Maundy Thursday: Give Me Those Feet

 

One Last FMC Shreveport Podcast

The season of ministry at First Methodist Church Shreveport is coming to an end, and I am forever thankful for the time we have had together. Our Communications Director and I filmed the above video to reflect on the last 10 years! 

And this is the letter I posted on Sunday, February 25: 

Nearly eleven years ago, I was laying in the Port Au Prince, Haiti airport, plagued with a parasite and simply trying to get a flight home. It was there that a team from First Methodist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana came over to check on me. (Well, not everyone on that team came over. I’ll never let Kay Ferguson and Jann Cox, two of my very best friends, live that down.) Not too long after that chance encounter, I received a call from Dr. Jonathan Beck and Dr. Pat Day, and as they say, “the rest is history.”  

 

As I write to you today, my heart overflows with love, gratitude, and a bittersweet ache. For ten years, you have been more than just a congregation; you have been my family, my haven, and my home. You welcomed me with open arms, celebrated my joys, supported me through trials, and nurtured the gifts God placed within me.

 

It was within these sacred walls that I met the love of my life, Christopher Harbuck, and your blessings filled our wedding with warmth and grace. When the storm of cancer threatened to drown me, your prayers became my life raft, keeping me afloat with hope and love. You challenged me and encouraged my journey to become a preacher and teacher, and witnessed every step of my transformation with unwavering support. And when my son, Mac, arrived from Haiti, you loved and cared for him as if you’d known him his whole life. 

 

And so, with a heavy heart, I must share that God is leading me on a new path. After much spirit-stirring and prayer, I have accepted a pastoral position at a church in Texas. (And to honor that great church, I will wait and announce the specifics of the call after they have announced the transition at their church.) This decision did not come easily, for leaving this sweet community is like leaving a piece of my heart behind.

 

But I trust that God's hand will guide my steps, and I believe this new opportunity aligns with His calling on my life. As our Lenten study taught us this week, growth often requires change, and Christopher, Mac, and I are ready for this next season of growth.

 

This transition won’t take place until this summer, as Sunday, June 23^rd will be my last Sunday. I have a lot of traveling to do to say farewell to the global mission family we have built together. And my husband, Christopher, will be designing his schedule to split time between locations to continue his commitment to the clients he loves so very much. And so, I hope these next few months will be a beautiful time of reflection and celebration of our great church. 

 

Though miles may separate us, the bonds we formed in Christ will remain forever strong. I cherish the memories we shared, the laughter we enjoyed, and the tears we shed together. Your unwavering love and support have shaped me into the person I am today, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

 

May God bless each and every one of you abundantly. May He continue to shower you with His love, grace, and guidance. And I love you.

Wholehearted: Love God with All Your Soul

 

WHOLEHEARTED: SOUL

 

Joseph and Mary loved their son. Even more, they loved God. They were devout Jews, so naturally, they followed all of the Jewish laws and customs. Perhaps their most sacred duty was to recite the Shema. For thousands of years, every evening and every morning, Jews have prayed these words as a way of expressing their devotion to God. In fact, the Jewish Law instructs that when a child starts to speak, they are immediately taught the first verse of the Shema. 

 

And what is the Shema? (S-H-E-M-A) The actual word is translated “hear” or “listen”. It’s all about action. In Hebrew, hearing and doing are the same thing. So naturally, the first words Jesus memorized were words He would come to know from Deuteronomy 6:4:

 

Listen, Hear, SHEMA, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 

 

This formative prayer served as the foundation for all of Jesus’ teachings. 

 

At the height of His ministry, we find Jesus surrounded by the chief priests and the elders. Their tempers were flaring. They were angry with how He portrayed them as the antagonists in His parables. So, they called in the Pharisees to catch Him in His words. And when they didn’t succeed, the Sadducees jumped in to see if they could debate His interpretations. 

 

Finally, one of the teachers of the law, who had been watching the debate from the sidelines, stepped forward. He had been impressed with Jesus’ teachings, and curiously asked, “Teacher, of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 

Now, Jesus didn’t have to complete an exegesis of the 613 Jewish laws to answer this question. Nor did He quickly recite the 10 Commandments. He knew the one commandment that had been flowing from His heart to His tongue for all of His life. He quickly answered: 

 

“The most important one is this: ‘Hear, Shema, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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.”

