Being a lukewarm Christian is something that I feel like I've been convicted of for the past little while. Admittedly, after church every Sunday, I give myself a fresh start to live my life for Christ. In my head I'd be like, "Yeah Lord! This is the week where I'll pray well and not half heartedly! And this is the week that I'll give to you to do in whatever way you want! And this is the week where I'll actually listen to you!"

It never happens. By Monday (less than 24 hours later) my good hearted resolution is gone, putting me back in the place of a lukewarm Christian.

What is a lukewarm Christian anyway?

Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love, dedicates an entire chapter to it. I'll give you guys a quick profile: (He uses the term Lukewarm People but I prefer using the term Lukewarm Christian.)

Lukewarm People attend church fairly regularly because it is what is expected of them and what "good Christians" do. Their worship is made up of rules taught by men (Isa. 29:13).

Lukewarm People give money to charity and the church as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living.

Lukewarm People 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 them rather than what God thinks of them.

Lukewarm People don't want to really be saved from 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. They don't believe this new life Jesus offers is better than their old sinful one.

Lukewarm People are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for 'extreme' Christians or missionaries, not your average ones.

Lukewarm People share their faith with their neighbours, 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. "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. but whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." (Matt 10:32-33)

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 as so-and-so, they are no where as horrible as that guy down the street.

Lukewarm People say they love Jesus and that he is a part of their lives, but only a part.

Lukewarm People love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength; they are quick to reassure you that they try to love God that much, but it is impossible for the average person.

Lukewarm People love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love for others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and people they know and connect with. There is little left over love for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is slightly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached. Matthew 5:46 says, "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?"

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.

Lukewarm People think about their life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven.
Colossians 3:2: Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

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 for money is."

Lukewarm People do whatever is necessary to keep themselves form feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be "good enough" without it requiring too much of them.

Lukewarm People are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God.

Lukewarm People feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, and come from a Christian family.

Lukewarm People do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.

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This is a very extensive list. This list is not meant to judge each other, but to be used as something to examine ourselves and just how much of a cross we're actually bearing. Some of the things here convict me more than others, and I think that's the point.

Francis Chan ends the chapter by reminding us that Jesus said, "Take up your cross and follow me." By that he doesn't mean half the cross, but the entire thing. Lukewarm, halfhearted following is useless and will not benefit anyone.

While typing this, it reminded me of the chilli run last Saturday. Although it was good for me to have finally spoken to people I usually ignore, I realized after that I didn't ask any of the people I talked to for their names, which was really important! How can you pray for someone whose name you don't know? Ok you probably could, but I prefer to be specific in my prayers.

So I will end this enormous blog post here. I will have a part two of this post because there's just so much to talk about and I didn't actually get to the point of what I wanted to say.