Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
The lukewarmness Jesus describes in His letter to the angel (leadership) of the church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) is halfway between being cold in devotion to Christ and being hot. It is a spiritual disease in the last days' church that is the most difficult problem God has ever had to deal with. It makes Christ nauseated, because He knows what it cost Him to save us. As the last-days' church is positioned on the very verge of the final crisis in the controversy with Satan, for us to be unenthusiastic in our response to Him is like someone being an adult with the mind of a child. It's like a bride coming to the wedding when her heart is divided about her love for the prospective bridegroom, and says "yes" half-heartedly.
If the heavenly Bridegroom were to go on with "the marriage of the Lamb" with only that half-hearted "I do" from His people, that would be keen embarrassment for Him for eternity! So, what can He do?
Whip them into shape? That won't work any more than for a bridegroom to force his bride to say "I do." Increase His offers of great reward? That would be like marrying a man for his money; Jesus won't stoop to encourage that. Fear of hell or hope of reward in heaven--these two motivations have failed. There is only one possible solution: win the heart-felt love of His people that will forever deliver them from lukewarmness.
Appreciating His agape-love at His cross, realizing what it cost Him to save us--this alone can heal this terrible disease. Satan will try to prevent such a revelation of agape as long as possible; but Zecharaiah 12:10-13:1 tells us that the revelation will come.
The latter rain of the Holy Spirit, so long anticipated and prayed for, will be a repentance deeper than any other in history. Heaven will "pour upon the house of David ["the angel of the church of the Laodiceans"] and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem [the people], the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced" at the cross, and they shall experience the repentance that heals lukewarmness forever. Good News!
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 8, 2000.
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