The Heart Matters

Throughout the Bible, God is clear that what He cares about most is our hearts. When our hearts are right our actions will follow. But the reverse is not true. Our actions may appear to be right, but our hearts may be far from God. That was the problem with the religious establishment in Jesus’ day (Matthew 23:25-28). Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong.” (Crazy Love, p. 79)

God sent Samuel to anoint David as the new king of Israel. In that process, Samuel considered David’s brother Eliab because he looked the part. As Samuel thought he had surely found the future king, God said, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks upon the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 ESV)

Religious people are comfortable living with surface level transformation. They like to look right to those who are looking from the outside but have not considered what God is observing on the inside. When we are in love with Jesus, we care more about our heart, knowing that our actions will always follow our heart. God is looking for people who are willing to undergo a heart change, not those who are looking to simply act a little bit better than the next guy or gal. As you examine your heart what does God say?

Rock or Sand?

The majority of people in America today will say that they believe in God when asked. So why then do so many people act like God does not exist? The same can be said in the church. Many people will say they love Jesus but then live each day of their lives like Jesus does not exist. God is not calling us to believe in Jesus but to believe Jesus. That means we will move past surface level religion to a deep, loving relationship with the God who made us through a personal relationship with Jesus.

In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a ‘Christian nation.’” (Crazy Love, p. 78)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it clear that we simply need to believe Him. In Matthew 7:21-27 we observe Jesus emphasize the necessity of hearing the Word and then living it out in practice. The ones who hear what Jesus says and apply it to their lives allowing it to transform their lives are called wise. They are the ones who are building upon the Rock.

The ones who build their lives upon hearing what Jesus says but not living it out are equated with the foolish man who built his house in the sand. If we build our lives upon trusting our church attendance, or the faith of our parents, or even the label of being a “Christian,” we are building our lives upon the sand. When you consider what you are building your life upon, do you see it as being the Rock or are you playing in the sand?

Comfortable

When it comes to answering the questions raised in these posts, it can be easy to make excuses for our inability to measure up. While we would all like to be people who can be totally in love with Jesus, we have a practical reason why it just is not possible for us. I know that because I have been there, and still find myself returning there. The goal of every one of these posts is for it to lead to reflection that leads to action.

The bottom line is that we need help in looking in the mirror and seeing the reality of how lukewarm our love for Jesus has become. That is why Jesus wrote to the seven churches found in Revelation 2-3. These people needed help looking in the mirror to see the accuracy of their condition.

Using the descriptions in Crazy Love is meant to help us look in the mirror as well. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, ‘Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is.’ Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel ‘called’ to minister to the rich; very few feel ‘called’ to minister to the poor.” (Crazy Love, p. 75)

It can be easy to love those who are like us and invest in those who already have. After all, that is easy. It gets a lot harder to love people and invest in them when they are not like us or they are in need. Throughout Scripture, it is clear that God’s heart is for the poor. (Isaiah 58:6-7) As people who are in love with Jesus, the same thing that moves Him should move us. Jesus is moved by people who are hungry, thirsty, and without. What moves you?

Thinking of Heaven

Living with our thoughts on Heaven is not something most of us do. We are either simply too busy trying to keep up with what is going on to give it a thought, or consider the thought of dying to be too depressing to consider. Have you ever considered that maybe one of the biggest problems you have, as a follower of Jesus, is that you don’t think about Heaven enough? Chan writes,

“Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C. S. Lewis writes, ‘If you read history you will find the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.’” (Crazy Love, p. 75)

Hebrews chapter 11 presents people used as examples of faith. We could even call them heroes of faith. The thing that each of these heroes of faith have in common is that they did not live for an earthly promise. Instead they looked forward to the better promise that God had given. The better promise is that all of those who have faith will one day be able to exalt the name of Jesus together, glorifying God throughout eternity. In order to be a person of faith, we simply can’t be consumed by thinking about this world.

