Daniel Hope

In my recent efforts to learn how to make coffee, I have somewhat acquired a taste for the stuff. My limited coffee-drinking experience has taught me that there is a rather small window of time in which I must drink a cup of coffee. All of you that are reading this article over a nice, warm cup of coffee know from first-hand experience that a fresh cup of coffee is often too hot to drink comfortably at first. But you also are well aware—as I now am—that within minutes the same cup of coffee is often not quite hot enough to drink.

A similar process unfortunately occurs in the lives of many Christians. Call it "the Christian cooling process" or whatever else you like…we all know what I’m talking about. We are well aware that many people start out as "steaming saints"—on fire for the Lord—only to soon become "cool Christians"—going through the motions, satisfied with the status quo, comfortable in their complacency. We also know that Jesus speaks of these "lukewarm" Christians in language that is not at all pleasant.

Jesus’ letter to the church in Laodicea should motivate us all to take our spiritual temperatures.

In this letter Jesus very clearly condemns, "You are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16 NKJV).

Being situated in a region with many hot springs, the Laodiceans quickly "got the picture" that Jesus was painting of them. Like the tepid water that was piped into their town from these hot springs, they were lukewarm.

It seems like these Laodiceans, like many modern Christians, considered themselves to be "middle-of-the-road" people. They didn’t like to be called "extremists" any more than you or I do. They very likely had convinced themselves that the middle road is always the best road.

What they failed to realize is that Jesus sometimes calls for extreme obedience. Jesus’ words should ring in the ears of the lukewarm individual, "Sell your possessions. Drop your nets. Cut off your hand. Pluck out your eye." These are statements made by a Man who is not satisfied with "middle-of-the-road" obedience. Religion practiced in moderation is not good enough for the One who gave His life for us. But it is evidently good enough for many of His half-hearted followers.

These Laodiceans were people who had obviously put on their spiritual governors so as to be sure not to get too excited about serving God. They didn’t want to smile too big, sing too loudly, work too hard, give too liberally, attend church too regularly, or talk to others about Jesus too straightforwardly. Jesus very bluntly informs them that they are in a spiritual rut in the middle of the road. And they need to get out.

Jesus goes on to inform them that He would rather they were cold than lukewarm. To explain Jesus’ statement in the form of a tongue-twister: the Lord likes lukewarmness least. You see, Jesus would rather a person be a heathen in the world than a hypocrite in the church. Jesus could stomach a blatant sinner before He could a complacent Christian.

In very graphic language Jesus then lets them know that He will not stomach their lukewarm spirit for much longer. He threatens to vomit them out of His mouth if they do not become zealous and repent. Jesus is not depicted as being angry with them or grieved by them. He is presented as being thoroughly disgusted with them! Jesus is saying in not so few words, "You people make me sick!"

Let us learn from the Laodiceans’ sins and each ask ourselves, "Am I hot, cold, or lukewarm?" Maybe it’s time that we take our temperatures.