We often think that life would be easier if we had no problems to face. The church in Laodicea bluntly contradicts this view. Of the seven churches to whom John wrote in Revelation 2 and 3, Laodicea is the only church not facing persecution or problems. The city was wealthy and there was much prosperity there at this time, but the fact remains that Jesus’s harshest words were reserved for this congregation, because they had succumbed to the lie that life consisted of an abundance of possessions and that spiritual zeal was just too much trouble.

Troubles and persecution can drive us into the arms of God; we wrestle, we plead, we seek His face for answers and help and find, as the psalmist did, that He is an ‘ever-present help in trouble.’ (Ps 46:1) Prosperity tends to keep us away from God. We become anaesthetised by our affluence (as Eugene Peterson put it) and lose any sense of God (or need of Him.) In his book ‘This Hallelujah Banquet’, he goes on to say, ‘Lukewarmness is the special fault of the successful. Those who have achieved or inherited are particularly prone to it. It is a basic threat to our church and our Christian faith in these times.’

Paul warned the Corinthians against complacency: ‘So if you think you’re standing firm, be careful you don’t fall!’ (1 Cor 10:12) The Laodiceans were oblivious to their true spiritual state. (Rev 3:15-16) May we understand the temptations associated with prosperity and live on earth so as to be laying up treasures in heaven. Paul said to Timothy, ‘Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.’ (1 Tim 6:17-19) Such advice guards us against the dangers of prosperity and keeps us tethered to God.

Some problems are instantly obvious. A smashed-up car, a vandalised park item, a wall that has been knocked down… it’s easy to see these problems. Similarly, some health issues are instantly obvious; the pot on the arm is a clue to the injury that has been done! But other problems are not as obvious or visible, and therefore can go undetected for a long time.

Laodicea was a church with a great big problem, but the fact is, this was not visible to many people. They lived in a prosperous city famous for banking, fashion and medicine and thought of themselves as rich and not needing anything. They were self-sufficient and proud of it, a paragon of virtue in the eyes of the world and in their own eyes. Their complacency led to huge spiritual problems, however, for it meant they were neither hot nor cold; Jesus described them as lukewarm and said he would spit them out of his mouth unless they changed. (Rev 3:15-16)

Sometimes, our biggest problems are unseen by us and other people. If we try to live life on our own, forgetting what God has done for us, we are in big trouble. The answer to such problems is to face up to the assessment of the ‘Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.’ (Rev 3:14) It is to repent and open the door of our hearts to let Jesus in again. We have to understand that there is so much more to life than material things and that the biggest problems occur when we sever ourselves from the spiritual lifeline we have to God. Thankfully, those whom Jesus loves, He disciplines. (Heb 12:5-11) If we have ears to hear what He has to say, we will get the big problems sorted!

As a child, the word ‘Philadelphia’ meant a creamy cheese spread which I greatly enjoyed. As a teenager, I learned that ‘Philadelphia’ was a city in Pennsylvania. As an adult, I learned that the original city thus named was found in Asia and that the word itself meant ‘brotherly love.’ It’s no surprise, perhaps, to discover that the church in Philadelphia receives much praise from Jesus and no admonition. Despite having little strength, the church there had held fast to Christ, kept His word and had not denied Him. They had learnt the secret of enduring patiently even when facing opposition and were doing well.

Philadelphia in Asia was strategically located, a border town with the purpose of spreading Greek culture far and wide. Perhaps it is because of this that Jesus spoke to them about open doors: ‘I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.’ (Rev 3:8) He reminds them (and us) that ‘what He opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.’ (Rev 3:7) God is the God of opportunity. Sometimes, He opens a door; on other occasions (as in Acts 16:6-7), He shuts it. We can be sure that God is able to keep us through all trouble and that there are great rewards for those who are victorious. In the meantime, what is required is the faithful tenacity shown by this church. Daily obedience, ongoing love in the face of adversity and devotion to Christ are required from every one of us. We can leave the door opening to God Himself!

Time signatures order rhythm for us; they help us to follow the beat. Four crotchet beats in a bar (common time or ⁴₄) represent a march; three crotchet beats (³₄) is most readily identified with the waltz. Time signatures tell a musician how many beats per bar (the first number) and what kind of beat they are (the second number, with 4 representing crotchets, 2 representing minims and 8 representing quavers.) Time signatures are rhythmical shorthand.

The world dances to a certain beat, the beat of independence. It is an attractive beat, easy to keep in step with. But Christians listen to a different drummer and dance to a different beat.

God’s beat is counter-cultural. It’s why Paul talks about keeping in step with the Spirit. (Gal 5:25) We have to listen for God’s voice, to learn ‘the unforced rhythms of grace’, as Eugene Peterson puts it. His beat will initially seem clumsy to us, perhaps like those unusual time signatures of ⁵₄ or ⁶₄, or playing music with a syncopated beat. His beat includes forgiving others no matter what, loving even our enemies, laying down our desires to be first. His beat includes examining our motives, looking beyond the obvious melodies to the more complex behaviours in our lives. His beat will gradually become familiar to us so that love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, goodness, patience and self-control become the virtues we march to, so that we put to death the desires of the flesh and keep in step with the Spirit of God.