9/30/20
Johnny (see here)Should we be cold or hot?
These are, obviously, very polarizing times in our nation’s
politics. The divisiveness, fueled by
social media algorithms and media fearmongering and clickbait headlines, seems
to be leading toward a cultural civil war.
This polarization is breaking down our civil discourse in which people
of opposing viewpoints could at least hear and understand one another, even if
we don’t agree. This can’t be good.
So what should we make of Jesus’ statement in Rev. 3 that “…because
you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Isn’t that polarizing? Shouldn’t that cause us to feel we need to
choose sides and hate the other?
Short answer – No! This
was a specific statement to the church in Laodicea and a general principle to us
all that we need to forego the distractions and security of wealth in order to
more closely follow Jesus. It’s a reminder
that we have a choice to make between God and the world, and that far too often
we meander aimlessly in a lukewarm state between the two.
But why would Jesus prefer that we be “cold” toward God, if
we are not “hot” as we should be? I
explained this in an outreach conversation with a college student named Johnny,
who told me he had become an atheist. I
had identified my Christian convictions right up front, and despite our
differences we had a very civil discourse and gained a better understanding of
one another’s beliefs.
Johnny explained that he had begun to lose faith in God in his
early teens when his prayers that God would keep his parents from divorcing
went unanswered. He became strong in his
atheism through the influence of an atheist friend in college, who he described
as a very moral person despite not believing in God. I told him of the very noticeable increase in
the percentage of people I have met over the last few years who describe
themselves as atheist, and he asked me how I felt about that.
I talked about this at about the 16-minute mark in the video
recording of our conversation, explaining that I believe it is best that at
least people know where they stand in relation to God, rather than fooling
themselves into thinking everything is okay when it is not. Jesus said “I know your deeds, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” He wasn’t talking about our politics, he was
talking about our deeds done as a result of our relationship to Him.
In a world of virtue-signaling, many “deeds” are done in
isolation from Christ, which may or may not meet His approval, such as our politics. What matters, I believe, are deeds
prayerfully and thoughtfully carried out as a result of our faith-relationship
with Jesus, deeds done according to His will and in His name.
And in a time of polarization such as this, being “hot” for
Jesus means we try to be peace-makers and bridgebuilders, even as we stand for
godly principles, sometimes with a love that must be tough. Paul wrote “Do not let any unwholesome talk
come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up
according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Of course, not everyone will listen, but let it not be because
we were being polarizing or divisive. Truth
will shine brighter in a conversation where we can hear both sides and
understand our different perspectives.
Thanks for an enjoyable conversation Johnny! It can be seen on my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/CMX-FZ6cgDc
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