Enthusiasm

There's more to enthusiasm then meets the eye!

Enthusiasm! It's like 180 degrees the opposite direction from meh; whereas meh is lukewarm…enthusiasm is scalding hot!!!  The book I'm reading; The Gospel according to Starbucks talks about how coffee from Starbucks is so experiential that they actually give you a thermal jacket to protect your hands from the scalding hot liquid. This comes out of the fact that McDonalds got sued after a woman's lap was scalded after it spilled on her. They chose then to down the heat, and paid out big bucks in damages and made apologies; whereas Starbucks chose to instead pass out thermal jackets holders and mark their cups with the notice…EXTREMELY HOT!  It's been said that nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm! Enthusiasm has kind of become cliché. It has way more to do with than just the jumping up and down, whooping and hollering kind of thing. There's nothing wrong with getting and being excited, but sometimes it has given enthusiasm a bad reputation; because even the best conditioned person cannot sustain excitement over an extended period of time unless there's something more. Enthusiasm is simply an outward expression of our feelings that we have inside. You don't have to be loud or boisterous, but you do have to have a willingness to show something on the outside that truly lives on the inside. Did you know that originally an enthusiast was a person possessed by a god? Several Protestant sects of the 16th and 17th centuries were called enthusiastic. During the 18th century, popular Methodists such as John Wesley and George Whitefield were accused of blind enthusiasm (or fanaticism). During the years immediately following the Glorious Revolution, "enthusiasm" was a derogatory term that was used for advocating any political or religious cause while in public. The Royal Society bylaws stipulated at that time that any person discussing religion or politics at a Society meeting was to be kicked out for being an "enthusiast." In our time, enthusiasm has obviously lost its religious significance. Enthusiasm now signifies instead a whole-hearted devotion to an ideal, cause, study or pursuit, or what I just spoke about earlier just being visibly excited about what one's doing.There's obviously more to it than that. Enthusiasm goes deeper; it's the energy, the fuel that brings about a visible result.  A famous writer once said that nothing great has ever happened without enthusiasm. If you want to accomplish great things; if you want to realize great goals; if you want to live a great life, then you absolutely must possess enthusiasm for what it is that you believe in and do. The reason it is so important: is that the difference between success and failure is often minute. Two people with virtually the same amount of skills and talents can differ greatly in the amount of success that they achieve; and it lies in their enthusiasm. It's said that enthusiasm changes a dead pan salesman into a producer; a pessimist into an optimist and a loafer into a go getter. Have you ever heard of Kirby vacuum cleaners? If you have never heard of them it's a company that sells vacuums door to door. These vacuums cost about $2,000 and they have been around for about 90 years and have a very interesting business model. They never advertise on T.V., in Newspapers, or anywhere… The only way to purchase a Kirby is from a door to door salesman. There's a saying at Kirby, "people don't buy the Kirby, they buy you". That couldn't be truer. Just like with marketing, or whatever it is that you do, you have to realize that people are first buying you. Paul definitely realized that when it came to people following Jesus… and that is why he wrote in Romans 12:11 never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord. He knew that the biggest draw in people accepting Jesus was an enthusiasm that was planted firmly within each of their own hearts. That IF there was this fire burning within their own hearts; a driving force propelling them that people would "buy this message."It's because enthusiasm immediately captures the attention of others it pulls people in; those who are on the fringe of a group come closer and those walking by will be compelled to stop and take a second look. Luke 19:1-6 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax collecting business, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zaccheaus and called him by name. "Zaccheaus!" He said, "Quick, come down, for I must be a guest in your home today!" Zaccheaus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. Zacchaeus had enthusiasm AND JESUS noticed Zaccheaus didn't have a meh attitude – if he did he wouldn't have ran ahead and climb a sycamore tree! Enthusiasm is a magnet… it pulls God to us and it pulls people to us. If we have enthusiasm we should thank God for it and if we don't we should drop to our knees and ask God for it.  Because out of all the things that there is to be enthusiastic about – NOTHING is more exciting than the knowledge of having what He gives us.

·         Eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ.

