Guard Me Against Lukewarmness

I have been on a journey this year… and the reoccurring theme for a lot of my study has been on the subject of full-out abandonment of the Gospel.  I’ve spent a lot of time witnessing the “falling away” from Christianity, and have taught on the radical importance of “staying” close to Jesus in my classes this year.

But there’s one area that is of utmost concern and that is this idea of “lukewarmness.”

Revelation 3:16 in the KJV says this, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

The definition for lukewarm is this = “moderately warm, tepid, not ardent not zealous, cool, and indifferent.”

And let’s face it.  None of us has a preference for “lukewarm.”
When I order coffee I want it to be hot. Lukewarm is highly undesirable.
When I eat a piece of pie I want it to be hot or cold.  Lukewarm is simply not an option.

My commentary say that, “lukewarm religion is a direct insult to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The lukewarm Christian - the one who is neither hot nor cold - does the most damage to the reputation of Christ, and compromises the Lord before the eyes of an onlooking, unbelieving world in all they do and say.

Listen to what theologian Charles Spurgeon warns about the affects of lukewarm Christians.  He says, “The lukewarm Christian neutralizes any effect on even the most earnest minister of the Gospel, because the world will judge the church (Christ follower) not by the standard of the pulpit so much as by the level of the pew.”

And so could it be that our lukewarmness is actually what waters down, or worse yet nullifies, the Gospel message, making it most difficult for those outside the family of Christ to make Him theirs for themselves?

This journey with Jesus... this Christian profession… requires ALL of us, not just some of us.

And the thing that seems most dangerous about those in a lukewarm position is that they are overwhelmingly poor in spirt, poverty-stricken in soul, and they don’t even know it.  They are blind, even though they believe they have sight.  They see nothing wrong with their imbalanced, insecure living, and so they remain the hardest to reach.  My commentary says, “Had they even been outwardly worse, had they defiled themselves with overt transgression, then the Spirit might have pointed out the blot and convicted them there and then.”

The truth is that when we don't see our depravity, when we don’t view Jesus as the most supreme Being, when we don’t fear God, and revere His Word with obedience, we make no attempts for improvement… we make no heart-felt confessions in prayer… no cries to heaven for the close examination of heart and removal of all that would separate us from a FULL life in Christ.

My commentary continues to define lukewarmness as one of, “mournful indifference and carelessness.  They are not infidels, yet they are not earnest believers; they do not oppose the Gospel, neither do they defend it; they are not working mischief, neither are they doing any great good.”

And what does Jesus tell us that He will do to those who are lukewarm?  “I will spue thee out of My mouth.”

I can’t think of anything… anything… worse than the rejection of our Lord.

We give false witness to Christ and to Christianity when we remain in a lukewarm state… and we position ourselves for elimination of intimacy with Jesus.

We cannot afford to be lukewarm.
It’s perilous.
It leads to death.
And it destroys everything in it’s path.

Oh God, that You would guard us against lukewarmness.
Keep us on fire for You!
The price we pay for declination is too dangerous.