I can remember sitting at the dining room table waiting for lunch to be served and my caregiver at the time placing a glass of milk before me. I picked up the cup of milk, tasted it, and realizing it was lukewarm, spat it back into the cup. What was supposed to be cold and refreshing ended up tasting awful and turning me off so that still to this day, I dislike drinking milk by itself.
The same is true concerning our spiritual lives. In Revelation 3:16, we find these words: So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Jesus spoke these words against the Church of Laodicea; however, for this blog, I want to focus on the words because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot. This brings me to the following question: “Are you lukewarm in any area concerning God’s Word?” Let me say it this way: “Are there areas in your spiritual walk that you find yourself wavering back and forth?”
This question forces many of us to consider areas such as our opinions on lying, cheating, abortion, homosexuality, politics, forgiveness, and fornication, just to name a few. This ministry has already stated its opinion on abortion and homosexuality, and I will not go into those areas again in this blog.
Now let’s look at this area of being lukewarm in Luke 9:62: But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” He is not saying you will not go to heaven when you die, but he is saying your witness on earth will not be as effective as it should be in winning others to Christ.
Now let us define a lukewarm Christian. Lukewarm Christians put their hands to the plough of doing kingdom work when things feel good, people pat them on the back, or things are going easy. However, when times of difficulty arise or when persecution arises for the Word’s sake, they drop their ploughs and leave.
We find an example of this in Mark 4:16, 17: These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Lukewarm Christians will compromise their Biblical standards when pressure from opposing views bears down hard on them.
Unlike the Hebrew men of Daniel 3, lukewarm Christians are not willing to be thrown into a fiery furnace. Unlike Daniel, they do not want to face a lion’s den, knowing God is able to deliver them, despite the guilty sentence imposed on them by the world because of their beliefs. They prefer bowing to idolatry or peer pressure over facing the threat of death because of their convictions. Luke warm Christians have no real commitment that sets them apart. They are committed to the side that has the greatest influence and the loudest voice. They cannot be tied down to one decision. They vote according to popular choice rather than according to God’s choice. I pray you are getting the point in regards to the dangers of being lukewarm. Jesus does not like lukewarm when it comes to being committed as an individual and as a body of believers.
As believers, we will either be hot or cold. Being hot, to me, means that we will obey God’s Word all the way to the end, not deviating from it one bit, not turning back—saying what God says, standing for what he stands for, being fully persuaded concerning what the Bible says and holding firm to it even until death.
The cold side, on the other hand, is where we refuse to accept the truth, even if it is staring us in the face. Cold Christians have become callous in their hearts towards the Holy Spirit promptings. Cold Christians just ignore the blaring siren, warning them to get off the tracks before the train hits them. When Jesus says that He desires that we are either hot or cold, He is asking us to make up our mind as to which side we are on.
Again, I ask you to choose a side—the right side!—and stick to it with everything in you and do not let go. Here are some things you need to decide on. Are you for or against abortion, no matter the circumstance? Do you believe homosexuality, fornication, and adultery are sins according to the Bible, which you should not participate in or support? Will you endorse a candidate who supports same sex marriage, while professing to be a believer? If there is any hesitation on your part in answering these questions, please research the Scripture and find out for yourself what God’s Word says about these issues and others. And make a commitment to be hot for God.
God Bless you and may you continue to hear and heed His Voice!
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