What is Lukewarmness? -- Part 5

No Christian can produce within himself or herself what only the Holy Spirit can. We cannot make ourselves holy. We cannot discipline ourselves enough to be holy. We cannot train our hearts into submission to Christ. The crucifixion of the old, self nature is a work of Divine grace, wrought within the heart by faith. I can only speak with certainty about this from my own experience ... but I have read and heard other Christians express the same conclusions. It was not so-called "holiness preaching" that brought me to the place where I sought the Lord for victory over the old, carnal nature. It was the condition of my heart! It was the defilement of my heart! It was the dirtiness of my spirit that condemned me!

Now I am not describing "feelings" as such when I talk about a "dirtiness of spirit". Our human emotional system is not the place to take any measurements of our spiritual temperature, for our feelings characteristically (at least for most of us) run more on a roller coaster than a straight track. Most of the time mood swings, as we call them today, have little or nothing to do with any spiritual condition. When we think about what I have termed a "dirtiness of spirit" it relates more to motives than feelings. This is why we are talking about the cleansing of the human heart now. The carnal, uncleansed heart is for self satisfaction, and self appreciation, and for self interest, and for self recognition. You get the idea. It is self, self, self .. me, me, me ... and my, my, my! All through this study about lukewarmness we will be returning to this sobering truth.

Jesus made it so clear in some of His very earliest teachings in the so-called Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:20, where He proclaimed this most basic truth: "For where your treasure is there will your heart be also ". Here is a most crucial claim and conclusion by our Lord! "Where your treasure is there will your heart be also"! This will never vary. It is ,as definite,and even absolute, as anything God ever said to the human family. What dominates~rson's life~ is his or her master. What we continually think about, and where our minds return any time we have spare minutes, and what in our daily lives claims our supreme attention, and what we want to do and think about and on what spend our time and attention and money is what is in our hearts! What is in our hearts is what will come out of it!

Our hearts are as much like a fountain of waters as anything I could describe. The scripture even uses this analogy when Jesus spoke of what occurs when the Holy Spirit comes in to take control of a person's innermost nature. Let me read it to you from John 7:38 & 39a:"He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this spoke He of the Holy Spirit Who they that believe on Him should receive ... ". Jesus, Himself, describes the inner, heart, condition of the Spirit filled Christian as one that is as a flowing fountain of waters. We are born into this world with that inner, "heart fountain" polluted and stained with more interest and concern for self than God or other persons.

To make matters worse, we live in a world that S~tan has superbly sold on the idea that we need to love ourselves, and be good to ourselves, ~atisfY ourselves, and please ourselves. Then in the last thirty or forty years, a good number of preachers have built entire, multi-million dollar ministries on the "self esteem" idea of "feeling good about ourselves", The Christ ofthe church wants me to warn us of the dangers of such erroneous teaching, for it plays right into the hands of Satan's latter day trap of hustling us with promises of everything being okay, when the truth is that we are "wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked"!

What is Lukewarmness? -- Part 4

So, what are some of the marks of a genuine spiritual fervency? Some of them are named here, and we will work through them as long as we have the time. Let me list some of them first, and then elaborate on them. As mentioned earlier, this has to directly refer to (1) a person's focus. It must address (2) our solitary love. It will directly relate to (3) a person's value system, that is, where we place our priorities. It must be (4) our communication, that is, our conversation with the Lord. A fifth mark of a Christian's spiritual fervency (5) will always be redemptive, that is, fervent Christians spend their lives - every waking, conscious moment - seeking the lost.

If I were to define the condition of "Christian fervency" - which is in direct contrast to lukewarmness - and take it to its most basic meaning, it would be, "Christian fervency is a constant pre-occupation with the things of Christ", or, "the constant, passionate pursuit of Christlikeness ".

If I had to describe the most likely reason why such a spiritual condition exists in so few Christian hearts, that is, if I had to reduce it to a single, top most, head-the-list reason why there are so few "on fire" Christians, it would have to be the absence of self crucifixion. It would have to be because the old carnal nature remains on the throne ofthe heart. It would have to be because self interest dominates the soul of the person rather than a passion for the things of Christ and His church ... His body.

