Here is an ad you will never see at Starbucks:
“Try our new Lukewarm Cappuccino! Thin, watery, and forgettable!”
Bleah.
I’m a Coke fan myself, and even I know there’s only two ways to drink coffee – hot or cold. I shudder instinctively at anything in between. Those of you who do own stock in Starbucks can, therefore, appreciate even more the emotions of Christ as He describes the church at Laodicea. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold or 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.” (Rev. 3:15-16) About the only use for lukewarm is milk for babies.
Out of the blue the other day, these verses popped into my head, and I had a couple of thoughts I’d like to share. First, the Redemptive Gifts. Using the structure of the sevens, we understand that the Laodicean church parallels the gift of Mercy. I share one perspective on the passage in a teaching called “Where the Living Treasure Lies“, which is about the gift of Mercy and their relationship to time and reality. The lukewarm part has always struck me as being about courage in the face of opposition. The Mercy doesn’t like conflict, and you surely will run into scuffles if you wax either hot or cold. The Mercy likes to be liked and what is more comfortable than a temperate climate, right?
It is interesting, however, that the next verse goes on to talk about how the people think they are rich and healthy when they really are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. Ouch. Those are harsh words, Apostle John. So why is this thought immediately following the blast about being lukewarm?
I wonder if it has to do with status quo.
You see, one of the areas of the Mercy’s greatest strength is also their potential downfall. The Mercy craves a safe, healthy, vibrant, beautiful, nurturing environment. Really, hanging around with a healthy Mercy isn’t half bad for that reason. But once that environment is created the temptation is to stop. Dead flat, screeching halt and don’t rock the boat, thank you very much. The Mercy has achieved their ecosystem and now they can relax and live in the wonderful bubble they have created. Status quo sets in. Motivation drops to maintenance. The world is a happy place, never mind that it has shrunk to the size of your life. Have you ever known a status quo to burn hot?
By my experience, this is a deceptively easy trap to fall into. The Mercy reaches a place of equilibrium, everything is balanced, or as balanced as it can be, and he or she settles in and feels comfortable, safe, and healthy. It would be so easy to stay there, and not have to start the process all over again somewhere else. Lukewarm is nice. Tepid word for a tepid life!
You see, it means embracing more challenges to be anything but lukewarm, or to continually upset the status quo. You have to tackle another problem, embrace another chaotic scene or throw your arms around another prickly pear. All of this takes the Mercy out of his or her carefully crafted ecosystem. Do you really think the ecosystem you have now is the biggest and best possible that God could ever create through you? I sure hope not! I think what really frustrates our King is that we stop growing and our sphere of influence and capacity to change the world stops growing with us.
We are made to create ecosystems and environments, but I think not to build a castle on them. Those are castles in the air. The truly immovable structure must be inside of us, the ecosystem of our heart. This is where we cast our anchor deep into the Rock, so that our stability can carry us forth into the next disruption of the status quo.
So, give yourself a shake. See if you are settling into your castle that doesn’t exist. Really take a good look at you life. It sneaks up on you. And I would welcome any feedback or thoughts on what you see or experience.
Spot on! Exactly where I’m in my life at the moment and I’m wondering if I want to take on a specific challenge because everything’s working so well at the moment. Thanks for challenging me!
This is so insightful, and revealing. I would like to share this at a meeting in my home tonight. It hits me where I live and have lived. I love to arrive at a place of being comfortable…after the storms and the confrontation. The tendency to not acknowledge that there are other areas to be dealt with, etc. was articulated well in your blog. At least I understand that I am not alone in this. I never saw the lukewarm verse in quite that context…and would not have applied that to myself…thank you for sharing.
Hello Lisa,
Glad that it landed! I would love to hear the reaction of your group, if you are free to share.
Very good, Megan.
I kept thinking of concentric circles with a person in the middle of the bulls-eye. How often do I not lift my eyes to see the outer rim of the next circle to invade? hmmmm….
For me, I’m thinking the emanating circles look like:
me
family
work
church
friends
neighbors
business vendors i.e. places I frequent
regional community
State
Nation
World
I’m thinking in terms of the more time spent gets the higher priority for the most direct impact.
What does this look like for you?
Hello Anthony,
I think that you have a good start with the circles, showing the wider and wider influence. One thing that might be assumed but is not specifically mentioned here is land. This is most certainly an area we need to influence, and it affects all the circles. Regarding your comment about what gets the higher priority, I think that is a tough statement to make in a generality. It does not address the issue of whether you are stuck in too small a sphere. You may spend a great amount of time at church, but your design is to invest in the community, but you won’t give that high enough priority because you are investing in church. One of the fundamental questions we need to ask ourselves is “WHO am I?” What were you made to do? Then you need to expand your circles in ways that continue to unpack and develop the design God has given you. How does that land?
Hello Megan,
I understand -it lands well…though there is more work to be done.
Blessings,
AT
Hi Megan,
I’m just reading this almost a year later and it’s spot on! What I see is that while I am a risk taker, once an ecosystem is created, there is the temptation to want to keep God at a distance so that He doesn’t rock my boat. I’m thinking about a college group that I lead at my church. He rocks my boat by bringing in new people who are challenging just because they’re, well, new and different! But when I open myself to see their RG and how they each bring something unique to the group, it causes me to grow. I’m hearing the call to go to Grad school now, which is a big wave! But while it will put me into new water and I hope, new career challenges, I know that God is with me. Isn’t He marvelous? He doesn’t want complacency and stagnation.
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the Holy place, where the Most High dwells.”
This is my favorite verse in the Bible, never knew entirely why, but He’s slowly revealing its layered meaning to me.
Bless you and your family~
Irina