TO THE LUKEWARM CHURCH
It's Time To Choose
Revelation 3:15-19
15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
There are many in the body of Christ who are neither hot nor cold. They are afraid of the opinions of man, afraid of being slandered for the sake of the Gospel. They want to “fit in” with the other people around them so they try to walk on a middle ground. In trying not to look too “Christian” or too worldly they render themselves useless to the kingdom of God. They think they are doing fine because they might have some kind of human favor or material possessions but in reality, they have nothing because they are compromising.
Revelation 3:19 says that as many as the Lord loves, He rebukes and chastens. So please know today that if you’ve found yourself trying to walk on this “middle ground” the Lord loves you. He’s only correcting you because He wants to save you from the trouble that’s up ahead and if you obey Him it will be much better for you.
His instruction at the end of verse 19 is to be zealous and repent.
The root word of zealous is “zeal”.
zeal
zēl
noun
Enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal. synonym: passion.
Passionate ardor in the pursuit of anything; intense interest or endeavor; eagerness to accomplish or obtain some object.
Synonyms Earnestness, Enthusiasm, etc. (see eagerness), warmth, fervor, heartiness, energy.
So the Lord is telling us to be devoted to Him and His word and to pursue Him and do His will passionately and eagerly. He’s telling us to repent and stop trying to be on that middle ground of not looking too Christian or too worldly. Many don’t realize that in trying to “fit in” with the world and buddy up to the way the world does things they are declaring that they are against God.
James 4:4
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
enmity
ĕn′mĭ-tē
noun
Deep-seated, often mutual hatred.
A feeling or state of hatred or animosity.
The quality or state of being hostile; a feeling or condition of antagonism; ill will; variance; discord.
We cannot serve two masters.
Matthew 6:24
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Today is a day of decision. You can’t continue to walk on the middle ground because, in reality, there is no middle ground. If you choose to keep trying to mix the world’s way in with the Lord’s way, then you are choosing friendship with the world and making God your enemy.
Choose this day whom you will serve.
Joshua 24:15
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”