lukewarm

Either or?

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The other day my pastor posted this question on facebook:
“Should the word of God influence people’s lives or should the lives of people influence the word of God?”
This is a straight forward question and most answered correctly, which is the word of God influences people’s lives. Unfortunately not all answered this way. The answer they presented was this convoluted response that ended equally saying it was actually both.
Here is what Jesus says on this question:
Revelation 3:15-16 – 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.
These are verses I keep coming to time and again as I type out my posting. Why? Because this is something not being taught within many churches today. They teach you that God and Jesus loves you and wants you, but they do not emphasize the need to grow in your faith.
Now why do I say grow in your faith? Because it is an ongoing ever changing process. Do you go from a newborn babe to an adult in one day? No you do not. It takes years. I know men that are in their fifties that still behave like they are in their early teens. It is this believe that once you reach a certain point you do not need to do anymore.
This is the furthest thing from the truth. A truth I had to learn the hard way. A truth that cost me all my personal possessions and the disillusion of my second marriage.
God makes it perfectly clear it is either black or white. There is no grey area. You follow His word and you are changed or you are not and you stay the same which is of the world.
You cannot be both of God and of the world. You cannot serve two masters.
Jesus makes it very clear the result. He would rather you be cold or black for Him then to be a grey a lukewarm. Now really try and think upon this. Jesus would rather you deny Him then to have asked Him into your life and you choose to live in the grey areas of your relationship with Him.
Here is an extreme example just to get the point across. Say someone is a striper, female or male, and becomes saved. They must now make an extremely hard choice. They must now decide to follow the entire Bible or to ignore this verse or that verse. This is equal to the adulteress which was going to be stoned and Jesus stepped in and stopped it. He then turned to the woman and said “Now go and sin no more.”
The striper who makes thousands of dollars in a week must now give up this job for a minimum salary job, because they did not bother to improve their minds to get a better paying job. Following the Bible cost them in the world, but the hardship that is to follow strengthens them and makes them ready for the next struggle. For if God wishes to use us He will place us through many trails. Each one tearing away a sin that is within us. Ever striving to become as pure as possible even though we shall fall short. It is when we live our life’s like this is when we are seen with favor form Him, for He sees that we are moving up the narrow and winding road, filled with its rocks and nails toward Him and our final reward which is an eternal life. A life that will last billions of years and all for His glory.
So to reaffirm the answer to the question my pastor posted you must be white and hot for God by letting the word of God influence how we are to live our life for Him as is prescribed for us within the word of God… the Bible.

A false salvation

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One of the issues in today’s churches throughout the United States is a believe that you are saved just by showing up at church either weekly or time to time. Many go about professing to be one with God yet their actions and lifestyle say the complete opposite.
In Revelation chapter three God address the church in Laodicea. Here many within the church behaved exactly like most within today’s churches in the United States. In revelation they are called the “lukewarm” I call them the “grey.”
Many say that the lines have been blurred within Christianity and I would agree to that in this nation. Most walk in the grey, sinning and even knowing they are sinning but not caring that they do so. In verse seventeen it is spelled out in detail their sins:
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing”
Many in most churches say the exact same thing. They seek after the materialistic life of the world not truly caring for their spiritual wellbeing. Yet that is exact what they should be working upon, for as the verse continues:
“and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”
This is the false salvation of which I am referring too. It is important that you open your heart and hear these words. It is imperative that you think hard upon them. For before this verse Jesus made it clear of your standing with Him in verses fifteen and sixteen:
“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.”
Jesus makes it clear that He would rather you be either Hot for Him or Even cold for Him. Do you truly understand that meaning. He would rather you live in sin then to be a grey (lukewarm). He makes it all very clear that you will not be welcome into this His house by stating He will “spue thee out of my mouth.”
To have Jesus spit you out!! Do you truly understand the concepts of that?
Think upon it, do what is right in the eyes of God.

The Grey

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In the second and third chapters of Revelation. The apostle John is seeing the divine Christ who is talking to His disciple about seven churches within the young Christian faith at that time. These seven can reflect any group that calls themselves a church. There is a reason for this and it is something that all should read and try to understand even today, well especially today.
In the third chapter Jesus calls members of one of these churches lukewarm. Neither hot nor cold for God and Christ. I myself call them the grey for they are neither hot or white nor are they cold or black, thus they are grey.
Most that call themselves “Christian” in the United States can say this about themselves, but they don’t because they do not see it that it applies to them, but it does.
They do not teach nor do many truly follow the teachings of the Bible. No not even the basics of the Ten Commandments, yet they say they are “Christian.”
This posting is another of my attempts to get the Grey to awaken to their standing with God. Will most not listen? This is a definite, but still these words must be typed and posted like the thesis that Martin Luther posted upon the church door in his time. This is my “thesis.”
If you continue to read that verse to the Laodiceans you will see that Christ admonishes the Grey and says he would rather they be cold for Christ then to be lukewarm for He would spew them out.
So according to this verse if you call yourself “Christian” if you go to church and yet live your life as if God is nothing but a trip to a building once a week, than you are destine to be cast out by Jesus Himself.
To be cast out, do you understand what that means. If you are not welcome in heaven or the eternal life that follows it, then where are you welcome? If you don’t know that answer then you have lived your life in a vacuum.
How can you correct this? You must become hot for God. You must become white and shine His glory to the world and to counter that which is black and dark and evil.
Light is kindness and loving yet shows that if the Bible calls it a sin it is a sin. It does not condone it, it tries to push it into the darkness. When the sun shine can you see this darkness? No you cannot for it is driven away. Yet at night darkness thrives and lives, colors that you can see in the light of the moon become grey.
This nation is in a time of night and darkness. It is time for the sun to rise and the cast out the darkness so that all will be seen pure and clean. But remember there will still be a shadow for not all darkness can be cast out for only one has that power and His name is Jesus Christ.

