A Lukewarm Church

is not a good temperature. We like it either hot or cold. We like our drinks either hot or cold, but lukewarm is sickening. We want hot showers and cold refreshing drinks. You never hear anyone say, “I am burning up; I would love a nice glass of lukewarm water”. You never hear anyone say, “I am tired and aching, I would love to take a lukewarm bath.” The picture of likewarm is a picture of something that has no use at all. The Laodicean Christians were lukewarm, they were apathetic, and they were good for nothing.
Most of the time people take that passage and say that hot is for God, cold is against God and lukewarm is apathetic. There is a sense in which that is ture. However, perhaps he is saying cold is good, hot is good and lukewarm is apathetic. You see, the cold water of Colosse was great and refreshing. The warm waters of Hierapolis were soothing. They both had a use, but the lukewarm waters of Laodicea were good for nothing. Perhaps the message Jesus is conveying is for the Laodicean Christians to have a use, to be good for something. Perhaps that is why Jesus says I wish you were either hot or cold. He isn’t saying I would rather have you be totally against me than simply lukewarm, he is saying I wish you were good for something either cold and refreshing or hot and healing.
I wonder if they same thing couldn’t be said to the church of today? Perhaps the charge is for the church no longer to be worthless, lukewarm, or apathetic, but to be effective in the Kingdom. Maybe not much can be said of our effectiveness in the Kingdom, if that is the case, wouldn’t God rather have us be like the hot waters which bring about spiritual healing to the spiritually sick? Wouldn’t he rather have that we were like the cold waters which bring about the refreshing that can only come in Christ?
John 4:13-14
A church that is ineffective in the kingdom is worthless. It will be spewed out of the mouth of Jesus. Let us understand that the church is not just a social club. The church is not just a thing we do every so often, but the church has a distinct message and a distinct function. We are comissioned with the task of introducing people to Jesus. If we fail to be effective we are lukewarm.
I wonder if we took this to an individual level what could be said of us. Are you having an impact in the kingdom individually? Are you making a difference that will last for eternity? If not then you would be designated as lukewarm. The designation of being a lukewarm Christian or a lukewarm church is not a compliment, but it reveals uselessness for anything significant. The lukewarm church of the lukewarm Christian might be classified by apathy or a lack of care.
Many people have designated th church of today as an apathetic church, a church without care or concern for being effective. This seems to be a dangerous designation for the church. The church and individuals needs to wake up and realize that the lukewarm and unproductive life for Jesus is not acceptable. Are you lukewarm? Jesus would rather have us be hot or cold.
Let us be aware that God knows our deeds whether bad or good. He knows if we have any value or use in the Kingdom. He knows if we are neither hot nor cold. Perhaps you can deceive yourself and others into thinking that you are doing more than you are or that you are better than you