 

We began a new sermon series last Sunday entitled Wholehearted – exploring the Shema and what it means to wholeheartedly love God and love our neighbors. Our knowledge, our existence -- everything we are -- is to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength.

 

For devout Jews, and us today, loving means faithful obedience to our covenant relationship with God and His commandments. Obedience to these laws isn’t about legalism or trying to earn God’s favor — it’s about loving God by actively listening and responding to His teachings.

 

Last week, we focused on the heart. Scripture teaches us to love God with all our emotions and desires, passions and thoughts, affections and will.

Today, we’re moving to that second word – love the Lord our God with all our soul.  

 

The word “soul” can often feel like a vague word. Its translation in English comes with a lot of baggage from ancient Greek philosophy. It’s the idea that the soul is a non-physical, immortal essence that’s contained or trapped in our body to be released at death. In our culture today, soul is synonymous with jazz and blues music. Or here in the south – soul food is southern comfort food. 

 

But all of these notions are totally foreign to the biblical meaning. 

 

The Hebrew word for “soul” is nephesh. N-E-P-H-E-S-H. It occurs over 700 times in the Old Testament. 

 

The most basic meaning of nephesh is throat. When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, they were hungry and thirsty, and they said to God, “We miss the cucumbers and melons we had in Egypt, and now our nephesh has dried up!” 

 

And since your whole life and body depend on what comes in and out of your throat, nephesh could also be used to refer to the whole person. In Genesis, there were thirty-three nephesh in Jacob’s family. That is, thirty-three people. And on the first pages of the Bible, both humans and animals are called a living nephesh. 

In Scripture, people don’t have a nephesh; rather, they are a nephesh — a living, breathing, physical being. Psalm 119 reads, “Let me live, that I may praise you.” In Hebrew, the poet literally says, “let my nephesh live, that it may praise you." By using nephesh, the poet emphasizes his entire being - his life and his body - offers thanks to God.

And my favorite use of nephesh comes in Psalm 42: 

“As the deer pants for the water, so my soul - nephesh - pants after you. 

My soul - nephesh - thirsts for the living God.” 

 

So, on a physical level, your throat can be thirsty. But then physical thirst can become a metaphor for how your whole physical being longs to know, and be known, by your Creator. 

 

This brings us all the way back to the Shema. To love the Lord with all your soul – all your nephesh - means to devote your whole physical existence to your Creator. It’s about offering your entire being, with all of its capabilities and limitations, in the effort to love God wholeheartedly. 

 

Now, we can usually visualize what it might look like to love God with our hearts and minds. But what about the soul? 

 

If the soul is the deepest part of who we are, the part of us that searches and yearns for something more than just the physical day-to-day life, then the soul is also the most vulnerable part of who we are. It’s the part of us that sincerely longs to love, believe, and find purpose. 

Ecclesiastes describes the spiritual part of us as having an eternal and divine sense of purpose, which God has implanted in our hearts. And only God can satisfy this. 

 

Have you ever felt the empty feeling of a dissatisfied soul? Perhaps it was before you were a follower of Christ and that’s what prompted you to search for God in the first place? No amount of pleasure, attention, or success could fill the void. Perhaps it was during the pandemic? Or maybe during a crisis of health or relationship? 

 

When our souls are dissatisfied, we start to feel like nothing is good enough. We become dissatisfied with our marriage, our job, home, school, even our schedule. We start to crave more and more, looking for ways to feel satisfied. 

 

This craving for more is actually a sign that our souls need God, but often we confuse the signal for something else. And instead of turning to God, we try to fill the emptiness inside us with: 

·      more things,

·      more approval from people around us, 

·      more success at work, 

·      or more sources of physical and emotional comfort. 

 

Remember Psalm 42: 

As the deer pants for streams of water,
So my soul pants for you, my God.

 

Our souls thirst for God — not for more things we think will satisfy us. 

Unless we stop, and pay attention to what our soul needs, we will always look for love in all the wrong places. 

 

But where in the Bible does it tell us how exactly to love God with all our soul? 

