The words of Jesus Christ to the church in Laodicea:
Revelation 3:15-17 ESV
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
This evening my husband and I watched a video talk by Tucker Carlson, a former newscaster/commentator with Fox News here in the USA (this is not an endorsement of the man). He is independent now with his own talk show, I believe, and he gives speeches and has discussions with other people at various locations on particular days at specific times covering various topics. And so you can find him on Twitter (X) and on YouTube.
Well, in his speech he was talking about how much America has changed just in the past 20 years, and how it happened so fast. I agree! Now he does profess to believe in God. I don’t believe he professes to be a follower of Christ, and evidently he is just getting into reading the Scriptures. But what he expressed really stood out to me as something very significant that needs to be talked about. And he gave this very vivid illustration:
This is not an exact quote, but what he described was a situation where there was all sorts of evil going on in the streets, I think maybe at the hands of military (not sure), but they were raping women and doing all sorts of evil. And then he described a theatre nearby where there were many people sitting inside watching a movie, totally oblivious to what was going on in the world outside of their fantasy world. And that really hit me.
For what he also talked about was the denying of reality, being totally oblivious to what is really going on, which is where, sadly so, many Americans are. And this is because so many Americans have been dumbed down by the media (many movies, TV shows, game shows, sports, entertainment, social media, and videos), and by the idea that to be happy we must be entertained continuously and we must believe certain people without testing, and that everything must be positive, not negative.
So, what this does is set people up with the idea that to be liked that they have to be funny and entertaining and talking about things that don’t matter for eternity and that they are to reject anything they deem as negative, even if it is the truth, and even if it is the truth that they need to hear. And Tucker also expressed the critical importance of us being real and not liars and not fakers but people who are bold and willing to stand for truth.
So, what he was really describing was Laodicea, which many people believe is the church in these last days before the return of Christ. And this is where we are in America, even within the gatherings of “the church,” entertaining and being entertained, saying “smooth things” and “pleasant things” that don’t offend people in order to make everyone “feel good,” but ignoring the reality of what the Scriptures teach regarding how we are to be living.
But so many Americans are being programmed and brainwashed into putting on blinders in certain areas and to immediately shutting out any possibility of truth getting into their brains if they hear certain words and phrases. And this is happening in the world of politics, in the media, and within the gatherings of “the church,” and coming from the mouths of preachers and politicians who have specific agendas they are following.
And thus so many people are reacting to so many situations according to their conditioning, not according to reality, necessarily, and not according to truth, nor to the possibility of truth. So many are just regurgitating what others have ingrained in them without actually doing the necessary homework, in prayer before God, to see what is truth and what are lies, and who are truth tellers and who are liars. And so many are believing the liars and not the truth tellers because the lies make them feel good.
“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:18-19 ESV
Now, before one can repent of wrongdoing that person has to first of all face (own up to) the reality of his condition, and many won’t do that. He has to see that he is “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” He has to be willing to have his eyes opened to the reality of where he is living and to what he is doing and to how that is viewed in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the Scriptures. He has to be willing to face the reality of the lies he has been believing and living and be willing to be a recipient of the truth.
And repentance is not just words spoken, nor is it just a verbal confession of sin, especially generically. The word means to have a change of mind, but that change of mind is to result in a change of behavior. For what our minds are set on is what we do. If our minds are still set on the flesh, we will walk according to the flesh, which ends in death, not life eternal. But if our minds are set on the Spirit of God, we will walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit, and that ends in eternal life with God (Romans 8:1-14).
[Matt 3:8; Matt 4:17; Matt 11:20-21; Matt 12:41; Matt 21:28-31; Mk 1:15; Lu 5:32; Lu 13:3; Lu 15:2-8; Lu 24:47; Acts 3:19; Acts 5:30-31; Acts 8:22; Acts 11:17-18; Acts 17:30-31; Acts 20:21; Acts 26:20; Rom 2:4; 2 Co 7:8-10; 2 Co 12:21; 2 Tim 2:24-26; 2 Pet 3:9; Rev 2:5; Rev 2:16; Rev 3:19]
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:20-22 ESV
Jesus Christ is definitely knocking at the hearts of many people across the world, including here in America (modern-day Laodicea). And he is doing that through such writings as these that he has me and others of his followers to write, and via some preachers and evangelists who are listening to his voice, and via followers of Christ who are sharing their faith with others in person and on the internet. But so many professing Christians are closing their ears to the truth and they are believing the lies, instead.
So, we need to be those who will listen to him and who will not shut out his voice and who will let his truth inside of us and who will reject the lies. But we have to be people willing to face up to the truth and to the lies we have been believing who are willing to let go of those lies and who are willing to follow Jesus and to speak his truth and to live his truth even if it means being hated, rejected, not wanted, and maybe even killed for our faith.
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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