If you’ve ever tried to BE a good Christian 100% of the
time by ACTING like a good Christian 100% of the time,
then I bet you know exactly what failure looks like.
It looks like a big ol’ F on a paper you thought you’d pass
because you copied all the right answers from someone
else.
Using our own fuel, or excitement, or emotions, it can be
really hard to be on fire for God and actually stay lit,
especially during a storm when you need the fire the
most! Just for yourself!
I spent most of my early “just got saved” days teeter-
tottering between “Yes Lord! Use me to change the world
RIGHT NOW!” To “God, are you there? Hello? Oh, forget
it.” Before I found a sweet spot at “Ok, at least I go to
church and say my prayers, if I keep this up, I’m good.”
And its easy to keep that up. Its easy to find a sweet spot
and stay there. Find something Christian to do that’s not
too hard and say, “yep, this right here is my portion!”.
You could even learn a few words in Christianese and
throw them around once in a while like: “Oh, I just feel a
great unction in my spirit to sit on this chair and wait, I
say, wait on the Lord for my new season, where I shall
reap my full harvest!”
And people can stay there all their lives without ever
bothering about being one of those Radical, On Fire for
God, Always-doing-something-crazy type Christians.
As long as you’re not cold right? As long as you’re kind of
going through the motions right? You know, just doing my
Christian thang, staying on the straight and narrow….you
know?
Well… Wrong….
According to Francis Chan these are the 18 signs that you
might just be a *gasp* “Lukewarm Christian” and I hope
that by the end of this, you can breathe a sigh of relief
and say “Wow, I’m so glad this is NOT me!!!”
1. Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is
what is expected of them, what they believe “good
Christians” do, so they go. Isaiah 29:13
2. Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the
church as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of
living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to
give, they do so, After all, God loves a cheerful giver,
right? 1 Chronicles 21:24, Luke 21:1-4
3. Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over
what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit
in both at church and outside of church; they care more
about what people think of their actions (like church
attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their
hearts and lives. Luke 6:26, Revelation 3:1, Matthew
23:5-7 4.
4: Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from
their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of
their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly
sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to
punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that
this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.
John 10:10, Romans 6:1-2.
5. Lukewarm people are moved by stories of people who
do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They
assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not
average ones. Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus
expected of all His followers. James 1:22, James 4:17,
Matthew 21:28-31
6. Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their
neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be
rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable
by talking about private issues like religion. Matthew
10:32-33
7. Lukewarm people gauge their morality or “goodness”
by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel
satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as
so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down
the street. Luke 18:11-12
8. Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is,
indeed, a part of their lives, their money, and their
thoughts, but he isn’t allowed to control their lives. Luke
9:57-62
9. Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him
with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be
quick to assure you they try to love God that much, but
that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the
average person; its only for pastors and missionaries and
radicals. Matthew 22:37-38
10. Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love
others as much as they love themselves. Their love for
others is typically focused on those who love them in
return, like family, friends, and other people they know
and connect with. There is a little love left over for those
who cannot love them back, much less for those who
intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes
than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or
uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very
selective, and generally comes with strings attached.
Matthew 5:43-47, Luke 14:12-14
11. Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there
are limits to how far they will go or how much time,
money, and energy they are willing to give. Luke 18:21-25
12. Lukewarm people think about life on earth much
more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly
focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and
next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever do they intently
consider the life to come. Philippians 3:18-20
13. Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and
comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as
possible to the poor. Matthew 25:34, 40, Isaiah 58:6-7
14. Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep
themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the
bare minimum, to be “good enough” without requiring too
much of them. 1 Chronicles 29:14, Matthew 13:44-46
15. Lukewarm people are continually concerned with
playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This
focus on safe living keeps them sacrificing and risking for
God. Matthew 10:28
16. Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend
church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were
baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican,
or live in America.
17. Luke warm people do not live by faith; their lives are
structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust
God if something unexpected happens-they have their
savings account. They don’t need God to help them—they
have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely
seek out what life God would have them live—they have
life figured and mapped out. They don’t depend on God
on a daily basis-their refrigerators are full and, for the
most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives
wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped
believing in God. Luke 12:16-21
18. Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than
average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different
from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially
sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more
wrong. Matthew 23:25-28, Luke 14:34-35
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