Oh, how the mighty have fallen! How the glorious church of the living God has become a mere shadow of its former self! How the bride of Christ has lost her first love and settled for a life of ease and compromise!
The lukewarm pew-sitters of our day have exchanged the fire of Pentecost for the comfort of padded pews! They have traded the power of the Holy Ghost for the programs of men. They have forsaken the altar of prayer for the entertainment of the world. They have neglected the Word of God for the opinions of man. They have quenched the Spirit of God for the traditions of men.
As the Good Book declares in Revelation 3:16, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” What a dreadful warning to the church of Laodicea, and to the church of our generation! God is not pleased with our lukewarmness, our indifference, our apathy, our complacency. He is not impressed by our outward appearance, our numbers, our buildings, our reputation. He is looking for a church that is hot, that is fervent, that is passionate, that is zealous for His glory and His kingdom.
Oh, brethren, do we not realize the hour we are living in? Do we not see the signs of the times? Do we not hear the voice of the Lord calling us to repentance, to revival, to reformation? Do we not feel the burden of the Lord for a lost and dying world? Do we not sense the urgency of the Lord for His return?
Let us not be deceived by the spirit of this age, by the lies of the enemy, by the lusts of the flesh, by the pride of life. Let us not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Let us not love the world, nor the things that are in the world. Let us not seek the things that are below, but the things that are above.
Let us awake from our slumber, let us arise from our lethargy, let us shake off our lukewarmness. Let us return to our first love, let us seek His face, let us humble ourselves, let us pray, let us repent, let us obey. Let us be filled with the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit, let us be led by the Spirit. Let us preach the Word, let us live the Word, let us demonstrate the Word. Let us be the salt of the earth, let us be the light of the world, let us be the witnesses of Christ.
Let us not be content with the status quo, let us not be satisfied with the mediocre, let us not be comfortable with the lukewarm. Let us hunger and thirst for righteousness, let us pant after God, let us seek Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Let us cry out to God for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit, for a mighty revival of His church, for a glorious awakening of His people.
Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit, let us not resist the Holy Spirit, let us not quench the Holy Spirit. Let us welcome the Holy Spirit, let us yield to the Holy Spirit, let us cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Let us experience the Holy Spirit, let us manifest the Holy Spirit, let us share the Holy Spirit.
Let us be the church that God wants us to be, let us be the church that God has called us to be, let us be the church that God has empowered us to be. Let us be the church that is hot, that is on fire, that is ablaze for God. Let us be the church that makes God smile, that makes heaven rejoice, that makes hell tremble.
Let us be the church that honors God, that glorifies God, that magnifies God. Let us be the church that loves God, that worships God, that serves God. Let us be the church that pleases God, that blesses God, that exalts God.
Oh, brethren, let us be the church!