Lukewarm?

Chapter 4- Profile of the Lukewarm
“It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.” It isn’t all that is in the world around the church but the church that usually turns people against God! That is a thought to dwell on for a while, and when I do I see that it is true. Hypocritical Christians are one of the main things that non-Christians point to as a reason for not accepting God. And you know when I think about it we always take that as just a condition of their heart. I have heard it said many times, “Well I would rather go to heaven with hypocrites, than to hell. That is our way of saying that the person saying that is just making excuses and doesn’t really see their condition and need. That they are using hypocritical Christians as scapegoats. I have heard that all my life; I have said it all my life, but you know, we never really accept responsibility for that. If there were no lukewarm, hypocritical Christian to give them the excuse; if we showed Jesus in all that we do and truly lived Him in front of everyone, would they see; would they want what we have if we were different? It is real easy to just brush the comments off and assume they just want an excuse. But that isn’t taking into account that we give it to them.
Matthew 34:44 is about the man who found a treasure in a field and went and sold all that he had to obtain the field. Am I giving all I have for Jesus? Am I willing to give all I am and all I have for Him? Do I have this response to God’s love?
Chan takes me through the parable of the sower… The truth is the seed. It is scattered, it falls on hard rock; it appears to take hold and grows but quickly dies because it has not root, no ground. Then it is spread on soil with thorns, it takes hold but becomes choked out with all of the thorns. (The thorns compare to the junk in our lives, money, jobs, selfishness, stuff, etc.) Then there is the seeds that are sown on good ground, it takes hold and flourishes. Chan cautions not to assume that we are the, “good ground.”
He continues that he thinks most American church goers are the thorny ground, with all of life trappings that chokes out God. Do we want God… plus other stuff? The other stuff chokes out God.
Questions to consider:
Has my relationship with God changed the way I live? I can honestly say that my relationship with God is the way I live. I could give more and love more. I need to. I feel the pull toward doing more for God. But I would not want to live outside of my relationship to God.
Do I see evidence of God’s kingdom in my life? I do feel evidence of God’s kingdom in my life on a daily basis. I know and feel it when I pray and while I wait on His answers. I don’t know how much evidence of God that is seen in my life, much of it is within and maybe more should be outside.
Am I choking it out slowly by spending too much time, money, thought and energy on the things of this world? I know that I do spend too much thought and energy on the things of the world. It is difficult to live and not put some thought into the daily life of this world. Am I willing to give up more comforts in order to serve God? Am I willing to radically change my life to serve Him more?
Am I satisfied to look Godly compared to other people? I would have said that I don’t make comparisons to others before I did the chapter yesterday. As it showed me, I do. Sometimes I think because I might compare well as a Christian to another Christian that I am ok, but what about compared to Jesus? Am I willing to give up what Jesus gave up? There is no Christian on earth worthy to compare to, so I am cheating Jesus when I look at someone else and think I am doing ok.
Can I say with Paul that I, “Want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in His suffering, becoming like Him in His death? Phil 3:10 (or is this too much Jesus for me) I don’t know that I can truly say that I want to share in His suffering. I can sing, Jesus send the rain, and I can accept the rain. But I am always longing for the good to come and bring me out of the trial. So am I willing to suffer for Him? Not willing enough, I know. My thought is always,
how much longer Father?” That is a heavy realization. I am willing to suffer for God to receive Glory, as long as it is short lived, not too bad and good comes in afterward. That is how I have approached trials I know. Forgive me Father, for not really being willing to carry the cross and suffer whatever you allow me. I know that I will suffer whatever I must, but to walk into it willingly, I don’t know. If I could find a way out, would I?
I don’t feel that I am lukewarm, but I can see that I am not exactly all the way past lukewarm either. I may be closer to God than ever, but that leaves a long, long way to go to really be willing to suffer for Him. Show me Father, the weakness in me, the wrong in me, the sin in me….Help me to compare myself to you and no one else. Do the words, halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed describe me, Father?
The author takes me through a long list of qualities of a lukewarm person. In some I can’t help but find myself. I could list a lot of them that I don’t have a problem with to show that I am not lukewarm. But the standard of some of the qualities I can say, no, that isn’t me, I must not be lukewarm. But as in every correction from God, He isn’t interested in me looking closer at what I do ok with; it is the places that I lack that God wants to show me. Ignoring the ones I am not lukewarm in, these are the places where I need to look at myself and see where God wants me further from the lukewarm tendencies:
Lukewarm people give money as long as it doesn’t affect their standard of living. We give, and it is difficult sometimes, but am I willing to change my life in order to give more? Am I willing to give up comforts to give more? God is asking me…
Lukewarm people are moved by stories of people who do radical things for Christ, but they do not act. Do I act? What radical things do I do for Christ? Not many.
Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with friends and co-workers. I do share, but all that I should? No I don’t.
Lukewarm people love others, but mostly people who love them back. They do not show love for people who are different, offensive or make them feel uncomfortable. Is that true of me? Yes, because how often do I go out of my way to reach out to someone that is totally unlikable. Sometimes, but not enough. Am I risking myself to love others?
Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go with their time, money and energy. I have to notice here that it says that lukewarm people will serve God and others, so some service doesn’t get me out of this test of lukewarmness. That is what I give, some service. So by that standard, by God’s standard I have lukewarmness in me. I have limits. God push those limits.
Am I salt and light? Am I taking up my cross? If I listed the rest of the lukewarm descriptions I could compare myself to that and feel better about it. I am not lukewarm compared to many of them. But God isn’t trying to show me where I am ok; He wants me to work on the areas that I am lukewarm, that I am failing Him. He wants to change me radically.
God help me to take up my cross and follow you. Help me to be willing to lay aside my comforts, my lifestyle and to give more to those around me. Father I want to live a life that is totally sold out to you in every moment. I don’t want to have to make a list of the lukewarm qualities within myself. These I want to turn over to You and ask You to change me. I want to live outside of my comfort zone for You God. Show me what You want from me Lord.

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