- Today we specialise in being lukewarm for God!
- a mix of hot and cold.
Church doctrines (a mix of truth and error) plus our very own inclinations, gear
us for it - a comfortable convenience-religion - a mix of pleasing God and pleasing
ourselves — or trying to! - for we never can serve two masters, Jesus said.
Yet we persist, as mankind always has - professing to know Him, but in many ways our
works denying Him. We forever try and put new cloth to old garments (spiritually), and
even new wine into old wineskin - (not the first time the Queen of Heaven has
been worshipped in other tongues as the spirit gives utterance - all in the interests of
today’s super-lukewarm super-mix ecumenism).
We are told we can be Christians and knowingly carnal (sinful), profess
repentance, but not really be converted (changed). We just work at it …. do the best
we can!........click
So it is salvation but not from known sin, faith without the fruit of faith
(notwithstanding a tree being known by his fruits). There is an appeal to the Blood of
Christ, without a cleansing by it, and to His righteousness without accepting it in truth.
- SEED SOWN ON STONY GROUND - an example of the lukewarm mix. (Matthew
13:2O-21.)
Here is a mix or some good seed, stoniness, and surface soil.
It is unprepared ground, signifying unprepared hearts. They gladly receive the
gospel seed though superficially, as a quick-fix solution - but without the necessary
preparation of true repentance - a willingness to remove tile stones - turn from sin. John
the Baptist’s message is in word only (if that). There has been no proper …. prepare
ye the way of the Lord....REPENT! from sin now and forever; with no slop-gospel
excuses, sin-provisions or escape clauses! (of which the church today is chock-a-block to
the earholes! - note it every Sunday morning!)
Hidden stones of sin remain - unacknowledged, unrectified, unrepented of, unforsaken, and
maybe even carelessly unrecognised.
The God-is-love half gospel is received like a dog his vomit, and with great joy
and the new life and old comfortably coexist (like the man having his fill at the wedding
feast - but no wedding garment on!.... undetected until the test comes and heat
is turned up!
Then the shallowness of the soil covering the stony strata is revealed. There is no
root - no room for one; and so no overcoming the world, flesh and devil.....click
Here is a house not on the Rock, only half truths, or maybe some well-meaning religious
hysteria, or well-organised religious ‘good works’, or creeds of very irreverent
men (not to say daughters of renegade Eve!).
Added to that is the unbiblical, unrepentant, rank nonsense stare-walling of so-called
tolerance, judge not or no one is perfect (free from willful sin), or once
you’re saved you’re always saved – irrespective, mixed in with the soil of
good intentions and evangelical enthusiasm or holy ghost hype!
Isn’t it so sad....in fact plain bad?
- Yes, and just so SEED SOWN ON WEEDY GROUND. (Matthew 13:22, Mark
4:19 & Luke 8:14)
Again, here is a mix of the Christian life this time with the cares of this life,
deceitfulness of riches the pleasures of this life and the lust of other things’ -
including wordly friendships, lifestyles, interests, stand, standards, trends and fashions
(including anti-feminists attempting their anti-biblical thing - a mix/breakdown of gender
roles and personal presentation - again Eve style) our attempt to fit God into our mold -
our full and worldly personal, social, educational, business and employment schedules; a
life for God in the context of self!
Jeremiah (4:3) said, Thus says the lord, (to the so-called people of God), Break up the
fallow (uncultivated) ground of your heart, and sow not among the thorns.
- How all this reminds us of LOT’S WIFE (Genesis 19)..........click
Called of God to come out from a morally degenerated generation about to be engulfed by
the flames of God’s judgment, to all outward appearance she came out, but not in
heart; and herself was taken in the sane judgment as Sodom and Gomorrah. The seeds of
God’s call on her life to holiness (separation from sin to God) fell into a
mixed bag, lukewarmness for sure - an appearance of a godly response, but watered down
with natural sentimentality and covetousness in respect of what she had beer called out
from.
Speaking of the end-time Jesus said, Remember Lot’s wife, (Luke 17:32) -
preserved as a salutary example for all time of God’s view of lukewarmness.
- And just so LAODICEAN CHURCH (Revelation 3:14-22).
Was there ever such a mixed up church - lukewarm, Jesus called it. Christian for sure or
was it? - mixed up with and coveting after (claiming they call it) the standards
of this world, with prosperity and natural excellence their bench-mark.
The god of this world had offered them the kingdoms of this world and the glory
of them and they had accepted, (like Esau accepted natural/temporal gratification in
exchange for his spiritual/eternal birthright), Little did they know that the destitute
Jesus was not even in their midst, but outside the door, describing them as
‘wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked!’ adding, ‘How I wish you were
hot or cold; but being lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth! unless you REPENT!
- THE CHURCH TODAY
And just so the church today based (debased) on tolerance (including homosexual clergy and
laity - though damned by God!), popularity, numbers, dollars, natural prosperity, natural
scholarship in spiritual things, hyped up extravaganza performances, ministries named
after men, attempted eye-appeal from razzmatazz pulpit-Jezebels to show-business windbags
in their multi-million dollar plush ‘cathedrals’ equal to any Hollywood TV or
up-market night-club show with their screaming chorus-girls and deafening rock-bands. For
if you can’t beat them, then you join them with a beat!
Add to that the glamour to be identified with today’s antichrist rather of the
whorish faithful where all roads lead for sure...the unfaithful!
THE COLD of course make no Christian profession - is the seed on the roadside, eaten by
the birds. (Matthew 13:4,19.)
- BUT WHO/WHERE ARE THE HOT FOR GOD? -
the seed on good ground, bringing forth 30-100 fold. (Matthew 13:23.).......................click
ANSWER:
Those who understand the Word - such seed truth in Christ and the Spirit-life like:
Holiness - separation, purity, intolerance towards Sin, without mixture.
Hypocrisy - a mix, tolerance to sin (in the name of grace),
contaminated, evil under the name of Christian.
- Where covetous Achan does not survive, much less hide, and deceptive
Ananias and Sapphira drop dead, where the true are driven into dens and caves of the earth outside the camp
bearing
his reproach.
- Those who are….
the filth and off scouring of the earth, the poor, despised, rejected, unknown,
dishonoured, mocked, afflicted, weak, foolish, base, unlearned, ignorant, a remnant, of
whom the world is not worthy.
- Those who….
preach the Word in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, without let up, earnestly
contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (the separated ones), with the
power of Christ resting upon them, are willing not only to impart the gospel of God (which
is the power of God unto salvation from sin) but there own lives also.
- Those to whom the Lord will say….
“Well done thou good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things;
I will make you ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
- HOWEVER THE QUESTION REMAINS:
HOT… COLD or LUKEWARM/MIXED…… which are you? Which am I?
Or maybe more particularly... which are you willing to be?
Regards ……Brother Donald Wilson
Luke 13:6-9.
2.11.2002
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