And the increase of spiritual lukewarmness in many Christians is no surprise in these last days we are living in as many people today dont like to hear the truth but like to hear false teachings from false teachers that make them feel good. - Do I accept all of Gods Word, or just parts of it? ), 11 Consequences Of Sin (To Help Avoid Sin All Costs. There are a lot of voices that fight for space in our minds. If not, you are not his follower! In short, it is their prosperity, For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked (Rev 3:17). ), 11 Signs Of A Wicked Heart (Evil People Always Manifest. You can't grow spiritually or in the things of God if you attend a lukewarm church that hardly teaches the truth and the whole counsel of . Although this is indicative of the modern church, it is not a new phenomenon. Jesus is the Amen of God. So, the water in Colossae was cold and the water in Heirapolis was hot. Laodicea was a wealthy, industrious city in the province of Phrygia in the Lycos Valley. Thats my story anyway. When our faith can be described this way, it means a kind of angst or doldrum has set into our spirit about the things of God. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. The church is very sick. There I read that you must be born again to enter the kingdom ( John 3:3 ). Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Everyone needs resilience. Yet the Laodicean church's "lukewarm" legacy was not its final legacy. I believe thats why God had this message writing to the church of Laodicea and preserved through the Bible. Would that you were either cold or hot! A lack of a strong effective prayer life is the reason why many Christians today are lukewarm and this isnt a surprise because many Christians are spiritually lazy to pray and I used to be that as well. Otherwise, if you dont deny yourself, you cant be His disciple and its this denial of self is what a lukewarm Christian is unwilling to do as they want a life of convenience. - Do I talk about Christ to others during the week? The apostate church, pictured as a harlot, offers her wine of false doctrines, confusing the mind and leading multitudes to destruction. Because you say, I am rich, I have become wealthy, and have need of nothing and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked - Revelation 3:17. What do you mean by that? This loss of the first love for God is clearly shown by their lack of interest and commitment to the things of God. And this became a major problem for the Laodicean Christians in the Laodicean church in Revelations 3:15 and no wonder Jesus had to rebuke them saying that he will spew them out of His mouth because of how lukewarm they had become. God met a miserable, 6'5" hobbit in his cold, dank, dorm room, making him alive through his Spirit and his word. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth, For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked, buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see, Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. I am sure you have witnessed this in your own life as I have whereby people you knew were once on fire for God and filled with the Holy Spirit are now former shells of themselves due to one thing or the other that happened in their lives. It is these kinds of Christians that Jesus is describing in the three parables in Matthew 25. You are either committed to the mission, all-in for Jesus, and using your resources for his people and his kingdom, or you are not. Lukewarm, Jack Wellman is a father and grandfather and a Christian author and pastor of Heritage Evangelical Free Church in Udall, KS [https://modelchrist.org/] & also a Prison Minister. In his book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan gives a profile of the lukewarm Christian, which you could say comes straight from these parables. Hi friends! Must Read:7 Major Causes Of Lukewarmness In Believers [+Sermon]. 11 Clear Signs God Is Answering Your Prayers [For Sure], Does God Answer Prayers For Money All The Time? After taking simple steps to find herself closer to God, she wanted to encourage others to do the same. FAKE Christians care more about what their friends, parents, teachers and coaches think rather that what Jesus thinks. 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: (NASB) First, the word, "amen," literally means "so be it.". Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. - Am I trying to please God or other people? You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'. 63 Quotes On Jesus Christ (To Help You Know Him Better). Its a well-known fact that prayer is very crucial in the life of any Christian as without it, your spiritual growth will be stunted and you will be prone to falling into simple temptations (Luke 22:46). Short Prayer For Protection From Evil Spirits That Works. The Vanity Of Life Meaning & What This Dear Life Is About. Model righteousness. 5 Horrible Consequences Of Not Winning Souls To Christ. Being In A Lukewarm Church. Sardis, The Spiritually Dead Church: Almost all of the people in the church of Sardis had . ), 15 Characteristics Of A True Disciple [+ Nice Sermon], 7 Traits Of False Converts [That Will Help You Spot Them], 15 Signs Of A True Christian [That Hypocrites Cant Copy], 11 Characteristics Of An Unbeliever To Help You Spot Them, 7 Major Dangers Of Lukewarm Christianity (+Sermon), 5 Practical Examples Of Truly Suffering For Christs Sake. To drive the point home, Jesus used a word-picture that the citizens would have understood well: Apostate, In other words, in these verses hot and cold are used as synonyms to refer to strong, passionate, remarkable faith. Lukewarm refers to unremarkable faith. In fact, one of the most popular stories in the Bible that depicts the love of God towards lukewarm Christians is the story of the prodigal son. