When you look at the churches here in America and the life style that we enjoy, to the on looker there is not to much difference between the unbeliever and the Christian. The scriptures say, “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Romans 8:1-2.

Materialism and sports have become an idol that is worshiped in and out of the church. Young families that have their children involved with sports think nothing of missing church and taking their child to a hockey game, because the game is played on Sunday morning and they conform to the world rather than stand their ground and say “No, not on a Sunday”. We are spending the Lord’s money on ourselves when we should be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us. Many of us think that if we have given our tithe, that is all God requires of us. In the Old Testament that might have been so, but in the New Testament time that we are living in, every thing that we have is God’s, and we are His stewards to look after His creation. (The earth is His and all that is in it) Jesus said “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (of necessity) will be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of its self. Matt.” 6:33–34. In other words do not worry about your daily provisions, also such things as pensions, insurance, health, etc. If we put our treasures in heaven (with God) we have a guarantee from God that He will look after us here on earth. In some of these areas we have to learn to die to self. “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that for sake not all that he has, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14: 33. The message to the Laodicean church is for the church of today in most cases, there are exceptions of course. 

“These things says God the Faithful and True Witness, the beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘ I am rich and become wealthy, and have need of nothing’-- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor. blind and naked, -- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” Rev: 3:14 –22

This letter was written to believers and not to the gentiles, (unbelievers) and when used in context of salvation, it is really taken out of context. At salvation Jesus is standing at the unbeliever’s hearts door asking permission to come in and He will take possession if there is repentance of the heart. This is the first step that is necessary, for our salvation, to get on the Way. Jesus says I am the Way, the Truth and the Life no one comes to the Father but by Me. In this letter to the Laodicean church, it is not Jesus at the door, but the Holy Spirit, knocking at the hearts door, asking for permission to come in. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman, and will not force Himself on anyone, but wants to be invited to come in. This is the sad situation of so many churches; they think that by inviting Christ into their life, they assume that they have the Holy Spirit of God, whereas it is the Spirit of Christ they have received. Which of course is also Holy - He was the perfect Lamb. But receiving the Spirit of God is a second experience after the born again experience and it comes with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

I am not saying that God cannot do such a miraculous work at salvation that the baptism of the Holy Spirit could follow right after salvation, but that would be the exception and not the normal. In the scriptures in Acts we have many examples of individuals as well as groups of people receiving Christ and then later receiving the Holy Spirit. The disciples were believers John 20:22 “He breathed (Christ’s Spirit) on them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Spirit of Christ is Holy, He is God’s Son) Then in Acts 1:4 where He had commended them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, Verse 5: “but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 

In Acts 2:1-4 we see this fulfilled in those 120 that were all gathered in one accord in one place. And the evidence was that they all spoke in tongues. Also Acts: 10:45 & 46, and 19:6 & 7. We see here that the gentiles accepted the word, repented and were baptized, (water) then received the baptism of the Holy Spirit by laying on of hands. When Jesus commanded the disciples not to go ministering till they had received the promise from of the Father, (Holy Spirit) it is an indictment to the church that we think we can ignore Christ’s command and go without this power. That is why the Holy Spirit is standing and knocking at the hearts door. Luke 11:13 “how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask. He, Jesus is talking to His disciples and believers, not sinners. When a person receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, He (the Spirit) will guide you into all truth. Just as salvation gets you on the way, the baptism of the Holy Spirit guides you into all truth, thus if you are a born again Holy Spirit baptized believer, your are now on the Way, being guided into all Truth.

As a Christian, having received Jesus by faith, your spirit has been renewed by His Christ’s Spirit, just as the disciples were when Jesus Christ breathed on them, after His resurrection, when He appeared to them, behind the closed doors. Romans 8:9 “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. Verse 10: “And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness”. Verse:11 “But if the Spirit of Him ( God’s Spirit) that raised up, Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (resurrect) your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you”. It is quite evident from this verse that in order for our mortal bodies to be raised up from the dead by the Holy Spirit of God like Christ was, then, the same Holy Spirit of God has to be in us. How does the Holy Spirit get to dwell in us? By asking Jesus to baptize us with thee Holy Spirit of God. John the Baptist said in Luke 3:16 “I indeed baptize you with water, but One mightier than I (Jesus) is coming; He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire”. (I will say more about fire later)

We of course see this happening all through the early church, that Christians were baptized with the Holy Spirit, after they received Jesus by faith into their hearts. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3 “Except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” (will be in heaven). Then in Verse 5: Jesus said “Except a man be born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” I realize that most theologians make no distinction between see and enter, however if you look up the two words in the original Greek in The Strong’s Concordance, they are two completely different words, see – 1492 – Edie – to see (lit. or fig.) Comp. 3700 –optimal – also 3708 to gaze – (i.e. with wide open eyes, as at something remarkable) enter – 1525 –eiserchomal – to enter (lit. or fig.) enter in. The water, speaks of the Word that cleanses, Eph. 5:26 “That He might cleanse it (the Church) by the washing of the water of the word“.

What about the fire? We know that the disciples were baptized with the Spirit of God, just as John the Baptist proclaimed he would, but he also said that Jesus would be baptizing with fire. Fire speaks to us of a cleansing. The baptism with the Holy Spirit is for power for living our Christian life by our witness and with the gifts that the Holy Spirit bestows upon us. However the baptism with Fire, is not only to cleanse us but to purify and refine us, as gold and silver are. Malachi 3:3, “And He (Christ) shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, then they may offer unto the Lord an offering of righteousness.” 

This is still future, it will happen after Christ has fulfilled the feast of Tabernacles, which was kept by the Jews at the end of harvest every year. Feast of Passover is our salvation, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus has fulfilled this when He was crucified on the very day the Jews celebrated this feast. Feast of Pentecost was fulfilled by Christ on the very day the Jews celebrated this feast, Acts: 2:1. We can find these two feasts that are recorded in scripture that Christ has fulfilled, however there is no record that the feast of Tabernacles was ever fulfilled, which He will fulfill here on this earth before we get to heaven. Malachi 31 says, "the Lord whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His Temple (The Church); behold He shall come with the Lord of hosts. Verse 2: “But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He Appears?” This is future, but very near at hand, and just as the first two feasts were fulfilled by Christ on the very days that the feasts were kept, the feast of tabernacles will also be fulfilled on the very day that the Jews keep it.

In this letter to the church at Laodicean, the Spirit councils it to by gold tried in fire, and to repent and open the door as the Spirit knocks on the hearts door. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches.” Rev. 3:22.

“And the Spirit and the Bride say ‘Come’. And let him that hears say, ‘Come’. And let him that is athirst say ‘Come’. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all “ Rev. 22: 17 &21

Dave Loewen