This is not a theological position or issue. It is a matter of deep :rooted fact that where carnal self continues to be the fountain within the heart of the Christian from which flows our interests and desires and attitudes, choices will naturally be made in the interest of self and not Christ. It is as certain as breathing and thinking. I hope that the listener and reader would expect me to pin this down with God's Word, so here it is in the words and experience ofthe Apostle Paul, where he clearly stated in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ ... " If! never read the remainder of this important verse. If I stopped this message right here. If I never preached another message in my life and ministry. If the church here this morning, and the church around the world, never had another message from God's Word. These words from the life and soul of the Apostle Paul¬i! they were believed and acted upon - would be enough to lead any and every Christian into fervent, passionate, red-hot, on fire living for Christ and His church! This is the desperate need of the church of all time. It is the only experience that will settle the lukewarmness problem within the church! As long as old self sits on the throne of our hearts, we will continue to sputter and smoke and smolder. We will continue to be up and down, in and out, unsettled and driven by a spirit within us that we abhor and resist!

You see, fervency of spirit within a Christian comes from the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came upon and dwelt within the 120 on the Day of Pentecost in the upper room, the Bible says that 'flames offire sat upon each of them". A holy, heavenly, Divine fire entered into the natures of these assembled Christians that day, and they immediately departed from the four walls of the upper room, fearlessly witnessing to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. A Divine fire from heaven began to burn within Christian hearts that day that Has never burnt out! It burns in my heart, and it burns in the heart of any Christian who will come to Jesus for cleansing from the carnal nature. I promise you that it makes the difference in Christians! No Christian can be the same after the Holy Spirit has been asked to come into ones heart, cleansing it of inbred sin and filling it with His holy Person and presence, and making His throne there.

What is Lukewarmness? -- Part 3

What we are going to be talking about in this message is more about what it means for a Christian to be conSidered "fervent" (which is what the Greek means, and has better understanding in our minds than "hot"), than what is lukewarm. No believer thinks that it is okay to be lukewarm. No believer I have ever personally known thinks it is a favorable condition. It is a spiritual condition to be feared and avoided "whatever the cost", and this will come into clearer focus later into the message. The point is that the goal of an earnest, sincere Christian is to be fervent in heart and spirit.

I think most people understand what it means to be fervent. It would be harder for us to misunderstand this than to understand it. To be fervent in anything is the opposite of relaxed and carefree and taking it easy. To be considered fervent in anything means to be totally committed; to be vigorously engaged; to be completely involved; to be aflame, ablaze, on fire. I have a particular preference to the idea of being steadily directed, for such a purpose of heart and mind comes from the Lord Jesus, Himself, as He said it in Matthew 6:22, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single (steadily directed), thy whole body shall be full of light".

What we say, or think, about our spiritual condition in this regard does not mean too much. All through my Christian life references have been made to persons who were, or are, "on fire for God". Such references have been made about many preachers in particular. Some even make comments like this in regard to themselves. It is better if others make such statements. Remember when Jesus said of John the Baptist that " ... he was a burning and shining light". (John 5:35) Any fervency of speech or action or facial expression or gesticulations mayor may not be from God or of the Holy Spirit. What we are describing here is afervency of spirit; afervency of heart; a fervency of attitude; a fervency of inner devotion to Christ and His cause in His church!

Some years past a church leader who had arisen to very high office within our denomination troubled my own spirit with a closing statement in each of his mailings. He would consistently say at the end of his communications, "Keep your hearts hot for God!". At the time I did not know why this did not come across to my spirit as genuine ... but did with painful clarity as later events unfolded, and deep, dark, and harmful results came to him, his family and the general body of Christ because of his shameful backsliding. You see, such admonitions from any church leader ... even a pastor such as myself .. tend to lead the hearers or readers to assume that such a person is saying that we are to follow their lead ... that they, themselves, are subscribing to such a high standard of spiritual fervency. Why would any church leader instruct others to a level of spiritual fervency that he or she was not experiencing? No one has confidence in a church leader who does not practice what he preaches, and we all know it, even if and when it is unspoken! The point is that simply saying that Christians in general, and church leaders in particular, should "keep their hearts hot for God" is meaningless unless it is true. Our Christian fervency must be discovered in our every day, every hour, every choice and every action living than in clever cliches' that sound super spiritual! I think that both the Bible and our study on this matter will support such a claim. The fervency of spirit we demonstrate throughout our entire walks with the Lord,and our service to Him and His church, is what God counts as good and vital.

