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COMPLACENCY - ENDTIMES CHAT with GJ and DAN 

Laodicea was the ancient capital of the province of Phrygia. It was a part of a tri-city metropolitan area that included the cities of Hierapolis and Colossae. Located in the Lycus Valley on a major highway, the city was surrounded by mountains, and its location made it an excellent fortress to guard the main road and the greater metropolitan area. It was located about forty miles southeast of Philadelphia.

In addition to being the judicial seat of the province, it was a center for the banking industry and included a prosperous economy with the manufacturing of cloth as one of its primary assets. Beautiful garments and carpets were designed from the wool of the black sheep of this region. The wool was known to be extremely soft in texture and glossy black in color, making it highly desirable around the empire.

The medical school was quite famous, and its physicians claimed success in mixing medicines for certain diseases. They produced an ointment for the ears as well as a powder for the eyes. Aristotle called it "Phrygian powder." The physicians demonstrated allegiance to the serpent god Asklepios, which dominated the medical school of Pergamos.

Laodicea was a center of emperor worship, as one might expect after seeing its strategic location. Although destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 60, the city was rebuilt without any financial help from Rome. It proudly refused imperial financial assistance in rebuilding. – They were people who liked to do things on their own…- WHICH can lead people into living in default mode. The church there had become complacent, trusting in the wealth and riches of the area. They hit default mode.

When we hit a crisis, and even in no crisis, it’s easy to live in the DEFAULT mode. That’s where you just go along day to day and do what you did last week. Not real stretch goals. And you’re worried that we will end up like the church of Laodicea – neither hot nor cold – essentially COMPLACENT.

So what can we do to get out in front and become HOT?

This broadcast today is about understanding that as long as we have breath, there is something God wants us to accomplish. When we accomplish one thing, there is another, and another, and another thing we need to accomplish. The idea is that we cannot accomplish it on our own. We need God, and we need others to get it done.

How can we build momentum and not slip into the complacency of Laodicea?

Complacency is one of the most dangerous places we can live. Complacency says, “There is nothing I can do to change what is going on around me. Therefore, I will just continue to do what I have always done and not strive to make a difference.

We will dive more into Laodicea in the coming weeks. What we need is the FIRE of God’s Spirit to ignite, or re-ignite a passion in us to live like Jesus lived, activate the supernatural through our obedience to Jesus, and follow his example as He lived it out.

PRAY. PREPARE. PROTECT. PROCLAIM. PERSIST. PERSEVERE. PRAY AGAIN. PASS IT ON. POWER UP. POSITION PROPERLY. PAY ATTENTION. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.