A Letter to Laodicea

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: "This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the origin of all that God has created. I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! but because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! You say, 'I am rich and well off, I have all I need.' But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked and blind. I advise you, then, to buy gold from me, pure gold, in order to be rich. Buy also white clothing to dress yourself and cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy also some ointment to put on your eyes, so that you may see. I rebuke and punish all whom I love. Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins. Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me. To those who win the victory I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and now sit by my Father on his throne. If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!" (Revelation 3:14-22)
**Commentary by Richard Stearns from "A Hole in Our Gospel."
'Laodicea was an important center of trade and communication, strategically located on a main Roman road stretching from Ephesus, on the coast, inland to Asia. This city was famous for both its banking industry and a great school of medicine. In fact, the Laodiceans produced a well-known ointment for the eyes. They also boasted a one-of-a-kind, glossy black wool for weaving, which created great wealth for their city. They were even rich enough to refuse help from Rome when their city suffered a major earthquake in AD 60. And because they had achieved prosperity by themselves, Laodicea had a reputation for self-sufficiency and pride.'
In constrast to its glowing attributes, Laodicea was also known for its poor water. On the other hand, nearby Hierapolis was famous for its hot springs, which boasted medicinal properties. People traveled there daily for a dip in the healing waters. Colossae, also a neighbor, was known as well for its cold, pure waters. A drink from the springs of Colossae was refreshing to many a traveler in the heat of the day. But Laodicea's waters were brought in by aqueduct and were neither hot nor cold--but lukewarm. Interestingly, as Christ looked at His church there, He was essentially saying that their works--like their waters--were so tepid that they were good for neither spiritual healing nor spiritual refreshment. The result? 'You make me want to vomit'(v.16 MSG). the Lord found them thoroughly disgusting."
I think that the things that the church thought that they had down, God condemns and tells them that it is not good enough. They needed pure gold from Him, they needed white clothing from Him and they even needed eye ointment from Him. Even though these things were all good things, they were not good enough and they did not buy them any special favors from Him. In reality, He wanted them to have humble hearts and He wanted them to rely on Him.