“For you say, I’m wealthy, I even have prospered, and I would like nothing, not realizing that you simply are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” – Rev. 3:17
When we predict of the church, we don’t are likely to associate it with spiritual blindness, but there’s something necessary we’d like to grasp concerning the “visible church” and the way it operates on this earth.
Jesus knows who truly believes in Him. Likewise, He knows who doesn’t. From the earliest days of the church, there have been individuals who operate throughout the visible fellowship who don’t actually imagine in Him. That can have been the case within the church at Laodicea. They were known for being a “lukewarm” church that, in a single respect, professed faith in Christ but, in other respects, appeared to place an abundance of religion of their material prosperity.
Living during our prosperous times, we’re highly prone to exhibit characteristics very very like the Laodicean church which is mentioned within the book of Revelation. Some would argue that references to that church were also meant to function a symbolic illustration of the spiritual peril that’s present during our era of history, even throughout the church.
So let’s test ourselves. Are we convinced that we don’t have spiritual needs because our material or financial needs are met? Does our personal prosperity blind us to our spiritual bankruptcy? Could we be content in Jesus even when we were stripped of our wealth and property?
Please understand that in case your heart can’t be content with Jesus alone, you might possess a lukewarm faith or perhaps no faith in any respect.
The lessons we’re invited to learn from the gospel accounts of Bartimaeus’ interaction with Jesus are consequential. Bartimaeus trusted Jesus, received each physical and spiritual sight from Jesus, after which because it states in Mark 10:52, Bartimaeus “followed him.”
Jesus sees you right away. You need His merciful intervention in your life. By trusting in Him completely, He will grant you the flexibility to see what you can’t naturally see. When He opens your eyes, don’t turn back. Follow Him.
Originally published at Bible Study Headquarters. Used with permission.
John Stange is the Lead Pastor at Core Creek Community Church and a professor at Cairn University where he leads the Digital Media and Communication program. He also leads a web based community called Platform Launchers where he helps people construct message-based online platforms.
John has authored over 30 books and presently hosts several podcasts on the LifeAudio podcast network. His shows have been downloaded thousands and thousands of times by listeners throughout the world.
You can learn more about John’s ministry, books, and podcasts at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com.
