The word repentance can have a negative connotation, but Nancy Damaswalgamou shows us a different perspective.

The call to repentance is not a negative call. It is the most positive call in the world. It's redemptive. It's restorative.

It's what offers hope so that the church can avoid the punishment. They will otherwise suffer and can once again be useful and fruitful for the Lord.

This is the Reviver Hearts podcast with Nancy Damaswalgamou, author of Heaven Rules. For October 11th, 2023, I'm Dana Grash.

If you've been with us on Reviver Hearts recently, you know the book of Revelation begins with seven letters and they're full of practical, helpful truth for women today.

We've been discovering this in one big series this year, broken down into several smaller series over each letter.

This week we're focusing on the church in Leotusia. If you missed any part of it or want to go back and listen, you can find every episode on Reviver Hearts.com or on the Reviver Hearts app.

Here's Nancy to begin today.

Let me back up for those of you who are just joining us in this series beginning in verse 15 of Revelation 3. Jesus says you are neither cold nor hot.

I mean, this is just jumps right into his view of this church, whether you are either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

I can't stand dealing with you. I just, this, it nauseates me. This makes me sick. For you say, this is your assessment of your condition.

I am rich. I have prospered and I need nothing. And you don't realize that the truth is you are the wretched one, literally.

You are pitiful. You are to be pitied. You are poor. That's a word for utterly absolutely destitute. Not just a little bit poor, very poor.

You are poor. You are blind. And you are naked. That's love. Telling them what they need to hear. Not what they perhaps had hoped to hear, especially after hearing the letter to the church in Philadelphia that went right before them.

Hearing about this faithful church, the word Jesus has nothing to condemn. And I can just imagine those people in Laedice thinking, oh, what's he going to say about us?

Oh, wow. Tough message. But then he says in verse 18, I've got a provision for your need. I counsel you to buy for me gold.

You won't buy if you have any knowledge that you have a need. But once you acknowledge that you have a need, come to me and I will meet your need. Buy for me gold, refined by fire so that you may be truly rich, spiritually rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen.

And save to anoint your eyes so that you may see so you can have spiritual perception and discernment, vision, and understanding.

Then we come to verse 19, those whom I love, Jesus says, I approve and discipline. So be zealous and repent.

Those whom I love, that word love, a lot of times when you read it in the New Testament, it's the word related to a got pay. That's not the word here.

The word love here is the Greek word fillet. Oh, it means to love dearly to have an affectionate heart toward someone. I fillet you. I love you dearly. I care deeply for you.

In spite of having been treated by this church the way that he has been, they've left him outside in the cold.

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