·         That Holy Spirit living inside of us….?? That fire burning within us… maybe what you should pray for is the Holy Spirit to live and be comfortable within your hearts.

·         The bible….what an amazing gift He's given us. He gave us a manual to read on how to live in an alien land and also a personal letter to remind us every day of how much He loves us.

·         When we accept Him as Savior – we become the sons and daughters of God – the one who created the heaven and earth.

·         He knows us by name. (Zacchaeus)

·         He listens to and answers our prayers. We actually communicate with Jesus Himself.

·         He protects us from the danger and harm that the devil wants to throw at us.

·         He provides for us daily.

·         We can expect great things for our lives when He is involved!

Right? Expectation brings enthusiasm! Think about that if that isn't true… a good show that you go to will warm up the crowd and bring expectation of what is to come. It will have upbeat music, warm lighting, and great atmosphere.

What can people expect when they spend time with us as Christians leading them to Jesus?

·         Do we warm them up for the headliner (Jesus)?

·         Are we upbeat? Do we look as if we are forgiven and have a great future OR do we look as if         we are just "holding on and just trying to make it through…?

·         Do we put off good atmosphere?

Remember – just like those Kirby's – they first buy us!

The hostile world that we live in continually tries to squash us… just like it did to the disciples; the people threatened the followers by putting them in jail, beating them, stoning them and killing them. But it didn't work because their energy had a divine source. The Spirit of God lived inside of them. They had enthusiasm!

True followers of Christ will have to have the same things.

They will have enthusiasm to speak.

These disciples spoke – they didn't just sit at a church taking it all in – they were new to all this but they began to show enthusiasm. They truly valued the gift that they were given; they believed in their product and they understood that it's hard to sell something to someone that you yourself don't find value in.

They will have enthusiasm to act.

The world's full of people who can talk the talk – but can't walk the walk.

There are a lot of armchair quarterbacks. Those who know who should have been played in what position on the field and in what quarter. There are those politicians who have never run for office but know just how to run the country.

And there are many Christians who have NEVER gotten off their duffs to try to save anyone but love to tell people just how to do it.

We need to learn some lessons from David on this one…

1 Samuel 17:36 David tells King Saul that he himself a small boy will go and kill the Philistine giant because of the fact that he has defied the armies of the Living God! And then in 41-48 the story continues with – Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy faced boy. "Am I a dog, he roared at David that you come at me with a stick?"  And he cursed David by the names of his gods, "Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals", Goliath yelled. David shouted in reply, "You come to me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty- the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. Today the Lord will conquer you and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals and the whole world will know that there is a god in Israel. And everyone will know that the Lord does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle not ours. The Lord will give you to us." As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.

David didn't just speak the words but he put them into action.

They will have enthusiasm to tell others.

We talked about speaking… but that doesn't necessarily cover witnessing. It is past time for the people of God to be telling others of what God has done for them. You don't have to make it difficult – just tell them of what God has done to personally change your life.

They will have enthusiasm for His Word.

When you begin to read and fall in love with His word; that's when it really begins to be sold on your face to others.

There is life here, hope here, comfort here, correction, help in all times and joy. And we also get to see that eventually it will all work out; Jesus wins.

They will have enthusiasm to change.

Changing every day and for the long haul and do it daily – think about your choices. Make corrections in your coordinates. A small correction in them might not seem like a big change if you're just crossing the street but when you are on a life journey you'll end up in an entirely different place.

It isn't and doesn't happen on its own. You have to do it. No one can hold your hand! Your family members cannot change you. And remember… what true repentance (change) actually means – it means that you turn 180 degrees from your old decisions which were leading you away from God… true repentance means that you are now going towards HIM.

They will have enthusiasm for prayer.

A person who loves God will want to communicate with Him on a daily basis. They will desire to become closer to Him. Listen to Him. Speak to Him. Cry out to Him. And because their faith is real – they believe and know that He hears their words and hearts.

They will have enthusiasm for the church.

When you realize that God lives in the heart of His true followers – we can see that the church is nothing more than a body of believers. It isn't a building; it isn't made of stone, wood and concrete – its flesh and blood and sinew.

