Am I a Lukewarm Person?

Crazy Love by Francis Chan, Chapter 4: Profile of the Lukewarm

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified. 2 Corinthians 13:5
LUKEWARM PEOPLE attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe good Christians do, so they go. o The Lord says: Since these people turn toward me with their mouths, and honor me with lip service while their heart is distant from me, and their fear of me is just a human command that has been memorized, Isaiah 29:13 LUKEWARM PEOPLE give money to charity and to the churchas long as it doesnt impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? o But King David said to Ornan, No, I will buy them from you at a fair price. I wont offer to the Lord what belongs to you nor offer an entirely burned offering that costs me nothing. 1 Chronicles 21:24 o Looking up, Jesus saw rich people throwing their gifts into the collection box for the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow throw in two small copper coins worth a penny. 3 He said, I assure you that this poor widow has put in more than them all. 4 All of them are giving out of their spare change. But she from her hopeless poverty has given everything she had to live on. Luke 21:1-4 LUKEWARM PEOPLE tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. o How terrible for you when all speak well of you. Their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets. Luke 6:26 o I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, and you are in fact dead. Revelation 3:1b o Everything they do, they do to be noticed by others. They make extra-wide prayer bands for their arms and long tassels for their clothes. 6 They love to sit in places of honor at banquets. 7 They love to be greeted with honor in the markets and to be addressed as Rabbi. Matthew 23:5-7 LUKEWARM PEOPLE dont really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They dont genuinely hate sin and arent truly sorry for it; theyre merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people dont really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. o I came so that they could have lifeindeed, so that they could live life to the fullest. John 10:10b o So what are we going to say? Should we continue sinning so grace will multiply? 2 Absolutely not! All of us died to sin. How can we still live in it? Romans 6:1-2 LUKEWARM PEOPLE are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for extreme Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call radical what Jesus expected of all His followers. o You must be doers of the word and not only hearers who mislead themselves. James 1:22 o It is a sin when someone knows the right thing to do and doesnt do it. James 4:17 o What do you think? A man had two sons. Now he came to the first and said, Son, go and work in the vineyard today. 29 No, I dont want to, he replied. But later he changed his mind and went. 30 The

father said the same thing to the other son, who replied, Yes, sir. But he didnt go. 31 Which one of these two did his fathers will? They said, The first one. Jesus said to them, I assure you that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering Gods kingdom ahead of you. Matthew 21:28-31 LUKEWARM PEOPLE rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. o Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me before people, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33 LUKEWARM PEOPLE gauge their morality or goodness by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they arent as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. o The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself with these words, God, I thank you that Im not like everyone elsecrooks, evildoers, adulterersor even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of everything I receive. Luke 18:11-12 LUKEWARM PEOPLE say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isnt allowed to control their lives. o As Jesus and his disciples traveled along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. 58 Jesus replied, Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Human One has no place to lay his head. 59 Then Jesus said to someone else, Follow me. He replied, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead. But you go and spread the news of Gods kingdom. 61 Someone else said to Jesus, I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those in my house. 62 Jesus said to him, No one who puts a hand on the plow and looks back is fit for Gods kingdom. Luke 9:57-62 LUKEWARM PEOPLE love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isnt really possible for the average person; its only for pastors and missionaries and radicals. o He replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38 LUKEWARM PEOPLE love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached. o You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you 45 so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Dont even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Dont even the Gentiles do the same? Matthew 5:43-47 o Then Jesus said to the person who had invited him, When you host a lunch or dinner, dont invite your friends, your brothers and sisters, your relatives, or rich neighbors. If you do, they will invite you in return and that will be your reward. 13 Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, crippled, lame, and

blind. 14 And you will be blessed because they cant repay you. Instead, you will be repaid when the just are resurrected. Luke 14:12-14 LUKEWARM PEOPLE will serve God and others, but there are limits as to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give. o Then the ruler said, Ive kept all of these things since I was a boy. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said, Theres one more thing. Sell everything you own and distribute the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me. 23 When he heard these words, the man became sad because he was extremely rich. 24 When Jesus saw this, he said, Its very hard for the wealthy to enter Gods kingdom! 25 Its easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter Gods kingdom. Luke 18:21-25 LUKEWARM PEOPLE think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on todays to-do list, this weeks schedule, and next months vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C.S. Lewis writes, If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. o As I have told you many times and now say with deep sadness, many people live as enemies of the cross. 19 Their lives end with destruction. Their god is their stomach, and they take pride in their disgrace because their thoughts focus on earthly things. 20 Our citizenship is in heaven. We look forward to a savior that comes from therethe Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:18-20 o Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2 LUKEWARM PEOPLE are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is. Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel called to minister to the rich; very few feel called to minister to the poor. o Then the king will say to those on his right, Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world beganThen the king will reply to them, I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me. Matthew 25:34, 40 o Isnt this the fast I choose: releasing wicked restraints, untying the ropes of a yoke, setting free the mistreated, and breaking every yoke? 7 Isnt it sharing your bread with the hungry and bringing the homeless poor into your house, covering the naked when you see them, and not hiding from your own family? Isaiah 58:6-7 LUKEWARM PEOPLE do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be good enough without it requiring too much of them. They ask, How far can I go before its considered a sin? instead of How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit? They ask, How much do I have to give? instead of How much can I give? They ask, How much time should I spend praying and reading my Bible? instead of I wish I didnt have to go to work, so I could sit here and read longer! o Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly? Since everything comes from you, we have given you that which comes from your own hand. 1 Chronicles 29:14 o The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that somebody hid in a field, which someone else found and covered up. Full of joy, the finder sold everything and bought that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all that he owned and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46

LUKEWARM PEOPLE are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God. o Tell people who are rich at this time not to become egotistical and not to place their hope on their finances, which are uncertain. Instead, they need to hope in God, who richly provides everything for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to do good, to be rich in the good things they do, to be generous, and to share with others. 1 Timothy 6:17-18 o Dont be afraid of those who kill the body but cant kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Matthew 10:28 LUKEWARM PEOPLE feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets of the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a Christian nation. o Not everybody who says to me, Lord, Lord, will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter. Matthew 7:21 o Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes! Amos 6:1 LUKEWARM PEOPLE do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They dont have to trust God if something unexpected happens they have their savings account. They dont need God to help them they have their retirement plan in place. They dont genuinely seek out what life God would have them live they have life figured and mapped out. They dont depend on God on a daily basis their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldnt look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. o And he told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? 18 And he said, I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry. 20 But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Luke 12:16-21 LUKEWARM PEOPLE probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really arent very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldnt be more wrong. o Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matthew 23:25-28

This profile of the lukewarm is not an all-inclusive definition of what it means to be a Christian, nor it is intended to be used as ammunition to judge your fellow believers salvationIt is a call to examine yourselves