Lukewarm, I have heard that this is the state the church is in today and that is very sad. In the book of Revelations 3:14-22 Jesus had some things to say about the church of Laodicea and one of them was that they were lukewarm; that they were neither hot nor cold. “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also 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.’”
Just think of a nice cup of hot coffee and how good it tastes partly because it is hot. I realize that some people like cold coffee but, me, when it starts cooling off I don’t like it, and I can’t stand cold coffee. When it is cold I want to spit it out of my mouth. When a church becomes lukewarm and indifferent Jesus has a problem with it and it becomes distasteful to Him. It seems He would rather have you either hot or cold. I think what He would prefer is a person that is more of a fanatic, that is on fire for Him, and that is not ashamed of the gospel, one that has that fervent love for Him and others, one that is full of faith knowing where they have been and what they have been set free of and truly appreciates it.
The Lord doesn’t want us to be cold but there is more hope for a rebellious believer to repent then someone that is lukewarm and doesn’t even know that they have a problem. It seems that many churches today are in a ‘sick’ state, not dead, but in need of spiritual help. It is the fanatical balanced believer that excites many believers and non-believers alike. Excitement seems to breed excitement and that is what we need more of in the church today.
Laodicea was the wealthiest of the seven cities known for its banking and wool industry along with its medical school that produced eye salve. But the city’s water supply wasn’t very good so at one time they brought water from the hot springs through an aqueduct but by the time it made the trip through the pipes it was neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm with a pungent smell and the church had become like the water that came into the city. The church had become hardened and self-satisfied thinking they were in need of nothing and it was destroying itself. Too many times this is the churches m/o, little or no Bible reading, sparse prayer life or time spent with the Lord, not much desire to witness, just be satisfied with their salvation.
I think of many believers in the United States, myself included, that are so rich compared to many around the world and we don’t even know it, because we compare ourselves to those who are richer than we are instead of those that are much poorer. We take it for granted seeking the Lord to continue to prosper us instead of being satisfied with how we are so truly blessed. What we don’t seem to get is, being wealthy is not the answer, in fact, it could become a curse. Many times we buy into the teaching of prosperity, meaning wealth and material things as a blessing from the Lord. The problem is the more a believer has the easier it gets to become complacent and self-reliant thinking we need nothing not even are reliance on the Lord.
I think that prospering has more to do with receiving faith, peace, love and joy plus contentment which is far more important than riches. The city of Laodicea and the church were wealthy and look what happened to them. Having everything, but not having a close intimate relationship with the Lord, means nothing. I think that most everyone that has won the big lottery ended up with ruined lives because they couldn’t handle wealth.
Jesus said in Matthew 19:23-24, “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” These verses are very disturbing and could happen to any one of us whether we are rich or not. So examine yourself and your walk with the Lord; have you become lukewarm, stagnating, self-satisfied? If you are, you need to repent and ask the Lord to rekindle the fire you once had. Then encourage those around you to do the same thing and start praying for a true Holy Spirit revival. God bless and have a great day!!
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