And true believers and followers of God will desire to be among each other, helping each other out, working together to reach others and praising God together.

There will be an expectancy when you come because you've read in His word that when 2 or more of His followers are together – that He is there in their midst.

So do you have enthusiasm?

Do you have enthusiasm for the things that really matter?

Mark Twain: Let us endeavor to live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.

Enthusiasm is a draw to people… it pulls them to you; to those who hunger for God – people will hunger for Him more just by being in your presence. For those who aren't looking for Him – your enthusiasm will most likely make them angry…. BUT I beg of you please MAKE THEM ANGRY!!!!!

So you learned tonight that the word enthusiasm has much more to do about God than you realized. It's changed in our society….Remember what I told you earlier about what the definition today is of enthusiasm … a bunch of jumping up and down, whooping and hollering kind of thing. There are some of those who do a lot of that but they aren't truly doing the things that I just got done telling you. They don't have the enthusiasm to do the things that God desires.

Vince Lombardi: If you aren't fired with enthusiasm; you will be fired with enthusiasm. This leads me to:

Matthew 7:21-23 not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as Lord, but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they OBEY my Father in Heaven. On Judgment Day many will tell me, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name, but I will reply – I never knew you. God away; the things you did were unauthorized.

I think it's going to take real enthusiasm! 

 

 

It's the Least I Could Do

But what's the most you could do?

It's the least that I can do.  It's a saying we use when we've done something for someone after they've done something pretty nice for us. But have you ever really thought about what it means? It's the least that you can do? Is our least good enough? Is it ever good enough?

Do I really want to do the least I can do in payment to those who gave all that they had to give? Could God ever be pleased with that? Not when we look at a scripture in Mark 12:41-44 Jesus while teaching in the temple was sitting across from the offering box; he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins – a measly two cents. Jesus called His disciples over and said, "The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford; she gave her all." When this woman was faced with her decision of what to give… she didn't give the least of what she could do but she did the most.

What about us? What would happen if we changed our mindset on doing the least and began to do the most? Not just in your financial giving but in your whole life giving.

First – Let me explain one very important thing… all that we talk about here will probably not make much sense to you if you don't know the Living God and His Good News; which is the gospel of Jesus Christ…John 3:16 The Message puts it this way…

This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son; His one and only son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and everlasting life. God didn't go through all the trouble of sending His son merely to point an accusing finger telling the world how bad it was.

He came to help; to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust in Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it; and why; because of that person's failure to believe in the one of a kind Son of god when introduced to Him.  In this first; our salvation alone will be the least that we can do IF WE THEN DO NOTHING ELSE!

Second – When this message is true to you; when you really believe this good news; you will want to give this gift to those around you. Not just because we are told to do it but because we truly want to do it.

Because you know with all your heart that it made a difference for you. Because you know that there is power and freedom in forgiveness.

Because you know that God promises a life of abundance and it cannot be had unless we know Him.

Because you know that if we don't believe this message that our friends and families destinies – their eternities will be lived out in hell.

It's kind of like your scuba diving and you notice that there is a person holding onto their very last breath before they drown and you stand next to them with a tank full of oxygen to give them the breath that will save their lives.

And soon you begin to notice that there are many drowning people everywhere among us. Sadly for a lot of churches everywhere they will be willing to give this life IF someone just happens to stumble into the building on a Sunday morning but this in itself will never be enough. Jesus' message in Luke 19:10 was to SEEK AND SAVE the lost.

We might be willing to do the saving if it's quick and easy and if the timing is right and if I don't have anywhere else I have to be like work, a movie or hanging out with friends. But how many of us are actually willing to put the work into seeking?

The world is full of people who have NEVER heard a true representation of the message of salvation.

If you have it is up to you to either accept or reject it and if you choose to accept it than you better take seriously the charge Jesus gave us; which is the Great Commission.

Matthew 24:14 and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

To the lost, the gospel is a light

To the dead, it is life

To the sick, it is the healer

To the slave, it is freedom

But do you have eyes to see? Do you have a heart to care? And will you seek out those who are lost?

