A Heart on Fire

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16, ESV).

This scripture was written about the spiritual state of the Laodicean church. Laodicean is a word in the dictionary that means lukewarm or indifferent. Lukewarm is right in the middle, with cold on one side and hot on the other. Jesus does not say he would like us to be hot, lukewarm or cold. No, he would rather we be cold or hot rather than lukewarm. 

When Jesus speaks of a characteristic of being hot, he is talking about being full of zeal and passion with a heart that is on fire for God. He is referring to something in us that stirs us to action. That is why he says, “I know your works.” Jesus doesn’t say, “I know your thoughts and emotions.” He says, “I know your works” because when you look at someone’s works, you have a revelation of that person’s heart. 

Many of us don’t realize how far lukewarmness is from the heart of God. This state is despicable to Jesus because it speaks of someone who is claiming to be one of his people who take on the name of Jesus and quote scripture but then behave like the world. 

A lukewarm person is somebody who claims to be a Christian but does the same things as someone who is totally cold: still getting drunk, sleeping around, taking God’s name in vain, cheating, lying and still calling himself or herself a Christian. This person becomes a ruinous testimony for Christ. 

Jesus prefers an honest testimony that says, “I’m not saved, and I’m living like it,” rather than, “I claim to be saved, but I’m not living like it.” Jesus goes on to say to the lukewarm, “Because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth.” This strong language from Jesus emphasizes how lukewarmness destroys our faith. 

The church in Laodicea was half-hearted in its Christian faith, so God was warning them that he would rejected them unless they repented. Never settle for following God halfway, but pursue Christ with zeal and a heart on fire compelled for action.