Lukewarm Coffee

This morning I noticed something that helped me to understand why so many are lukewarm in the Christian faith. I have a couple of mouth sores that popped up a couple of days ago. I love coffee, so for the past few mornings, I have suffered through the pain of the hot coffee hitting those. I also noticed the night before that ice water felt really good on them. It almost numbed the pain. This morning as I sat and read, I almost forgot about my coffee. When I reached to get a drink, it was lukewarm. Normally I would not drink coffee at this warmth, but as I closed my mouth with this lukewarm beverage, I noticed it didn’t sting my sores, and it didn’t numb them either, it actually felt as if my mouth was normal.  This reaction caused me to start thinking.

I immediately remembered the scripture in Revelation 3:15-16, where Jesus is telling the church of the Laodiceans, that he wished they would either be hot or cold in their walk with Him. He did not want them to be lukewarm. He even gave a judgment for the lukewarm. He would spew, or vomit them out of His mouth. In other words, it made Him sick to His stomach.

Revelation 3:15 – 16 “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.”

So, the wheels of my mind started turning. Why was my coffee ok today in its warm state? Normally I want it hot and won’t drink it if it’s not. It was because of the irritation in my mouth that it felt good. I was adjusting my taste or desires to my comfort zone. I believe that is why so many Christians are in this state and don’t even realize it.

They know they need to be in church and be a good person as  Christians. They do just enough to satisfy their conscience. They feel good about themselves and proceed to live the rest of the week as a good person. They refuse to allow the “hot” convicting word of God to penetrate their hearts because it makes them uncomfortable. If they listen and obey, they will have to make changes in their lives. It may cost them friendships, or activities they love. They would rather go through the motions and continue the route of comfort, enjoying their life the way they want it. What they do not realize, is that every time they sit through a service and reject what God has placed before them, they are searing their conscience. They are editing their conscience, by not responding to the truth. When you don’t respond you get colder and colder, and you have changed the lie into the truth for you. When you believe the lie that you are ok when the Holy Spirit speaks, you are speaking a lie to yourself. You are searing your conscience with a hot iron as in I Timothy 4:2. When you sear a steak, you are getting the outside so hot that the juices inside can’t escape and nothing on the outside can get in. That is what happens to your heart when you don’t respond when you know the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. After a while, you can sit in a service and it doesn’t bother you when the preacher preaches.

I Timothy 4:2 “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;”

It’s kind of like my coffee, now I can drink it and it feels better than hot coffee. I feel no irritation, and yet it is warm enough to feel comfortable in my mouth. The sad thing is spiritually getting comfortable with lukewarm is the first step to completely walking away from God. For Christians, walking away from God is not a decision they make when they are on fire for Him. It is a process that happens slowly, so slowly many wake up and wonder how they got where they are, but don’t see any way to return to God and don’t have a real desire to do so.

Are you adjusting your heart to react to God’s word when it is comfortable for you? It is very easy to do this. If you need help with this task, just stop reading your Bible. If you need a little extra help stop praying, or keep going through the motions until it becomes vain repetitions. You go through the motions and tell yourself and others you have prayed for them, but your prayer didn’t go any higher than the ceiling. These are signs you are, or you are becoming, a lukewarm Christian. It makes God sick to His stomach. I believe the worst part about lukewarm Christians is that they have a tremendous effect on other Christians. Some weaker Christians think these people are ok, and they begin to cool off and feel comfortable with them. If someone is cold, unsaved, or has committed apostasy, they don’t have as much effect on the church, it is obvious they are not of God and don’t claim to be. What we need to remember and apply to our own hearts is that none of us stay the same, we are either drawing closer to God each day or we are walking further away from Him. Guess what? My lukewarm coffee is now cold! Where are you today?