going on to perfection;

-3-

Livin'

La vida

laodicea

 

It doesn’t take much reading of New Testament Scripture to discover its instructions to us. Although we will staunchly defend our liberty from legalism & The Law (Galatians 5:1), the truth is that there are still things that we are told that we are to do & there are things that we are told that we are not to do. There are things that we are told that we are to start & there are things to stop. There are things that we are told that we are to let go of & there are things that we are told that we are to take hold of. In our last meeting, we talked about the fact that there is a definite putting off of the things of the flesh & a stated putting on of the things of the spirit. This isn’t done in order for us to be saved, but rather, because we are saved. Those who are babes in Christ are doing this & are avidly pursuing God through The Word & prayer. Those who are moving on to spiritual manhood, chewing through God’s Word & engaging in active prayer are growing up in Him. Those who are languishing in carnality are like stagnant water & speaking of water, The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, has had something to say. You don’t have to listen to me, but you do have to listen to Him. These are dread words indeed, from The Head of The Church.

¹⁴ And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 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. (Revelation 3:14-16).

Jesus says this to the angel of the Church; the leadership. The leader of any Church fellowship is personally responsible for those in his care. He is called to feed & shepherd the flock of God; ‘Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood’ (Acts 20:17-32). To shepherd the flock of God; ‘Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind’ (1^st Peter 5:1-4). His words also fall on membership, by extension. Remember this.

¹² And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; ¹³ And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves (1^st Thessalonians 5:12-13).

¹⁷ Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine (1^st Timothy 5:17).

⁷ Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.. ¹⁷ Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you  (Hebrews 13:7 & 17).

I’m scratching my head & I’m rubbing my chin. Have I missed something? I don’t remember any epistles being written by any of The Apostles to the Laodiceans. However, the region is mentioned by Paul several times in his epistle to the Colossians.

He wrote, ‘For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;’ (Colossians 2:1) & ‘Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house. And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. (Colossians 4:12-16). Paul loved & longed for the Laodicean Church. So did Jesus. He loved them enough to warn them.

Ask your Pastor to teach on The Seven Churches of The Book of Revelation. The babes in Christ will learn something & those growing & maturing will have something on which to chew. Each Church mentioned in The Lord’s opening salvo of Revelation, has a name that reflects its qualities. In this case, Laodicea represents people’s opinions. It was hip. It was trendy. It was on point socially, with the sun on its face & the wind in its hair. Hallelujah! Praise The Lord! Yee-haw! Thank you Jesus! The Lord will never tolerate lukewarmness, but we often treat His words as if Laodicea had been written to by Goldilocks. Sadly, this is the state of much of the modern Church. It’s quite a thing. 

Dear Lao.D

I popped in to see you today, but you were out. Probably witnessing & giving out tracts (smiley face emoji). While I was there I tried some of your stuff. Most of it was too hot for me & I just didn’t have the time to wait for it to become palatable. As you know, I don’t like big portions & I can’t eat a lot of meat. Some of it was too cool, so I left it alone. It was a little milky. Someone else can have that. But then I found some stuff that was lukewarm; neither hot nor cold. It was yummy. For me that was just right. I loved it so much that I ate it all up. That’s exactly how I like it. Please email me the recipe or send me a link so that I can get some more for myself & also give some to others who have a similar appetite for bland & tasteless drivel.

Yours apathetically.

Godly.

Goldy.

Before you dismiss me as being overtly facetious, read those words of Jesus again & then consider what we’re talking about. Lukewarm leadership who are catering for increasingly & equally lukewarm believers. Neither hot nor cold. Not babes. Not men. No milk. No meat. Jesus appears to The Apostle John to deliver His Revelation personally & instructs him concerning the state of The Church that his beloved & faithful disciple is going to write to. Our situation has not improved. Paul said, ‘For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ’ (Galatians 3:27).

⁵ Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: ⁶ for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: ⁷ in the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. ⁸ But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. ⁹ Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; ¹⁰ and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: ¹¹ where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. ¹² Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. ¹⁴ And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness (Colossians 3:5-14).

