The Church of Laodicea

[Liss]

i am of the firm belief that everything in the bible, although happpened many, many eras ago has application to us today and will do as long as the earth remains. everything that is written here we can learn from.

in my opinion, when you refine something in the fire, it is to burn off all the unwanted residue, or whatever. God wants to refine us in the fire. Therefore i see that it is God's desire to burn off all that unwanted residue from our lives. to burn off everything that is unpleasing to Him.

i don't see that the gold referred to in this passage has anything to do with material. rather than to be pure as the refined gold as jesus was. Gold is purified in the fire and must we be. it is not a comfortable place. however, we must step outside our comfort zone and go through this refining process as we become more like jesus - which should be our ultimate aim.

i would like to continue in saying that people who seem to have everything they could possibly need have no need to call on God. they have their money, their houses, and their clothes. They don't see anything else God can give them at this point in time. in my poinion God desires to anoint our eyes so that we may see that we in fact do not have everything for without God it is IMPOSSIBLE to have everything. God wants to open up our eyes so that we may see that without him we are in fact naked, wretched, miserable, poor and blind.

Your in Christ Jesus

Liss

[exrockstar]

4. Eye Salve?

Also, the misquoted use of verse 20, in today's churches. It is frequently implied that this verse is for the lost, rather than the church herself.

Something to think about.

In His Love,

Suzanne

The Church of Laodecia was noted for and proud of its wealth, wool industry and production of eye salve.

A medical school was located in the temple of Asclepius. A tablet called tephra phrygia was made in the medical school. It became very famous throughout that part of the Roman Empire. The tablet would be crushed into a fine grain and mixed with a small amount of water. Then it would be used as an eye salve for any type of eye ailment.

Christ is addressing Laodecians as they are spiritually blind.

[Floatingaxe]

4. Eye Salve?

Also, the misquoted use of verse 20, in today's churches. It is frequently implied that this verse is for the lost, rather than the church herself.

Something to think about.

In His Love,

Suzanne

The Church of Laodecia was noted for and proud of its wealth, wool industry and production of eye salve.

A medical school was located in the temple of Asclepius. A tablet called tephra phrygia was made in the medical school. It became very famous throughout that part of the Roman Empire. The tablet would be crushed into a fine grain and mixed with a small amount of water. Then it would be used as an eye salve for any type of eye ailment.

Christ is addressing Laodecians as they are spiritually blind.

Exactly...good!

[Arthur Durnan]

And who would deny that the modern ecumenical jostling of this day - what with Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, Rabbis & professing-but-not-possessing Christendom joined in lock-step in 'multi-faith' enclaves - clearly fulfills the Judge's later sobering declaration in Revelation 18:4, "Come out of her, my people. that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues," as well as Rev. 18:5, "For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities"? The fact of the matter is that God FORGETS the sins & iniquities of individual repentant sinners (Jeremiah 31:34), but He promises to REMEMBER the sins & iniquities of the bankrupt laodicean congregation.

The Judge of the Church counsels us to "be zealous, and repent" (Rev.3:19b), and further to "Buy of Me GOLD!" (Verse 18). HIS gold is true gold, "tried in the fire," free from alloy or dross, free of taint or canker. Christ is calling His Church today to shake itself free of all entanglements, to get its priorities straightened out, and to remember that God comes ahead of family & friends! The Apostle said practically the same thing in Hebrews 12:1,2, "Let us lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us (I LOVE THIS!) WITH ENDURANCE....fixing our eyes on Jesus." AMEN! Let's never be found courting Laodicea today!

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com

[tsth]

Has anyone looked in depth at pages 8 & 9? It is also a very good portion of this study..... disagreements and all.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[exrockstar]

Has anyone looked in depth at pages 8 & 9? It is also a very good portion of this study..... disagreements and all.

In His Love,

Suzanne

I can't seem to grasp what everyone is going back and forth about?

i keep reading "faith" and gifts then other people saying other things.

what is the question or is it off topic?

edited: ok i see where you guys are talking about. still a little confused.

However, that is way off topic unless I start diving back to see what led the conversation there.

Edited March 27, 2007 by exrockstar

[exrockstar]

I'm glad to see someone correctly identified the fact that the church at Laodecia is a false, unsaved, apostate church - a church of the unsaved.

I have seen this verse misused so many times to try to scare people by saying "if you are not as on fire for God as you should be, He is disgusted with you and will spit you out of His mouth."

Should Christians be on fire for God? Absolutely. Is that what this verse is saying? No. But there are lots of verse that do say this - there's no need to yank this one out of context and make it say something it doesn't.

Laodecia is saved. If they were unsaved they would of not been referenced as a church at all.

Let's not add or take away from scripture. It is a letter to a church...let's leave it at that.

[tsth]

There is such a thing as those who are of the church, yet do not know Jesus Christ........look at the Pharisees. It is possible for an entity to be a church, and also be "unsaved". Lest Jesus would not be knocking to "come in". He should have already been within it if the church was one of belief in Him.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[exrockstar]

There is such a thing as those who are of the church, yet do not know Jesus Christ........look at the Pharisees. It is possible for an entity to be a church, and also be "unsaved". Lest Jesus would not be knocking to "come in". He should have already been within it if the church was one of belief in Him.

In His Love,

Suzanne

this letter is not addressing those "unsaved" churches.

We can't compare to the Pharisees because this is a totally different program.

The simplest way to tie all this in together is the analogy of parents with children.

Once you are claimed as a child of God that is it. It is a done deal and it is sealed.

The Laodecian is a church that addresses the lost and found (over comers) children of that church.

No matter what, they can go as astray and far off the mark as possible...nevertheless, they are His children.

When Christ said "I do not know you.... (Matt 7:22)" He never addressed them at all and definately not through this letter.

However, everyone can interpret scripture however they want but I have taken that route that when you

are claimed as part of the church then that's it. It's a matter of rewards from thereon. Church members

are seeing where they position themselves on the totem pole.

As for the knocking...if I remember correctly you believe these are church ages whereas the Laodecian church is

the last church age right? I believe that.

Well, Him "knocking" is a warning that He is coming in.

You know like parents hearing the children play in a room. The parent knocks on the door to let everyone know

they are there and is going to come in, so behave. If you are a pre-trib believer, like I am, then what does John say next?

"1After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."

With John stating that then that strngthens my position as a pre-tribber.

When people talk about "Christ is knocking to let Him in your life..." i pass on that one.

His knocking because He is warning that He's about to make a presence (not a worldy presence).

beautifully said....

God bless

Edited March 27, 2007 by exrockstar

[tsth]

So, you're content with suggesting that "vomit you out of my mouth" is a picture of those who are saved?

Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Don't confuse "church" with "saved", they are not necessarily one and the same. The church becomes guilty with smugness, even though their works continue to be those of wickedness.

I think that is evident in the Matthew 7 passages, you know, "Lord, Lord, didn't we......." AND "depart from me, you workers of iniquity"

In His Love,

Suzanne