 

I found myself reading Luke chapter 7 this week, as you do. And two things popped out – gratitude and forgiveness. Let’s read through this story together, and see if you think this teaches us how to love God with the deepest parts of our soul. 

 

Luke chapter 7, beginning in verse 36:

 

One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him. 

So, Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house, 

and He took his place at the table. 

There was a woman in that town who had lived a sinful life. 

She learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. 

So, she came there with a special jar of perfume. 

She stood behind Jesus and cried at His feet.

 And she began to wet his feet with her tears. 

Then she wiped them with her hair. 

She kissed them and poured perfume on them. 

The Pharisee, who had invited Jesus, saw this. 

He said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, 

he would know who is touching him. 

He would know what kind of woman she is. She is a sinner!”

 

This story introduces us to two very different people:

 

First, Simon the Pharisee:

• He was probably well-respected in his community, with a good, clean reputation, holding strictly to religious traditions.
• He was hospitable. He had a home nice enough to host Jesus and His friends for dinner.
• On the outside, he seems to be what many of us would consider a good guy, trying to do the right thing
• In fact, he could be any one of us. 

 

But then we learn a few other things about Simon:

• While he did good things on the outside, his thoughts on the inside were that of a very critical observer. 
• He looked down on Jesus, and the sinful woman, noticing what he perceived as their faults, without admitting any of his own. 

 

Now, I can relate to Simon, and maybe you can, too! I’ve been known to be a little self-righteous here and there. Like Simon, in my head, it’s easy for me to criticize others, instead of being humble and aware of my own sins and weaknesses. When I get that way, I become full of myself — convinced I’m right, and empty of the things that matter - like love, gratitude, and mercy.

 

But what about that “sinful woman”? What do we know about her?

• Well, clearly, we know she “had lived a sinful life.” 
• She had a reputation in the community, and never would’ve made the guest list to this dinner party.
• She was familiar with the guilt, regret, and shame that come from sinful choices. 

 

I think we all can relate to many of these feelings, too. I’ve felt the pain of regret, the fear of being judged, and the shameful consequences of making bad life choices. 

 

Yet it’s this woman who gives us a picture of what it looks like to love God with all our soul. 

 

Throughout Scripture, spiritual lessons often come through the people we least expect. And the same is true here. The Pharisee, an expert in religious law, doesn’t teach us to love God with his everything. The sinful woman does. 

 

First, she cared more about Jesus than what people thought of her:

Despite her reputation, she showed up to a party she wasn’t invited to. That alone would take monumental boldness. She could’ve been kicked out or humiliated. Can you imagine the critical stares of the self-righteous people? But not only did she show up, she went out of her way to lovingly express her gratitude for Jesus.  

And how did she get this boldness? We later learn that her heart was deeply moved by Jesus’ love and forgiveness. This forgiveness meant so much to her that any concern about other people’s opinions of her flew right out the window.

 

Second, she was vulnerable and unguarded:

She didn’t hide in the crowd to watch Him from a distance. She stood right behind Jesus and wept. She held nothing back, bawling tears filled with pain, sorrow, and regret — and likely hope, relief, and gratitude, too. The soul is, by definition, deep and emotional. This woman vulnerably opened her heart to love God with all her soul. 

 

Third, she sacrificed:

She brought a jar of costly perfume to Jesus. This perfume may have been the most valuable item she owned. Loving God with all our soul means recognizing that nothing is more valuable than our relationship with God.

 

And fourth, she was humble:

It must have taken great humility for this woman to wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair and tears in front of so many people. Yet, she simply served Him, carrying out a humbling task with great willingness and eagerness. This was her way of admitting her great need for Jesus, as well as her gratitude for Him.  

 

As He so often did, Jesus turned this into a teachable moment. He knew Simon’s thoughts without him saying a word, and responded to this religious man with a lesson about love. Verses 40-47:

 

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you. 

Two people owed money to a certain lender. 

One owed him 500 silver coins. 

The other owed him 50 silver coins. 

Neither of them had the money to pay him back. 

So, he let them go without paying. 

Which of them will love him more?”

 

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who owed the most money.”

“You are right,” Jesus said.

Then He turned toward the woman. 

He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?

 I came into your house. 

You didn’t give me any water to wash my feet. 

But she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 

You didn’t give me a kiss. 

But this woman hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. 

