Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 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: 19-22 (ESV)
Let me just address some of the points in the closing of this letter by Jesus Christ. First let us disavow this sloppy agape love that the false church continues to embrace in this country. Joseph Prince actually preaches that God is never angry with us. Never. Verse 19 makes it abundantly clear that Prince does not receive direct revelation from God as he claims. Whom God loves He also reproves and disciplines. I had a Prince adherent once ask me if I served a God who I was afraid would strike me down with a lightning bolt. My answer was that I was afraid of forgetting He could if He wanted to. So what is the answer then after all these things? Go back to the beginning beloved. I wish you were either hot or cold. Be zealous the Lord commands and repent. So it is not just repent, although that is always the starting point. Jesus also implores us all to not grow complacent in our salvation. We are to work it out with fear and trembling. We must be zealous beloved.
Lastly, just a word about verse 20, often misused to indicate that Jesus Christ is some wallflower at an eighth grade prom hoping we will ask Him to dance. As always, we must not lose sight of the context of this verse, which is that it is part of the letter to the church in Laodicea. The door He stands at knocking is the door of the false church, not the individual person. Salvation is entirely of the Lord. I do not ascribe to pure Calvinism in that I do believe we accept the gift of salvation but the modern theology of "asking Jesus into your heart" is poor at best and often based upon misapplying Revelation 3:20. For the false Christian in the false church however, Christ is saying it is not too late. It is not too late to exchange your nakedness for righteousness. To exchange your blindness for sight. Your spiritual poverty for the everlasting and glorious salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let the Laodicean Church of today hear and repent.
Reverend Anthony Wade -