I can hear the moaning & groaning already. ‘Man alive! Paul & his endless lists! Surely this is legalism. Jesus didn’t drag His followers around imposing all of these rules on them. He was gentle. He was calm. He was meek. He was mild. He was loving. He was kind. Why can’t Paul just make these things optional instead of being so commanding & demanding?’. I have no idea which Jesus these folk are referring to, but if it isn’t the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is Head of The Church, they’re in trouble.

Believe me, I have heard these & similar things said by carnal believers many times over the years, with deep sighs & an exaggerated rolling of their blind eyes. These are the objections of a mediocre & milquetoast modern Church. However, whenever the subject of blessing is raised, these same people will pay attention all day long & the longer the lists, the better. They will happily listen to whomever butters their bread & pours honey all over it, as long as they don’t have to change their ways or do too much. Nothing too milky. Nothing too meaty. Nothing too hot. Nothing too cold. Just something lukewarm. That’s the sweet spot. That’s just right.

¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). 

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).

There’s no time for the carnal to do this. They’re way too busy doing more interesting things. If they have not set about putting on Christ, they will, by default, make provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14) I’m surprised they stay awake during services on a Sunday morning. Mind you, if a congregation is large enough they can hide & they can nap. What a great day it will be when this section of believers are challenged in their stupor, but while they remain content to be dull of hearing (Hebrews 5:11) nothing can be done. This is why The Holy Spirit, through Paul, hammers on & on & on, again & again & again. Until the believer abandons their carnality, they will not make progress. For those who are still confused, tired, bored, or all of the above. Listen up.

¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. ¹⁸ But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law (Galatians 5:16-18).

Hold on. Take a breath. Don’t log off. I’m almost done. There’s a little more. Paul & his pesky lists, eh!

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, ²⁰ idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ²¹ envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³ meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ²⁴ And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another (Galatians 5:19-26).

The constant admonition of Scripture is there to equip us to move, grow & progress. There is work to be done before The Lord comes. It is The Lord Jesus Christ who stands at the door & knocks (Revelation 3:20), not Goldilocks. Repent.

⁹ Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. ¹⁰ For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little (Isaiah 28:9-10).

 

 

 

 

copyright © by david Samuel Parkins mmxxv all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

 

 

going on to perfection;

-2-

 

A headful,

A heartful

& a handful

 

In our last meeting, we looked at the first steps in maturing spiritually; desiring the sincere milk of The Word. But not only that. There was also the necessity of dealing with our frustrating tendencies. There is much more to our development than simply being able to retain & parrot information. The emphasis is on moving from milk to meat in the things of God, unincumbered by the flesh or our wilful & woeful ignorance. Again, I am not questioning anyone’s salvation, neither am I criticising those who are actively engaged in growth. While some develop in their walk more quickly than others, there are those who are simply content to wallow & coast along to their own detriment. This is as sad as it is unnecessary, because The Lord has gone to great lengths to supply us with all that we need. Yet countless numbers of believers are careless concerning their state. For them, ignorance is bliss. It is not a matter of how much an individual knows, but more a matter of disavowing those things which hinder our progress. Grow. Grow up. GROW! UP!

Paul prayed for The Church, pleading, ‘that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:’. (Ephesians 1:17).  There has to be a putting away, a laying aside & a putting off of certain things in order for us to put on & embrace other things that are consistent with the character of our Saviour. This is God’s will. Only then can we hope to make meaningful & necessary progress from a spiritual infancy to a biblical adulthood. Let’s look.

¹¹ And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. ¹³ Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. ¹⁴ But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof (Romans 13:11-14).

I don’t know how many times I have read these verses over the years, but every time I do, I become more aware of the urgency with which Paul was writing. Even as I go over these words again, I am conscious that there is no option available except obedience for the believer who is convicted of their need to grow from milk to meat & go on to perfection. It’s quite a thing. However, those who aren’t particularly bothered will continue to sit in their relative corners & suck their thumbs.

