The title of this chapter was Profile of the Lukewarm. Right off the bat I read that & thought "Whew...this chapter won't be so bad. I'm not lukewarm, after all." Don't ya love how God is sitting back giggling when we say things like that?
At the start of the chapter, the author tells the story of the three seeds tossed on different kinds of ground & challenges us to consider which type we are. He explains "When the seed is flung out on the path, it is heard but it's quickly stolen away. When the seed is tossed onto the rocks, no roots take hold; there is an appearance of depth & growth because of the soil on the rocks, but it is only surface level. When the seed is spread among the thorns, it is received but soon suffocated by life's worries, riches & pleasures. But when the seed is sown in good soil, it grows, takes root and produces fruit."
The next sentence is where it hurts. Mr. Chan says "Do not assume you are good soil." Ouch. He goes on to say that most American churchgoers are the soil that chokes out the seed because of thorns. He asks "Are you satisfied being 'godly enough' to get into Heaven or to look good to others by comparison?" Or can you honestly say that you've been transformed & changed by Christ? Mr. Chan asks the readers to consider a profile of lukewarm Christianity & see if it fits them.
I won't expound greatly on each of the items on the "Lukewarm" list, but I will share the list with you. As I read through the list, I found myself mentally checking off the things I thought I had a good handle on & wincing at ones that hit a little too close to home. Take a gander at this list and see how you measure up. Are you on fire for God or feeling pretty lukewarm tonight? I marked in red the ones that really hit me hard or struck me as being particularly well-worded & thought provoking.
*Lukewarm Christians attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe "good Christians" do, so they go.
*Lukewarm Christians give money to charity & to the church so long as it doesn't 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?
*Lukewarm Christians 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 & giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.
*Lukewarm Christians don't really want to be saved from their sins; they want to be saved from the penalty of their sin.....lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.
*Lukewarm Christians 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.
*Lukewarm Christians 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.
*Lukewarm people gauge their morality or 'goodness' by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren't as hard-core as so-and-so, they are nowhere near as horrible as the guy down the street.
*Lukewarm people say they love Jesus and He is a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, their thoughts, but He isn't allowed to control their lives.
*Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their hearts, soul & strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn't really possible for the average person; it's only for pastors and missionaries and radicals.
*Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends & other people they know and connect with. There is little love leftover 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.
*Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money & energy they are willing to give.
*Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more than eternity in Heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today's to-do list, this week's schedule, and next month's vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, CS 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 one."
*Lukewarm people are thankful for their comforts & luxuries 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.
*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.
*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.
*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 in 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 we persist in calling this a Christian nation.
*Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so that they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens -- they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them -- they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live -- they have life figured & mapped out. They don't depend on God on a daily basis -- their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are healthy. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.
*Lukewarm people probably drink & swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren't very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn't be more wrong.
One of his closing statements WOW'd me. I think it will you, too!
Lukewarm & uncommitted faith is completely useless. It can't even benefit manure. (Luke 14:34-35)
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