"And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.'" -Rev 3:14-16
"But the lukewarm has been within reach of the holy fire, without being kindled into fervour; having religion enough to lull the conscience in security, not enough to save the soul." -from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary on Rev 3-14-16
Hello Friends,
Attitudes certainly influence our lives in a big way. Any three year old will tell you that having a positive attitude is better for your well being than a negative one for example. Each attitude that comes in our life affects our actions. During my teenage years, I've had a whole variety of attitudes that have either built me up or torn me down. Perhaps the most egregious attitude I have had during my teenage years is, "that's good enough." I would have that thought in my heart when any task would be considered "too hard" and I just wanted to do enough to get the grade or to pass the test. When I would have the opportunity to do better, I would deny it. I became comfortable with "good enough." 2,000 some odd years ago, this attitude was true of an entire church congregation in the city of Leodacia (in modern day Turkey). The Disciple John saw how hurtful this could be and wrote a message to them in Revelations 3:14-16. In his message, John used an example that the Leodacians would recognize immediately. Leodacia was well known for its hot springs, where people would go for therapy and relaxation. However, in order for these springs to be effective, they would need to stay hot. Lukewarm water invited bacteria to form in it and would cause anyone to vomit if they drank it. John compared their faith to be lukewarm water, indicating that the Leodacians had some commitment to God and Jesus Christ (as a little religion is better than no religion, in their eyes), but had no total commitment or spiritual power. They had put themselves in a situation where they believed they were safe. Instead they exposed themselves to a "danger of mixed motives and disregarded principles," which would result in their souls being lost. When I first read this scripture at eight years old, I was scared out of my wits, because I could easily treat my relationship with God that way. Reading that passage began a stirring in my heart that has not wavered even to this day. It has led to a creed, a theme that has developed during my adolescence, starting with my time as an awkward pre-teen all the way to now. This creed says that once I gave my life as a total commitment to God, I cannot have an attitude of indifference towards my relationship with God, but instead that I seek to grow, to be challenged, and to desire for my Father with an unquenchable passion.
In the wake of reading the message to Leodacia at eight years old, I entered my pre-teen years, when I began to realize that the innocence of the world I had known before had changed. The world was now more hostile, and I needed (and still do) someone to guide me. My father was one of these people, among others, who fulfilled this need in my life. He told me of his own relationship with God, and he encouraged me to seek after God with all my heart. He said that I should never be satisfied with where I am in Christ. Because (in his opinion) if you're not moving forward in your relationship with God, and you're just standing still where you are, you're really moving backward. Saying that you've had "enough" of God in your life to satisfy yourself is a recipe for laziness... or much worse. Dad told me about the "Jesus Movement" in the 70s, where people all across America had such a great thirst for the Lord in their lives. Those people wanted to learn all they could about God, and they were constantly hungering for more. Those stories Dad told me, along with the way he lives his life for God, had a profound effect on the way I viewed my Savior, and told me that there is always something more to life than we can see.
In addition, during those jr. high years, my dad introduced me to the music and messages of two Christian musicians who came out of the Jesus Movement: Keith Green and Rich Mullins. Both of these men edified the church in a remarkable way through their spiritually challenging lyrics and exhibiting a "sold-out" mentality to loving and serving the Lord. The first, Keith Green, was a child piano prodigy from California who could have lived the life of a star in TV and music, but his life fell apart, and he got caught up in the adolescence rebellion of the 60s. However, God entered the picture and changed his life forever. Keith used his talents on the piano and in speaking to get across a message of "No Compromise" to God's people. He believed that a follower of Christ could not please the world and God at the same time. There needed to be no compromise. The other man, Rich Mullins, grew up as an mid-western, Indiana farm boy, who attended a local Quaker church. His message was similar to Keith Green's, as he tried to challenge the church's perceptions of what a life for God and of God Himself were really meant to be. He believed that God's love was something much more sacrificial and ultimately foreign to the world. God's church needed to love that way too, in his opinion. It needed to love that way to bring about a positive change for God's glory. Rich admonished, "Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken." Listening to the music and messages of these two men has charged my walk with the Lord all throughout my adolescence, and has served to make me constantly seek to be conformed according to the Holy Spirit and not to the world.
