Revelation 3:16 – “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”  NKJV

Disclaimer – – The Title is not my state of mind, but a reflection on how many people think today! 

Through my years of serving as lead pastor and in Christian service, I have often met the objection or excuse from someone regarding a need in the church, “I would, but I’m just too busy.”  I always opted to leave it at that and move on to someone who was less apathetic or self-absorbed.  Before you castigate me for that statement let me suggest that busy people are often the ones who give the most time in volunteer work so is it busyness or something else that is the real issue?

I really cannot find any scripture to support Apathy or Self-Centeredness, but if you have them feel free to enlighten me.  Now I must caution you they will need to be contextual not just an isolated passage such as the two I have heard used where a person angry at another quoted, “Judas went out and hanged himself… Go thou and do likewise.”  Two isolated partial passages are used to convey the desired message. 

The words of the LORD to the Church at Laodicea are arresting and I wonder how applicable they are to today’s church and Christians.  He addresses them identifying the fact of their lukewarmness and then declares, “I will spew you out of my mouth.”  He identified their attitude as totally unacceptable.  The Bible tells us that whatever our hand finds to do to do it with our might and that would appear to be the opposite of lukewarm.

If we are Apathetic and our focus is on the Self, we will find that unless it directly impacts us, we are largely disinterested.  Sin and man’s lost condition do not tug the heart as a daily rule and any conviction over that attitude is quickly dispelled with images of our selfish objectives. 

We justify our inaction and apathy with the claim of Busyness in the interest of caring for our own and fail to remember that our LORD declared that if we ‘seek first’ the Kingdom of God and His righteousness all these things will be added to us.  Therefore, from a biblical perspective, the best approach to life is:

• God First and Foremost.
• Others Second.
• Self Last.

In every area of life, I have encountered Apathy. When people are apathetic political freedoms are lost.  When people are apathetic relationally relationships are destroyed.  When people are apathetic economic opportunity is lost.  When people are apathetic spiritually souls are lost, and the abundant life promised eludes us.

I have long contended that when speaking to a crowd I thrive on two kinds of crowds:  Those who are enthusiastically for me or against me.  The crowd or audience that drains me is the apathetic crowd.  I would rather watch grass grow than speak to that kind of audience.  I suspect God feels the same and thus the reason for the warning and plea to the church at Laodicea. 

May God stir your heart so that you are HOT rather than COLD and press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ.   

Be blessed and walk in the power provided by the Spirit of God.