What is Lukewarmness? -- Part 2

As usual, the Bible is its own best commentary, and we will be wise to look for the seeds of lukewarmness in the message ofwarning ... as well as hope!. .. contained in Jesus' words to the people in the church in Laodicea. We would expect nothing less from Jesus, as He earnestly critiques the spiritual state of this local body of believers when He says, "I know your works ".

The Lord instantly knows what is our spiritual condition! Our spouses may not know. The pastor may not know. Our children and grandchildren and brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts and uncles and parents and grandparents may not know. Those with whom we worship and sit in church services may not know. Those with whom we work for the Lord within the church ¬sitting on boards, singing and doing music and praying, teaching and directing and planning and administering, giving and tithing and the distribution of funds, cooperating in the maintaining of church properties - may not know where we are with the Lord. But the Lord does know what is the spiritual condition of our hearts, and this ought to speak volumes to us!

If He knows ... that means that He is watching. He is monitoring. He is measuring. He is keeping score, so to speak. We hear this so often that it ought to be boring ... ifit were not so critical! God is interested very little in what we are doing for Him ... if .. we are not primarily concerned about our relationship with Him. What is going on between the Lord and us, and the communication that is going on between us, and the desires that He constantly witnesses within us, and the interest that He sees within our moment by moment daily living ... these things are what He constantly monitors. It is the desires of our hearts that God constantly has on the scales of heaven's value system, and everything else yields to this.

So, in the light of Christ's Own interpretation of what He means by "lukewarmness", what would be the first measurement? Temperature. Easy. Hot...or cold ... or lukewarm? Remember now, that this is not a condition relating to ones service to Christ and His church. This directly relates to a person's interests; his desires; his love; his driving passion; what is first in his living~ from day to day

Note that Jesus makes no reference at all to the "performances" ofthese church people in Laodicea. The "works" to which Jesus refers centers around their hearts; the kind of interests they had; where they placed their time and talents and strengths. It dealt with the level of passion and zeal these church people had for Christ's things. This should deeply impact us these days, for we are living in, and working in the church, during this church period of lukewarm attitudes within the visible body of Christ. We, of all professors of Christianity during all of the various periods of church history, should carefully scrutinize our spiritual temperature, for this last church period, the Laodicean one, will be characterized by church people who call themselves Christians, and yet are lukewarm. And not hot.

What is Lukewarmness? -- Part 1

About two months past, three persons came to me after a service and in a concerned manner, asked me to define for them "lukewarmness". I told them that, as the Holy Spirit would direct and help me, I would address this important issue - and answer their question - in a full length message.

It is clear in my mind, and has been for all of my walk with the Lord, what is the heart condition of a "lukewarm" person ... and let me quickly add that you will not hear in this message the term, "lukewarm Christian" used ... for there is no such a Christian. The term "lukewarm Christian" is a misnomer; an inappropriate description; for Jesus made this quite clear to the Laodicean Church. He said to them, " ... because you are lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spue you out of My mouth". This is a truth that needs loud and clear exposure: there is no such person as a "lukewarm Christian" within the body of Christ. There are only lukewarm church people! I have no doubt that there are many church people who will disagree with me on this vital point, for over the years of my association with the church, I have heard many describe themselves as "lukewarm Christians". I have to tell you that I unfailingly cringe at such talk, for I know what Jesus said of such persons! Heplainly said that He would spue them out of His mouth! Jesus said in effect, "Your lukewarmness makes Me so sick to My stomach that I will vomit you out of My mouth".

Join with me as I read the scripture lesson from The Revelation, chapter three and beginning with verse 14. "And unto the angel of the church of Laodicea write; these things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth. "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent. 20"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, Iwill come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. 'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, €{ven as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne. "He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches".

Rainbows

It happened again this morning.. .a little after 5:00 a.m. There was not another, single vehicle on Highway 12 in north central Idaho, and spread halfway across the western sky was a huge, breathtaking, gorgeous rainbow. Too bad there were so few to observe and enjoy it... but I did... and the wheels began to turn.

