Revelation 3:15-16 "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."
I honestly think there are too many Christians who live their life with a half hearted, lukewarm, mediocre attitude. Afraid to stand up and proclaim Jesus Christ as their Savior, afraid to raise their hands in worship, scared to be honest with their family and friends about their beliefs. I can be one of the occasionally. Now be honest, so can you!! Our lives sometimes revolve about impressing others, worrying about what others may think of us and afraid to rock the boat. True?
Come one you know it can be true. Even in church we can easily tend to be lukewarm. We don't dare lift our hands in praise during worship because someone may think we are radical, besides we may be the only one. We don't clap to the beat of the music because someone may get offended, after all no one else is doing it. We dare not shout "Amen!" Oh my the church walls may come tumbling down. Yes, even in church we sometimes are lukewarm.
Imagine a church where you walk in, kneel down to pray, then sit in your seat waiting for the service to start. No one dare to utter a single word because we are sitting in a holy place. In this church we do not really know the person sitting next to us, not really anyway. We may know their name, but nothing else. The service starts, the music itself is lukewarm and the members of the church just mumble the words. Prayers are recited, readings are said with no excitement, no passion. People are afraid to shake hands because they may get someone else's germs. After an hour or more, the service is complete and before people rush to the exits and run out as fast as they can to continue in their lukewarm life.
This is the truth about some churches. It doesn't matter what "religion". Every "religion" has churches like this, trust me I have been in them! The entire service is mediocre, half hearted and lukewarm. Any members of these churches who dare to step out of the box and dare to rise above the mediocrity is stared at and pointed to. Trust me, I have been there. I have listened to the prayers and the music, the words they repeat are beautiful and have so much meaning. Unfortunately these prayers, the music and the words just become some rouge routine some feel they have to complete in order to get to heaven someday. Seriously?
I feel so bad for those of us who don't get this verse above. We cannot be lukewarm Christians! We cannot continue to be mediocre Christians! We have to stop living our lives half hearted for Jesus Christ.
Stand up people! Get up out of those pews and dance for joy! Jesus Christ has given us the gift of eternal life and we should be the happiest bunch of people around. Our church should be full of energy and excitement. Our church should be raising the roof and our hands lifting up to heaven in praise. We need to be on fire for Jesus Christ! We need to be excited about what God is doing in our lives. We need to be a red hot, on fire church.
In our day to day life, we need live like we are on fire for Christ. We need to stand up to our friends who try to tempt us drink too much. We need to stand up to our family members who hurt someone. We need to live our personal life outside of church, on fire for Jesus Christ. If we lose a friendship? Oh well. I don't want to back down any more and let myself be lukewarm. I want to live my life inside of the church walls and outside the church walls, on fire for Jesus Christ. Who's with me?
Lord please give me the wisdom, the power and the strength I need to live my life on fire for you. Forgive me for the times I have been lukewarm, mediocre and half hearted. Light my heart and soul on fire, in Jesus name I pray, amen.
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