You didn’t put any olive oil on my head. 

But she has poured this perfume on my feet.”

 

Jesus used this illustration to teach us what it takes to love Him with the deepest, most vulnerable parts of our souls. In the story, the guy who had the most debt forgiven was naturally the most grateful and loving. 

And the sinful woman gave God her all, because she was so incredibly grateful for His forgiveness. 

 

Gratitude is key to loving God with all our soul. The Bible tells us that we love God because He first loved us. We can’t love God with all our soul if we have lost our gratitude for Him and all He has done for us. 

 

And how do we lose gratitude?

 

1.       Complaining –Complaining focuses our minds on everything we don’t have, and everything that seems to be going wrong in our lives, and makes us forget all the things that are going right. Don’t get me wrong. Lament is good. It’s biblical. But if that’s all we do, our love for God will suffer.

2.      Comparing – When we compare our lives to other people’s lives, we often focus only on what we don’t have, instead of remembering what we do have. 

3.      Forgetting answered prayers – It hurts our relationship with God when we don’t take time to acknowledge the prayers He has answered for us and the desires He has fulfilled.

 

Gratitude is powerful. A one-time act of thoughtful gratitude produces an immediate 10% increase in happiness and 35% reduction in anxiety. 

 

If you feel you’ve lost your love for God, know this: 

gratitude can bring back that lovin’ feeling. :)

 

Jesus concluded in verse 47:

So, I tell you this. Her many sins have been forgiven. 

She has shown that she understands this by her great acts of love.

But whoever has been forgiven only a little, loves only a little.

 

The woman in this passage showed great love for Jesus because she understood His forgiveness. We can’t love God wholeheartedly with all our souls without recognizing and understanding how much we have been forgiven. And we can’t recognize how much we have been forgiven without recognizing our sin. 

 

Now this isn’t something that comes natural to me. Perhaps I want to prove to myself, and others, that I am not sinful. Perhaps I feel like Christianity is about having a perfect performance, instead of realizing I can never earn my salvation on my own. Perhaps I feel insecure about what others will think of me. 

 

The Bible refers to this woman as “the sinful woman.” There’s no question she was sinful. And actually, according to Romans, everyone has sin, right?! So, we could all be referred to as “the sinful man” or “the sinful woman.” Jesus came to forgive our sins, and He shows us He will forgive us by the way He treats this woman. 

 

We can, and should, have the kind of experience this woman had with Jesus every time we spend time with Him. When we recognize and admit our sins, we can experience the same gratitude, love, forgiveness, and security that she found in her relationship with Jesus.

 

But when our focus shifts from God to people, our fear of rejection stops us from wanting to admit our sins and shortcomings. The woman in the story was singularly focused on Jesus. She wasn’t concerned with what others thought because she knew only Jesus’ view of her mattered. And He forgave her.

 

So, what did Luke Chapter 7 teach me this week? Gratitude and a deep understanding of God’s forgiveness are key to loving God with all our soul – all our nephesh. And the love we experience through gratitude and forgiveness results in faithfulness and obedience. These are the truths that can transform us from the inside out to love Jesus wholeheartedly with all our soul – all our nephesh. 

 

And, of course, my favorite theologian, Henri Nouwen, summed it up best:

 

“Jesus has to be, and become, ever more the center of my life. 

It is not enough that Jesus is my teacher, my guide, my source of inspiration. 

It is not even enough that He is my companion on the journey,

 my friend and my brother. 

Jesus must become the heart of my heart, the fire of my life, 

the love of my soul, the truth of my spirit. 

He must become my only thought, my only concern, my only desire.” 

That is to say: 

 

Listen! Hear! Shema, O, First Methodist Church: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

 

May we give Jesus, today and every day, our wholehearted devotion. 
Amen. And Amen. 

Dear Church: Laodicea

 

Laodicea: The Lukewarm Church

Revelation 3:14-22

The Message to the Church in Laodicea

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.

"Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

 

 

It was the last week of His life. Jesus had made the trek from Galilee through the wilderness, over the Mount of Olives and into Jerusalem. He had preached on the Teaching Steps and stirred up the tempers amongst all the priests. As He left the Temple in Jerusalem, His disciples followed Him through the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives. They were hanging on every word of His teaching, and though they may not have understood everything at the time, they were eager to listen. They asked Him, “What will signal Your return and the end of the world?” After speaking of the end of days, He told them three parables about the Kingdom of Heaven, all of which we find in Matthew chapter 25:

 

·      First, the maidens considered themselves friends of the bridegroom, but they didn’t live in a way that anticipated his return. They’re thinking only about how to make things comfortable in the present moment, not how to be faithful in their assignment to God.

·      The second parable was about the wicked servant, who considers himself in the employ of the Master, but he’s never offered his talents without reserve for the kingdom. He always holds a little back. 

·      Finally, the goats and the sheep. The “goats” are surprised to be rejected by Jesus, who they thought they were faithfully serving. But when it came to pouring themselves out for the oppressed people of God, they weren’t engaged at all.

 

What did all three of these parables have in common? They described lukewarm believers. 

·      Lukewarm, an indifference to God.

·      Lukewarm, dying of conviction.

·      Lukewarm, average, neither hot, nor cold.

·      Not serving with energy and enthusiasm

·      Not living fervently for the Lord

 

Here’s the sobering fact about these parables: With Jesus, there is no middle ground. You’re either committed to the mission, all-in for Jesus, and using your resources for His people and His kingdom, or you’re not. You are either a sheep or a goat. And that puts the lukewarm Christian in a very precarious position.

 

This concept of a “lukewarm Christianity” has its roots in Revelation chapter 3, where Jesus criticizes the church in Laodicea for being full of believers who were neither hot nor cold — not unbelieving, but not on fire for Jesus, either. 

 

Over the last weeks, we’ve explored the seven letters written to the seven churches in Asia Minor: 

 

·      Ephesus: The Forgetful Church

·      Smyrna: The Persecuted Church

·      Pergamum: Satan’s Throne

·      Thyratira: Jezebel’s Jewel

·      Sardis: The Dead Church

·      Philadelphia: The Faithful Church

·      And today, we end with Laodicea: The Lukewarm Church

The letter to the Laodiceans is, by far, the harshest of the seven letters. So, buckle up! And pull out that sermon quiz!

 

The Laodicean church was independent, self-satisfied, and secure. “We need nothing!” they claimed… all the while, their spiritual power had been decaying. Their material wealth and glowing statistics were but shrouds hiding a rotting corpse.

 

In the text Steven read earlier, Jesus diagnosed the Laodiceans with three ailments:

 

1 - Spiritual Poverty: They boasted they were rich, when in fact they were poor. They were financially wealthy, yet spiritually bankrupt. They lacked spiritual riches, which only come through Christ; for when God blesses Christians with prosperity, He expects Christ-centered stewardship. 

2 - Spiritual Nakedness: Nakedness in Scripture is a metaphor for defeat and humiliation. The Laodiceans pretended to be clothed in righteousness, but in fact, they were naked, lacking righteous acts. Instead of being on fire for the Lord, they were lukewarm. Therefore, Christ counseled them to procure “white garments” from Him, so their shame might be covered. 

 

3 - Spiritual Blindness: By calling the Laodiceans “blind”, Christ was presenting a paradox. The city was famous for its export of a powder that created an eye salve when mixed with water. Yet the Laodicean church had lost its spiritual perception. The only salve for spiritual blindness is repentance and submission to the Lord, asking Him for the wisdom of His Spirit to restore our spiritual sight. 

 

So, what else do we know about these Laodiceans and their city? To the southeast of their ancient city was the mountainous region of Hierapolis. It contained hotmineral springs that were believed to have healing qualities. To the northwest of Laodicea were the mountains of Colossae, producing streams of ice-cold water from melting snow.

 

Water from both of these regions flowed down through aqueducts into pools outside of Laodicea. There, they combined to form tepid, stagnant ponds. They were neither hot (and good for bathing), nor cold (and good for drinking). Either hot or cold is good, but lukewarm is most definitely not.

 

Just consider coffee. Is there anything better than a piping-hot, triple-shot, extra foam, mocha drizzle café latte? I don’t think so. 

 

Unless it’s an ice-cold salted caramel cold foam, cold brew in the afternoon.

