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