VII. Hotness versus Lukewarmness

According to the Lord Jesus’ word in Revelation 3:15-16, the final local church in Laodicea is lukewarm toward Him. In verse 19, He charges her, “Be zealous therefore and repent.” The word zealous can be literally translated boiling. Thus, based on Romans 12:11, Witness Lee urges the local churches to be living as well as fervent--burning--in spirit.

Finally, we come to the last epistle, which is to Laodicea. We all know what is mentioned in this epistle. The church was lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. The Lord said to her, “I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16)….Romans 12:11 tells us the only way to keep from being lukewarm: “Be fervent in spirit.” We must…turn to the spirit and say, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah! O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah! O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah! O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!”…We need to be burned in our spirit!

In Sardis, the Lord promised the overcomers the reward of white raiment: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment” (Rev. 3:5). And He says the same thing to the church in Laodicea: “I counsel thee to buy of me white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear” (Rev. 3:18).

What is this white raiment? It is livingness. To be alive, to be living, is the white raiment. If we are dead, we are dirty! A dead person is the dirtiest one. And if we are dead, we are also naked! We need some livingness to cover us. Brothers and sisters, we all need the living raiment. The living raiment is Christ Himself, wrought into us by the living Spirit. The only way to have this raiment is to turn ourselves to the spirit. Then we will be burned and really hot—livingly hot!

From these seven epistles, I believe that we have seen what a local church in the Lord’s recovery ought to be. (74-75)

Witness Lee applies the Lord's final charges given to the church in Laodicea to all the local churches. To escape His rebuke, the believers in a local church must exercise their spirit to contact Christ, and thus become burning and living. This livingness is considered by the Lord as a white garment of righteousness covering our nakedness.