Colossians 3:2, is clear that our thoughts ought to be set upon heavenly things. That means that while we live each and every day here on earth, we do not need to be consumed by earthly things. When we have a biblical view that Heaven is a real place that we will live as real people in the presence of a real God, we can begin to live for the day that we will finally be there. We can exchange the temporary pleasures of this world for the eternal glory of the next.

One thing that I have observed about people who are really in love with Jesus is that they simply can’t wait to be with Him in a real place we call Heaven. They allow the thoughts of being with Jesus someday drive them today. What is it that you find yourself thinking about?

Serving the World

The life of Jesus was defined by love demonstrated by being a servant. When it came to being a servant to the Father and to people, Jesus showed no limits. Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.” (Crazy Love, p. 74)

It is easy to end up justifying the limits we place on how much time, talent, money, and energy we expend in serving God and other people. We can even try to attempt to sound spiritual in the process. We do not think of ourselves as being lukewarm, we simply see ourselves as normal Christians living in the real world. The only problem is that is not the Bible’s description of normal.

In Matthew 20:20-28, the mother of James and John asks Jesus for a place of honor for her sons. When the other disciples end up hearing of the request they are angry with the two brothers. Jesus responds by defining greatness in the kingdom as being a servant. This definition of greatness flies in the face of everything our culture teaches us. We simply don’t aspire toward being a servant. We don’t encourage our children to grow up and become servants.

Every follower of Jesus ought to aspire toward greatness. Jesus defines greatness by our willingness to serve others. No limits, no ulterior motives, simply loving people with the love of Christ enough to serve them like Jesus. When it comes to serving others for the kingdom of God where are your limits?

Loving Others

Today we look at the essential follow-up to loving God, which is loving others. At Trinity Church, we talk about loving others almost as much as we talk about loving God. We can summarize the teaching of Jesus found in Matthew 22:37-40 in four words: Love God, Love Others. All of Scripture is based upon these two foundational loves. Francis Chan writes,

“Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached.” (Crazy Love, p. 73)

When it comes to loving others we really try to keep our distance because loving people is messy. Our lives are filled with mess and we do our best to try and minimize the mess. Loving people is difficult and so we end up doing our best to love others from a distance, all the while making excuses about why we can’t be more involved.

The example of love that we are to emulate toward others is the love that Christ has given to us. We are to love others because it is the defining characteristic of someone who is in love with Jesus. In John 13:35, Jesus says love is the identifying characteristic of His disciples. As we live out our lives using the gifting that God has given us, if our motive is not love, it is worthless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Loving God and loving others is not a motto but the identity of those who are in love with Jesus.

Loving God

At Trinity Church we talk a lot about loving God. The reason we talk about loving God so much is that it is the primary thing we were created for. The first and great commandment is to love God above everything else. In Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors and missionaries and radicals.” (Crazy Love, p. 73)

In Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus emphasizes the primacy of loving God originally given to the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Loving God is easy in theory, but becomes much more difficult in practice. After all, we are people with busy lives. We have families and jobs that we must make sure that we attend to. We end up justifying our lukewarm behavior by trading away the best things of God for the good things we choose for ourselves.

When it comes to priorities of love in our lives, we must be vigilant in assessing our own hearts in how much we really love God. When was the last time we made a choice to do something God asked us to do over something or someone else? When was the last time you took an hour to just get away and spend it with Jesus? We can say we are in love with God all we want but do our actions provide evidence that we actually do?

Content at Lukewarm

As followers of Christ we need to admit that it is quite easy for us to be content with lukewarm Christianity. We never have to be inconvenienced, or stray too far from what it is that we want. Often we allow Jesus access to the areas of our life that we desire to be cleaned up so they are more appealing to others and ourselves. But when it comes to allowing God access to every area of life, we quickly put on the brakes. Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives.” (Crazy Love, p. 72)

Jesus’ encounter with the rich man described in Matthew 19:16-22 should serve as a stunning wake up call to those who see Jesus as something to believe in rather than a person to be believed. The rich man appeared on the surface to have everything it took to be a follower of Jesus. The one area that he could not turn over, was the one that made all the difference. When Jesus asked the man to turn over control of his wealth the man went away “sorrowful,” because he had lots of stuff. He simply didn't want to lose control of his stuff.

