Cold or Hot

[Floatingaxe]

Jesus was referring to the springs of hot and cold water.

He was saying that either hot or cold was desirable, but lukewarm was not desirable.

Hot water in the spas of that city were healing, and good. The cold springs were refreshing to the body and all good!

It is the lukewarm that is nauseating.

So---we are considered useful and productive to the kingdom of God if we are either type of believer! Hot or Cold. But do not become lukewarm!

[None]

Dear shiloh,

I'm sorry, but I just don't agree. I DO believe that the temperature IS the focus, as I have seen "hot or cold" and "lukewarm", and I can understand this spiritual state of being, as I have seen it in people....it can be identified.

I will continue to read your replies on the matter, but I did not want to argue over it, as I was merely making a personal observation, as I stated earlier.

In His Love,

Suzanne

The Bible was written with many parables and has many metephores for the purpose of teaching each one of God's children in a way He feels is best for them.

That metephore can be taken either way to help the growing Christian.

[Matthitjah]

Grace to you,

Where did you get it from?? Thanks, Laurie

Laurie,

I got that from a version of software that has several Translations of the Bible as well as commentaries and the complete collection of Spurgeons Sermons.

Peace,

Dave

[Matthitjah]

Grace to you,

Quote Spurgeons Sermons;

Part 3

An Earnest Warning about Lukewarmness

An Earnest Warning about Lukewarmness

A Sermon

(No. 1185)

Delivered on Lord's-Day Morning, July 26th, 1874, by

C. H. SPURGEON,

At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington

III. Thirdly, I have to speak of THE REMEDIES WHICH THE LORD EMPLOYS. I do earnestly pray that what I say may come home to all here, especially to every one of the members of this church, for it has come very much home to me, and caused great searching of heart in my own soul, and yet I do not think I am the least zealous among you. I beseech you to judge yourselves, that you be not judged. Do not ask me if I mean anything personal. I am personal in the most emphatic sense. I speak of you and to you in the plainest way. Some of you show plain symptoms of being lukewarm, and God forbid that I should flatter you, or be unfaithful to you. I am aiming at personality, and I earnestly want each beloved brother and sister here to take home each affectionate rebuke. And you who come from other churches, whether in America or elsewhere, you want arousing quite as much as we do, your churches are not better than ours, some of them are not so good, and I speak to you also, for you need to be stirred up to nobler things.

Note, then, the first remedy. Jesus gives a clear discovery as to the church's true state. He says to it

[EricH]

Colin Hemer wrote a book called:

The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting

In it, he explained the situation at Laodicea. They were known for 3 sources of water. One contained cold water that was known for refreshment, the other was spring fed and hot and known for its healing powers. The third was piped in from a long distance and contained disease because it was warm. It actually induced vomiting. John was encouraging the church to be either spiritually refreshing (Cold) or spiritually healing (hot), not good for nothing and spiritually repugnant (warm)

[traveller]

I know what sis tsth is saying here about relating to the non-believers and those that say they believe but.....

It's a lot easier when we know what we're up against. There are those that believe a god exists, but don't have a relationship with God. They think they're fine because they go through the motions of good works, or because they attend church on easter sundays and Christmas and funerals. Or take the New-Agers - who think all paths will eventually get you there because you are a part of the universe.

As we in Texas say... It's a lot easier to plant your garden in the spot where you've turned the soil and pulled the weeds.

[tsth]

Thanks trav,

For getting my gist. I guess my husband and I just see a lot from ministry standpoint. Truly there are the scariest wolves, who come into the chapel, that you would never even have an inkling at first glance, and yet, with their lips, they can literally try to take what is holy, and pervert it by using Scriptural texts, to confuse the flock and try to bring the Scriptures into question.

They really do rise up among us. Whereas the man who comes in with the tattooed pentegrams and does not pretend to be another, he is an easier one to contend with, as there is no question as to who/what he is about.

It is the ones who masquerade that are so very troubling in Spirit. Literally, I can be more troubled by a deceiver than the man that came in yesterday, and he was a terribly scary one to look at. Eye-patch, pentegrams, massive holes in his earlobes, tattooes up the sides of his face, and the markings of prison, for what it's worth, he said that it was prison that sent him over. My husband asked him what/where was the turning point.

