04/06/2026
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐พ๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐ฎ
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ค๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐
๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก
The final book in the Bible is Revelation, written by the apostle John in exile on Patmos, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. John wrote this book around AD 95 when he was an old man. Many Christians steer clear of Revelation as it tackles difficult topics: the end of the world, the second coming of Jesus, and judgement for all. Indeed, much of the imagery John uses to describe events like the battle of Armageddon seems to us strange and difficult to interpret. But we should remember that John was living in a time when he would never have seen a bicycle, let alone modern weaponry like drones or helicopter gunships, so he had to use words like giant locusts to describe things about which he had no experience.
But before these descriptions of the end of the world, John presents 7 letters which were sent to churches in what is now Turkey. We can speculate why there are 7 letters but a probable answer is that 7 in the Jewish tradition signifies completion or perfection, and the 7 churches described in the letters, with all their weaknesses and strengths, are representative of every church, past and present. The 7th letter is addressed to the church in Laodicea and is highly critical of its commitment, describing it as โlukewarm โ neither hot nor coldโ. It also tells the church that it is rich in material things but wretched and poor in spiritual gifts, and therefore God is about to spit them out of His mouth. (Revelation 2: 16 โ 18). In western Europe especially, these words have a resonance for the life of many Christians.
In the Times recently, there was an article by a well-known biographer and writer in which he praised lukewarmness in the church, arguing that this represented the settled opinion of many in the church today, who were neither hot nor cold about their individual faith. The implication was that we should exercise a private faith, if we were so moved, but we should not try to influence others; worship at church was about ritual, liturgy and music, not about celebrating a personal relationship with God. To Christians in other parts of the world, who are hounded and persecuted for their faith and their refusal to deny Jesus, this would seem an amazing betrayal of hard-won freedoms to worship openly and without fear.
๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐
๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ
After Jesusโs resurrection and ascension, the apostles and other followers of Jesus were left bereft and isolated, spending much time behind closed doors, fearful too that they would be hunted down by the Jewish authorities trying to stamp out this โNazarene sectโ. It wasnโt that their faith was lukewarm but that it was unfocused, and they were confused as to how they might fulfil the commission that Jesus had given them to โGo and make disciples of all nations.โ (Matthew 28:19) But their lives were about to be totally transformed.
As Jews, they were required to attend 3 pilgrim feasts in Jerusalem every year. Jesusโs death and resurrection had occurred at the time of one of these, the feast of Passover. Fifty days later comes the Jewish feast of Pentecost from the word Pentekostos, meaning 50. In Hebrew the feast is known as Shavuot (or weeks) and celebrates the giving of the law to Moses at Mount Sinai 50 days after escaping from Egypt and the first Passover. At that Pentecost, around AD 33, an event happened that completely changed the lives of these followers of Jesus. Luke recounts that โA sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven ..........They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.โ (Acts 2: 2 โ 4) Through this wonderful event, they were transformed by the Holy Spirit into bold evangelists speaking out openly about the salvation that had come through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Today we would call this as being โbaptised in the Spiritโ and part of that process of being โborn-againโ that Jesus describes in John 3: 3 โ 21. John Wesley, over 1,700 years later described his life as being totally changed as โhis heart was strangely warmedโ. Nowadays, the term โborn-again Christianโ has become something of a pejorative term to many but in reality, it means becoming totally committed to a Christian way of life. It is the antithesis of lukewarmness. For some, being born again is a once in a life time experience with a physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit coming upon them. To others it may be a gradual surrendering of themselves to the power of God in their lives. But all who describe themselves in this way accept that, Jesus is the only way to salvation, the Bible is Godโs word, holiness comes through the power of the Spirit and not human effort, and that they have a duty to share the gospel with others.
So, if someone describes themselves as a born-again Christian, please donโt recoil in horror but recognise that they have made a personal commitment to follow Jesus and to make Him their central guide in all that they do and say. Indeed, it could be truly transformative for Christians everywhere were they to reject a Laodicean following of Jesus and instead embrace the power of His Spirit.