The call of following Christ is a call to relinquish control. Not just control over the areas of morality that we ascribe to, but control over every area of our lives. When we are in love, we don’t mind sharing everything we have with the one we are in love with. If we truly love God, giving control over every area of our lives should be our response. Taking inventory of whom or what controls our time, money, and thoughts is a good indicator of our love for God. What does your inventory reveal about how in love with God you are?

Moving Beyond Good Behavior

When it comes to living life as a follower of Christ, we make a mistake if we think it is all about being good and moral people on the surface. The goal of following Jesus is not appropriate and civil behavior. Instead we should long to see God change who we are from the inside out. In Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people gauge their morality or ‘goodness’ by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street.” (Crazy Love, p. 72)

When we compare ourselves and the level of our moral goodness to the secular world, we make a drastic mistake. The Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12 thanked God that he was not like the sinning tax collector while pointing to his perfectly religious behavior. In Luke 18:13 the sinful tax collector beat his chest begging God for His mercy in light of his sinfulness as a person. Jesus makes it clear that it is the second man who has the right perspective (Luke 18:14).

We must constantly remember that we are rebels at heart. Rebels against the God of the universe deserve punishment. That means that we are all deserving of punishment from God, but instead, we have encountered God’s incredible mercy and amazing grace. In light of that, we should never attempt to compare whom we are to a world that does not know Jesus in a real way.

Are you content with being a little bit more moral than the guy and gal down the street? Or are you so grateful that God has had mercy on you, a sinner?

Sharing Our Story

If we have a relationship with Jesus we all have a story. Often times we forget that, settling into the normal daily routines. We forget that we were once blind, but now we see. We were once dead, but now we are alive. So we stop talking about how our story intersected with God’s story. When this happens it is a good indication that our relationship with Christ is lukewarm at best.

Over the past week we have been looking at some excerpts from Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love. Today, we look at what happens to our witness for Christ when we lose our passion for Him. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.” (Crazy Love, p. 71)

I have to admit that one of the things that I miss the most about no longer working in the secular work place is the constant opportunity to interact with people who do not know Christ personally. The opportunity to share what God has done, and is doing, should be one of the most joyous things we get to do as followers of Christ. It can also be one of the most difficult things to do if we let our pride get in the way of the Spirit’s guidance.

The bottom line is that when we are in love we talk about the one we are in love with. When we are crazy, head over heels in love, we can’t stop talking about the one we are in love with. We definitely do not avoid talking about the ones we love like we are ashamed of Him. In Matthew 10:32-33 Jesus makes it clear that if we are in love with Him, we must ensure we are not ashamed of Him. Do you talk about Jesus as if you are in love with Him?

Radical or normal?

The call to follow Jesus is not a call to the easy life or a life of comfort. It is a call to “radical followership.” While we might say this is true, we must ask ourselves if our lives demonstrate this is true. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people are moved by the stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for ‘extreme’ Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call ‘radical’ what Jesus expected of all His followers.” (Crazy Love, p. 70-71)

I remember listening to the story of a woman who gave up her job as a captain on a heavy jet for a major airline, and instead, travelled with a group of evangelists for a year. My thought as she shared her story was, “she’s crazy!” The more I read the pages of Scripture, the better I understand her choice. Now I would simply call her decision normal by New Testament standards. Giving up everything and following Jesus is something required of a normal follower of Christ. We have come to the point in our comfortable lives where the normal actions of someone who has given their life to Christ are seen as being radical.

