TEPID

TEPID

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." - Revelation  3:14-16.

To be Tepid is another word meaning to be Lukewarm; neither warm nor cool; Uninterested; exhibiting little passion or eagerness.

The accusation of being lukewarm as used in the scriptures and compared to what obtains in Christianity today talks about when such individual is not really decided about the path of righteousness and he still has what we call one leg in and one leg out. False converts as they could be rightly described, all they do in the church is truly just for a show off, perhaps making them seem to belong but their hearts are not really there (Matt. 23:5-7).

People who get to tarry in the presence of GOD only when they have a need for Him to fix in their lives, making GOD more like a merchant man who you go to whenever there is the need for a merchandise. These guys don't see a need to honour the word of GOD but they preferably twist and turn the truth about GOD'S word just to fit their lives of sin.

Isaiah 29:13 does a good job of describing them, saying "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:"

Now, there is the need to differentiate a Tepid Christian with a weak Christian. For a weak Christian, his mind is made up about the path to take when we refer to righteousness, he only simply needs to grow deeper into the things made available for him by GOD, but for the tepid Christian, his mind isn't made up and he just remains in the church simply because of what he can get from the Lord and for such people as soon as that need tarries, they are off.

Much said about their high self-interests when approaching GOD as they wouldn't even consider carrying the cross of staying this path (Matt. 10:38; 16:24), once it becomes too tasking, they drop it not because it is difficult to bear but because they really do not have any interest.

The times when the tepid would fill the church is actually a fulfilment of prophecy as recorded in Paul's second letter to Timothy, chapter 4:3-5 - "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."

The following scriptures 2 Timothy 3:1-5 & 1 Corinthians 5:11 give us a heads up to identifying Tepid people in the church around us today and He warns against associating with them giving some characteristics that set them apart. They are lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying its power. They are sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler.

The Lord warns us sternly about pitching our tents with Tepid Christians as they would eventually hinder our journey through (2Cor. 6:14-18). He even calls them unbelievers as that is what they truly are.

For those who are Tepid, scriptures say that the Lord would spue them out of his mouth, meaning that they would not have any place with Him (Rev. 3:14-16). He says woe to them, who clean the outside of the cup but the inside is full of rottenness, such a deceitful bunch (Matt. 23:25-28). If there is a deliberate returning to sin even after the truth has been known, there remains no more sacrifice (Heb. 10:26). They forget that they make themselves enemies of GOD by the things they do and their friendship with the world (James. 4:4, 1John. 2:15-17).

Remember, not everyone who calls Him Lord Lord would enter into His kingdom but only those who do the will of the FATHER (Matt. 7:21).

GOD BLESS YOU.