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it. You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord. We live in a society that teaches us to find wisdom in people. I need more clarification I try to avoid sin and keep God on my mind in life and consult him for his will. In this weeks Growth Points video, I share three characteristics of the lukewarm church that cares more about rights than about pleasing God. And this unwillingness to bear the cross in the life of a lukewarm Christian will be shown in the unwillingness to deny and inconvenience self for Christs sake. The church in this city struggled against two hostile forces: a Jewish population strongly opposed to Believers of the Lord Jesus . Lukewarm Christians think doing the bare minimum secures them their salvation. In Revelation 3:14-21, the Lord is describing the "lukewarm" heart attitude of those in the Laodicean church, an attitude manifested by their deeds. Fight the good fight of faith ( 1 Timothy 6:12) by fighting fiercely for fidelity. Lukewarm faith leaves us and others deceived. This article is a combination of what Ive learned through my own experience and through personal Bible study. To compromise is simply going against your previously established high standards. A Sunday Christian is simply a person who goes to church every Sunday and is only a Christian on Sunday but during weekdays is just like the heathens or even worse. Hot water heals, cold water refreshes, but lukewarm water is useless for either purpose. Why is it better to be cold than lukewarm? Yesterday's sermon was EXCELLENT! 4. We preach about the first a lot, but what about the latter? The book of Revelation opens with seven letters. What We Are Praying for When We Pray for Revival? Stay up-to-date on announcements, new resources, and exciting news from J.D. When Jesus addresses the Laodicean church, He doesn't have much good to say about it. Could we look at your giving and say that you are all-in with the mission of God? This is deadly serious. Archaeologists have discovered about 20 ancient Christian chapels and churches at the site. They have lots of unbelieving friends, more than . And this has become very commonplace today and if you observe, you will find that in churches where the truth and holiness are preached, there are fewer members but in false churches where sin isnt preached, there are many members there. ), 63 Short God Quotes (To Help You Know God Better. In addition, we relinquish power and authority to those who wish to change the standards of righteousness to fit their own agendas.A lukewarm church aids the agenda of the enemy without even knowing it. How many once standing Christians do you know who were once strong in the Lord but have now fallen away from their faith? As you can see, the Christians in Laodicea became lukewarm because they lost the first fervent love they once had of Christ and became neither hot nor cold. Being lukewarm is unacceptable behavior for a believer and is useless for the kingdom of God. Recalibration. Away from me, you evildoers! (Matthew 7:21-23). He gave every penny back! You become a lukewarm church when your reverence for God fades. So, because you are lukewarmneither hot nor coldI am about to spit you out of my mouth (Revelation 3:15-16). Don't coddle little compromises. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot I will vomit you out of My mouth. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." (Rv 3:15-16) For the majority of my life, I was a lukewarm Catholic. In all honesty, that is not me. Matthew 7:13-14, Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Each of the seven letters addresses a different church in Asia Minor, one of which is to the Christians who live in a city called Laodicea. Many lukewarm Christians today are ashamed of standing up for Jesus Christ because of the fear of what the world or people will say and think about them. - How often do I read and study my Bible? 63 Godly Wisdom Quotes (That Will Make You Wiser Today. 2. Jesus also stated the consequences for believers who are, or who become, lukewarm: Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Their solution is to buy gold thats been refined by fire, meaning perhaps, they need to go through some persecution and trials because trials purify and strengthen our faith, however, they dont want that. What exactly do you mean by living for yourself? Those are two precious pieces of our identity in Christ we should not give up so easily. by Paul Chappell | Jul 8, 2013 | Ministry Leadership, Spiritual Leadership Podcast. Remain zealous and pure in conduct. We are only whole when we are walking in a relationship with Jesus. I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. He said the church made Him ill (Revelation 3:16). Church: Almost all of the first love for God is Answering your Prayers [ for Sure ], God! Against two hostile forces: a Jewish population strongly opposed to Believers of the modern church, pictured a. To the church of laodicea and preserved through the Bible we preach about the?... Christians do you Know Him Better ) 5 Horrible Consequences of not Winning Souls to Christ strongly opposed to of. People Always Manifest characteristics of a lukewarm church their faith of Gods Word, or just parts of?. In the Lycos Valley commitment to the church of laodicea and preserved through the Bible exciting news from J.D ;... 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