Senior Pastor Lionel cited from the whole life survey done by our church and Dating In America Report 2014 by Christian Mingle. He shared that there is a gap between our spiritual conviction and our real behavior in the area of marriage and sexuality. The spirit of complacency and compromise has seeped into the church!
He gave a recap on the purpose of a spiritual revamp, quoting the Laodicean church as an example of pride and complacency (Rev 3:14-22).
He continued to share on two of the six ropes that tie us down - complacency and compromise.
Complacency is a feeling of uncritical satisfaction over one's condition or achievement. It can be expressed in having smugness, self-satisfaction, self-approval, self-admiration, self-congratulation which says "I don't need God to lead me on a day to day living. I am dependent on my own wisdom." Compromise is having the expedient acceptance of standards that are below what is desirable (willingness to accept a lower standard) which says "life must be pragmatic and convenient for me”. The root causes are pride and self-sufficiency.
A Biblical Example of Pride And Complacency (Rev 3:14-22) is the Laodicean Church. It is one of the seven churches that Jesus talked about in the book of Revelation.
Some historical facts about Laodicea :
- Poor drinking water - by the time the water flows into the city, it is lukewarm
- Prosperous banking centre - a lot of Jews were bankers
- Black wool - sheep with glossy soft wool
- Medical centre - good eye doctors, made salve for the eyes
Jesus used the items that Laodicea was famous for in his exhortation to the church.
1. Jesus knew all the deeds of his people (Rev 3:15). In Rev 2:1-2, Jesus' letter to the Ephesian church, it spoke that he knows what we go through, nothing is hidden from Him.
2. Jesus rebuked the Laodicean believers for their lukewarmness (Rev 3:16), the Ephesian church for the abandonment of their first love (Rev 2:4-5). We need to be "hot" for Jesus. God is jealous for us. Pastor Lionel also spoke about Jesus’ rebuke of the Thyatiran church (Rev 2:20-23) – their adulterous and idolatrous ways.
3. The church could not see its own spiritual poverty - Our assessment of self is not accurate when we are complacent. We are called to consider God's reality of ourselves.
4. Jesus was left outside of His church. Pastor Lionel shared on the characteristics of the Laodicean church:
- It was lukewarm and pathetic
- Its spiritual condition made Jesus nauseous
- It was blind to its spiritual poverty
- It functioned independently of Christ.
5. Jesus gave counsel to the church (Rev 3:18)
|
Come & Buy |
Meaning |
Benefit |
|
1. Gold refined by fire |
Real faith tested by trials (1 Peter 1:7) |
True wealth that glorifies God |
|
2. White garments |
Righteous deeds of the saints (Rev 19:8) |
Spiritual clothing to cover its nakedness and shame |
|
3. Eye salve |
Spiritual wisdom of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) |
Ability to discern true spiritual matters |
Senior Pastor Lionel then shared on Jesus' final plea (Rev 3:19 – 20) and called us to take these to heart.
- He rebukes and disciplines us because He loves us (Heb 12:5-6)
- Be zealous to repent
- To open our hearts and fellowship with him once again
In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus shows us the spiritual posture we are to take in repentance. Only a contrite and repentant heart can set us free from complacency and compromise (Isaiah 57:15, Psalm 51:16-17) We need to recognise our spiritual poverty, humble ourselves in deep repentance and yield ourselves totally to the Lord.
Discussion Questions
1. Share a time when you experience spiritual complacency. What was it like and what did you learn from the experience? [10 min]
2. Pastor Lionel shared that complacency and compromise tie us down. Share from your personal experience how to identify such attitudes and what impact these attitudes have on our lives. [10 min]
3. Read Rev 3:18. Jesus gave counsel to the church. Reflect on how these remain relevant to you and the church. [10 min]
4. Senior Pastor Lionel shared about Jesus' exhortation to the Laodicean Church and about the Lord's discipline. Share with your cell about where you are in your spiritual life, specifically on the struggles that you are currently experiencing. What are your next steps in response to what God desires to do in you? [10 min]
