Are you on fire for God? Or has your heart grown hard and cold toward Him? Worse yet, are you lukewarm? Today our pastor preached out of Revelation 3:14-22 on the church of Laodicea. This church didn’t realize its own need for God. The people thought they were doing just fine without Him:
“Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked’ – I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich, and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Our pastor used this scripture because our weekly newspaper had an article in it from the editor, who said that the church was not making any difference in the world today. What a sad commentary to us as believers. Our pastor challenged us to go to the next level for God. Be on fire for God or turn away from Him completely, but don’t be lukewarm. He said that we are not seeing the kind of church today that was in the book of Acts, and that is through personal repentance and giving our all to Jesus. He said we need to get back to a basic foundation of Jesus Christ. That Jesus would be exalted and glorified.
We try to fit God into our little box, and He just doesn’t fit. He’s without limit. We try to get God to do what we want, instead of the other way around. We look so much like the world, instead of being light and salt. Are we making any difference at all here? Do we share our faith in Christ with others? Do we minister to those who cross our paths? Are we going to be a history maker, or are we just letting life happen, living a mediocre existence?
Everywhere that Jesus went when He walked on earth, things happened! The sick were healed, the oppressed were set free, broken hearts were mended. He confronted hypocrisy among the religious, even calling them snakes and white-washed tombs. He made a powerful impact. Some people did not like him, they even hated him and had him killed. But Jesus was never lukewarm. He made a difference wherever he went. Jesus showed people God’s love and God’s truth. He demonstrated God’s mercy and forgiveness, how God desires to have a relationship with us, to be our Friend. Are we doing the same?
Here is a video by Third Day, my favorite Christian music group, of the song Consuming Fire. I saw them in concert last year and they are awesome! One of the lines in the lyrics says, “Did you realize that inside of you lives a flame? Did you ever try to let it burn, burn, burn?”
Let’s start burning hot for God, our hearts aflame for Him.
Embedding has been removed by request on You Tube, but here is the link.
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