Was Jonah Really in the Fish? (And Other Things You Wanted to Ask Your Pastor)

[laughs] We hear the term lukewarm Christianity a lot.

Mm.

What does that mean? Did Jesus a- a, did Jesus say that?

You know, it's actually out of, uh, a book in the Bible called Revelation, and it's, it, the, the actual scripture is talking about this church in Laodicea.

Now, it was this church, in Revelation it talks about these churches and, and in it, the writer, John, he talks in the perspective of each church of, "Hey, here's maybe where you're slipping a little bit."

Mm-hmm.

Okay, yeah.

"Where you've kinda lost the point and lost the value." Laodicea was known for, uh, this aqua duct system that they created in their, in their city, and it was never hot water, never cold water, it was always lukewarm water.

And I think when we take a look at scripture, it's really important that we remember it's written to a certain people in a certain time, and often a certain place.

And- It's important to take the context-

Yes

... of those things in-

Yes

...

in light.

But there was dual kind of terms there.

And n- uh, he was speaking directly to them, going, "Hey, you know what it's like having lukewarm water." Like, "You're not kidding me.

We know what that's like.

We never get hot or cold." And they're like, "Why is your faith the same way? Why are you lukewarm and you're not hot and cold?" And it is so much better for you to be one or the other.

And Jesus talked about that as well, about being, hey, hot towards faith-

Yeah

... versus cold.

And you'd much rather have cold than hot because I, than lukewarm.

And I think the reason is that it's often when we're lukewarm, we're hypocritical.

We're, we're not authentic.