What is the radical call for followers of Christ? Doing what it is that Jesus wants us to do, when He wants us to do it. In other words, living out the Word in practice, not simply agreeing in theory. It means that when God says we must love our enemies, we actually do. When God says that we cannot love God and money, we ensure we have actually chosen God over money. It means we do not simply listen to the Word of God and fool ourselves, but we actually live it out (James 1:22). It means when God says go we go and when God says stay we stay.

If we are in love with Jesus we begin to see what is considered radical by the lukewarm, as being completely normal for a follower of Jesus. Would you ever be accused as doing something radical because God asked you to?

Grieved by Sin

Hopefully you have taken the time to ask yourself the hard question each day so far. If we desire to see God do something extraordinary in our midst, we must ensure that we are seeking Him. Not simply a surface level, happy interaction to make us feel better, but a true encounter with the Living God that requires us to reveal the very core of who we are.

As we continue on this journey of self-examination, the questions get harder. Today we look at what lukewarm people think about sin. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they only want to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.” (Crazy Love, p. 70) I told you it gets harder!

As you examine yourself, can you say that you genuinely hate sin? That is a tough question when we dig past the surface. As a parent, I frequently have to help my children understand that it is not “getting in trouble” that should motivate their actions, but instead a longing to glorify God by making right choices. As followers of Chris,t we must hate sin because by His very nature He hates sin. We cannot be conformed to the image of Christ and hold on to those things that are in direct opposition to His nature.

There was a time in my life when this description fit me perfectly. And I would have to say that my relationship with Jesus was lukewarm at best. Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1–2 ESV) We must move past simply being sorry for the consequences of sin to being grieved by the sin itself. The new life that God has for us is better by far than the bondage of sin. Do you believe this is true?

Consistency

Today we look at Francis Chan’s third indication that our life is lukewarm. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.” (Crazy Love, p. 69) Attempting to be like the people you are with is a natural human response. As followers of Christ, we are not called to live in the natural but instead to be transformed in the image of Jesus.

The major flaw of the religious elite of Jesus’ day was that they cared more about what other people thought of them than encountering the living God. The same can be true for us. When we care about being like our church friends when we are around them, but being like our non-church friends when we are around them, we are showing that our heart is not first and foremost after Jesus.

Jesus was not impressed by the religious efforts of the scribes and Pharisees, so we should not think that He might be pleased with our divided attention either. In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces judgment on the conduct of the religious elite in His culture for their outward conduct, while they remain full of “hypocrisy and lawlessness” on the inside (Matthew 23:28).

As you examine yourself, where is it that you find inconsistency in your actions and attitudes in the different areas of your life? Would people describe you as loving Jesus no matter what area of life in which you encounter them? If we desire for God to bring revival in our lives, we must be ready for the necessity of allowing Him authority over every area in our lives. There can be no areas that we hold back.

Where is your heart?

As we prepare for the Summit, it is important for us to remember that self-examination is key to the process of renewal or revival. The process of looking into the mirror and examining ourselves is often times painful at best. When we look at our devotion to Christ, often times we can be disappointed feeling as if we simply do not measure up. There are people who seem far more spiritual than we do. The question is not how spiritual we seem on the outside, but where our heart is.

Today we look at another heart-probing statement from Francis Chan’s, Crazy Love. The second description of someone who is lukewarm is; “Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church... as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?” (Crazy Love, p. 69) Now this is starting to get personal!

When it comes to checking on where our heart is, there is no better indicator than our money. Jesus taught about money and wealth frequently. That means it must be a pretty important subject. What we do with our resources is a good indicator of our spiritual condition. If we are wise, we will use money as a spiritual EKG. What is your money saying about the condition of your heart?

As we look to Christ, asking for a fresh touch of His presence in our lives, we must do so from a position of full surrender. We cannot hold back anything in our life and expect the Holy Spirit to do something extraordinary in our midst. It is a matter of devotion. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24 ESV)

God shows up when His people demonstrate their heart is for Him. When they humble themselves, pray, seek, and turn. We must turn from our way of self-reliance in every area of our lives. That includes our money.

