Message:   The way I think determines my behavior.

The name "Laodicea" means "the rule of the people" and suggests a democratic church that no longer follows spiritual leaders or the authority of the Word of God. The church is lukewarm, a condition that comes from mixing hot and cold. The church knows the truth, yet it dilutes the Word of God with the error of the World.

The Laodiceans were attempting to listen to the world and somehow assimilate that message as part of the Word of God. It is possible to assimilate the ideologies of the World alongside the truth of God’s word? In the book, Your Mind Matters by John Stott, an interesting review of thought processes and anti-intellectualism is discussed relating to Christianity.

John Stott claims that anti-intellectualism (Scripturally Illiterate) is prevalent in the modern world of Christianity; it primarily spawns from the notion of pragmatism (practical application). Meaning, people are more adamant about the work-ability of a concept than its veracity by asking the question, “does it work” as opposed to, “is it the truth?” as a matter of precedent.

‍ Verifying the specific revelation of why Christ is the “truth” is found in the discourse between Pilate and Jesus. When Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king and Christ responds, Pilate moves to further interrogation. Asking Jesus about his kingdom, Pilate is confounded when Jesus replies, “my kingdom is not of this world.” Without understanding, Pilate asks the most important question for believers to consider when entertaining the proper mindset of the Christian and the importance of truth.

Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice" (John 18:37).

Larry D. Mason