Don't do the least but do the most like those who have gone before us.

Like Noah did when he built an ark in the desert to save those who were willing to be saved.

Like the friends of the paralyzed man did when they dug a hole on e top of the building Jesus was in so that the man could be healed.

Like Mary did when she poured out an entire alabaster jar of perfume upon Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair.

Like Joey Gordon a missionary to India did when he backpacked bibles into a village who had never heard the good news of God.

All of these things the world might look at and say "who cares, what did it matter -what a waste."

But it wasn't a waste for those who made it on the ark, or the paralyzed man, or Joey Gordon, and of course Mary. Jesus called what she did worship. He said that EVERYWHERE that the gospel is preached that this woman's offering would be talked about in her memory. And here we are talking about it more than 2000 years later. If only we would have such a testimony.

Mary made her offering personal; she gave yes, but not weakly but with passion.

Giving is the most precious in God's sight when it is our worship to Him.

Our giving has got to become personal.

When you give to missions or Speed the Light or you do something for Jesus out of your faith make it personal. Make it worship! And make it not the least you can do but the most. Everywhere!

Because when we do our most then God does His most.

Missionaries did their most and there are now:

Christian churches now in Iraq.

A bible school in Iraq.

3500 families have to come to Christ in Afghanistan.

When you give or go we see things happen.

In one country the Muslim leadership gave the missionaries 100 acres of ground in exchange for their help in digging a well; and afterward they offered to help build them a church.

In Africa they needed ground to build a church and when he asked a chief he was told that if the missionary would take the chiefs daughter and some others for a ride in his STL vehicle they could have the space to build… there is now a church on that property.

Assemblies of God are reaching 288 people an hour.

They are in more countries than the United Nations.

A new church is built every six minutes.

God may call you someday to go EVERYWHERE… but I want you students to know about a missionary appointment that you have right now. You can be a Campus Missionary. You have a mission field.

It's in Mendota, LP, Hall, Putnam County and Ottawa and all the Jr. Highs.

You are called to be a campus missionary right here, right now. If you are a believer you are called to reach your classmates for Him.

You don't need a special appointment to do it. You just have to have a heart to see those who are drowning around you and reach out to them with some oxygen.

But to do it you have to be real. And a real follower of Christ does these 5 things.

PRAY.

Daily communicate with God, read His word, and pray for your friends, enemies, teachers, principals, family members, co- workers and others who don't know the God we serve.

LIVE.

Live a life of authenticity. Be consistent in your walk with God. Demonstrate true godly character and obedient faith and be passionate in your love for God and His Word. Worship and Praise God for all He does for you.

SERVE.

Follow Jesus' example of servant hood by using your God given gifts and abilities,

 (Your talents), to serve the church and your community; model daily sincere humility that draws people to see Jesus through you.

TELL.

Actively pursue opportunities to talk about Jesus. Be prepared to initiate conversations about spiritual matters with those you talk to about other things. Respond to questions that you get about God and faith in the matter God would want you to – kindly and with respect and lead others to a personal real genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.

GIVE.

Honor God by giving to God your most. Give generously of your time, talents and money to spread the message of Jesus.

Quit doing the least of what you can do for the God who did it all for you and begin to do your most!

Trick or Treat

What does the Halloween of old have to do with today?

This is a time of year that many Christian's hope goes by quickly. There are those who are radically opposed to the holiday of Halloween and then there are those who still take part in it. It has become something that people don't want to talk about or bring up for fear that someone is either going to judge them over it or they will be called a "crazy over the top radical". So for most part there is this hush………………that takes place.

Personally to be honest with you I have been all over the place on this. Years ago I decorated my house with jack o lanterns and I put up cute spiders, cats and skeletons. But as I became a believer and I grew in my faith and read God's word I began to think that maybe this isn't the image that I wanted to project to the world so I threw out all my Halloween decorations, my pumpkin lights, cute cats and spiders and chose instead to decorate my house for Fall.

