Christians, could you think carefully about the following?

A person who is lukewarm is sitting on the fence, neither goes one way

or the other; infact they could not care less, just sit & watch the fun, do

not get involved & generally do not rock the boat. Keep the peace at

all costs is their motto.

Those who are lukewarm know the working of Christ in their hearts. They want to be known as Christians and consider themselves to be adequately spiritual. However, they have never sold out to God. They continue to dabble in the world and hold on to the pleasures of this life. They are half-and-half Christians. They are lukewarm.

God said I would prefer that you be either hot or cold, if you are luke warm i will spit you out of my mouth - it means an atheist or a fundie are fine with him but anyone claiming to be either half heartedly disgusts him. The reason is that a person who has conviction can be great at either but an apathetic participant would be crap in either camp and therefore useless as a christian if he were to be converted.

One of the most frightening groups of verses in the Bible is found in Revelation 3:14-19, when Christ is talking to the Church of Laodicea.

He is addressing the people of a city known for its wealth. But despite its financial prosperity, it was spiritually impoverished. He says in regards to the people: "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. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (Revelation 3:15-17 NIV translation).

What's frightening about this statement is that most people in this world who call themselves Christians are lukewarm. Yes we might go to church on Sundays, make an appearance, and think to ourselves, hey, I don't sell drugs, I haven't killed anybody, I never robbed a bank, I even give to charities. But think what Christ is saying here "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing."

If you feel you are one of these people who calls himself or herself a Christian, but knows deep inside that your money and lifestyle comes before Christ, if you know that there is never any time to pray or have fellowship with God because of the time it takes to earn your money, party, play with all the toys that money can buy, read pornography, enjoy R-rated movies, or just sit in front of the television for hours, then you are a "lukewarm Christian," and it's time to make a turnaround, before Christ spits you out.

Take time now to thank God for all that He has given you. Thank Him for your family, house, car, job, bank account, toys, etc, because everything on this earth actually belongs to Him. He gave them to you. And to receive the biggest gift of all, an eternal life in Heaven, all you have to do is ask Him for it. It won't cost you a cent. Just confess that you are need of salvation, that you believe in Jesus, that you regret your sins, and that you want His salvation, and you will receive life's biggest treasure - eternal life in Heaven, and peaceful & joyful life here on earth.

Shalom,

I like some of the answers on this one, but cannot better a couple of them, so my small contribution here will be the parallel of Judas Iscariot. He thought in the natural, he had a preconceived idea of Messiah's purpose, and rather than having his eyes upon the eternal, he had them upon the natural environment that he found himself in - a kind of secularism. Judas indeed was seen to be involved with Messiah and the other disciples, but he walked openly in the one direction, and secretly in the other. Judas was a man who was appointed as the son of perdition (in scripture we see that this is not only Judas (perdition means destruction - son of destruction - a deeper rendering here would be to think on Satan being known as 'the destroyer', and that his children do the things of their father). So Judas was a very naturally thinking man (Jesus when in prayer once, referred to Judas as a devil). Do we all not get tempted to be a Judas at times? I think we all probably do.

Was Judas lukewarm? I think he was to begin with, and as a result lost his way completely (we might say he lost the Way, and became part of the plot - Satan had certainly been plotting against The Way). What a sorrowful ending that poor man had, even with his new found riches of thirty pieces - when he realised his error, he was no longer interested in grasping the money, and the guilt was more than he could withstand. There will be millions at the Last Day who will also be guilt-ridden souls who have placed Messiah in the dust to be trodden over by the feet of persons who either are dead set against Christ or have a cavalier attitude towards Him. This is what is so good about The Bible (in particular the New Testament); the whole text is complimentary (in agreement). The only folk who see contradictions in the text are most assuredly sitting on the fence - cavalier (luke warm).

I see you have collected one critical analyser in that you used an 's' on the end of Revelation - well, there is, as I realise you know 2Follow Him The Book Of Revelation (unveiling of) but that Book does contain many revelations; so, who really cares on a small slip of the typewriter regarding this - I know I don't.

Good question and thanks for the posting!

You've already had some great answers - I especially liked the one about not sitting on the fence. Anyway, the first thing I thought about after reading your question was how I felt when I first became a Christian. I was on fire for the Lord! I was so overwhelmed by what He had done for me I could scarcely contain my exuberance and my love. I literally launched myself into the Christian life, studying, attending house groups, praying and going to every church service I could. I also worked part time for the church ministers, and I learned a great deal from them about Christian love in action. But guess what? After five or six years that initial enthusiasm and passion started to fade. When we moved to another part of the country it took a long time to find a church where we both felt "at home" but I must be honest and declare that there were times when I had forsaken my first love (Revelation 2:4). My love for the Lord cooled off. My burning passion became a glowing ember. I am chastened by the words of Revelation 2:5: "Repent and do the things you did at first."

