Leaving Sundays: Crazy Love- Profile of the Lukewarm

It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church- going, hollow-hearted prosperity. - Francis Chan

I totally agree with this statement and puts into words why I have left church for the moment.

I've complained about the lack of relevance and lack of depth in church and I am a believer. Imagine how bad it is for a non believer.

Francis Chan makes a point I had not considered but makes total sense. Some churches want to be seeker friendly and that's why they don't have much depth. Jesus was the opposite of this. His messages were designed to weed out the people that weren't sincere.

What if churches refused to water down their message?

What if churches decided to make youth ministry about discipling young people and rooting strong in the faith instead of trying to be a spiritual social activity?

What if churches decided that they were going to focus on those that were serious and the pew warmers can go sit their butts some place else?

Distractions.....

Chan says that most American churchgoers are the soul that chokes the seed because of all of the thorns. Thorns are anything that distracts from God..

When we want God and a bunch of other stuff then that means we have thorns in our soil.

I also think some Christian ministries are guilty of giving people thorns to grow in their soil. They distract them with politics, social activists  and relationship ministries. These become thorns for the believers.

We should not assume we are good soil just because we attend church or know a few scriptures.

As the great Whitney Houston said where are the receipts. Show me the receipts. Has our relationship with God changed our lives in any way?

“The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, Children who don't swear, and good church attendance.”

That's what I got too and I wanted more which is why I stopped attending church.

Profile of the Lukewarm

Chan goes on to give convicting descriptions of lukewarm people.

The Ones that fit me to a T was the one about being continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God.

I talk about doing crazy but the truth is I am more motivated to do crazy if I know how it's going to turn out or if I can have some type of control over the outcome. Not how it works.

Or how about this. He says Lukewarm people do not live by faith because they don't have to. Their lives are structured so they don't have to.

They don't do things like quit their job if prompted by the Holy Spirit or given a word to do so. They settle for the safe life because they know how it will turn out.

Not willing to take risks + Not trusting God = God will not receive Glory

As Chan says their lives wouldn't look much different if they decided to stop believing in God.

I don't want that. I want exciting. I want people to say “How did she pull that off?” You made that all up. It didn't really happen like that.

Oh yes it did. It wasn't me.

It's time To Go Get it

It was God. To God be the Glory.