True Christian in Christ Jesus!

“… 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.” – Relevation 3:14-16 NIV

These verses are quite difficult to act them out physically and spiritually. However, the  truth is that if we are living really comfortable life in Christ Jesus, to suit our feelings for Him and ourselves, depending on our circumstances or situations, then all of us are probably considered as lukewarm. In fact, James 4:4-5 says, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?” Pastor Dave Whitehead commented on Revelation 3:14-16 like this:

What does it mean to be lukewarm? We are neither hot with a passion for Christ nor cold with antagonism against God’s commands. Instead we have enough passion and antagonism mixed together to create apathy. We were created to live with conviction, no matter what that conviction is, and God considers anything less as a serious insult to the way that he made us.  

Therefore, instead of being lazy spiritually and physically and living really comfortable life, we should be always on fire for the Gospel with a passion of Christ—even if we have to sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2) and deny ourselves for God’s sake (Matthew 16:24-27). This is because Romans 12:11-12 urges, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17) Furthermore, Mark 10:29-30 strongly declares, ‘“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--along with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life.” What Jesus means is that we ought to love them less than Him (Luke 14:26-27) and His word (Matthew 7:24-27; Philippians 1:27-29). This is because Jesus Christ simply orders, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Then he [Jesus Christ] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38)

As I think and meditate on the topic verses of today’s devotional, I actually do not know whether I am a lukewarm, or not. This is because when I decided that I am going to fix my time-arrangements, I decided that I am going to divide the prayer requests and specifically pray for them each night. This is probably right way to manage my time because I really want to wake up early to write devotionals. However, prayer is the most equipment that Christians should have, for it is considered as the most powerful weapon of God (1 John 5:14-15). Hence, I decided that I am just going to go with the flow of the Holy Spirit, whether it is a day or night, even though everything might not work out as I expect to be. Other than managing my time, I regret that I had been lukewarm when I was in New York. This is because I watched pornography, even though I know that I am supposed to watch it, since I became a follower of Jesus.In addition to this, I was thinking like God will forgive me each time when I repent. However, that is kind of religious repentance. The true and the Gospel repentance is that confessing our sins to God and turn away from them (Acts 3:19-20), and hating sin itself. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Although sometimes temptations come within me to watch pornography or something like that, I am reminded that I am true Christian and religious repentance is useless and obsolete. However, I thank God that I did not produce any lustful desires within my heart when it comes to girls and women in the real world (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).