Avoiding the Lukewarm

When people think about the book of Revelation, they think about the prophecies regarding the end of the world. Sure, that is in there. You can read about the seven seals, the bowls of judgement and, my personal favorite, the New Jerusalem.

But that's not how the book starts. The book begins with letters to churches, and they're not exactly warm and fuzzy. Revelation 3:14-16 offers some words to the church at Laodicea.

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

When I read that, I tried to imagine what it would have been like to get that letter. Doubtless the members of the church of Laodicea were probably feeling pretty good about their faith until that letter came. I bet that wasn't the feeling afterward. The thing is, I couldn't help but wonder how many churches, or how many "Christians" would be worthy of a similar letter today.

In his book, "Crazy Love," Francis Chan talks about the idea of the lukewarm believer, even offering profiles of what that looks like. If we're honest, I would wager most of us could identify with those profiles. I know that when I read it I felt ashamed. I think there are a lot of ways that I could improve as a believer, and I hope I keep growing in my faith and in my devotion to living out that faith.

I am fortunate enough to attend a small group where we talk of such things. When I read the chapter, I couldn't help but feel down about how poorly I stacked up and how much more I could do. When it came time for discussion, one of the people in the group said that, instead of feeling down because of how we fall short, she saw it as an invitation. God is out there, inviting us to spend more time with him, to lean on him more. That's a pretty awesome thought.

I don't know how Laodicea responded when they got that letter, but I know how we should respond. We could spend time dwelling on how we fall short — and trust me we all fall short — or we could do something about it. It may not happen over night, but it starts with a heart decision. Small steps can lead to great turnarounds. All we have to do is be willing to take that first small step.