In these last days, God has been speaking to me about spiritual lukewarmness! As a leader of this church, and as a pastor in the Body of Christ, I have felt the weight and urgency of sharing this word from God with your heart.
I want to begin today’s message with a question:
How is your love for Jesus? How is your relationship with your Saviour, your Master, and your Bridegroom? Is your heart passionate about Jesus?
Message: On Fire for Jesus: Don’t Be Lukewarm!
Jesus warns us about a deceptive yet deadly danger to our faith: spiritual lukewarmness. He says to the church in Laodicea:
“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. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
— Revelation 3:15-16, 22 (NIV)
I asked you a question: How is your love and your fire for Jesus? I asked you because I don’t know how you actually feel! But Jesus knows and He sees what is in your heart!
Verse 15 begins: “I know your deeds.” I know what your heart is like, and you are not cold! You are not an unbeliever; you have faith; you have not abandoned me; you have not abandoned the church, “But you are not hot; you are lukewarm!”
God gives this harsh word to the church in Laodicea. He says to them: because you are not hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church!
The Holy Spirit is saying: You can choose the life you want, but there are only two options for you: be Cold or Hot, but don’t be lukewarm, for the lukewarm I am about to spit out!
Why does God not tolerate spiritual lukewarmness?
Who is the cold person, the hot, and the lukewarm?
The “cold” person is the unbeliever, one who has no fear of God, who walks in sin and does the will of their flesh.
The “hot” Christian is one who is passionate about Jesus; their joy and passion are to serve Jesus; they love the word of God and are real servants in the Kingdom of God!
What is the lukewarm person?
They have a mixed life, with attitudes of both the “hot” and the “cold”. They have a little of the hot Christian and a little of the unbeliever who loves the world. God is saying: Don’t be mixed, either one or the other, but don’t be lukewarm!
If you are married, perhaps you understand what God is saying about being lukewarm.
There are many couples who are together, who live in the same house, drive in the same car, eat together, even sleep in the same bed, but they are not passionate about each other. They don’t love as they did at the beginning of their marriage.
How many married men would like to see their wife flirting with another man? None of us! Yet you are the bride of Jesus, and He wants you to be passionate about Him.
God is saying: I want to have a relationship of love, passion, and fire with you!
What does it mean to be lukewarm for Jesus?
It means faith without passion, a superficial Christianity, a half-hearted commitment.
But Jesus calls us to something different. He calls us to be ON FIRE! 🔥
This lack of love for Jesus is a sign of the end times.
“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ … Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
— Matthew 24:3, 12-13 (NIV)
The disciples ask: What will be the sign of your coming? Jesus said: In the end times, wickedness, sin, will multiply, and because of this, the love of many will grow cold!
This is what we are seeing today: what was right has become wrong, and what was wrong has become right! We live in an evil and perverse world where Christians have been contaminated by sin.
Jesus said: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:13 (NIV)
The one who perseveres, loving the Lord until the end of their life, will be saved!
How have you been serving the Lord? Have you been fervent in your service to the Lord? Paul the apostle warned us about our spiritual life.
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11 (NIV)
Never lack zeal. In the dictionary, “zeal” means: the concern you dedicate to someone, intense affection of love for someone, dedicating yourself to something or someone.
Paul is saying: Never lack zeal, never lack the concern to dedicate yourself and love Him. Instead, be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord!
Serving our beloved Jesus cannot be done just any way; we need to be fervent, we need to be burning with love and passion for Him.
We need to keep the fire of God in our lives and in our hearts.
Why does God want us to be fervent and on fire?
“For our ‘God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29 (NIV)
In the Old Testament, God instructed His people (the Israelites) to keep the fire burning on the altar.
“The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out.”
Leviticus 6:13 (NIV)
The Lord Himself sent the Fire to consume the sacrifice, as described in Leviticus 9:24. The fire came from God, but maintaining the fire was the priest’s duty. Every morning, the priest added wood to the fire!
The command for the fire to burn continuously on the altar represented the need for spiritual devotion and eternal zeal in service to God.
God always starts the fire, but God does not keep it burning. That is our responsibility. The fire comes from God, but staying full of fire is your responsibility!
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 (NIV)
The Israelites had to keep the fire burning and offer a sacrifice, and Paul uses the same language: Offer your bodies as a sacrifice to God!
