lukewarm

Don’t Make Me Spit You Out

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

Amaziah became king of Judah when he was twenty five years old. His father had been assassinated, so he was next to ascend the throne. Amaziah ruled Judah in a similar manner as his father, Joash. They both served God, but not wholeheartedly. This simply means that they worshipped God, but they weren’t loyal to him. Let’s just say that they both compromised their faith, and each time there were disastrous results. This father and son duo were of the line of David, but unlike King David they served God with a divided heart.

Since Amaziah was a follower of God in name only, he did not destroy the pagan shrines in his country. His people were allowed to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Some things that Amaziah did, though, pleased God. But this one act of offering sacrifices to idols, which wasn’t a small matter, greatly displeased God. Oh. His father led the country the same way, you may argue. That doesn’t make it right. And it doesn’t make it any less pleasing to God.

And then there was that one day in Amaziah’s reign when he became too proud. He had defeated the Edomites, who were descendants of Esau. Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, also known as Israel. At this point in history, Israel had been torn apart by infighting. The Israelites had rebelled against the house of David, all because they differed on who should be crowned king after Solomon died. Ten of the twelve tribes favored Jeroboam, and the other two tribes chose Rehoboam. So the twelve tribes split. The ten tribes to the north kept the name of Israel, while the two southern tribes were called Judah. This split occurred as a consequence of Solomon’s sin.

After that short history lesson, let’s go back to Amaziah’s pride.

After he defeated Edom, Amaziah turned around and worshipped their idols. Why would he deliberately choose to worship idols that couldn’t protect the people who worshipped them? And then he arrogantly began plotting to battle against his neighbor, Israel. He thought his two small tribes were capable of defeating the ten tribes of Israel. Foolish. He couldn’t say he wasn’t warned. He shouldn’t have provoked a fight he couldn’t win.

Jehoash, the king of Israel, warned him of the impending disaster. So, Jehoash did the only thing he knew to do. He went to battle with Amaziah and the army of Judah. And guess who won. It wasn’t Judah, and it wasn’t pretty. Israel captured Amaziah and other hostages, and then they plundered the Temple of God taking vast amounts of gold and silver and other Temple articles. Jehoash’s men also broke down some of the wall surrounding Jerusalem and plundered the king’s house, as well. It was a sound defeat.

Amaziah went down in history, but not the way he planned. He made a fool of himself, all for personal glory. He failed miserably. He had let pride get in the way of following God. Oh. There were times he did what looked right to those looking on, but in his heart he was resentful. History tells us that after his loss to Israel, he was hated by his countrymen. In the end, he was hunted and killed by his own people.

You can read the full story of the life of Amaziah in 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25.

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. Revelation 3:15-16

The story of King Amaziah is a reminder today to people who call themselves Christians. We want to look good to those watching us, but we may be resentful and proud. We want to be known as Christians, but we don’t wholeheartedly live as one. We may be born again Christians, but have we fully committed to living a biblical life? Do we look at today’s culture through a biblical lens, or are we looking at the Bible through a cultural lens?

The George Barna research identifies two types of people who call themselves Christians. One group is the self identified Christians, and then there are the theologically identified born again Christians. Self identified Christians say they’re a Christian when asked about their spirituality. They believe they’re going to heaven because they’ve been a good enough person, not necessarily because their sins have been forgiven. The theologically identified born again Christians say they know they’re going to spend eternity in heaven. They admit that without Jesus they don’t have a shot of entering heaven.

People do not want to be devoted to Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is deeply offensive to the educated minds of today, to those who only want Him to be their friend, and are unwilling to accept Him in any other way. ~Oswald Chambers

George Barna says that the church has so little power in our culture today because we can’t get clarity on what the Bible teaches us. Which is true if we think about it. If, as a self identifying Christian, we don’t believe the Bible is truth, why do we even call ourselves a Christian? Barna says we aren’t willing to put in the effort to live an authentic Christian life. We believe we personally have a better way, and we put ourselves at the center of our lives. We believe that we’re just basically good people. The Bible says exactly the opposite of those beliefs.

Most self identifying Christians don’t understand even the basics of Biblical Christianity. ~Natasha Crain

We want Jesus to be our friend, instead of Lord of our lives. What does it mean to us when we say we’re Christians? When we identify as a Christian, we must be sincere about our faith. It isn’t just an identity. It is a way of life. It is daily walking in step with Christ. Self-sacrificially bowing to his will. And we must do the hard work of reading our Bible, going to church and applying what we learn to changing our lives.

John, the writer of the book of Revelation, saw a vision of an angel speaking to the church of Laodicea. In that vision, he told the church that they were neither hot or cold. They were lukewarm and would be spit from the mouth of God. The same goes for us today. What kind of Christian life do we live? Are we on fire for God, or are we totally turned against him? Or. Do we say we are on fire for God, yet all the while living in violation of our claims? We can’t have it both ways. And we have to know that God knows our hearts. He will judge us accordingly. And yes, there is a heaven to gain and a hell to lose. It is our choice.

The lukewarm Christian has enough of Jesus to satisfy a craving for religion, but not enough for eternal life. ~David Guzik

Lukewarm Water

~ mercyfortheday ~ 1 Comment

I drink a quart of water first thing every morning. I know that if I don’t, I may not drink enough throughout the rest of the day. One quart down is a good way to start the day. At least in my opinion. I’m not sure why, but I prefer to drink it warm, or even a little past warm. The other morning, I wasn’t paying too much attention to what I was doing when I filled the quart jar. I took a solid drink and realized it was only lukewarm. It wasn’t very pleasant. I drank a little bit and then set the jar on the counter to finish filling my dog’s breakfast bowl.

