大使命27

不冷不熱

正如先前我們所談到的，許多人認為啟示錄的七個教會是教會歷史的先知性輪廓，我曾分享那樣的觀點。往回看，這的確是教會歷史精準的輪廓。它意味主所提到的最後一個教會老底嘉，其所代表的是末世的教會。這本是主賜下最大應許的教會：主會餵養他們，他們會與主同坐在寶座上。這與站在寶座前的許多人形成對照（參考啟示錄7章），這裡指的是最好的屬靈食物和前所未有的權柄。

我們會認為老底嘉的教會太過豐盛，以致於變得不冷不熱，使主厭煩到一個地步，從祂的口中將他們吐出。今日的教會的確是如此，這對我們這一代基督徒而言亦是極大的危險。不冷不熱是基督徒所能沈淪的最糟狀況，因為其顯示出對主的終極輕蔑。冷漠是任何關係中最大的冒犯；認識全能神卻對祂不冷不熱是對祂最大的污辱。這似乎反映出許多人的景況，就算不是大多數人，亦是目前基督徒的景況。

怎麼會有人認識神卻變得不冷不熱？耶穌說：『只因不法的事增多，大部分人的愛心才漸漸冷淡了』（馬太福音24:12）。耶穌在這裡並沒有說『許多人』（many），而是說『大部分人』（most）。顯然這是對基督徒說的，因為非基督徒對祂並沒有愛。因此，我們可以推斷在這些時候，大部分的基督徒對基督的愛心會漸漸冷淡。要從熱到冷，你必須經過不冷不熱的階段，這似乎是大部分基督徒目前的階段。

不法始於不潔，以至於姦淫和通姦（參考羅馬書6章）。所有進入非法淫蕩、情慾與罪惡中的人，對神的愛會漸漸冷淡。他們會變得更宗教化，企圖彌補他們的罪。然而，那基本上也離開了唯有透過耶穌十架而來的公義。凡是從工作中尋求自義的人，也從真正愛神中遠離。

一份正統猶太教所做的研究指出，他們對色情的上癮勝過古柯鹼。猶太社群的離婚率只有百分之六，全世界的離婚率卻近五成。當正統猶太教社群看見他們的離婚率倍增時，他們尋找為何會發生的答案，因此做了此研究。他們看見色情成為罪的侵入，因而摧毀婚姻。

倘若我們讓色情的不法進入我們生命中，我們就是在拿它交換基督的愛。我們對祂的愛會漸漸冷淡，接著不法就會掌控我們的心。我們是在情慾和生命中間做選擇；罪的工價就是死，永遠的生命只有在基督裡。我們是在事奉罪還是事奉祂？你們今日若聽祂的話，就不可硬著心（參考希伯來書4:7）。

 (摘自喬納 word for the week, Week 27, 2013)


Lukewarmness - The Great Commission, Part 27
Week 27, 2013 
Rick Joyner

As covered previously, many consider the seven churches of Revelation to be a prophetic outline of church history, and I share that view. Looking back, this is an amazingly accurate outline of church history. It would mean that the last church the Lord addressed, the church at Laodicea, would represent the church at the end of the age. This was the church that the Lord gave His greatest promises to: they would be given their food by Him, and they would sit with Him on His throne. This is in contrast to the great company that stands before the throne (see Revelation 7). This speaks of the best of all spiritual food and unprecedented authority.

We tend to think of the church at Laodicea as the one that was so prosperous they had become lukewarm, making the Lord sick to the point that He would vomit them out of His mouth. This is true of the church today, and it is the great danger of our time for Christians. To be lukewarm is the worst condition that a Christian could ever fall into because it reveals ultimate contempt for the Lord. Indifference is the greatest affront to any relationship. To know Almighty God and be lukewarm toward Him is the greatest insult. This seems to reflect the condition of many, if not most, Christians in this time.

How can anyone who knows God be lukewarm? Jesus said,“because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). He did not say “many” here, but “most.” This is obviously addressed to Christians because non-Christians do not have a love for Him to lose. Therefore, we can conclude that in these times, most Christians will have their love for Christ grow cold. To go from being hot to cold you have to pass through the lukewarm stage. This seems to be where most Christians are now.

Lawlessness begins with impurity, which grows into fornication and adultery (see Romans 6). All who go down this trail to illegal sensuality, lust, and the sins that are begotten by them, will have their love for God grow cold. They tend to become even more religious as an attempt to compensate for their sin. However, that too is a basic departure from the righteousness that we have only through the cross of Jesus. Those who seek their own justification through works will also move further away from truly loving God.

A study done by Orthodox Jews revealed that pornography is more addictive than cocaine. This community of Jews had a divorce rate of only 6% when the rest of the world was experiencing nearly 50%. Then, when the Orthodox community saw their rate of divorce double, they sought answers to why this was happening and conducted this study. They saw pornography as the key inroad of sin that destroyed marriages.

If we let the impurity of pornography into our lives, we are trading the love of Christ for it. Our love for Him will grow cold, and further lawlessness will grip our hearts. We are choosing between lust and life. The wages of sin is death, and eternal life is only found in Christ. Are we going to serve sin or serve Him? “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (see Hebrews 4:7).