Lesson 106 – Lukewarm Faith
There are many who accept Jesus as Savior and then don’t pursue a relationship with Him. These people feel self-satisfied in whatever security and pleasure they have established in this life. They have successful careers, secure jobs, nice families and every earthly need fulfilled. In the Book of Revelations, we are told that the Laodicean Church was of this mindset. They had the wealth this life’s best circumstances offer but were not zealous for a relationship with Christ. They felt they had all they needed. And so, Jesus, in His reprimand of this church, said He would spit them out, because they were neither hot nor cold.
Jesus would rather have someone for or against Him, but not in the middle. He told this church that in his view, they were naked, blind and needy, because they were lacking the spiritual gifts that only He provides. He told them “Come to me, and I will give you milk and honey and all that you need without cost”. He was referring to the deep, spiritual food and drink that only He can provide.
Jesus seeks a deep relationship with each of us. Moreover, He initiates it. He says in Revelations “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and dine with him and he with me”. The Scriptures also tell us “Once you have received Him continue to grow in Him, being rooted and built up in Him, growing in the faith you were taught”. If we receive Jesus as Savior this is only the first step. We need to strengthen our relationship with Him daily so that we don’t become content with only the material goods this world provides.
All of us are naked and blind when it comes to our spiritual needs, and in this regard, we can do nothing on our own. We need to take hold of Jesus’ offer to pursue the spiritual food and drink He provides. We need to invite Him into our lives daily, if not several times a day, because we fall away and are lured by the stuff of this world. Pleasures this world offers are good, but don’t satisfy the deepest longings of our soul. So each day we need to spend time with Jesus in prayer and in His word, and deepen our relationship with Him. Otherwise we can become lukewarm.