtake them as a thief 1 Thessalonians 5:44T 124.1.

6. Address Lifestyle Habits

Physical habits affect spiritual perception. You must help them understand that the indulgence of appetite and the use of unhealthful food benumb the moral sensibilities, making it impossible to appreciate the atonement or value eternal thingsCon 61.1+1. A reform in eating and drinking is essential for clearer spiritual eyesight and victory over self2LtMs, Lt 1, 1875, par. 13+1.

7. Pray for the Holy Spirit

Ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit that quickens the lifeless faculties of the soulHM November 1, 1890, par. 26. You must plead for the baptism of the Spirit, for without this power, all human effort is in vainRH June 4, 1889, par. 7+1. Pray that they will hear the voice of the True Witness and open the door of the heart to let Jesus in Revelation 3:20+1.