This happened slowly so as to not freak out my unsaved at the time husband who was raised as I was - that this holiday was nothing more than just a fun time when we innocently dressed up as another person and got candy for it.

What could possibly be wrong with that??!!

I spent a lot of my life as a child thinking about, making and putting together costumes to wear to school for Halloween room parties and then planning the night my night of trick or treating. But we all grow up – right?

One day I read what this innocent night was exactly about and I have to admit I was surprised. This innocent fun wasn't as innocent as I thought it was.

I'm sure you've heard that the Catholic Church long ago designated October 31^st as the eve of the holy ones day. All Hallows eve is a prelude to All Saints Day which is held on November 1^st every year; but it was actually a pre - Christian pagan religion which gave Halloween its more sinister meanings and traditions.

It was a celebration that was drawn from Scottish and Irish folk customs of the celebration of Samhain (pronounced Soween) which was performed by the priests or Druids to honor the souls of the dead of the wicked who had perished within the past 12 months who were now they believed condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals. These druids believed that the souls of good men were taken by good spirits and carried away to paradise but that the souls of the wicked were left to wander in the space between the earth and the moon OR that they inhabited the bodies of animals. This celebration that took place originated from the belief that on this one night a year, these souls of the dead returned to their original homes. These same druids also believed that on Halloween that ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches and elves came out to harm people on that night too. And…out of their fear and their desire to exorcise the ghosts from these animals or to free yourself from the influence they had over you – people were told to set out food (Or give them a treat) and provide them shelter for the night. If these spirits were satisfied with what you had given them they would hopefully leave you in peace but if they didn't then these ghosts would trick you by casting a spell on you and your home.

Sadly these traditions just got passed down year after year and then brought into Christian and other mainstream societies. After the year 300 AD when Roman Emperor Constantine began to Christianize the Roman Empire and multitudes of immoral pagans flocked into the church and became members they brought these pagan practices along with them.

The Roman Catholic Church didn't like it but because of the sheer numbers that these people brought into the church and the strength they had combined with them AND of course the $$ income $$ that they brought with them they decided to not stop them but handle it by allowing these people to keep their pagan rituals but then put a Christian spin on it by renaming it All Saints Day to commemorate the saints who had died that year. The mass that was held on this day was called Allhollowmas; which eventually led to the evening before being called Halloween which meant hallowed or holy evening.

So, where does that leave us with Halloween today?

Most people outside the church who really don't know Jesus and have never received His forgiveness and free gift of salvation have a clue that Halloween has its pagan roots. They simply look at it as I used to look at it- just as a day when kids can be kids and enjoy dressing up like their favorite super hero, animal, or cartoon character and enjoy the frivolity; and they DEFINITELY don't understand the passion of the church thinking that it's evil.

So, let's see what the bible has to say about all this? For sure there are some things that are linked to and included along with Halloween like violence, fear and murder. They have become just about as identifiable to the holiday as candy corn and pumpkins have. We all know today that Halloween is one of the most popular nights for movie rentals; at this time of year video stores stock extra copies of horror movies because of the demand for them. Halloween's coming so of course that means a new horror movie like Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13^th and of course another Saw.

There's NO ANBIGUITY here – the bible makes it clear that followers of Christ should not be entertained by murder, death or fear because these things come not from God but from our enemy Satan.

Jonah 3:8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.

Psalm 23:4 even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Other things associated with Halloween - like witchcraft, divination and the occult; are also against God's plans for believers - but what about just plain old dressing up and going out for candy?

Let's read Roman 14 to take a look at what another situation that Paul was dealing with has to say about it.

Romans 14 NIV

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He, who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.

If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: "'as surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' "So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. Some Christians thought that it didn't matter; that it was just meat. They didn't believe that the pagan gods to whom the meat was sacrificed actually even existed. But there were still other Christians who believed that it was wrong to eat anything that was once dedicated to a pagan god or false idol.

Paul basically states – that's fine; if you are uncomfortable with it then don't do it but realize that there are other Christians who will eat the meat and have a right to do so." He says the same thing about holidays saying that one person might regard one day above another but another person will regard all days as alike. Today, we have a holiday that was once dedicated to a pagan god. Some people have no problem participating in this celebration every year; yet others believe that Halloween's beginnings make it something that all Christians should avoid.