In every instance, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves, The Lord is constantly encouraging us to mature. However, it’s unsettling to have to accept that some believers resist, ignore & actively avoid His movement in their lives, because they don’t want to be responsive or become responsible. Please don’t ask them to do anything. Please don’t ask them to read Scripture. Please don’t ask them to pray. Please don’t ask them to lead a ministry. They are content to ride the coattails of others who are diligent, while they themselves are deliberately indolent. They will say amen to the prayers of others. They will attend what others organise. They will nod & smile & clap & smile & impatiently wait for church services to end so that they can get away to do what they really want to. They have ticked the box of church attendance. Dropped their coins into the offering. Got their money’s worth of after service refreshments. But They will not engage with God or His Word. They put nothing off of the flesh. They put nothing on of the spirit. They are in a perpetual, self-imposed state of spiritual childhood. Children like entertainment. Children like excitement. Children like supervision. Children like toys. Children like games. As the natural, so also is the spiritual. How has The Church at large responded to this pandemic of lethargy?

I’m just off to make a pot of tea while you think about that…

Well? Are there any answers out there? I’m sure that I will get the usual flurry of emails in response, however, I have an observation to offer. There has been a systematic dumbing down in churches everywhere, but this is by no means anything new. Slowly but surely, there have been more & more accommodations made to suit those who do not pray, or read The Scriptures & yet, these all too often neglected disciplines will expedite growth. In this matter, little or no attention has been paid & even less care has been taken. The babes cannot handle meat & the growing are tired of baby food. Between these two groups there are those who are pandered to & pampered beyond all reasonableness. They’re numerous. They are being fed with milk, but not because they are newborn. They are being fed with milk because they are unable to deal with meat. They are unable to deal with meat because they are carnal. While they are spoilt with endless adaptations, the issue of their flesh is never addressed or consequently dealt with.

Paul said, ‘When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things’. (1^st Corinthians 13:11) & also, ‘Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men’. (1^st Corinthians 14:20).

Archibald Brown, a student of C. H. Spurgeon, once said, ‘A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats’. That time has come upon us, despite the seemingly unending admonitions of The Apostles. I can imagine this group of saints writing back to Paul, complaining, crying & crabbing.

Dear Paul,

Grace & peace & whatever else you usually say.

Thanks for your prayers & stuff, but we’re really not happy with you mate. We don’t know what your problem is! You’re always banging on & on at us about small things, when in reality we’re not that bad! Afterall, doesn’t it say somewhere or other in The Torah that we’re only human & that we should just be ourselves because God loves us just the way we are? We don’t know what you mean by calling us milky. We’re mighty! We’re meaty! You’re so wrong about us not being able to bear any meat, because all of the other guys we listen to on the internet & watch on TV think we’re great. Their letters are so encouraging as we live our best, purpose driven lives now. You need to chill out. Remember the words of The Lord Jesus, Who said, ‘verily verily, don’t sweat the small stuff’. Well, we think He said that anyway.

(p.s. please bring some tea & biscuits to go with the milk, on your next visit.)

Yours sincerely.

The Churchified.

As tongue in cheek as my words are here, there is a very serious undercurrent to what I’m attempting to convey. The importance of our growth & development in the things of God cannot be understated. It can’t, believe me. Apps will not replace our life of prayer. Our Bibles will not read themselves. Watching so-called christian broadcasting is no substitute for our soul’s daily contact with The Lord. Like matadors, some sidestep what God is endeavouring to do in, to & through them, in favour of lesser pursuits.

² Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, ³ According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: ⁴ Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ⁵ And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; ⁶ And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; ⁷ And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. ⁸ For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (2^nd Peter 1:2-9).

Here, The Apostle Peter has given us all a headful, a heartful & a handful. The knowledge of God is not simply the accumulation of Bible verses & biblical facts that enable us to pridefully strut down the street, with Greek in our left pocket & Hebrew in our right, as if we were recreating the opening scene from the movie Saturday Night Fever! He is talking about knowing The Lord intimately. Who wouldn’t want that? I’ll tell you who. The lethargic. The lacklustre. The lazy. The listless. The lassitudinous. They show no willingness. They make no effort. They warm benches & make up numbers, but they will not participate. I encourage those of you who are babes in Christ, to drink deeply of God’s Word. I encourage those of you who have progressed beyond milk & are tackling meatier biblical issues, to press ahead. I encourage those of you who are hogging the middle lane to ‘Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?’ (2^nd Corinthians 13:5).

 

 

copyright © by david Samuel Parkins mmxxv all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser