The second part to my "lukewarm" blog.
(study/lesson taken from "Crazy Love")
As I see it "lukewarm Christian" is an oxymoron. An oxymoron, if you don't know, is two words with opposite meanings describing one word such as jumbo shrimp, little big man, silent scream, etc.
If you are lukewarm, then you are not a Christian. Bam. There, I said it.
In Revelation 3:15-18, Jesus says - "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 or cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so you can see."
This passage is where our term lukewarm comes from. Jesus is saying because the church is lukewarm, he is going to spit them from his mouth. There is no gentle translation of the word spit in Greek. It means hurling, retching, gagging. Have you ever tried something that was so horrible you couldn't help but gag and want to spit it out. That is how Jesus is saying lukewarm churches make him feel. Many people think Jesus is talking to believers. Why? Jesus wouldn't want to spit out part of his kingdom. He wouldn't call us, who believe in Him, wretched, pitiful and naked. Why would he describe saints like that? Lukewarm Christian - no such thing.
Jesus' call to commitment is quite clear. He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself Christian without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd.
Let's just lay all the cards on the table, shall we? We are willing to make changes to our lives only if we think it affects our salvation. I don't know how many times I have heard - "If I get a divorce, will I still go to heaven?" "If someone commits suicide, will they still go to heaven?" "If I have sex with my girlfriend, will I still go to heaven?" "Do I have to be baptized to be saved?" "If I am ashamed to talk about Christ, will he REALLY deny knowing me?"
To me these questions reveal the state our hearts are in. We are more concerned about getting to heaven then having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus said - "If you love me, you will obey what I command."
I love Matt. We have been married almost 15 years. I do things just because I love him. They are small in comparison but I think of him often. I love him so I do things for him without expecting anything in return and he does the same. I do them merely because I adore him. That is what we should do with Jesus. We should obey his commandments merely because we love him - not what we get in return.
James says - "You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder." It isn't enough to believe in God - the devil and his minions believe in God.....God doesn't want us to have a good theology. He wants us to know and LOVE Him. First John says - "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him', but does not do what he commands is a LIAR, and the truth is not in him." (emphasis added).
In Luke is reads - "Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." EVERYTHING.
The last thing Jesus told us was to go into the world and make disciples of all nations teaching them to obey all he had commanded. He didn't say - "But hey, if that is too much to ask, tell them to become Christians, you know, the people who get to go to heaven without having to commit anything."
In these two blogs (lessons), I don't want true believers to begin to doubt their salvation. In the midst of our failed attempts at loving Jesus, his grace covers us. His mercies are new every morning. His grace is sufficient. I am not saying that when you mess up, it means you never were really a genuine Christian. If that were true no one would follow Christ.
If one hundred people represented the entire world's population, 53 of those would live on less than $2 a day. Simple buying a book is what the majority of people in the world live on in a week's time. We are a blessed nation. We use the terms "broke" and "poor" when we can't go to McDonald's with our friends. We are neither of those - we are stinking rich. We never have to go hungry, we have clean water, running toilets and a knowledge of Jesus - we are filthy rich in comparison to most.
Prosperity can harden one's heart. It can make us not look towards God. It makes us have a false sense of security.
When Jesus was talking to a wealthy person who wanted to go to heaven, Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor then follow him. The wealthy man was quite wealthy and didn't want to. Jesus told him "How hard is it for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God!" He says it's as hard as a camel to go through the eye of the needle, in other words - impossible!
*Side note - in Biblical times, the merchants would ride their camels from city to city. The fortified cities had large stone walls surrounding them. They had a 'back entrance' for the merchants to go through which was merely a small cubby, short and narrow. They would have to get off their camel, unpack everything off of it, then go through with their supplies, then get their camel. Then do it again when they left. So they knew a camel going through the eye of the needle was no doubt IMPOSSIBLE.
God wants our best, deserves our best and demands our best. How often do we give God the scraps off our plate? How often to we throw a couple of crumbled dollars in the offering plate or how often do we go about our day then as we are wore out, lying in bed we offer God up a few minute prayer before falling asleep?
In Malachi's time, the priests thought their sacrifices were sufficient. God demanded the best of their sacrifices (example - sheep). He wanted one without blemish, without fault - a 4-H prize winning sheep. But the priests wanted to keep those to breed and make more spotless sheep. So they would offer their lame ones and figure that was good enough. They assumed God was pleased because instead of giving nothing they gave SOMETHING.
God describes this practice as evil (Malachi 1:8).
God is holy. He created the universe. He gave you life and determines if you take another breath. He created the oceans, the creatures and everything that abides on our planet. He is holy and perfect. He deserves the best.
"But something is better than nothing!" Some protest.
Is it?
Have you ever received praise because someone felt guilty or felt obligated? Doesn't that make you feel awkward and you wished they had never said anything at all? Why would God be any different?
In Malachi God says - "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the hates that you might not uselessly kindle fire on my altar! I am not pleased with you....nor will I accept an offering from you." The week sacrifices were insulting to God and he wanted the temple doors shut.
We don't do sacrifices anymore because Jesus, the ultimate spotless lamb, was the last sacrifice. However, we offer up worship and prayer to God. How many times do we go to church on Sunday and worship half-heartedly. Do we go and give our all? I don't care if you are cartwheeling across the floor.....to God, if that is your all, he is pleased. If you stand there, eyes closed and don't clap or move but are giving it all to Him - then he is pleased. You have to give your all, no matter how you do it. If you are flippantly worshiping, God says he would rather you just sit down. Don't insult God with half-hearted worship. I wonder how many churches would have their doors shut in reference to Malachi???
God's definition of what matters is pretty straight forward. He measures our lives by how we love. Even a pastor can be successful if he has a good sermon, prays over people, makes the congregation laugh.......even if he offers no love. However Paul writes - "I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love I gain nothing. (1 Cor. 13:2-3). We are here to love - not much else matters.
What does God mean by love? He tells us in 1 Cor. 13:4-8, 13.
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing; but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.....faith, hope, and love abide these three; but the greatest of these is love."
Now - replace "love" with your name. By the end, don't you feel like a liar? I know I do. If I am meant to represent what love is, then I often fail to love.
It is easy to love those that love us in return. It is easy to invite those we love to church but what about those that we don't like? What about that person that you avoid and a bad taste is in your mouth just at the mention of their name? THAT is who we are to love and reach out to. Those that need our love the most, not those that deserve it.
How many of us would really leave our families, jobs, lives, friends, home, surrounding and connections if Jesus asked us to. No explanation, no direction - just follow.
I would like to think I would but in reality, I am not sure. God of the universe. The creator of all things, He who is holy and pure and righteous we often say "Well, I am not sure you are worth it....I really like my care, my sin habits, my money....I am not sure I want to give it all up even if it means I get You."
We we put it plainly like that most of us hope we would choose God. But we often compare God on a scale with our worldly things. We disgust God when we weigh and compare Him against the things of this world.
No wonder Jesus sayd He will spit lukewarm people out of his mouth!
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