A rainbow has so many applications that can be drawn from it: beauty, glory, color, uniqueness, splendor and many, many other descriptions.

What impressed my mind, however, was not its extravagant beauty, but that it did not belong to any human being, but could be enjoyed by all who observed. My mind traveled to the four quadrants of earth and those
of my earthling brothers and sisters who lived in all of them. Rich or poor, known or unknown, educated or not, recognized or not, religious or not, of every and all ethnicities, every eye has the unspeakable benefit of seeing a rainbow.

The Bible declares that a rainbow has one, singular purpose (SEE Genesis 9:15 & 16), and this is that God, the Creator of all things heavenly and earthly, will never again destroy the earth by water (as occured during the great flood of Noah's time). It is God's promise, and it is indescriminately given to ALL of earth's human inhabitants whether they love and serve God or not.

B-U-T this is not the end of "the story of the rainbow". At first look, it would seem to suggest that the Creator of the rainbow is offering clemancy to all and any human inhabitant, however they live or whatever they do, and whether they submit to this gracious Creator or not. There is more "rainbow" in God's Word, and it is discovered in The Revelation 4:2b &3, which states:

"...behold a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.
"And He Who sat was to look upon like a jasper and sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald".

This is God's judgment time for earthlings, and when it occurs, the time of salvation will have been passed. It is interesting that... until this very moment!... rainbows are not again mentioned... but they appear prior to this time to us humans periodically... to remind us of God's promise.

Centuries and millennia pass...and now and again we see a rainbow..reminding us that what God promises, He will not forget. When it is judgment time - when mercy and offers and reminders are past... another rainbow will appear... over and around God's judgment throne..reminding us that...

...what God promises, He will keep! He will save the righteous, and doom the wicked.

If you read this, and are not prepared to stand before God, I urge you to "seek the Lord while He may be found, and turn to Him while you can...".

E-M-P-T-Y

"Empty" is not always negative...but usually. It usually gives us the idea of being without.

Probably there is not a person alive, having lived into his thirties or forties, who has not experienced several times when he has been "empty". Sometimes we merely feel this way, and sometimes it is a fact.

All who are even moderately familiar with the stories of the Bible easily recall the story of Ruth. Oddly, one wonders why the book is entitled "Ruth"? It is as much a story of Naomi - and it could be argued - more, about Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law. As briefly as possible, here are the aspects of the story.

Elimelech, his wife, Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, leave the land of Israel because of a severe famine, and travel down to over to Moab which evidently had not been affected by the dearth. While there, Elimelech dies, the two sons marry Moabite women, and after ten years of childless marriage, both of the two sons die, leaving three widows: Naomi, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi learns that the famine is over in Israel, and tells her two daughters-in-law that she is going to return alone to her homeland.

Orpah eventually agrees to remain in Moab with her family, while Ruth will not hear to Naomi making that long, heartbroken journey alone. When they arrive "back home" (Bethlehem), here arises the idea of "being empty", as we read in Ruth 1:20 & 21:

"And she said unto (her relatives and friends in Bethlehem), Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me, "I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again"empty" (there is that word): why call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me".

We cannot help but wonder how Ruth felt about being refered to as "empty". It was obvious that all Naomi saw in Ruth was another mouth to feed, another person for whom she must be responsible. The next few days and weeks would prove Naomi not only to be terribly mistaken about Ruth and her potential good, but would actually be Naomi's livelihood ticket, would give her more than enough "children and grandchildren", but would forever credit her with providing a golden future, eventually being in the bloodline of King David, and Jesus, the Messiah and Redeemer.

It is a lesson for each follower of God to learn. God can - and often does - take our "empty" situations and turn them into far greater benefits for us and others than we ever could have if left to our own methods.

The catch is not knowing that our "empty situations" are actually being worked out by the Lord. Because of this, and the frequent long, frustrating, discouraging years elapsed, we are wise to place, and leave, our "empty" times and feelings in His wonderful wisdom and timing. One things is certain from this story. The Orpahs are forgotten, while the Ruths become bright and shining stars.