 

I love hot coffee, and I love cold coffee. But if I taste a cup of coffee that’s room temperature because it’s been sitting on the counter all day, then I’m going to spit it out!

 

To my knowledge, Jesus wasn’t a coffee drinker. But Jesus uses this very image of hot and cold water in Revelation 3, verses 15 & 16 to describe the believers in Laodicea. He says:

 

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.”

 

Let me translate His words for you. He’s saying: 

·      You are lukewarm! 

·      You’re characterized by neither the warm passion that fuels sacrifice, 

nor the awakening refreshment of a cold shower. 

·      There is nothing distinctive about you. 

·      You claim to flow from Me, 

but you feel and look more like your environment than Me. 

 

Why were they lukewarm? Jesus continues in verse 17, “You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ Yet you don’t realize that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”

 

And just how rich were these Laodiceans?

 

The community was proud of its cloth and dyeing industries. They had developed a black wool that had become famous all over the Roman Empire. And it had a hefty price tag!   

 

And in the year 61, there was a devastating earthquake in the valley, destroying every city in the region. The Romans granted federal funds to allow each city to rebuild. But the Laodiceans wouldn’t take it, saying, 

“We don’t need your money. We can handle this ourselves.”

 

In the history of government, I have to imagine this was the only time federal aid was simply turned down!! The Laodiceans were so proud and so self-sufficient that they turned down free money. And that sense of self-sufficiency pervaded the church. They weren’t a people who cried out desperately for God because they thought they had it all under control. They may have had wealth in their clothing, but they were naked before God.

 

Jesus continues with one of the most well-known verses of the Bible, verse 20: “Behold! I stand at the door and knock.” 

 

The idea of Jesus standing at a door and knocking is often used as an illustration of Jesus’ offer of salvation to individuals: if you would only “open your heart’s door” and let Jesus into your life, all will be well. But here, Jesus is not pleading with an individual to be saved; He’s seeking admittance to a church! Jesus is standing and saying this on the outside of the Laodicean church!

 

The Laodiceans had become so self-sufficient, so complacent, and so satisfied with their riches, they don’t even realize Jesus is not inside anymore. The Laodicean church had shut the door on the Head of the church; they were smug in their prosperity, which left Jesus standing in the cold. He was an outsider to the hearts of the entire congregation.

 

Yet Christ’s appeal was heartfelt and urgent: “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me.” He was inviting everyone in the church to experience intimate fellowship with Him. And even though His desire was for the whole church to respond and open the door to Him, ultimately it was up to each individual to decide.

 

Jesus knows not everyone will answer His invitation and open the door to a relationship with Him. Many, like those living in Laodicea, will choose to reject His call. Lukewarm, and with hardened hearts, they will remain blind to the fact they have accepted a false righteousness. 

 

And, why should any of this bother you?? Well… I’m going to say this… And I may be going out on a limb… And you might hate me… did you really come for a lukewarm sermon?! 

 

Friends, I believe WE are Laodicea.

 

Listen to how Francis Chan, in his book Crazy Love, profiles today’s lukewarm Christian:

 

·      Lukewarm Christians are those people who sit in churches and believe the Gospel message … but are not really sold out to Jesus and not meaningfully engaged in His mission.

 

·       Lukewarm Christians don’t really want to be saved from their sin. They want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. God is a useful fire escape they employ, not a God they worship.

 

·       Lukewarm Christians are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not do radical things themselves. Jesus frequently equates deeds with a person’s true spiritual state. Matthew records Jesus saying: “By their fruit you will recognize them,” and “Every good tree bears good fruit”. 

 

The lukewarm are those who claim to know God, but live as though He doesn’t exist. They may go to church and practice a form of religion, but their inner state is not one of radical transformation. Instead, it’s self-righteous complacency.

 

·       Lukewarm Christians equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness. But Jesus didn’t call us to sanitation; He called us to discipleship. If you are His follower, your life will not only be defined by avoiding sin, but also by entering into His suffering.

·       Lukewarm Christians rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. Like Charles Spurgeon said, “You are either a missionary or an impostor!”

·       Lukewarm Christians do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. David Platt says, “If you’re not in a place where you feel desperate for the Spirit of God, then there’s no way you are on the front lines of the mission. When we are on the front lines, we desperately feel our need for God’s help.”

