YouTube Lukewarm

Lukewarm

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

These words may sound harsh, but they are a call to wake up! Bottom line there is no in between, you are either for God or against God. So where is your heart? Did you really have a heart change when you went to the altar and confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior or did you just say the words? 

Here is the definition of lukewarm from the American Heritage Dictionary of English Language:

1. Mildly warm; tepid.

2. Lacking conviction or enthusiasm; indifferent

The definition that stands out to me is "indifferent." If we call ourselves Christians, we should not look like the world. By no means does this mean we are to walk around pretending that we are perfect, if we were perfect Jesus would never have to come save us. We are not perfect. We are going to make mistakes and have failures, but we cannot go on with intentional sin. Becoming a Christian is a process. Just because you went to the altar does not mean everything will be changed at that moment. Everything takes time. The more you read your bible, go to church, and pray your relationship with Jesus will grow. As your relationship grows, you will gain wisdom that you didn't have before. You will learn what pleases God and what doesn't. You will be able to see the world around you in a different perspective. And of course this takes time and effort. Now that you are saved you do have more of a struggle with your flesh. When you were unsaved, you were living in the flesh and there is nothing to struggle with.

What I mean by intentional sin, is doing things that you know are sinful but you do them anyway. You do commit that sin that one time and figure that didn't hurt anyone, so you continue committing that sin until it no longer seems wrong to you. This is where you become indifferent or just the same as the world. Eventually, you will look exactly like the world and there is no more light in you to shine. This is exactly what Satan wants. He's not trying to discourage anyone from not believing God, but trying to break you down until the point where you are an ineffective Christian. An ineffective Christian can not do anything to build up the body of Christ. This type of Christian cannot be an effective witness.

We also can't go on thinking that just because I go to church everything is okay. Do you behave and talk the way you do in church in your everyday life? Would anyone be able to tell that you were a Christian if they didn't ask you? Are you going to church just to build up yourself and just to get a blessing for yourself and only you? Or are you going to church to learn and share with others? Is there a desire in you heart for your family members, community, or the world to be saved?

Well, it's not too late to make changes. Jesus says:

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will com in and eat with that person, and they with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and st down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has eras, let them hear what the Spirit say to the churches.

Revelation 3:19-22

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁷ For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. ⁸ Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given^[a] us His Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 1:14-16

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁴ as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ¹⁵ but as He who called you isholy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”


What does the word "holy" mean to you? I woke up with this question on my mind this morning. I fell asleep listening to a Creflo Dollar sermon. He was talking about holiness. He said being holy is reading the Bible, believing the Bible, and doing what the Bible says. I don't think anyone could have put it simpler than that. We cannot look at man to see what holiness looks like because man is not our example. Remember we are not to imitate people but we are to imitate Christ. He is the perfect and only example of holiness.


Sometimes you may feel like it is impossible to live holy, but it is not. If it were, God would not tell us to be holy. He would never tell us to do anything impossible. He gave us written instructions and the Holy Spirit to help us. He knows we are not perfect and that we fail at times. He would have never sent Jesus Christ to die for us if we didn't need a Savior. But we need to make an effort. We can't just give in to temptation or compromise because we see others giving in. We also can't take the attitude that, "I can do this because I am forgiven anyway." We need to make a conscious effort to live holy. It may be very hard at times and when it does get hard or feels impossible, turn to God and ask for His help.


Remember even though we are in this world, we are not of this world. Please don't compromise your faith. You were put on this Earth for something very special. God is crazy about you, otherwise He would never sent Jesus to die on the cross for you.  


I ask you today to take a moment and speak with God. Ask Him to help you live a holy life. 

Job 2:11-13

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. ¹² When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud,and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. ¹³ Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

Today at church we had a guest speaker named Lynn Wheeler. We have been going through a series called "Extreme". Today the sermon was about Extreme Relationships. Lynn Wheeler shared his personal testimony on divorce. Some of you may say, "How can a man of God get up on the pulpit and share his testimony about divorce?" Well Mr. Wheeler did and did an excellent job. Yes, God hates divorce and Mr. Wheeler was not trying to glamorize divorce at all. He shared his personal experience on how devastating divorce can be and how it severs the family. I personally have never been through a divorce myself, but the message Lynn Wheeler spoke today was able to minister to me. What spoke to me today during the service was when he told us many of his friends deserted him through his time of need, but his true friends spoke words of encouragement to him. We really don't know who our real friends are until we are at our lowest point in life. Then we will see who is there for us. I think as a society we throw around the word "friend" too loosely. What is your definition of a friend? Are all of the people that you surround yourself with truly your friends? Lynn Wheeler shared Job 2:11-13 with us today.These verses from Job gives a very good example of what true friends are. Those are the kind of friends that I want and the kind that God wants for me and you. 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27

This is the verse that was brought to mind today. I look around every day and see so many people without any type of peace in their lives. Yes, there are many things that go on in our lives that may bring us distress, heartache, disappointment, stress, and the list can go on. Life is not perfect and there are many forces unseen trying to destroy us. But, we can all experience the peace that only Jesus Christ can give us. Here is a list of a few things that can bring peace to your day:

• Jesus love us no matter what
• He will never leave our side
• He gave us eternal life
• He is preparing a place for us
• Our time on Earth is temporary
• He has given us the Holy Spirit
• Jesus knows first hand what we are going through
• Our sins are forgiven

And the list could go on and on. So what is it that has you so worked up that you can not experience the perfect peace that Christ gives us. Take some time from your busy life and have some quiet time with God. He can bring comfort and peace to whatever situation that you are in. Remember, only He can give you the peace that the world cannot give you.

First Post

Okay, I decided to give this blogging thing another try. Since I graduated from school, I now feel like I have time to catch up on the things that I have neglected. Right now I am in the process of searching for a teaching position. All I can say is that it is a challenge, jobs don't come easy like they used to. The job market is isn't what it used to be, but that's okay because God does not change. He is the only one we can count on ALWAYS.


This blog will be about exactly what the title says. Whatever God puts on my heart, that is what I will post. I may also post things that are going on at my home church which is Cross River Church.


So today the journey begins......

"You are the light of the world A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:14-16 NIV