Profile of the lukewarm

This thing called "lukewarm Christianity" has really got me thinking these days.  Perhaps it's because, in studying what it means to truly be a Christian, I'm realizing more and more how many lukewarm tendencies I have.  After realizing just how much God hates lukewarm Christians, that's worrisome, indeed.  So sat down and really studied what it is that God expects of us, what it really means when we say that we are a "Christ-follower."  I also looked at the opposite.  What does a lukewarm Christian look like?  How can you tell what you are?  In the next few paragraphs, I encourage you to honestly search your heart and test yourselves, and see if you match the profile of a half-hearted Christian.

Lukewarm people do what is right, but only when it's easy, and only because they're supposed to.  Their heart is not in it.  

"The LORD says: 'These people honor me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship is made up of only rules taught by men.'" (Isaiah 29:13)

Lukewarm people rarely, if ever, talk about Jesus with the people in their lives.  They would rather not rock the boat and not step on any toes, than tell people about Jesus Christ and His gift of eternal salvation.

"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." (Matthew 10:32-33)

Jesus is a part of the lives of lukewarm people.  But only a part.  Lukewarm people have never truly given everything to Jesus, but prefer instead to compartmentalize Him into the "churchy" segments of their lives.  

"As they were walking down the road, a man said to Him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.'  Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.'  He said to another man, 'Follow me.'  But the man replied, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.'  Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.'  Still another said, 'I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.'  Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 9:57-62)

Lukewarm people focus more on this life than the next.  Their lives are so taken over with lists, and jobs, and savings account, and retirement, and friends and family, that they have little if any time left to give to the Lord.

"For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.  Their mind is on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eargely await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:18-20)

There are few things God hates more than a lukewarm Christian.  He wants people - He demands people - who are passionately sold out for Him, who have given Him their whole life, not just a part of it.  He has no business with people who just pencil Him in around the rest of their busy schedules.  If you were honest with yourself, which kind of person would you say that you are?

The daily grind

Have you ever found it hard to keep doing the same thing, day after day after day?  Ever gotten worn out by repetition?  That's how I feel sometimes - even with writing this blog.  Sure, it's supposed to be a form of worship to the Lord; sure, it's supposed to be a good thing to commune and spend time with Him every day.  But let's face it - I'm just as human as the rest of you.  There's nothing super-spiritual about me.  And while sometimes, it's wonderful and lots of fun and I love doing it, sometimes it feels more like a chore than a blessing.  Sometimes I would rather do almost anything else in the world than to sit down and read my Bible.

But it's those times when it's hard, those times when I don't want to do it, that's it's all the more important to actually do it anyway.  God doesn't say that the life of a Christian would be easy.  In fact, He says just the opposite.  The gospel of Luke says that we must take up our cross daily and follow Him.  Whenever I hear this verse, I always think of the graphic images from Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ."  Taking up His cross was not an easy thing to do.  It was not pain-free or costless.  It required a sacrifice.  But Jesus loved the Father - and us - so much, that it was worth it.

It is worth it to you?  How badly do you want to get to know your Savior?  Do you love Him enough to spend time with Him, even when you don't want to?  Love is a verb, and true love always costs us something; are you willing to make that sacrifice?

Luke 9:23-26

 ²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Throw yourself in

Well, I have now been in Gyeongju for a grand total of approximately 3 days.  For better or for worse, I am here to stay for an entire year.  They warned us over and over again in orientation to not let the semester slip away from us.  If there were things we wanted to do, goals we wanted to accomplish during our time in Korea, we needed to start on them early.  If we put them off, waiting to get completely settled before we start branching out, we would never start.  Before we knew it, it would be Christmas break, and then after that we would only have a few more months until we went home.

So today I have been trying to take my orientation coordinators' advice, looking for places in and around Gyeongju to do the things that I want to do.  And it brought me back to 1 Kings, where I was yesterday.  When Elijah called Elisha, in 1 Kings 19, Elisha asks to first say goodbye to his family first.  He wants to settle in, in a matter of speaking.  And Elijah lets him go.

But there is a parallel story in Luke 9, when Jesus calls His disciples.  Except this time, He does not let them go back and say goodbye.  God does not wait for us.  He wants our all, or none at all.  So I ask myself - am I as willing to throw myself into my life with God as I am with my life in Gyeongju?  Are you?

1 Kings 19:19-21

 ¹⁹ So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. ²⁰ Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”
   “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
 ²¹ So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

Luke 9:61-62

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
 ⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”