Exposition
“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God,” has almost become a cliché. Many Christians and non-Christians alike, use this to justify the reason why they live double-standards. They portray themselves as being the most spiritual persons when they are found among believers, only to show the other side of their character when away from the saints. At church, they are the best preachers, singers, dancers etc. but all that ends immediately they leave the auditorium.
We are strongly admonished in today’s reading by the Lord Jesus Himself to be hot. He places before us two choices. Either we are hot or cold. He abhors lukewarmness. That is, either a full-time Christian or a full-time unbeliever. He takes no delight in part-timers. Jesus identifies Himself as a faithful and true witness. By this introduction, you get the sense that He expects the church to also be faithful and true in whatever it does. Also, it means that everything said about the Laodicean church is true. Like many Christians today, the Laodicean church lived a very hypocritical life. They tried to make people believe they were in right standing with God however, their true character was laid bare before the Lord. As Christians who seek to possess the nations for Christ, we must not be deceived into thinking that we can please God by being lukewarm. We must understand that God knows what we do in our secret places. He is also clearly aware of our thoughts and motives. As we journey and walk through life, we must always give God our all and not a part of us.