Have you ever tasted a warm coke after it has sat in your vehicle on a hot summer day? Or how about taking a sip of coffee that has sat on the desk for a few hours?It just about makes you want to gag!
This is what we call lukewarm. The Bible talks a little about this in Revelation.
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:15-16.
Context is key in this passage. We can easily miss the original meaning if we don't keep in mind that John the writer of Revelations is talking to the 7 churches in the province of Asia. Did you catch that? To the church of Laodicea. The church was neither cold, refusing to follow Christ. It was neither hot as people were not filled with passion. I think it is possible that being lukewarm is the normal response of those in America. The people in this church were lukewarm, hypocrites. They professed to know Christ but they didn't truly belong to Him (Matthew 7:21). Does this sound similar to today's culture?
Cold? Could it be possible that we love being lukewarm. We are so close to the line of sin that we can tell ourselves we are okay. We can tie together the right words to lose the conviction of sin. We blame our sin upon what the culture around us believes and we blend into what is normal. Conformity is the goal.
Hot? We are so close to hungering after God but we do not want people to notice. Are we more afraid of what people think than what God thinks? Holiness is the goal.
In my own walk with God, the times I become lukewarm in my heart is when I am thinking only of myself. The sanctifying work of Christ continually pushes the fear of God into our heart. A reverential awe of who God is! You see, without knowing it, we might be lukewarm and love it.
One of the ways I have seen God bring personal and corporate revival is when we see God for who He really is. We are changed because of who God is! The God of the universe who holds the world in His hands has become our salvation. This is the greatest news!
I believe that the complete dependence upon God for salvation when we say "yes" to Jesus, is the same as we walk with Him on a daily basis. I believe that a daily hunger for this relationship with God will burn away the coldness in our flesh. We will burn anew because of His love. Daily. Don't miss this.
Following Jesus is not a one time decision. It is beyond church attendance. Being on fire is not an event. It is a lifelong, daily pursuit.
Have you ever tasted a warm coke after it has sat in your vehicle on a hot summer day? Or how about taking a sip of coffee that has sat on the desk for a few hours?It just about makes you want to gag!