How Are We Doing?

Revelation‬ ‭3:14‭-‬20‬ ‭[14] “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: [15] ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. [16] So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. [17] Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, [18] I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. [19] Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. [20] Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

What can be said about what Jesus said to John in this portion of Scripture from the Book of Revelation? This message can be applied to this church age we are living in, to a local church, or to any one of us as an individual. I want to bring it right down to a personal level. We cannot control what the leaders of the local churches choose to do or what a local church chooses, but we can choose individually whether or not we will worship the Lord and truly live for Him. As time progresses, and as there have been times of prosperity, we have seen more and more Christians focus on gathering more of what the world offers, to the point of not wanting to sacrifice what has been gained. We go to the local church on Sunday and fulfill our religious duty, and then barely pray or read God's Word the rest of the week. For some, we don't even leave our homes to go to the local church, but instead settle for watching a service online. Please don't get me wrong. This is a great option for someone who is physically unable to go to the local church for corporate worship and service. However, far too many of us use it as a way to be at home doing other things, and barely pay attention to the message being delivered. We give our miserable tithes online as if doing God a favor, and as a way of quenching our guilt for not being where we should be on Sunday morning, serving as a vital part of the body. Sports, social media, work, hobbies, and other things have become our gods. God forbid we should get out of our comfort zone to share the Gospel with someone, or sacrifice our time, talents, or resources, to be a blessing to someone in need. We have become lukewarm as the church, and as individual believers who give God, and others, lip service at best. It is far past the time that we heed God's warning. He will not force Himself on us. However, His desire is that we would be either hot or cold for Him and His Kingdom, and either get busy with the things of God, or just stop pretending and go live for the world without the "Christian" facade. Remember this my friends, that one day very soon we will ALL stand before our God to give account for our lives. For those who reject Him altogether, to receive the punishment for their sins; and for those of us who have truly called on Him to receive or lose reward for how we served and lived for Him. So, how are we doing today?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).