This week, I am beginning a four part series focusing on this theme: "Serving Leftovers to a Holy and Loving God." I will be sharing some thoughts and reflections from a work by Francis Chan called, Crazy Love.
Frederick Huntington in 1890 wrote, "It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, and not agnosticism that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the Gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going and hollow-hearted prosperity."

Jesus said, "The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field" (Matthew 13;44). The man joyfully sold all that he had so that he could obtain the only thing that mattered. This kind of enthusiastic response to God's holiness and love is entirely appropriate. Yet what a contrast to our typical response at discovering the same treasure! In the United States of America, numbers impress us. We gauge success of an event by how many people attend or respond. We measure churches by how many members they boast. We are wowed by big!

In Luke 8, Jesus began to speak in parables to separate the hot from the cold and the lukewarm. He spoke in parables so that those who were not genuinely listening would not get it. American Christians often automatically see themselves as "good soil." When in point of fact, most American churchgoers are more likely the soil that chokes the seed because of all the thorns. Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. When we want God and equally want a bunch of other stuff, then that means we have thorns in our soil. Jesus points out that a relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top of it. Too much of the good life ends up being toxic, deforming us spiritually.

What are the goals of American Christianity? Often they are a nice marriage, children who don't go too far afield and consistent church attendance. Taking the words of Jesus Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered. We think, "That is for the radicals who are unbalanced and go overboard." Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe, and that involves very little suffering.

How would you describe your relationship with Jesus? Would you say that you are totally in love with Jesus? Or do the words half-hearted, lukewarm and partially committed fit better? The Word of God challenges us to consistently test ourselves and test our faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).

So I want to examine the profile of the lukewarm believer. We are all messed-up human beings, and no one is totally immune to the behaviors of the lukewarm Christian (seemingly an oxymoron). However, there is a difference between a life that is characterized by the lukewarm mentality and habits and a life that is in the process of being radically, supernaturally transformed.

Jesus challenged us to "take up our cross and follow Him" (Luke 14:31-35). He taught that lukewarm, half-hearted following is useless, and it sickens our souls. He taught that this kind of salt is not even fit for the manure pile.
In the next two posts, I would like to describe the "lukewarm profile" and challenge us to look into the mirror of GOD's Word and His Holy Spirit, which indwells us, and determine what kind of faith we truly possess.

In the next two weeks, we will examine 17 characteristics of lukewarm people. Please read over the passages included in this post, ask God to help you truly examine your heart and faith, and I will do the same. This series is not intended to judge, rather it is offered to help us see how well we are surrendering to the ministry of GOD's Spirit and Word in our lives, resulting in being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

SOME ENCOUNTER QUESTIONS

• Has your relationship with GOD actually changed the way you think and live?
• Do you see evidence of GOD's Kingdom in your life? What is it?
• Or are you choking it out slowly by spending too much time, energy, money and thought on things of this world?
• Are you satisfied being "godly enough" to get yourself into heaven, or to look good in comparison to others? Or can you say with the Apostle Paul that you "want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death" (Philippians 3:10)?
• Do you find yourself often "serving leftovers to a Holy and Loving God?" How can we become a people who serve Him our firstfruits and not our leftovers?