Below is an article that I originally wrote 3 years ago about the problems of the modern
Church and what the Bible says about how to fix it.
The Laodicean Church and The Colossian Fix
In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, John the Apostle writes to seven churches located in Asia Minor. There are many people including myself who believe that these two chapters are prophetic in that they represent the general spiritual condition of the Church from Pentecost until Christ comes for His Bride. The seven churches are the church of Ephesus, the church in Smyrna, the church in Pergamos, the church in Thyatira, the church in Sardis, the church in Philadelphia, and the church of the Laodiceans.
The Laodicean church or rather the church of the Laodiceans is the one that I am focusing on here because I think we are living in the Laodicean age of the Church. Jesus spoke and speaks to the church of the Laodiceans in Revelation 3:14-22.
Jesus’ message is a rebuke from the beginning. The other six churches are the church of Jesus Christ “of” or “in” a certain city. However, this is the church of the Laodiceans with Jesus Christ standing on the outside knocking on the door for admittance into His church. It is the church of the rights of the people or civil rights for that is what Laodicea means (v. 14). This is the church that is neither hot with a zeal for holiness nor cool with water to refresh (v. 15). This is the wife who has decided she does not need her husband and the church who has decided she does not need the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 17). This is the church that equates material wealth with spiritual success. This is the majority of the church today.
The Lord gives His assessment of this church. He says it is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (v. 17). It also makes Him sick (v. 16).
The Lord also has quite a lot to say about how to fix this church. I call it the Colossian fix for three reasons: because His instructions here in Revelation parallel the book of Colossians, because in Colossians 4:16 Paul says read Colossians “in the church of the Laodiceans”, and because Paul wrote to seven churches also and the one that deals most specifically with the issues of our time is his letter to the Colossians.
In Revelation 3:14. Jesus calls Himself, “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” Colossians 1:12-20 parallels and expands upon Revelation 3:14. He is the Amen or the One who established this church. He is the faithful and true witness even to the point of purchasing this church with His own blood. He is the beginning of the creation of God for all things were created by Him and for Him. Colossians 1:18 says, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” The first step in fixing a church is for the Lord Jesus Christ to have the preeminence in all things.
Revelation 3:18 speaks of the true Gospel and looks back to Isaiah 55:1. Jesus says to buy of me gold tried in the fire. This speaks of purity formed in the fires of affliction. In Colossians 1:23 when talking about the hope of the gospel Paul mentions the death of Christ in verse 22 and his own sufferings in verse 24. The purpose of these sufferings is to present the Colossians holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight and to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Christ also says in Revelation 3:18 to buy of him white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. We are to put on Christ’s righteousness by faith in Him. Nothing else will do. There is no philosophy, vain deceit, tradition of man, or rudiment of the world that will cover my shame. Finally, Christ says to anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. This should call into remembrance the scales dropping from Paul’s eyes after He believed the gospel. When we believe the gospel we can then set our affections on things above. The second step in fixing a church is the preaching of the true gospel. It is rejecting the false health and wealth gospel. It is also rejecting entertainment and programs as the keys to success in church. The true gospel is salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. This true gospel transforms me to be like Christ, fills me with joy in suffering, mercy and kindness toward my enemies, hope and assurance in the face of death all because of what Christ did. Again, I say nothing else will do.
In Revelation 3:19, Jesus has two final words for this church. They are “be zealous and repent.” In Colossians, the zeal of Epaphras is contrasted with the lukewarmness of the Laodiceans in Revelation. Epaphras is described as a dear fellowservant, a faithful minister of Christ, one who always labors fervently in prayers and who has a great zeal for the church. What does repentance in the church look like? It looks like Colossians 3. Paul’s epistles are structured this way. The beginning tells of all the things that God has done for us in Jesus Christ. The end of Paul’ epistles say now go live this way because of what God has done for you in Jesus Christ. Step three for fixing the church is to have servant minded, faithful, zealous, laboring, praying ministers in the church. And step four for fixing the church is for the church to stop looking to the world for solutions and success and instead repent and look to the very clear instructions on how we should conduct ourselves as the blood bought bride of Christ which are given in the scriptures. Colossians 3 is a great place to start.