When I returned to the water a few minutes later, I realized it had cooled down considerably. It was now almost cold. No. It obviously wasn’t ice cold. But it wasn’t even lukewarm any longer. I realized it didn’t take much time at all for the lukewarm water to cool off. If it had been hot or warm water, I could have taken more time to drink it without it becoming noticeably cool.

Oh sure. There are days when I almost scald myself, because I’ve gotten the water too hot. But those days seem to be rare. Thank goodness. I don’t need to burn myself in the wee hours of the morning. I just want to get an early start on meeting my water quota for the day.

Some may say that lukewarm water is the way to drink it if you’re not looking for ice water or hot tea. But lukewarm water is somewhat akin to complacency. It’s saying it doesn’t really want to make an effort. The problem is that lukewarm water looks like any other water. Someone could be easily fooled thinking they’re getting a nice glass of cold water. Obviously, they’ll know it isn’t ice water, because there’s no ice or condensation. And they’ll know it isn’t hot water because there’s no steam or heat. But will they think it’s lukewarm? Not really. I mean. After all. Who drinks lukewarm water? Besides me on accident.

What is the purpose of lukewarm water?

Lukewarm Christians look like any other Christian. They play the part well. They know the right words to say. They know the right things to do. They know to go to church. They know to treat others well. They most likely know the ten commandments. Do they live by each of them? Only they and God know.

Have lukewarm Christians ever been on fire for God? Have their hearts burned to know more about the God who created them? Have they ever made an effort to spend time with God on a regular basis? Do they pray? Do they attend church? Is their Christianity on the outside, but never made its way inward? Is that even Christianity? When a person calls themselves a Christian, shouldn’t there be evidence that they’re growing in their faith?

The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” Isaiah 29:13

I have to ask how easy is it to spot a lukewarm Christian? Do they look any different from Christians who are wholeheartedly serving the Lord? Can you spot one easily in a crowded room? Can God even work in a lukewarm Christian? After all, they aren’t really committed to Christ. If God doesn’t work through lukewarm churches, how can he work through a lukewarm Christian? He says we are either hot or cold. Otherwise, like lukewarm water, he will spit us out of his mouth.

I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:15-16

What is the purpose of a lukewarm Christian?

It’s assumed that cold Christians aren’t Christians. They don’t claim to be Christians. They don’t feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit in their lives. But those who are lukewarm call themselves Christians, yet there’s no fruit or growth. So, how can they sense the Holy Spirit’s leading? Pretending to be something you’re not is basically living a lie. As the old saying goes. You can fool all the people some of the time. And you can fool some of the people all the time. But you can’t fool all the people all the time. And you can never fool God. He sees right through our lukewarmness. It’s better to be cold and not pretend to be what you’re not.

If left untouched, lukewarm water always turns cold. And it only takes a matter of minutes to lose any heat it had. Left to its own devices, it will never turn hot. The same goes for lukewarm Christians. They will soon lose what warmth they had if there’s no attempts to be reheated.

Two people set out for home walking the dusty road back to Emmaus. Discussing the disheartening events of the weekend, they suddenly found a stranger walking with them. He acted so innocent when they discussed the troubling scene they had witnessed in Jerusalem. The one they hoped to be the Promised Messiah had been unceremoniously killed. Hanged on a cross. And now on the third day since his death, his body was missing. They couldn’t explain it. And they couldn’t understand how this lone traveler had somehow missed out on all the happenings. How could he have not heard what was happening in their holy city?

But then. When he opened his mouth, he explained the Old Testament in a way they had never heard. He explained all the Scriptures that explained his life. Yet they knew him not. They had no idea the Promised Messiah was walking that seven mile stretch with them from Jerusalem to Emmaus. But when he sat down to break bread with them, the Holy Spirit opened their eyes and their hearts. Suddenly, they were aware the Son of God was sitting with them. They realized why the man who had been hanging on that cross was missing from his tomb. He was sitting in their home. And just as quickly as he appeared to them on the road, he disappeared.

They asked each other. Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us and opened the Scriptures to us? They who had been lukewarm in their faith. They who did not fully understand the Scriptures suddenly believed the story of the Messiah. Oh. These two believed in God. They were, after all, practicing Jews. But they didn’t fully believe that the One who had been preaching and teaching and performing miracles was truly the Messiah. They hadn’t accepted him as their Savior. Sure. They wanted him to be the One, but they weren’t yet convinced. And what did it take to convince them? A face to face and a heart to heart conversation. A digging in of the Scriptures. Then they believed.

Read about the walk to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-34.

How can we who hear the story of the resurrection of our Savior have such calloused, cold hearts? How can we go about our days as if the world was our oyster? Aren’t our hearts burning to understand the teachings of our Lord and Savior? What will it take to soften our hearts today and cause us to be on fire for the One who died for our sins?

Oh, ye of little faith. We must either fully trust God and live for him, or deny him altogether. And who of us who call ourselves Christians want to deny him? But then. Why are we so hesitant to fully trust him? What would it cost us? And yet, if we don’t trust him fully, it will cost us our soul. Eternity in hell is a huge price to pay to be lukewarm. Especially when we don’t realize we’re lukewarm.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10