The Invisible and Visible Church
Living as we do in the final period of church history known as the Laodicean era, most of us are well familiar with the message of the True Witness to the Laodiceans in Revelation 3:14–21. What's wrong with the Laodiceans? They are lukewarm. Jesus finds them to be so tasteless that He warns that if they don't change their nauseating ways, He will spew them out. What admonition should we take from this today?
“The figure of spewing out of His mouth means that He cannot offer up your prayers or your expressions of love to God. He cannot endorse your teaching of His word or your spiritual work in anywise. He cannot present your religious exercises with the request that grace be given you.
“Could the curtain be rolled back, could you discern the purposes of God and the judgments that are about to fall upon a doomed world, could you see your own attitude, you would fear and tremble for your own souls and for the souls of your fellow men. Earnest prayers of heart-rending anguish would go up to heaven. You would weep between the porch and the altar, confessing your spiritual blindness and backsliding.”1
The Laodiceans say they're rich and don't need anything; they are not aware of their spiritual wretchedness. But there is an interesting example of a person in Scripture who felt exactly the opposite. Remember when Jesus “saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had” (Luke 21:1–4).
What was going on in the mind of this humble servant of God? Let's see:
“[Christ's] countenance lighted as He saw a poor widow approach hesitatingly, as though fearful of being observed. As the rich and haughty swept by, to deposit their offerings, she shrank back as if hardly daring to venture farther. And yet she longed to do something, little though it might be, for the cause she loved. She looked at the gift in her hand. It was very small in comparison with the gifts of those around her, yet it was her all. Watching her opportunity, she hurriedly threw in her two mites, and turned to hasten away. But in doing this she caught the eye of Jesus, which was fastened earnestly upon her.
“The Saviour called His disciples to Him, and bade them mark the widow's poverty. Then His words of commendation fell upon her ear: 'Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all.' Tears of joy filled her eyes as she felt that her act was understood and appreciated. Many would have advised her to keep her pittance for her own use; given into the hands of the well-fed priests, it would be lost sight of among the many costly gifts brought to the treasury. But Jesus understood her motive. She believed the service of the temple to be of God's appointment, and she was anxious to do her utmost to sustain it. She did what she could, and her act was to be a monument to her memory through all time, and her joy in eternity.”2
In eternity! Here we are assured that this widow will be saved. That's the kind of people who will be in Heaven. If you and I are there, this is the kind of person we will meet. This is the kind of person we will be.
God declares: “I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord” (Zephaniah 3:11, 12).
Are we ready to be totally satisfied with the experience of the remnant? May the Lord help us!