Are you lukewarm?

In Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus makes it clear that the church in Laodicea’s “lukewarm” approach to following Him, does not please Him. In our culture it is very easy for this to happen. With so many options in our daily lives of things to give our attention and time to, it is easy for our relationship with Christ to slowly fade toward lukewarm.

In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan lists a series of descriptive statements that describe a person who is halfhearted or lukewarm in their relationship with Jesus. Chan writes, “Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ? Or do the words halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better?” (Crazy Love, p. 68) This is not a question that anyone can answer for you. The matter of being in love with Jesus is a totally personal matter.

Over the next three weeks, I am going to present some of the indications Chan gives of a lukewarm, halfhearted, or partially committed person. The goal is for you to examine yourself in a real and personal sort of way. 2 Corinthians 13:5 makes it clear that self-examination of our relationship with Christ is healthy.

The first description Chan presents of someone who is lukewarm in their faith is; “Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe ‘good Christians’ do, so they go.” (Crazy Love, p. 68)

What is your motive when it comes to going to church? Is it something you do because it is expected, or is it motivated out of a heart to worship the King of kings? Throughout the Old Testament prophets, God makes it explicitly clear that He is after our hearts. Is your heart after Him?

Revival Prayer

Yesterday I presented 2 Chronicles 7:14 as the model for revival praying.

“If my people who are called by name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

~ 2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

As we pray together for the Holy Spirit to do something extraordinary in the days ahead, we must take seriously the principles we observe in Scripture. While God does not follow formulas there are principles we can learn here that can help us to put ourselves in God’s way.

Our part in the process is to humble ourselves, pray, seek, and turn. This is not a surface level engagement with God. We must allow the deep part of who we are to be totally transparent before Him. Then it is up to God. We are not responsible for the results. The results are up to God. We must ensure, however, that we are faithful in our part. When we are, I believe then God will hear, forgive and heal.

In order for us to see God do something extraordinary in our lives and in the life of our church family, we must first of all see the need. If we are comfortable with mediocre relationships with God and with each other, we will not be diligent in being humble, praying, seeking, and turning. But if we long for God’s presence and power to be made real in our lives we will persevere in seeking Him. That means we will follow the principles of the process outlined in this model for revival prayer.

Revival?

Over the next three weeks, Trinity Church is preparing to host Life Action Ministries and participate with one of their ministry teams in a revival summit. Revival is an old school term that carries some pretty heavy baggage with it. So over the next three weeks, I am going to be making postings here on my blog to talk about what revival is and why we might need it in our lives.

I want to start by describing what revival is, by describing what revival is not. First of all, revival is not a meeting or an event. Many people with church backgrounds grew up going to “revival meetings.” While those events were likely significant, they may or may not have brought a fresh touch from God.

Revival is also not a mass evangelistic event. Revival is for God’s people. To “revive” means to “come back to life” or “full strength.” In order to return to life, there must have been life to begin with. There comes a time in our lives where we simply get comfortable with the status quo. We get comfortable living from day to day, seeing little power and little kingdom impact.We get so used to it that we end up thinking that it is normal. We lower our expectations of what it means to follow Jesus in a loving, devoted relationship.

I personally ascribe to Richard Owen Roberts’ view of what revival is. Roberts’ writes, “…revival is an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit producing extra ordinary results.” (Roberts, Revival! p. 16) Revival is an extraordinary movement of God whereby we should be able to observe extraordinary results. Revival is something that God does. We cannot schedule it on our calendar. What we can do is seek God for it.

When it comes to praying for revival, we must follow the model of prayer found in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “…if my people who are called by name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Revival is all about falling in love with the Reviver all over again. Falling in love to the point that all we long for is His presence to be made real in our lives.

Over the next few weeks we are going to take a look at some indications that show we need to fall in love with Jesus again…. that we need the Spirit to come and wash over us anew so that we can give Him the glory He is due.