The issue for this blog is asking yourself: "are you totally in love with Jesus Christ or do the words halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better?" Jesus says in Revelation 3:15-16, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Wow! Jesus literally says that he will spit us out of his mouth if we are a lukewarm Christian. He wants to be so hot for him not warm. Below are some descriptions of a lukewarm Christian that Francis Chan wrote in his book with verses to go along with them. Let this be a time to look at your own life and see if there are any areas that are lukewarm.
- "LUKEWARM PEOPLE attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe "good Christians" do, so they go." Isaiah 16:13
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE give money to charity and to the church...as long as it doesn't impinge
(to affect the limits) on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?" 1 Chronicles 21:24; Luke 21:1-4
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives." Luke 6:26; Revelation 3:1; Matthew 23:5-7
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don't genuinely hate sin and aren't truly sorry for it; they're merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful ones." John 10:10; Romans 6:1-2
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for "extreme" Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call "radical" what Jesus expected of all His followers." James 1:22; James 4:17; Matthew 21:28-31
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion." Matthew 10:32-33
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE gauge their morality or "goodness" by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren't as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street." Luke 18:11-12
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn't allowed to control their lives." Luke 9:57-62
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of devotion isn't really possible for the average person; it's only for pastors and missionaries and radicals." Matthew 22:37-38
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love for others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes then theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached." Matthew 5:43-47; Luke 14:12-14
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they will be willing to give." Luke 18:21-25
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE think about life on earth much more often than life in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today's to-do list, this week's schedule, and next month's vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C.S. Lewis writes, "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.'" Philippians 2:18-20; Colossians 3:2
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, "Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is." Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel "called" to minister to the rich; very few feel "called" to minister to the poor." Matthew 25:34, 40; Isaiah 58:6-7
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bar minimum, to be "good enough" without it requiring too much of them." 1 Chronicles 29:14; Matthew 13:44-46
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God." 1 Timothy 6:17-18; Matthew 10:28
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE FEEL secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a "Christian nation.'" Matthew 7:21; Amos 6:1
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens-they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them-they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live-they have life figured and mapped out. They don't depend on God on a daily basis-their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God." Luke 12:16-21; Hebrews 11
-"LUKEWARM PEOPLE probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren't very different from your typical unbeliever, they equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness; but they couldn't be more wrong." Matthew 23:25-28
Whew, that was probably a lot to take in all at once but I hope there was at least one thing above that made stop and think about. I just want to remind you that this profile of the lukewarm "is not an all-inclusive definition of what it means to be a Christian, nor is it intended to be used as ammunition to jude your fellow believers' salvation. Instead, as 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, it is a call to 'examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.'"
Yes, Jesus will spit a lukewarm person out of his mouth but it is only for good reason. Revelation 3 does end positively though and here is what it says, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev. 3:19-22)
*All quotes taken from Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed By A Relentless God.
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