I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot… So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
—Revelation 3:15-16
Here’s a surprising danger to a life of purpose, one you might not expect: your own religion can get in the way. It’s true. Even your religious life can compete with the Jesus life and quietly crowd Him out.
Remember that Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount to a deeply religious crowd. But that crowd’s religion had calcified into something cold, lifeless, and heartless, a routine with no warmth and no heart left in it. And it was precisely that kind of religion that kept those people from seeking first the kingdom and His righteousness. They had the forms of faith, and none of the fire.
Jesus addressed this same deadly condition in His letter to the church in Laodicea, and His words are some of the harshest He ever spoke: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot… So then, because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Ouch. And notice who it’s aimed at, not the openly rebellious, but the lukewarm. The fence-sitters. The comfortably religious.
Why would Jesus prefer cold to lukewarm? Because lukewarm is the most deceptive condition of all. The cold person knows he’s far from God. But the lukewarm person has just enough religion to feel safe, just enough church to quiet the conscience, and no real fire at all. He’s harder to reach than the person who knows he’s lost, because he doesn’t think he needs reaching.
See how easily this happens. You fall into a little rut, a routine of showing up at church when it’s convenient and comfortable to have a religious experience. And all the while, Jesus is slipping further down your list of priorities and further from being your actual purpose in life. The religion stays; the relationship fades.
Now hear me clearly: I believe in going to church. You know I do, and I pray you do too. But we need to move beyond merely attending and spectating to actually seeking first the kingdom of God. There’s a world of difference between watching worship happen and worshiping, between attending a church and seeking the King.
And here’s the lie that keeps so many lukewarm: the fear that if they give Jesus the reign of their lives, if they let Him truly take over and be first, the party will be over. Nothing could be further from the truth. The party starts when we come to know Christ, and the party never ends when we seek first the kingdom and His righteousness. Surrender isn’t the end of joy; it’s the beginning of it.
So don’t let your religion get in the way of your Savior. When we stop putting ourselves and our idols first and make Him first, when we surrender to the supremacy of the King, we become everything He desires us to be. We discover God’s best. Don’t settle for lukewarm. Burn hot for Jesus.
DON’T LET LUKEWARM RELIGION GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR SAVIOR. THE PARTY NEVER ENDS WHEN YOU SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM.