I started off boiling hot, but became lukewarm. But thanks to the grace of God and the promptings of the Holy Spirit, I am bubbling along nicely now!

Lukewarm is something which is unpalatable in a hot climate, even water will taste foul and will be spit out. Something cold or hot is refreshing and is palatable.

Unconfessed sin is unpalatable to God.

Christians start off hot or cold, they are pleasing to God. It is only some time after new birth when sin is allowed into our lives without confession that we become lukewarm.

A Christian the instant they are born again enjoy fellowship with God, it is only sin when it remains unconfessed that spoils this.

Hot is not "for" Christ and cold "against" Christ;

Remember whoever gives a cup of cold [water] will be rewarded.

NEVER in Scripture is being against Christ commended.

I always report people who are insulting.

I really like what Carl said, that unconfessed sin is unpalatable to God, and he is comparing it to lukewarm water, which he will spue out of his mouth.

So, Jesus wants us either hot or cold. Well, if cold water is refreshing and good for drinking, then hot water is good for bathing. So, I think this is to do with purity in both the inner and the outer man.

And both relate to cleansing from sin, because when we confess with our mouth and before God and repent of our sinful ways, this cleanses the 'inner man', and if we walk uprightly in our actions and dealings as regards the world outside, that is like to 'having our bodies washed with pure water', being clean as regards the 'outer man'.

So, the issue is sin and how we may cleanse from it - in our our thoughts and our deeds, and in our walk inwardly as well as outwardly.

Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Lukewarm, according to the context, is not hot or cold.

I think the Holy Spirit is being poured out on the earth right now for a reason: so that individually we may figure out what the Word of God means in our own lives, so we can be ready for the Lord's return.

God is tired of fakes and phonies. We need to find a program we can be enthusiastic about, or get out. And we need to be honest w/ God about how we feel. Get real. And then do something about it. God can't work with us until we're totally frank w/ Him about our disappointments as well as our hopes.

You are either for, or against God. There is no "on the fence" with Him. When I was Atheist, I lived my life in the black or white. It is or it ain't. You are or you aren't. No in between. But realized that life is lived in the shades of gray. In between the black and white. And after becoming a Christian, the gray shades were so richly layered, but the one constant factor was the Lord.

"What message does Jesus have for the Laodiceans? He has no word of commendation. Frankly, he tells them: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or else hot. So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15, 16) How would you respond to such a message from the Lord Jesus Christ? Would you not awaken and examine yourself? Surely, those Laodiceans need to bestir themselves, for they have become spiritually indolent, apparently taking too much for granted. (Compare 2 Corinthians 6:1.) Jesus, whom they as Christians should have imitated, always displays a fiery zeal for Jehovah and his service. (John 2:17) Further, meek ones have found him to be always gentle and mild, as refreshing as a cup of cold water on a swelteringly hot day. (Matthew 11:28, 29) But the Christians in Laodicea are neither hot nor cold. Like the waters that flow down into their city, they have become tepid, lukewarm. They are liable to be completely rejected by Jesus, ‘vomited out of his mouth’! May we for our part always strive zealously, as did Jesus, to provide spiritual refreshment for others."—Matthew 9:35-38.

Simply put, "luke" for me means not living up to God's expectations of yourself...It can apply to the secular person as well as the Christian, because God, believe it or not, gives every person the same ingredients of potential to move toward him should they choose...Just because many "choose" not to move toward God and choose to ignore his warnings, doesn't mean that we all have different quantities of potential....God even tells us that we are designed with "equal" amounts of potential if we desire to pursue him....

Luke, is a temperate that indicates the degree of effort we commit to, whether it be just to pursue life or love or God...Difference is, when we are only "luke" or "lukewarm" , which by the way mean the same thing, in Jesus' eyes and ways, if this is the most effort we can exhibit, it's not sufficient to attain God's full grace and gifts for us....If we hold back, so will God...If we only give luke, God will only give luke in return...We reap what we sew....

So for those who know God more personally and commit themselves fully, and completely which is to say that when we talk with God all throughout the day and adhere to his calling to us and obey to his commands and replace our sins by the Blood of Jesus with only goodness and worship and fellowship of Brother and Sister, we then know our place with God and that we are redeemed by and with him for the eternity he promises..

From Revelation 3:16 Aramaic NT

ܘܐܝܬܝܟ ܦܫܘܪܐ ܘܠܐ ܩܪܝܪܐ ܘܠܐ ܚܡܝܡܐ ܥܬܝܕ ܐܢܐ ܠܡܬܒܘܬܟ ܡܢ ܦܘܡܝ

means you have not made a decision and denotes deep disgust and loathing at the indifference which prevailed in the church at Laodicea.

Paul establish the church(55 AD) and John wrote revelationsin 96ad .