Revelation 3: 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 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: 18 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. 19 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, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

The Blood that cleans

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Humans are corrupt beings. They are this way due to the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve. No human on their own can make themselves clean. How can filth clean filth? It is impossible for there will always be filth left behind when this is done.
That was why God created the blood sacrifice. For centuries, it was the blood of the lamb. Then God allowed His Son to come amongst humans. He lived without sin, but witnessed sin. Then it was the humans that called for His death, His sacrifice, and so He went to the cross and shed His pure and clean blood. This Blood is so powerful that it cleaned all the filth from those that called upon Him as their Savior.
This salvation makes people change. That which gave them pleasure before no longer does and so they turn from that which was their old live in the filth. Sometimes though they do get dirty, but they ask God for His forgiveness and blessing and He gives it.
But humans are corrupt beings. They are told within the Bible that they must abide with Jesus. Live in His word and His teachings, but most do not. Soon they find themselves returning to those sins and forgetting to ask Jesus for His cleansing. Therefore, they falter and fall, until one day they are merely paper Christians. Their month says they are but their actions say they are the sin they once were.
Jesus called these the “lukewarm” and He said he would spew them from His month for they are no longer one with Christ or God and no longer worthy to amongst the counted.
Can they fix this? Yes they can, but many are so blinded they do not realize that they have faltered and fallen away. There are those that cry from the wildness calling upon them to repent and return to Christ. Some may listen, but most do not.

Mark Chapter 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
John 15: 1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Revelation 3: 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 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: 18 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. 19 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, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

If it were easy, everyone would do it.

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We are taught that it is a narrow and rough road that leads to salvation. The road is full of potholes and rocks. If it were a real road, only the strongest build 4×4 could handle it. That is what those that turn to Christ are.
What I am about to type is something that need to be understood. Most in the United States of America are raised Christian, but that does not mean they are Christian.
To truly be called Christian you will turn to Jesus and ask him into your life; when you do this you will not want to sin. Sure, time to time, you will, but it will shortly after doing so make you feel guilt. You will be remorseful. You will turn to Christ and ask His forgiveness, once again because you have hit a rock or a pothole.
It is through studying the Bible that you learn what is right and wrong. It is not what other humans say is right, but God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.
It is time many start to realize that saying and being a Christian are two different paths. Jesus calls most in the United States “lukewarm” in the third chapter of Revelation. You are neither hot nor cold toward God. He clearly states that He would prefer you “cold,” but most especially “hot” for God. Therefore, those that call themselves “Atheist” have better standing with God than those that are “lukewarm.” That is a shocking realization when you think upon it.
Even though as I have witnessed the logic atheist use, which is warped and flawed, but God places them higher than most who use the name “Christian,” inaccurately, for themselves.
If you are selfish, self-centered, and arrogant, if you believe that the laws of the land do not pertain to you. Like for example the simple law of going the speed limit. Then you are not truly Christian. You may say that you are, but really, you are not. Wake up, turn to Christ and ask Him into your life. Read the Bible and learn your faith that you say you are.

Eyes Wide Shut

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Sorry to borrow this title, but it is fitting. This is about the lukewarm Christian (Rev. 3:14-22). These verses are a snapshot for the majority of those that call themselves Christian within the United States of America.
Jesus states that He will spew you from His mouth. There are those that believe that once you are saved you are always saved. This to me is one of two verses directly spoken by Christ that says otherwise.
The way people act through free-will is a direct bearing on where they stand with God. It is made clear in these verses that if you do not tend to your faith and believes that you can be cast out by God. He goes on to say that these people are rich monetarily, but spiritually they are poor. This again reflects those in the US when compared to the rest of the world.
But why are they poor in spirit? Because they are not being taught about God correctly if at all. People need to go to church. People need to read the Bible. People need to learn how to act their faith for most are hypocrites because of their behavior.
As an example, breaking the speed limit. I remember a car passing me going sixty in a forty-five only to see them turn into a church for services a few minutes later. Per Titus 3:1 , we are to obey the laws of the land and thus honor God.
People need to do as Jesus said in Revelation. Either to turn toward God and embrace that they are what they say “Christian.” Or turn from God and no longer call themselves Christian for in actuality they most likely are not and know that they will not be welcome in heaven, and then the eternal life that is beyond Christ’s return.