“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” Revelation 3:14-18

Have you ever believed that the fervency of your actions in the name of God proved that you were “on fire” for Him? Some may understand what I am talking about when I say that the focus is on a person shouting louder during a corporate gathering, dancing and lifting one’s hands more than the person standing next to him/her or fasting more frequently in order to show being all in for God. In some circles, an individual may present themselves as the standard for being fully committed to Christ, telling of their sacrifices in not watching entertainment in the form of movies or tv shows, and how their every thought is about God and what they can do for Him.

When it comes to areas of the charismatic movement, there can be a focus on being “all in” for God and that being evident in how many people one prays for in a day, or zealously doing signs and wonders. It may even be in how long one prays in their prayer language or in how much they hear God’s voice in their private time. The teaching may center on Revelation 3 and the warning to the church in Laodicea in being neither hot nor cold but rather, lukewarm. The conclusion: you do not want to be cold; you want to be burning hot for the Lord! The way you do that is by doing many of the things and more that I just mentioned. After all, lukewarm Christians are those who do not do these things, and they are bound by religion instead of a white-hot relationship with Jesus Christ. Anyone who does not practice these things is lukewarm and even dead, and Jesus will spew them out of His mouth.

However, when listening to solid teaching on Revelation 3 from Bible teachers, it would seem that those of us who once held to this type of belief have placed the emphasis on the wrong syllable. Much of this would seem to fall under the category of pietism. One author said, “The essence of pietism is this: It is a practice designed to lead to an experience that purports to give one an elite or special status compared to ordinary Christians.” He referenced Colossians 2:16-23 as being helpful in addressing this issue. DeWaay went on to say,

Pietism misdiagnoses the problem and creates a false solution. It sees a compromised church that is apparently caught in dead orthodoxy. The real problem is not dead orthodoxy but spiritually dead sinners who give mental assent to orthodox truth but show no signs of regeneration…They posit two types of Christians: “carnal” Christians and “spiritual” Christians. But in reality, there are only Christians and dead sinners.

Bob DeWaay, How Pietism Deceives Christians

When considering Revelation 3, Jesus seemed to be telling the Laodiceans that He wanted them to either be hot or cold, but instead, they were neither. They were lukewarm, which correlated to the temperature of the water flowing into Laodicea. They may have even capitulated to the pagan culture, and in doing so, they were no longer satisfied in the things of God or in Christ Himself. They held sufficiency in material possessions and in worldly status, but their sufficiency and their treasure were to be in Him, and He would remind them of that in His loving warning and instruction to them.

As I think back to this way of thinking and how some of these things are still taught and perpetuated today, I ponder on the possibility in being lukewarm while shouting ever more loudly in a corporate gathering. I ponder on the sobriety in being lukewarm while fasting more and doing more because the focus soon becomes on personal deeds than on Christ Himself. It can create an illusion that personal works and emotions are the spiritual thermometer for fervor and commitment. Regardless of the mindset in this particular movement, the danger of being self-sufficient in our own doing is a real temptation and snare no matter one’s background. We can soon become our own standard of holiness and fervency, and then we can begin to look down upon others who do not attain the same level of perceived spiritual superiority.

We must remember that Jesus Christ is our hope, and He is the standard. No other man or woman is to be the standard to which one looks. The focus is not on how loud we can shout or how long we can pray in order to prove our spiritual temperature to others. It is not proven in praying an hour longer than a close friend or a trusted leader. We are not saved by our good works, but we are saved for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Placing one’s hope in having an easy and prosperous life while claiming the name of Christ without transformation that only God can work by His Spirit and His Word should bring pause. He is to be focus of our faith, and a good tree bears good fruit because of abiding in Christ.

Being lukewarm comes down to a matter of one’s heart and bearing good fruit. If someone wants the benefits of using God’s name while still living life unto themselves, then that may be an indicator of being lukewarm. A desire to read His Word and a desire to pray is a good indicator of fervency for the Lord. A desire to be part of the corporate gathering of believers is another good indicator of fervency for the Lord. Being unashamed in sharing our faith in Jesus Christ with others is something that is evident in a born-again believer. Our zeal and passion are focused upon the One in which our faith and our sole existence rests, and that is in Christ alone.

It is a good thing to check the spiritual temperature in our lives, and it is good for us to have a grasp of what it means to be lukewarm. Be hot or cold, but not lukewarm. This is not about how much you do something or how emotionally charged you are in doing something in the name of the Lord. The focus is on Him and loving Him. Our satisfaction is not found in what we do, but it is found in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. We serve Him because we love Him. We gather with other believers to worship God because we love Him, and we recognize our need for Him. We read His Word because we want to know Him more, and we want to obey His instructions in such commands as prayer and evangelism. All that we do is to bring glory unto Him, not to ourselves. Rest in who He is and what He has done for you, dear Christian. In doing so, you will find His yoke easy and His burden light.

Listen to this episode discussing lukewarm Christianity: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: What is Lukewarm Christianity? on Apple Podcasts