Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears
My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and
he with Me” (Rev. 3:20 NASB).
As I write this article, our nation is facing a time of political and
economic uncertainty as North Korea just fired a missile over Japan. Will this
develop into a full scale war? Only God knows. However, some things that have
been certain are the blessings and freedoms that we have enjoyed in this
country. We live in the richest large
country in the world (https://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2010/11/growth).
More than one third of the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day. So while the average American worries about
retirement several years down the road, a large percentage of the world worries
about having enough to provide for today.
Clearly, God has blessed our country economically. With great wealth
comes great responsibility to care for the less fortunate. And unfortunately,
great wealth has a way of blinding us to our need for God. In Revelation 3:14-22,
Jesus talked to the church in Laodicea. The people of Laodicea enjoyed many of
the same blessings that we do as Americans. And they had become
complacent/lukewarm in their walk with the Lord
Pastor Craig Groeschel listed 7 attributes of lukewarm Christians. They
crave acceptance from people more than acceptance from God. (2) They rarely
share their faith in Christ. (3) They tend to rationalize their sins. (4) They
think more about life on earth than eternity in heaven. (5) They only turn to
God when they need something. (6) They give whenever it’s convenient. (7) They
are not much different from the rest of the world (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7UP8djULWA).
Do any of these describe you?
The Bible teaches that you can know a person by their fruit (Matt.
7:16). It does not take very much
consideration of the state of Christianity in our country to realize that many
who claim to follow Christ have become complacent/lukewarm in their
relationship with Jesus Christ. The sad thing is that many of us recognize this
to be true, but deep down inside, we just don’t care. Thus, if we are honest,
many of us are lukewarm and loving it.
The phrase “lukewarm Christian” is never found in the Bible. And the
description that Jesus gives to those who are lukewarm (Rev. 3:15-17) is associated
elsewhere with non-believers. By now,
some of you are probably thinking, “Matt, I don’t like this article.” And my
response is, I don’t either! :) Yet
these are some of Jesus’s words to the church in America. And thankfully, He
doesn’t stop there.
In Revelation 3:19-22ff, Jesus gives us a beautiful picture of what
could be for us, even those of us who are lukewarm, if we simply repent, and
allow Jesus to come into our lives as Scripture teaches. It is a life that is
sold out for Jesus. “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). My
friends, you and I have been greatly blessed, yet don’t allow these blessings
to lead you away from the greatest blessings of all.
In His service,
Matt
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