What is your temperature?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tammy on July 9, 2012 at 7:07am

Is a lukewarm heart the same as forgetting your first love?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Carla on July 10, 2012 at 8:26am

In Rev 2:1-7 we read about the church of Ehpesus. They have lost their fervor and grown lax due to persecution.

There is a commendation found in vv2,3,6.  They are commended for condemning false teachers.  In Acts 20:29-31, Paul warned the elders at Ephesus that false teachers would come and despoil the church.  By the time Paul wrote the books of 1 and 11 Tim, the false teachers had arrived and were causing corruption in the church.  The Ephesus church had overcome the problem and resisted the false teachers..Jesus is commending them on that. 

Verse 4 gives us the condemnation. They have lost their first love. They are exhorted to 'remember therefore whence you are fallen, and repent and do the first works, .......I will come to you and remove your candlestick out of it's place, except you repent.'   This condemnation is direction towards the 2^nd generation of believers.  They did not have the fervor of the first generation.  There is a warning here in Hebrews 10:25 ‘not forsaking our own assembly together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. ‘  There is an urgency here.  We are to comfort, strengthen and warn oneanother.  It seems to me that if we ‘forsake our own assembly together’, we too will be at risk of losing our first love. 

There is a promise for them if they do repent and return to the works they once did....'to him that overcomes, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'

Eating with someone implies fellowship....so the one who overcomes will fellowship with Him.. This also involves the 'tree of life', so it also implies the Eternal Order....it is also a promise of a share in the Eternal order. This is specific to this church which dominated the first period of church history. It is the Apostolic Church. It began in A.D 30 and continued to about A.D. 100. It was the time of the death of the last Apostle John (the author of the book of Revelation)

The seventh church is the church of Laodicea. This church characterizes most modern day churches. The church age is A.D 1900-present day. It is not all of the churches...but many of them.

In Rev 3:17-19 we find out why they are lukewarm ...'Because you say, I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to annoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.' ---sobering---

There is a promise to anyone who overcomes lukewarm(ness)

'He that overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with Me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father on His throne.'

One who is lukewarm is characterized by being 'rich in worldly goods'... but also in self deception. They are spiritually poor, blind and naked.

I see there is a difference between someone who is lukewarm and someone who has lost their first love. The church of Ephesus lost their first love due to persecution...

The church of Laodicea has become lukewarm because of their love of the world and the things in the world.

Things I can learn from this...

1) psalm 56:4

In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?(don't fear persecution)

Matthew 10:28

"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather
fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.(just to be clear, I'm not saying to be afraid of God--but a reverent Respect of who He is and knowledge and understanding of His character,Forgiveness, Love, Grace, Power and Wrath)

2)You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility
toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself
an enemy of God. James 4:4

2 Cor 4:3,4

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled [fn]to
those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this [fn]world
has blinded the minds of the unbelieving [fn]so
that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is
the image of God.

3) continue to meet together.  We need to strengthen, warn, pray for, and encourage eachother continually.

 

Bless you Tammy---  Great Question.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tammy on July 11, 2012 at 1:47pm

Thank you so much for your reply Carla. Many great statements in it.

• ▶ Reply