·       Lukewarm Christians give God their leftovers — not their first and definitely not their best. Stop calling your complacency and apathy “a busy schedule” or “forgetfulness.” Call it what Malachi calls it: evil (Malachi 1:8).

Based on these statements, can you think of a more accurate picture of believers in the American church? 

 

Here’s why I answer that question “yes”:

 

In 2015, Pastor Mongerard from Darivager, Haiti visited the US for the first time, and he said two things that struck a chord with me: 

 

1)      We were driving around Shreveport, past the many, many storage buildings we have in this city! And he asked me: “What are all of these big buildings? They’re everywhere.” I explained to him that’s where we keep our belongings that don’t fit in our houses. He looked at me strangely, and asked, “So, do you go visit your stuff?” It made me think about where my priorities lie…

2)     Later that week, outside the Shreveport airport, right before he returned to Haiti, he looked at me with all the boldness he could muster, and said, “Ashley, we’ll pray for you even more now. We in Haiti may have material poverty, but you here have spiritual poverty. We will pray for the American Church.” 

The more I’ve traveled around the world, the more I realize this is the observation of many who have visited our country. When Christians in poorer parts of the world come to the U.S. and visit our churches, they see us gathering for an hour on Sunday mornings to check a box. They’re appalled by our lukewarm-ness — by how little we pray, how little we give, how much we spend on ourselves, and what we think we can’t live without. They are stunned with how afraid we are to live counter-culturally when some of them are being persecuted for their faith.    

But to our credit… No one sets out to be a Laodicean. No one gives their life to Christ and says, “Well, I’ll be a part-time Christian.” No one joins a church and says, “Well, I’ll go when it’s convenient.” But slowly over time, we let down our guard. We become susceptible to culture.

 

And that’s when Jesus jumps in, and says in verse 19: 

Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline.

 

My parents learned very quickly that to discipline me and see a change of behavior, they didn’t have to take things away, or ground me from fun activities. The way to see a transformation in my behavior was to sit me down and say, “Ashley, I’m so disappointed in you.” 

 

So, when I hear Jesus say… “Your actions make me want to vomit,” I hear, “Ashley, I’m so disappointed in you.”

 

I have to think Jesus has such a visceral and personal reaction because 

this kind of apathy tells the world such a pernicious lie about Him.

 

The single biggest cause of atheism is hypocrisy - people who claim to know God, but are not distinct in any way from the world. Their passions are not boiling hot for Jesus, nor is their behavior like an awakening cup of cold water in the face. They’re suffering from spiritual poverty, spiritual blindness, and spiritual nakedness. 

 

This should be a sobering thought for every believer. If our passion for Jesus is pathetic, that means we’re telling the world there really isn’t much to be excited about over this fella named Jesus. Our lukewarm temperature tells the world that it’s ok to be bored with Jesus, that heaven isn’t all that great anyway.

 

But friends, here is the good news: even if our affections have grown lukewarm, Jesus still stands at the door and knocks. And why? Because He loved the Laodiceans. And He loves us.

 

During His earthly ministry, Jesus went to great lengths to demonstrate that righteousness comes to us as a gift through faith alone. For it’s by grace, through faith, that we enter the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock,” He was inviting the members of the Laodicean church to recognize their miserable spiritual condition and receive His authentic gift of salvation. And He offers the same to us. Like the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, the Laodiceans just needed to realize their absolute dependence on Christ. Hear what Paul said:

 

“I once thought things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith.”

To those who opened the door, Jesus promised a close fellowship, pictured as enjoying a meal together. And He offered this great reward in Revelation 3:21: “Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with My Father on His throne.” These words are Christ’s commitment to the Laodicean church.

And today, Jesus continues to say, “I stand at the door and knock!” 

 

To churches who are filled with nominal Christians, He sends out His earnest invitation for full fellowship. The One who holds the keys to the kingdom of heaven calls us all to hear His voice and open the door so He can come in and abide with us. To those who respond, Jesus guarantees the open door of eternal life and the reward of ruling with Him in heaven.

 

So, friends, open your heart to Him again today. Ask Him to transform your life into one of wholehearted devotion to Him, so that every detail of your life — your morals, your giving, the way you spend your time — will scream, “He is worthy!”