Characteristics of a "Lukewarm Christian"!

Revelation 3:15-16 “‘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."

I recently read a quote from Francis Chan that stated "Lukewarm Christians do not want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin."

Recently, a politician came under fire for a decision to support a particular bill and when questioned by his own denomination his response was that "He was not there to represent a religion". This in combination with Chan's quote got me to thinking;

As Christians is there ever a time that we should not be representing Christ?

As I started down this path I have started to look at what the characteristics of a "Lukewarm Christian" are.

1. A "Lukewarm Christian" will serve self before they serve God.

This person may know Scripture and go to church but usually it is only when it benefits them. This type of Christian goes to church to be seen and will highlight their good behavior in an effort to make themselves look good. This "Lukewarm Christian" will always seek credit for their actions and even the actions of others.

2. A "Lukewarm Christian" will put others before God.

This type of "Lukewarm Christian" walks a dangerous line and uses others as their excuse for not fully submitting to God. This Christian like the man in Matthew 8:21 who seeks to take care of his family before following Jesus, may think they are doing good by serving others but if they are not serving God first then they are living a lie. God has a plan for you and it may not be the plan you want but it is His plan and the only plan you should submit to. It does not matter how great your intentions are if you are not serving God then you may be living in a lukewarm state.

3. A "Lukewarm Christian" will envy their old life.

As the old VBS song says "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. This one can be rather tricky as many of us will have slip ups and fall into our temptations even after we are saved. It is a mere fact of humanity that we are all sinners. However, when you are making a choice to turn back to your sins that changes the game entirely. Once you have decided to follow Jesus that is it, your heart should turn towards God and away from sin, Many times we are like the man in Luke 9 who says to Jesus "Let me say farewell to my old life". This man wanted more than a good bye he was looking for his last hoorah before giving it all to Christ. It is similar to committing to a diet and having one last meal before it starts though. Once you commit to Christ that is it; your heart should not desire to turn back for one last meal.

4. A "Lukewarm Christian" will justify their sin.

This may be a continuation of #3. This "Lukewarm Christian" does not simply want one last meal; they want to continue eating whatever they want and still get the benefits of the diet. This person will make excuses and twist scripture to fit their lifestyle. I like to call this the "Loophole" Christian. They will search the Bible in order to find that one verse they can use out of context to justify their sin. Even more so, this "lukewarm christian" will encourage and sometimes expect you to justify their sin as well. Another tactic this "lukewarm christian" engages in is gossip or justifying their sin by comparing it to others. In some weird sense this person feels that they can somehow bring themselves up by tearing others down. Instead of focusing on their own issues they try to draw everyone else's attention to someone else's issues. This is a diversion tactic that is not only harmful to the person but can destroy an entire church.

5. A "Lukewarm Christian" does not seek to serve.

I have often stated that there are two reasons the Christians go to church. The first is to serve others and the second is to be served. Guess which one of those is the "Lukewarm Christian"? The "lukewarm christian" comes to church and wants the entire service catered to their desires. They want to sing only the songs they like, they want to be the soloist every week or be Jesus in every Christmas Play. This is the person who hates change...unless they wanted it. This person is not serving God or others, they are simply looking to be served and have their desires met. This "lukewarm" church member can cause dissent and divides throughout an entire church.

John 20:21 tells us that just as the Father sent Jesus; He is sending us. This leads me to the question of Why did God send Jesus? In Luke 2:49 Jesus tells us "Did you not know I must be about my Father's business". Jesus came to be about His Father's business and that was the business of spreading the gospel and preaching the need for repentance and in the end that business lead Him to the cross for our sins. So when we see that we are to be about the same business Jesus was about then we know we are called to be about the Father's business and the easiest way to tell a Lukewarm Christian is that they will not be about the Father's business. A lukewarm christian will not die to self to rise in Christ; they will try to please both self and God but that will not work and when it doesn't the "lukewarm christian" will always choose self. Do not fear though if you have drifted into Lukewarm territory my next blog will discuss how this is common and how you can we can reheat a "Lukewarm Faith".