Mike Focht 10/10/2025
We are looking at the danger of apathy through the revealing lens of Jesus’ letter to the Laodicean church. The first characteristic of apathy is a view of oneself that differs from Jesus’ view as the Faithful and True Witness. Such blindness makes individuals apathetic to their own complacency.
The second characteristic of apathy is that outward works and wealth are disconnected from spiritual reality. Laodicea was not a lazy church. They possessed material wealth and a significant amount of religious activity. Sadly, their wealth and activity lacked spirituality. Jesus’ witness of their wealth and works was: Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing”—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
Material wealth and religious activity are no sure signs of spiritual life. In fact, numerous false religions have incredible material wealth and are constantly busy with some form of religious work. The outward show keeps them calloused to inward bankruptcy. The apathetic individual or church truly believes that they have need of nothing. Their miserable contentment was a sign that they were utterly disconnected from reality with God. What they truly desired was worldly wealth and religious reputation—not spiritual riches and reality.
The Greek word for wretched describes an emergency that demands urgent help. The picture of someone wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked is someone utterly needy and destitute. Spiritual apathy blinds us to the riches and realities that can only come from God Himself. The gold and garments that are from Him alone. The salve for sight which comes from Him alone. The relationship that is Him alone.
When God becomes our true aim, then all our worldly wealth and religious works will connect us to Him, rather than masking our need for Him. Clarity will bring simplicity in Christ. Apathy will use our religious freedom as a cloak for vice. Sincerity will always say: I need thee every hour! Apathy will always say: I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.
May God bless us with a desire for Himself that will not be choked out by the cares of this world or the deceitfulness of riches. May God open our eyes to see that what we desperately need—the one thing that is actually needful—is found only at His feet and not in worldly wealth or much serving. May God and God alone become our exceeding and great reward.