Revelation 3

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of My mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God makes it very clear in this passage that He detests lukewarm faith and half-hearted attitudes towards Him.  Jesus stated that there really is no middle ground when deciding whether or not to follow Him.  “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters” (Matthew 12:30).  This means that we are expected to maintain our zeal for God, with genuine, unwavering faith.  What does it look like to be a lukewarm Christian?  These are individuals who call themselves Christians, but their thoughts, attitudes and actions do not match up with what the Bible commands.  These people like the label of being a Christian, but their faith is weak and so is their dedication to God and His Kingdom.  Although they are not hostile towards church, prayer and Scripture, there is no real commitment to or enthusiasm for any of it.  They live their lives passively, maybe going to church when convenient and giving to worthy causes here and there, but never sacrificing anything to help others or to share the Gospel.  They may hear God’s Word and even agree with it, but they never make changes that bring them closer to God, especially if it causes them to go against popular culture.  Instead of loving God with all their heart, they are indifferent toward Him most of the time, and really only think about Him when they need help.  The state of their heart is one of self-righteous complacency because they have not put God first in every (or any) area of their lives.  This is clearly not what God expects of us as followers of His Son.  We have been commanded by God to maintain a fire of dedication and passion in our hearts, which keeps us constantly connected and in relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.  The fire in the temple was a symbol of this fire in our hearts today.  “Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out” (Leviticus 6:13, NLT).  How do we test if we are on fire for God or just lukewarm?  Jesus pointed out that a person’s deeds reflect their true spiritual state. “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:16-17).  The more connected to God we are and the more we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, the more good fruit we will produce.  John 15:4-5 says, “Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”  A branch must stay firmly connected to the vine in order to thrive.  In the same way, we, as disciples of Christ, must stay connected to God in order to remain spiritually productive and to keep the fire in our hearts alive and vibrantly burning.  A branch draws strength, nourishment, protection, and energy from the vine.  If it is broken off, it doesn’t take long for it to stop bearing fruit and die.  The same result occurs in the life of a Christian who neglects his/her relationship with the True Vine.  Vibrant, thriving faith can quickly become lukewarm.  Lukewarm deeds are those that are done without joy, without love, and without the fire of the Spirit.  These actions do harm to the watching world because they come from someone who claims to be a follower of Christ.  It is this hypocrisy that is sickening to God, and can turn people in the world away from Him.  This is why it is so important for us to make sure that we do not neglect our spiritual life, skimp on prayer, or withhold areas of our lives from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit.  We need daily surrender, daily communication, daily repentance and daily activities that keep us intimately connected with our Lord and Savior.  It is only then that our deeds will reflect wholehearted, fiery, Spirit-led faith, and will benefit the world in some way, both earthly and eternal.