I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ, who is Lord. May this letter find you well and in His will.
“I know the things you do, that you are neither hot
nor cold. I wish you were one or the other”
Revelation 3:15 NLT
Boy, hot and sticky is the word. It sure has been hot these last couple of weeks. The humidity sure creates a need for fans and air conditioning. What would we do without fans and air conditioning? How did people survive in the old days without all these niceties? The weather service says that the heat and humidity should stay with us well into the fall. I don't want you to think I am complaining about the heat though because I have pictures on this computer of the weather we had last winter. I sure would not want to trade for anything like that. I would sooner be hot than cold. I would much sooner shovel sunshine than snow. Isn't it amazing how the nights have been so warm and everything has grown so well too. When it is cold and blustery this winter, we will remember sleeping with the windows open as the wind howls against them and think about days and nights like these. Of course, there are people who like the cold and people who like the heat, and there are people who don't really like either one. They are sort of on the fence. Lukewarm about everything.
People who are cold are distant and uncaring.
Jesus used the comparison of hot and cold to describe the way people are with Him. People who are cold are distant and uncaring. The gospel leaves them unmoved; no spiritual response. They are not interested in what Jesus is about or what He can do for them for eternity. Cold people are best understood as those who reject Jesus Christ. Hot people are those who are spiritually alive and possess the fervency of a transformed life. Hot people are on fire for Jesus. I guess you could say most people do not fit into either of these categories. They don't outrightly reject Jesus, and they are not on fire for Him either. I guess most could be called "lukewarm."
Lukewarm means that a person is not genuinely saved, yet not outright against the gospel.
Lukewarm means that a person is not genuinely saved, yet not outright against the gospel. Most people if you ask them will say they are Christian. They attend church and claim to know the Lord. Yet, the Lord Jesus describes such people in Matthew 7: 21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'" Amazingly, Jesus says that it would be better to be cold or hot, one or the other, rather than try to ride the fence and live in both worlds, because we cannot do both. There are many people in churches, even entire congregations, who are lost. People have the truth, the rich New Covenant teachings about Christ's life, death, and resurrection contained in their Bibles, yet they neither believe nor obey.
Our society gives us such a false sense of security because we have much. Yet to have many possessions can be a sad ending if we do not know riches in Christ. This life is too quick to pass through without making provision for the life that is to come. We need to make sure that our faith is not lukewarm. We need to know the truth and that the truth frees us.
Maybe in the heat of the season, we can come to understand that hot is good when it comes to our relationship with Jesus Christ. Maybe we even need to turn it up a couple of degrees and experience the joy of being on fire for Jesus. Many people are lukewarm. Jesus said that He would simply spit them out of His mouth. He would rather you be one or the other. When He comes, may you not be found riding the fence. Make your life a life that honors the Lord Jesus. Get hot for Christ!
See you on Sunday!
SEPTEMBER 2010