 What is it that you believe?

For me I DON'T shut off my lights, hide, and pretend I'm not home. I also DON'T give out tracts to the people who trick or treat at my door, and I DON"T tell the people that come to my door that Jesus loves them, and I DON'T blare Christian music to announce to them that I'm a Christian…. I just instead - be me, smile and give them each a big candy bar and try to be friendly… and I pray… for each of those people who come to my door, they may not know it (because of course, I don't pray out loud in front of them) but God hears my prayers and sends opportunities for them to come closer to Him.

 I myself choose to look at it as a way that I can let my light shine before men.

That's how I feel. You - you're on your own like Paul says…

Meh Part Two

Meh,and then wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

Revelation 3:15 NLT I know all the things you do - that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were either one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water I will spit you out of my mouth! You say I am rich; I have everything I want. I don't need a thing. And you don't even realize that you wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. The first thing that you need to know is that GOD KNOWS ALL THE THINGS YOU DO. There is a quote from Abraham Lincoln - You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. Which basically states that eventually your actions will catch up with you …time is running out…you may have dodged a few bullets but it's all just a matter of time. It's like playing a game of Jenga… eventually the one piece will be pulled out that will cause the whole tower to fall. And whereas you can fool a lot of the people for a long, long, time – you cannot ever fool God even once. He KNOWS!!! There is no dark of night dark enough that His eyes cannot see. There is no whisper quiet enough that He cannot hear. But people either try to forget that - out of fear that He knows so much or because they don't believe that He is that personally invested in their daily lives to care that much about them.  Let me set you straight on that one … God sent His one and only Son to die on a cross for you – whatever could make you think that He then wouldn't pay attention to you afterwards? You matter to God. You may have had people in your lives that haven't been there for you – they haven't been there to show you day in and day out that you matter to them; but God is. He sees your hurts; he sees your pain AND scarily enough like in the church of Laodicea…HE sees your mehs! Revelation 3:15 NLT I know all the things you do - that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water I will spit you out of my mouth! You say I am rich; I have everything I want. I don't need a thing. And you don't even realize that you wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

God won't spit us out of His mouth when we serve Him with passion and intensity; hotly following after Him, and He also won't spit us out of His mouth when we haven't yet followed Him – it's only after we take that hotness and then grow cold that He finds us so nauseating. He's sickened by BACKSLIDERS!

There are a few reasons why they do this; people decide that they have no need of God; that over time they think they have it all figured out and that they can make it on their own and are in control of their own destiny. They begin to think; "what could God possibly give me that they don't already have?" Or people just go chameleon, (a chameleon adapts and changes color to blend in with the surroundings) these people just fade into the background.

This world tells us that it's cool to be meh… that we should act like we don't care too much; and to try not to look like we put any work at all in how good we look….because we are thought of as odd when we are a little bit too enthusiastic.

Sociologist Tony Campolo makes the statement that "we are caught up at a particular stage in our lives in which we're not only materialistic but worse than that we're becoming dead as people. We don't sing, dance or even commit sin with much enthusiasm." Just dull, dreary, lukewarm - meh. How does it happen in our faith? I say it happens by one of two things… pride thinking you don't need God or deception thinking that you can manage Him.

 James 1:22 The Message don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are and what they look like.  

People begin to merely listen to the word but not do what it says. We come to church or CYM more out of habit than anything else. But we don't allow it to actually change us into the people that God wants us to become. And I think it happens slowly over time….just how an ice cold glass of water becomes lukewarm and a hot cup of coffee goes room temperature over time. This church at Laodicea had grown lukewarm over time too.

Hypocrisy: the practice of professing beliefs, feelings or virtues that we don't really have. Pretending to be something you're not, or possess something that you don't have.

