SOMETHING IS NOT QUITE RIGHT

 

Monday, August 28, 2023

 

SOMETHING IS NOT QUITE RIGHT

 

Rev 3:14-16

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.

KJV

 

          Laodicea was a prosperous Roman market town on the trade route from the East and an early center of Christianity. The name Laodicea means "people's decision", indicating that the people were self-reliant and independent. Strong’s Concordance says that the name is a combination of two words laos, meaning “people” and dike, meaning “decision” (Strong’s Concordance). The general atmosphere in their church was born of consensus. Instead of “thus saith the Lord”, the rule was “thus saith the people.”

 

          My spirit is troubled within me this morning because there is a fog where clarity should reign. Ken Ham, the guy who built The Ark Experience in Kentucky, said, “The more I look at the state of much of the church, the more I believe we need to be more intentional than ever in challenging the church to take back the Bible’s clarity…” I couldn’t agree more.

 

          Worship has come to mean noise while Psalm 46:10 strongly indicates that knowing the Lord requires stillness. The Quakers insist that it be a central part of their corporate worship. Most of us would be very uncomfortable in a setting that required us to connect with our own thoughts. In First Kings 19:12, Elijah learned that God speaks in “a still small voice.”

 

          An orchestra tunes itself to a note known as A 440, which has a frequency of 440 hertz. The note is played by the oboe, and the rest of the orchestra tunes their instruments to match it. When we assemble to worship, the Spirit of God should be our master note.

 

Come, thou Fount of every blessing;

tune my heart to sing thy grace;

streams of mercy, never ceasing,

call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

sung by flaming tongues above;

praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,

mount of God’s unchanging love!

 

Lord, my heart is often out of tune. Let me sit in silence until I hear and agree with you. AMEN