Some Like It Cold... (Conclusion)

(picture from matador network)

In case you haven’t read it yet, here’s the beginning of this blog post: Some Like It Hot... Part I

One thought that crossed my mind, regarding being hot, cold or indifferent, had to do with shock value.

Stepping into an extremely hot or extremely cold pool of water will shock our body. It will make us feel uncomfortable, at least until we acclimate. When the body of Christ becomes lukewarm, the world looks at us and sees no difference between us and themselves; they’re not uncomfortable around us.

(picture from vintagehottubs .com)

NOT in a theatrical way at all, I think there needs to be a sense of shock or a feeling of discomfort to get their attention and show them that there IS a difference. We ARE different. We’re not necessarily better people; we’re not of greater value in God’s eyes – He loves us all equally. But WE get to experience His love on a whole new level! We get to have the God of the universe living inside of us and empowering us! When they scoff at that notion, it breaks my heart. They don’t even know what they’re missing. Christianity is not a magical ticket to a mythical place called heaven; it’s eternity in the arms of our loving Creator that begins the second we let Him into our heart.

When we’re lukewarm, we’re not advancing the kingdom of God; we’re blending into our surroundings.

When we have little value for the gospel, I think it means we haven’t actually experienced the joy it contains yet. (Keep searching with all of your heart! God said, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV)

Experiencing freedom in Christ fills us with joy and we HAVE to tell someone, anyone – everyone! When God gave sight to a blind man – he had to tell somebody. The widow whose son was raised from the dead? She surely had to tell everyone! How do you keep that kind of joy to yourself? When your sins are forgiven and your shame has been removed and you feel the embrace of your loving heavenly Father, how can you not want to tell someone?

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When I first became a Christian I had a whole lot of zeal, but no wisdom and very little knowledge. When I tried to share my joy, I sometimes went overboard in a crazy direction that actually pushed people away instead of drawing them into the gospel. That’s one of the primary reasons we need to be discipled and share fellowship with fellow believers, but also study the Bible for ourselves, and to seek out the answers to the questions WE come up with.

It’s God’s kindness that leads men to repentance, not my zeal. But I hope my zeal and my joy and my love will get their attention so they can ask questions, whether they ask me or seek out answers on their own. We should want them to notice we’re different. We need to come in hot or ice cold (and we can do that gently when necessary). By now I know I need to use wisdom, as well. Once we’re intimate with Jesus, there’s no going back. We don’t want to live without that intimate love. We may cool off and become lukewarm when we let the cares and affairs of this world crowd the seed that’s been planted in our heart. That’s when we need a brother or sister in Christ to come along and throw some hot or cold water on us! But we may also become lukewarm when we fail to see our purpose in the body of Christ. Ice water has a purpose, hot water has a purpose, but lukewarm water is like water searching for its purpose. My last blog series was on discovering God’s vision for our lives. If you haven’t read it yet, look for it.

(picture from help4today .org)

What does being hot or cold or lukewarm mean to YOU? I’d love to hear your input. That’s what the comment section below is for! AND – if this conclusion is too wordy for you, let me know that in the comments, too.

The whole “spew you out of My mouth” thing could take up a whole new blog post of its own. But for now, I’ll suffice it to say, He can’t spew you out of His mouth if He’s never had you there. The analogy sounds a little gross, but I look back to the fact that God said He would never leave us or forsake us. I don’t think this means that He will disown us for becoming complacent or for not discovering our purpose in His kingdom. He wants the very best for us, and when we settle for mediocre it surely breaks His heart and apparently makes Him sick to His stomach over it. He’s provided the best of everything for us, and He expects us to come after it.

Some Like It Hot.... (Part one of two)

 

(picture from etsy .com)

“I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!” – Revelation 3:15-16 AMPC

Ouch! Hard statement! Check out the AMP translation, it’s even more intense:

‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot.  So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. Revelation 3:15-16 AMP

So, who or what is hot, cold or lukewarm?

Pastor’s sermon the other morning explored these scriptures, mentioning that cold water can be invigorating or refreshing, and hot water can be healing and therapeutic. (He must have read that AMP translation.) I’ve been in ridiculously hot “healing hot springs” that could burn your skin off. But hot water can be relaxing and therapeutic.

We’ve all enjoyed a refreshing glass of ice water. But an ice water bath? No thank you. It may be invigorating, but you won’t catch me in one!

(picture from heandshefitness .com)

After church, we talked with friends about the sermon.

We drew from another scripture that Pastor referenced, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt loses its flavor…it’s good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot... (or on icy roads?)”. - Matthew 5:13

Salt can lose its savor; hot water can cool off and ice water can warm to room temperature. These examples pointed us to the conclusion that we’re losing something along the way. Can we lose our zeal for the gospel? If we understand the price Jesus paid to bring us this good news (gospel), we’d share it with everyone. But when we get busy, some of us let our priorities slip; we place Jesus on a shelf in the background of our lives, as if He isn’t important at all. Or what if….we lose our purpose, or our sense of purpose – or fail to even discover our purpose?

Another comment led us to a discussion about our comfort zone. When we do something that we’re skilled at and comfortable with, it’s not challenging, but we can feel good about doing it. When it’s something big and exciting that God is leading us to do, it’ll take us out of our comfort zone so that we’ll know that it was Christ in us accomplishing the task. If we’re sitting in water that is either too hot or too cold, we’re not comfortable at all. But if we settle into a lukewarm tub, it doesn’t disturb us or prompt us to move at all.

One thought that crossed my mind, regarding being hot, cold or indifferent; could it have to do with shock value….

BUT I’VE BEEN TOLD this is where people lose interest in a blog post, around the 500-word mark. Sometimes I go over it a bit. Sometimes I go over it a bit too much. I’m being loquacious again so, I’ll break this up into two parts, so I don’t lose you. I’ll share my conclusion quickly.