Long ago, there was a King who always wanted the latest and greatest for his royal wardrobe. One day, a couple of brave cheaters came to his kingdom bragging about this new material they discovered. They said it had magical powers: that if anyone was wise and had fine taste in clothing; the material would shine with unbelievable beauty. But to anyone who was ignorant about fashion, foolish or incompetent, the material would be completely invisible. The king was overjoyed! He could look good and show off his wisdom at the same time, so he put the men to work making him a new suit. Finally, the day came when it was time for the king to put on his new suit and parade around in front of the entire city for everyone to see. The whole town had heard about this magic fabric and wanted to see it for themselves, if they were wise enough to see it… of course…In the king's chambers, the designers came in, pretending to dress the king. They pretended to adjust his collar, as if the fabric were really there. They pretended to double check their measurements and straighten out his royal cape, but deep down inside everyone including the king, knew there was really nothing there.
And although the King was entirely un-covered, everyone just pretended to admire his new outfit. So here's the king, naked as a blue jay, frolicking around the city center while nobody dared to laugh or say a word out of fear that they would be labeled unwise. As he paraded naked through the city center, everyone pretended to see the beautiful new suit. Except for one little boy who turned to his mom and said, "The King isn't wearing any clothes," but she just shushed him and pretended along with all the others to believe, because no one wanted to admit they had anything lacking.

People in the church do this all the time: they continue to pretend that their nakedness isn't there either and it leads them to their destruction. The church of Laodicea in the book of Revelation pretended everything was all good. They thought they were successful, rich and lacking nothing but Jesus had news for them; that although successful by outward appearances, they were actually critically wounded.

They were neither hot nor cold. They were just meh; they didn't care if they were growing closer to God. They were just going through the motions because everyone who was around them was doing the same.

Truth is that you are either growing or dying when it comes to your faith. There is no in between. You are NEVER afforded the opportunity to stay put.

The scripture shows us some of the reasons for their demise.

You say I am rich; I have everything I want. I don't need a thing. And you don't even realize that you wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

They said they were rich.
Rich in what? Never confuse money with the blessings of God. There are a lot of poor millionaires in this world. The bible tells us instead to store up our treasures in Heaven.

They assumed because they lacked for nothing, that they were on the right track. How sad it is when a church or a Christian measures his own spiritual state by the comfort of his life or worse yet their meh friends. Just because things are going well – we cannot look at our lives and think we are in God's will. If that were the case; where would that leave Paul? Paul was shipwrecked, snake bit, flogged, beaten robbed, blinded, imprisoned and starved and yet he wrote a large portion of the New Testament.

God tells them you think you are rich; have everything and don't need a thing

But your true condition is that you are  Wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

Wretched, because they weren't even able to see themselves as they truly were –not unlike this King in the story. They were in a deplorable state of distress and misfortune but they didn't even recognize it. They were headed to hell and they didn't even see it coming.

Miserable , because they weren't able to recognize it  inside of  themselves that they were actually very uncomfortable and unhappy.

Blind because they were unaware of how they appeared before Christ.

 

 Pitiful, because they were not what they thought they were. They inspired him to feel contempt and pity when He looked upon them. 

Naked, because they depended upon themselves and not on Christ, they were not clothed in His righteousness. That comes when we accept His free gift of salvation. Sin drags us down, kills our motivation, separates us from God and makes us Luke warm in our walk with God.

Isaiah 61:10 The Message says…He dressed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara.

Outright hatred of God and self deception have the exact same outcome…an eternity spent away from God.

Christ would have us either be a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter morning, or an ice cold drink on a hot summer day. But when we are lukewarm, or room temperature, we just aren't that appealing to Him or others.

Meh is the state of being moderate - inferior in quality: just so so…ordinary.

The Laodicea church was the same way that many churches are today…
They seem to be successful, they have people showing up every week to hear a message that they can count on to be pretty anemic where their friends won't be offended (if they ever asked them to join them in the first place) and they look at church as a place where they can be entertained, fed and sent on their way to feel good about themselves for another week.

But that's not enough…God tells us that mindset is our undoing.

Rev 3:18-19 The Message. I advise you to buy gold from me, gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. And buy ointment for your eyes so that you will be able to see. I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.