But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8, NIV
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:14-18, NIV
Recently I read a couple of articles by Dr. Charles Stanley. One was titled, “The Comfortable Church”, and the other, “Left as Witnesses”, (www.intouch.org). About this same time I listened to a podcast by Dr. Adrian Rogers, titled, “How to Keep Your Spiritual Fire Burning”, (www.oneplace.com). Even though the reference texts used were different, the themes presented had much in common: as Christians we aren’t doing what we’ve been commanded to do.
Dr. Stanley’s viewpoint is that we’ve become comfortable and cozy in our churches; we don’t see ourselves as servants of the Lord; we have a self-serving, self-centered focus. However, Christ left us with this command—to be His witnesses; He commanded us to go and take His good news to a lost and dying world which means we must go outside our comfort zone and into the enemy’s territory. We are not to become “a self-contained sanctuary of Christian comfort”. We’ve not been called to “a life of comfortable tradition”, but we’ve been called to “an adventure of obedience”.
Dr. Rogers speaks of lukewarm Christians; calling them “ho-hum” Christians. When we become comfortable and self-satisfied in our churches, we become indifferent about personal holiness, unconcerned about service, uninterested in God’s word, lukewarm in prayer, and apathetic in sacrifice. We pray without fasting; we witness without tears; and we give without sacrifice. Dr. Rogers labels lukewarmness the best alibi for the unsaved; it yawns in the face of God and is equivalent to blasphemy.
Salvation is an experience and gift to be savored and shared. God blesses us so that we might be a blessing to others. Go. Tell. Make disciples. You don’t need a degree from a seminary to be affective—you already have everything you need within your soul—the Holy Spirit. You need only tell of your experience; the Lord will do the rest. Step out of your comfort zone with confidence, knowing the Holy Spirit is with you and that you are being obedient to the command of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Make yourself fully available to God and He will make you victorious.
God Bless!
