Rev 3:16
“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
“οὕτως ὅτι χλιαρὸς εἶ, καὶ οὔτε ζεστὸς οὔτε ψυχρός, μέλλω σε ἐμέσαι ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου.”
“outōs oti chliaros ei kai oute zestos oute psuchros mellō se emesai ek tou stomatos mou”
These are powerful words from our Lord and the church should heed them well!
Jesus spoke these words against the church of Laodicea, one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelations.
Laodicea was an interesting city. Through an early form of banking and a good export of clothing (the sheep found in the surrounding valley was famous for their soft black wool) the city became very rich. They became so rich that when an earthquake destroyed the city in 60AD, they refused to accept help from the Imperial Romans and rebuilt the entire city using their own resources; a choice that made the city quite famous.
The city had one drawback: the small Lycus River could not supply enough water to support the population of this fast growing city. The city solved this problem by building an aqueduct, transporting water from the nearby hot springs. However, the aqueduct system also had a drawback and, ironically, Jesus used this drawback when describing the church.
The hot springs were about 10 kilometers away and when the water reached the city it had become lukewarm and nauseous. It wasn’t hot like the water of nearby Hierapolis or cold like the water of Colossae.
Cold water is very refreshing, while hot water has very good medical properties, often used in those days by the medical practitioners.
“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot…”
The church of Laodicea was very rich and had tremendous resources. Their dependency was not on God anymore, but on their own financial situation. They believed that they did not need God. When the earthquake destroyed the city, they believed that the reason they could rebuild was due to their finances, rather than acknowledging God’s providence in their community. Making and managing money became far more important than spending time with God! They may have thought that they were very rich, but they were spiritually bankrupt!
Many Christians face the same pitfall today. Sometimes Christians become more dependent on their wealth than on God. Because of this they often neglect their relationship with God, while pursuing more wealth.
It is quite interesting to hear that Jesus would rather have us cold than lukewarm! He would rather us be spiritually dead than be a “Christian” with no passion or enthusiasm for the things of God! At least cold “Christians” can understand that they have not given their heart to the Lord, but lukewarm Christians believe that they are “good enough” to be called Christians and often see nothing wrong with their lives.
“…I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
The Greek word translated to “speu” is “emesai”, where we get the English words “emit” and “emetic”. An emetic is a mixture that doctors give people (or animals) that swallowed poison, in order to make them vomit. The NKJV accurately translates “emesai” as “vomit”. “I will vomit you out of My mouth”…
Jesus does not have time for lukewarm Christians – this is because lukewarm Christians have no real time for Jesus. Jesus absolutely rejects lukewarm Christians and would rather have them be spiritually cold! So what exactly is a lukewarm Christian?
Here are a few signs of lukewarm Christianity:
1) Lukewarm in Church Attendance:
Some lukewarm Christians rarely attend church, others visit church quite regularly, however they do it because they think “it is the right thing to do”, not because they want to gather with the saints and worship the Lord or hear the Word. They worship with their mind, but not with their hearts.
2) Lukewarm in Giving:
They will give money to the church and to charities, as long as it does not impact their standard of living in a negative way. They also give because they feel they “have to”, rather than willingly give because they want to.
3) Lukewarm in Prosecution for Christ:
If a conflict arises these people would rather choose to stand with the world in popularity, than stand with the church and risk being prosecuted.
4) Lukewarm in Actions:
These people are often amazed by Christians who do radical things for Christ but they would rather not do radical things themselves. They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones. The reality is that what lukewarm people call “radical”, Jesus expects from all His followers.
5) Lukewarm in Witness:
Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.
6) Lukewarm in Surrendering to Christ:
They might see Jesus as part of their lives, but they do not make Him master of their lives. They do not give Jesus all of their heart, all of their strength or all of their lives; they do not want God to be in control.
7) Lukewarm in Dependency on God
They do not live by faith and their life is structured so that they do not need to. They have their life planned out with backup plans if things go wrong with absolutely no dependence on God. The truth is that if they stopped believing in God tomorrow, their lives would stay exactly the same. They also do not ask God for advice when they face decisions in their lives, they prefer to be independent and make their own choices, leaving God out of the picture.