By all appearances, he should have been the more troubling one, but frankly, we had a man come in about 2 months ago, that was as frail as could be, in appearance, yet by the words of his mouth, we felt as if the enemy had come upon us and had such an air of darkness, he is one that we will never forget. I will not repeat the ways that he twisted and distorted the truth, but he claimed to be of light, and clearly was hateful towards the Bible. And his speech was the smoothest we had ever encountered. He even had the unnerving grin to accompany his demeanor. I cannot begin to explain the difference, but it was vast.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[None]

Thanks trav,

For getting my gist. I guess my husband and I just see a lot from ministry standpoint. Truly there are the scariest wolves, who come into the chapel, that you would never even have an inkling at first glance, and yet, with their lips, they can literally try to take what is holy, and pervert it by using Scriptural texts, to confuse the flock and try to bring the Scriptures into question.

They really do rise up among us. Whereas the man who comes in with the tattooed pentegrams and does not pretend to be another, he is an easier one to contend with, as there is no question as to who/what he is about.

It is the ones who masquerade that are so very troubling in Spirit. Literally, I can be more troubled by a deceiver than the man that came in yesterday, and he was a terribly scary one to look at. Eye-patch, pentegrams, massive holes in his earlobes, tattooes up the sides of his face, and the markings of prison, for what it's worth, he said that it was prison that sent him over. My husband asked him what/where was the turning point.

By all appearances, he should have been the more troubling one, but frankly, we had a man come in about 2 months ago, that was as frail as could be, in appearance, yet by the words of his mouth, we felt as if the enemy had come upon us and had such an air of darkness, he is one that we will never forget. I will not repeat the ways that he twisted and distorted the truth, but he claimed to be of light, and clearly was hateful towards the Bible. And his speech was the smoothest we had ever encountered. He even had the unnerving grin to accompany his demeanor. I cannot begin to explain the difference, but it was vast.

In His Love,

Suzanne

My question is, why would anyone even bother to masquerade as a Christian? There's no worldly gain in it. Nothing good will ever come out of it, so why bother? This is one of the problems with Christians, they're so busy looking for splinters, they readily allow beams into their churches. With the mentality, "At least I can SEE the beam!".

I've met people like the smooth-talking man you and your husband met and, as long as the Spirit warns you he's a liar, why be more concerned with him than someone who proclaims luciferianism? Nothing like opening the gate for a wolf into the sheep's pen. I can see if he were there repentant, but you're making it seem he proudly wears his beliefs while mingling with your church members. Is he there recruiting? I'd be much more worried about that guy. Worse, what you're showing your kids you're accepting into your church.

Jesus said, "...if they are not against me, they are for me..."

[tsth]

Dear none,

I apologize, as I'm afraid that I didn't clarify. This man was passing through....and was not a member, he merely needed a ride into town. He openly stated that he was a "luciferian", and that he wasn't going to try to claim to be interested in the faith, merely to get a handout, (although he did not want money), he just needed a way into town, so my husband took him.

The ministry work, I am referring to, is a chapel at the edge of town at one of the larger truckstops. My husband is the preacher in a truckstop ministry chapel. We have a new set of faces just about every week, and there are many types that come thru. We are not what you would perceive as a typical church, the dynamics are nothing like it. We are out in the wilderness, and my husband preaches the message of repentance, much like John the Baptist. The ones who come in are are anything from hookers, to homeless, to truckers, to ex-cons, homosexuals, and those are the ones that have told us who they are, some come in and we do not know their stories, they just pass through. It is not a typical church, and being in the location that we are, we are literally at the crossroads of the nation.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[None]

Dear none,

I apologize, as I'm afraid that I didn't clarify. This man was passing through....and was not a member, he merely needed a ride into town. He openly stated that he was a "luciferian", and that he wasn't going to try to claim to be interested in the faith, merely to get a handout, (although he did not want money), he just needed a way into town, so my husband took him.

The ministry work, I am referring to, is a chapel at the edge of town at one of the larger truckstops. My husband is the preacher in a truckstop ministry chapel. We have a new set of faces just about every week, and there are many types that come thru. We are not what you would perceive as a typical church, the dynamics are nothing like it. We are out in the wilderness, and my husband preaches the message of repentance, much like John the Baptist. The ones who come in are are anything from hookers, to homeless, to truckers, to ex-cons, homosexuals, and those are the ones that have told us who they are, some come in and we do not know their stories, they just pass through. It is not a typical church, and being in the location that we are, we are literally at the crossroads of the nation.

In His Love,

Suzanne

Sounds like a nice ministry.