Christian Living

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December 8, 2011 – Lukewarm Christianity

15 I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth! 17 For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. – Revelation 3:15-17 AMP

The church at Laodicea was very prosperous and had grown wealthy in the late first century. They had become prideful and arrogant. They felt they were self-sufficient and didn’t need anything from anyone. To make matters worse, their materialistic view had spread its way into their church and was corrupting their faith. They said they were Christians, but in reality they needed Jesus. Jesus had a stern warning for these believers: get ready, because I’m going to spit you out. He was going to reject them as His followers.

Have you ever had a lukewarm cup of coffee? Have you ever tried to drink a tepid glass of water on a hot summer day? What do you do in either situation? Sure, if you’re at a restaurant or anywhere else in public, you force yourself to swallow. But let’s be honest. If you’re at home or in your private space at work, you spit it out, pour it out, and start over. That’s what Jesus was getting ready to do with the Laodicea church: start over. But this message is far from historical: Christians today are becoming equally if not more lukewarm in their faith than the first century Laodicea church.

We here in the United States have become a very materialistic society. It has become a near obsession by some to have the finer things in life. We have to have the best clothes, the best cars, and the biggest house in the finest neighborhood. The list can be endless at times. But where does it end? When is enough stuff finally enough? I am not saying that God doesn’t want any of us to have nice things. But I am saying that as these things in life collect around us, we tend to become more concerned about our stuff than God. When that happens, our faith can turn away from God to the things we have in our possession. It all boils down to a difference between wants and needs.

We need somewhere to live. Shelter is a basic necessity of life. Most people do this by either paying rent or financing the purchase of a home. If we live any distance from work, especially in rural areas where public transportation is not available, many people finance the purchase of an automobile. But why do people borrow money to buy a boat? You don’t need a boat, unless it’s your source of commuting to work, i.e. waterfront residents and residents of Venice, Italy. Why do people finance four wheelers for their children when they live in the city on a half-acre lot? If all such purchases have made you take a second and even a third job, you have become a servant to those you owe (Proverbs 22:7), and should seriously take a look at your wants and needs. When you become a servant to them, you cannot be a servant of God (Matthew 6:24). Trust me; I know from personal experience that Solomon and Jesus knew exactly what they were talking about.

I was a lukewarm Christian for years. I was driven by material gain. Marlo and I had a growing business, a big shiny house, and the newest cars around. But we also had more bills than you could shake a stick at. I was serving everyone I owed. I professed to be a Christian, but it was just something I said. I was one of those Laodicea-like believers who really needed Jesus. I was like those kids playing war games on the playground, only it was real. And I was playing Russian roulette with myself.

Now don’t believe for a minute that material wealth is the only thing that makes a lukewarm Christian. I have merely been on a materialism track today because that was specifically Laodicea’s problem. Halfhearted, watered down sermons can be a source, especially if you take them in and don’t compare them to the Word. When you don’t stand for God when circumstances arise, you run the risk of losing your faith. Not reading the Word cools your faith. Compromising what the Bible says leads you away from the faith. All of these things come on the heels of you choosing something over God in your life. If your faith has fallen to a lukewarm condition, read Jesus’ words later to the Laodicea church. There’s hope in these words.

19 Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude]. – Revelation 3:19 AMP

Are you living a materialistic life? Have you become a servant to the lender, or are you still a servant to the Giver? Has living in a material world cooled your walk with God? Are you in need of nothing from the world, but need everything from Him? I believe God wants us to prosper in all we do, but He wouldn’t have our faith wane in the process. When our faith becomes lukewarm, we always run the risk of waking up one morning being back in the world we had seemingly left behind.

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