8) Lukewarm in Repentance:
These people swear and drink less, but other than that, their lives are not much different from the average non-believer. They may even have said the sinners prayer, but they never fully turned away from sin and never truly turned to God; now they are stuck somewhere in the middle. The bottom line is that the mouth repented, but their heart did not.
9) Lukewarm in Passion for God:
Everything they do for Christ is half-hearted. They have no passion or enthusiasm for the things of God! They do things only because they feel they “have to”, rather than because they want to.
If we are in cold water, we know where we stand. A person with a spiritual life that is cold (dead) knows that they are not living their lives for God. When we are in hot water we also know where we stand. A Christian who has a “hot” spiritual life knows that they are on fire for the Lord. BUT lukewarm water dulls the senses… Lukewarm Christians have their senses dulled; they do not even realize that they are repulsive to the Lord and that He would rather vomit them out!
A cold Christian has no heart for God and no works.
A lukewarm Christian has no heart for God but does works because they believe they have to. (This is often visible with the Jehovah’s witnesses)
A hot Christian gave his entire heart to Jesus and does works not because he has to, but because he absolutely wants to!
Here are a few signs of a “hot” church and congregation:
1) Fire in the Fellowship:
People do not allow circumstances to stand in the way of their fellowship. Sickness, tiredness and the weather does not influence attendance. They go to church and other fellowship meetings because they WANT to and prefer to stay and fellowship even after the official meeting has ended! People look forward to fellowship more than they do work, school or social events.
2) Fire in the Worship:
When the people sing and praise the Lord, they do it with all of their heart. They sing songs and pray their prayers with true meaning behind them, rejoicing in the time they spend worshipping the Lord. They worship God with true gratitude, giving God their all!
3) Fire in the Preaching:
The pastor preaches the Word in fear of God, not the people. The full gospel is preached, not only the good and nice parts, but also the bad and convicting parts. He does not water down the Word in order to fit in with the world! If the pastor is on fire for the Lord it is inevitable that his enthusiasm will also rub off on some of the congregation and they will display the same passion for the Lord.
4) Fire for the Mission:
The people feel that they cannot just sit around and do nothing; they feel that they need and want to do things for the Lord. They feel a calling to preach the Gospel and get the unsaved into the Kingdom. These people refuse to be bound by their comfort zone and make leaps of faith, stepping out of their comfort zones in order to fulfill the mission Christ has given us.
5) Fire in the Kids and Youth Ministry:
If the parents are truly on fire for the Lord it will be displayed in their children and in the youth ministry. The youth amazes the older generation with the passion and enthusiasm they have for God and it is evident in everything they do! They often inspire the older generation to reexamine their own dedication to the Lord.
6) Fire in Giving:
The people have confidence in the church and their contribution is evidence of this. The people tithe and offer not because they “have to”, but because they really WANT TO. They give not because they expect something in return, but because they want to bless the church and their community. The people are also willing to sacrifice not only their money, but their time in order to help the church with the day-to-day running and events such as fund raisers and outreaches.
7) Fire seen by the Community:
People who come to the church immediately know that God is present there. “Cold” and “Lukewarm” Christians are inspired and even convicted by what they see in “Hot” churches, often deciding to change their lives because of what they saw and experienced. The church is a beacon of hope in the community, where people can run to and be welcomed with open arms.
Jesus does not want us to be lukewarm. Jesus wants us to be on fire for Him! He wants us to give Him our entire life, not just parts of it. A church or Christian with no enthusiasm, no passion, no compassion or no urgency insults Jesus. Many churches are thoroughly evangelical but have little passion for evangelism! Lukewarm Christianity nauseates the Lord Jesus.
The point is this: when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior we have to give Him everything. We must either give all or nothing. There is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian entering Heaven. We can’t expect to be called a Christian without doing the work, living the life or having the heart of a Christian.
I believe that the Lord is challenging us this week to focus on our enthusiasm and passion for Him! This enthusiasm must also go beyond our worship and be evident in every aspect of our lives. Whatever you do this week, do it with all your heart! Give 100% to every task you take on! Let your fire for the Lord be evident in every area of your life!
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