As I entered the beginning of my teenage years, the church my family and I were attending, the Upper Room Christian Fellowship, increasingly became a larger part of my life as we participated in Sunday services and youth activities. Down through the years, the Upper Room has made huge impression on me, but especially when I was 13-15 years old. I remember getting know some of the people there and quickly seeing how much they loved God and wanted to please him. Each Sunday worship seemed like an outpouring of heavenly communion and affection, where people were not raising their hands and singing just to look good, but because they were doing it unto God out of love for Him. After the service was over, the "service" continued in fellowship during lunch period (We have lunch at church every Sunday), where I saw part of the Kingdom of God lived out in my own church: People conversing with each other in a friendly sort of way, asking "How are you doing?" and ministering to each other. I would even see some people praying for one another over in the sanctuary after church. Looking at the life examples of my brethren in church made me want to be like them. I wanted to love Jesus too! ...with all of my heart. In addition, attending the Upper Room youth group and the young men's bible study put me in situations where I would learn more about living a life for God along with my peers. We would examine the scriptures with great interest, and converse over what God is trying to say through not only His word, but also through our lives. Every time I attended these meetings, I came away with feeling like I learned something new and edifying. I was constantly stretched to be called out of this world for God, but not so that I could be pious, but that I would make a difference in the world for God's glory. As we would have prayer time, I learned a lot about letting the Holy Spirit run through my life and to be attune to its message and calling, even though we sometimes didn't want to obey it because of sins like bitterness or lust. I had to learn to confess my sin, to reject its allure, and just say, "God, I want you! I want your Holy Spirit to work in my life! The devil has no power here!" Those times were not the easiest for me during the course of my adolescence, but I really started to make God MY God at this juncture in my life. He was no longer some guy in a universe far, far away; He wasn't just my parent's God anymore. God became real to me as a result of being at the Upper Room, and I will always remember my time there with fondness.
Going from the ages of 13-15 to the latter stages of being a teenager, God had already set some foundations for me. My life now officially belonged to Him, and I realized that He was now going to start using me for His work, for His purposes. Although, I also knew that as I was offering my life in service to Him, I needed to continue to work on myself and allowing myself to become more like Jesus. I remember one night staying up in my bed and praying, "God, I want to fully understand the significance of Jesus' death on the cross. I want to know what it's like."
Boy, was I in for it...
God has a way of answering prayers like that. I can't explain it. But when you ask a true teacher to teach you, that teacher will stick with you until you do understand the concept. In asking to understand the significance of Jesus' death on the cross, from then on, I began to learn the hardest lesson I (or anyone) will ever have to learn. (Warning: I may be woefully ambiguous as I tell this story) Some time ago, I was a part of something with some friends and some people I had not known previously. We were working together to achieve a goal. As we were striving to achieve this goal, we separated into cliques and groups. I wanted to be a part of the group; I wanted a sense of belonging to the team. So, I was just friendly, and I hoped that they would be friendly back. That didn't work, so I tried to be like them; I tried to be "cool." I stooped to making fake compliments in the hopes they might give me friendship in return. Instead, they threw it back in my face, and didn't accept me. I was crushed beyond belief. Making friends had been easy for me before, but not anymore. I learned that I needed to give without expecting anything in return. I needed to love them without expecting them to love back so we could reach this goal together. It was a hard concept to understand then, and I didn't understand it fully until a little bit later when certain people came into my life. I thought I loved these people at first, but I realized later that I only loved the expectations of what they could be. I didn't love them for who they are. Because they were not what I wanted them to be, I became bitter at them. However, God finally convicted me in my spirit, and let me know that it was this way for Jesus. This is how Jesus loved; He sacrificed Himself despite the hurt we gave Him. He loved unconditionally. He loved without expecting anything in return. As I go through life, I will always be learning this most important lesson. I may not ever fully comprehend it, but I know more than ever what the passion of the Christ is for us. "There is no greater love than this, than he that lay down his life for his friends."
Now that I'm about to leave for college, I take note of what God has taught me and how that has shaped my attitude towards him. Each step of the way, God has shaped me and refined me, and He's taught me that I must seek to be shaped and refined always. The name that God calls Himself is, "I am." "I am" has two meanings in Hebrew. One of them means "wind." Wind is always moving; It does not stop. As God is always moving, so I must always be moving if I am to be made perfect like His son, Jesus. I can't hold back my life from God and say, "I'm only going to follow everything You say until You make me do______ (fill in the blank)." I can't think that I'm only going to accept only part of what Jesus said. As I continue with the rest of my life, I must get away from saying that I want a shallow, petty piety, where I just make sure I read my Bible, pray when I need Him occasionally, go to church, and I'll just breeze on through to eternity. I need to run this life race with all I have within me. I want to be conformed to the will of God, and not to my own form of Christianity as the Leodacians. I want to avoid that belief, and keep the attitude of being "hot" and not "lukewarm" for God. Then, oh what a joy it will be to see Heaven's gates, when all is finished, where my Father will say to me, "Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into My rest."
I remain,
Your friend,
Aaron Morrison
p.s.
I applaud you if you read this far. :)