Your surrender to Christ as a living sacrifice is voluntary, and your life becomes a pleasing aroma before Him. Choosing to live a life of surrender is the first step to keeping the fire of God’s love in your life!
Today, God is challenging each one of us to ignite or rekindle that flame, to live with a heart that burns for Jesus, for souls, and for His glory.
- Awakening from Spiritual Lethargy: Let’s not be Lukewarm!
The Danger of Lukewarmness: We live in a world that often tries to spiritually numb us. The rush, worries, even comfort, can rob us of passion.
Lukewarmness is not the absence of faith, but the absence of passion. It is knowing the truth but not living it with intensity. It’s like coffee that has lost its heat – it doesn’t satisfy, it doesn’t invigorate.
Signs of Lukewarmness: Lack of zeal for God, superficial commitment, apathy towards the Word, little prayer, indifference to lost souls, easily yielding to sin, prioritising the “self” (our will) above God.
- The Fire of Passion for Jesus: Hunger and Thirst for His Presence!
Cultivating the Inner Flame: To avoid being lukewarm, we need to cultivate an ardent passion for Jesus. This begins with an insatiable hunger and thirst for Him.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 (NIV)
This righteousness is Christ. May our pursuit of God be the highest priority! May He be our most precious treasure.
– Totally Surrendered Heart: Fire only truly burns where there is fuel. Our fuel is our life, given without reservation. “May our life be an altar where the fire will burn!” Every area of our life – family, work, finances, relationships – surrendered to Him. Like Elijah on Mount Carmel, may the fire of God descend upon our sacrifice.
– The Word of God as Fire Wood: The Bible is not just a book of rules, but the fire that feeds our soul.
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32 (NIV)
Let us immerse ourselves in the Word!
- Worship and Praise on Fire: The Manifestation of God’s Presence.
How is your worship? Worship on fire is not about well-performed songs, but about surrendered and passionate hearts that yearn for God. It’s about praise that is “living” and “pure.”
When our hearts are on fire, our worship becomes a pleasing incense to God. It is not mechanical, but a spontaneous expression of love and gratitude.
When the church worships on fire, heaven meets earth. Barriers fall, lives are transformed, healed, and set free. Addictions are broken, and people of character are forged to bless the nations.
- The Fire for Souls: Taking the Flame to the Lost!
A Faithful Witness: A heart on fire for Jesus cannot remain silent. The fire compels us to share the good news.
– Going Out to Spread the Fire: “May we spread this fire.” Wherever we go, whether at school, work, or the supermarket, may we bring the presence and light of Jesus to those in darkness.
- Filled with the Fire of the Holy Spirit: Empowered for the Mission!
The Source of the Fire: Our fire does not come from ourselves, but from the Holy Spirit. He is the true fire that empowers us.
“John answered them all, ‘I baptise you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and FIRE.’”
Luke 3:16 (NIV)
At Pentecost, this word was fulfilled:
“They saw what seemed to be tongues of FIRE that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:3-4 (NIV)
On the day of Pentecost, tongues of fire rested over the disciples, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. What happened next? They went out and proclaimed the Gospel with boldness and power!
– Carrying the Fire: We need to carry fire wherever we go to proclaim the name of Jesus. We need to be conduits of this divine fire, bringing light to darkness, hope to the desperate, and life to those who are spiritually dead.
Conclusion
Jesus does not want a lukewarm church. He longs for a passionate, ardent bride, one whose lives are on fire for Him. He called us to be light in the world, and a light that does not burn does not illuminate.
Since my conversion (40 years ago), I have prayed: God, I never want to lose my love for You! I want to live every day of my life so that people may see the Light of Jesus through me!
I want to be like a candle that never goes out and will burn until the end for the Glory of Jesus. I want to spend my life, my gifts, my money, my strength, and everything I have to make disciples for Jesus and to please Him.
The way we spend our time, money, and energy reveals our true priorities! We only have one life, and it will soon pass, but everything you do for Christ will remain!
I will spend it serving my Lord, for it will be worth it!
May our hearts surrender completely to the Lord. May our lives be a living altar, where the fire of passion for Jesus, the hunger for His presence, the love for souls, and the power of the Holy Spirit burn intensely.