I'm a follower of Jesus... - Part III

You know – in Christianity there are a few things that I think are misunderstood – that need to be clarified. Simple things as far as morals and how we should be treating others.

Revelation 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Some would say this could mean that if you hang out with everybody and are everybody's friend – then it means you're lukewarm and because of this Jesus will spit you out from His mouth.

This is not what's being said here – well it is – but there is some context that goes around it. The context of this comes from the same person who said these words.

Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

By tying these passages of scripture we can get a clearer picture of what Jesus is trying to say. One who is lukewarm – we can say will do just about anything and tell everyone that they're free to do anything they want. Which yes – we are free to do as we want.

BUT – Jesus is saying there is a way to life – one that can truly bring peace – and not peace as the world gives – but no only a peace that Jesus can give. That way of life is very narrow – and only by entering the gate can one understand it.

That gate is simple. Jesus said “I am the gate”(John 10:9) – now what Jesus is saying here is we must enter through him to get to this way of life. Now – why? There's one thing where our human nature is flawed – we have such great potential, but we're flawed. The reason we're flawed is because it is easier for us to hate than it is for us to love. Jesus can show one – how to love. That's what the entire gospel(Good News) is about. If one can truly love – then they would not be lukewarm, but rather on FIRE. One who does not love whatsoever and truly hates all – would be considered ICE COLD.

Why would Jesus rather one be HOT or COLD? When we're lukewarm – essentially for some people they're saying they love people and more so perhaps they will openly say “I love God” – but in the next breath they say they hate someone – Jesus would have a word for such a person. Hypocrites!!! Why would he call them hypocrites for this particular example?

I John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

You can only give to people what you have, right?

Example: If someone asked me for $20. I could only give someone $20, if I had $20.

If my brother asks me for love – and I have Jesus(God) and God is love – how can I possibly not give love to my brother?

LIAR! Hypocrite!

There is a way of life. I do believe Jesus taught the way to live life and love one another and through this change the world.

What the verse about HOT, Lukewarm, and COLD is not saying is this: only be supportive of Christians and nobody else; only be supportive of your family and nobody else; only be supportive of yourself and nobody else.

What the verse is saying – is be supportive of everyone. If anyone asks you to help them, help them. Don't be lukewarm and say - only on condition if you help me – or what am I going to get out of it – that is not the gospel taught anywhere within the Bible.

I'm not talking about going to Heaven – or going to Hell. I'm talking about love your neighbour as yourself.

Even the “righteous” Pharisees of Jesus' day didn't know what this meant. Let's examine the passage that explains who your neighbour is also known as the story of the Good Samaritan:

Luke 10:30-32 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

The Levite simply walked by the man. The man needed help. Why did the Levite walk him by? There are a number of speculations as to why – but the most common among Biblical scholars is that the Levite would be deemed “unclean” or would have to break a Mosaic law of some sort. In his mind it was more important to keep the law than to help a man in desperate need of help.

As the story goes – the Samaritan – yes the Samaritan stopped and helped the man. Keep in mind that Samaritans were despised by the Jews – yet the Samaritan stopped to help this man.

This my friends – is where ethics come into play from a Biblical perspective. The Levite was morally correct for what he did as he kept the law – but as we can see laws simply inhibit and tarry the human race from excelling and moving forward.

I'm sure from an ethical perspective – we're hundreds of years behind where we should be – and due to this may even cause us to be scientifically behind where we should be. Because the human race chooses to go with pleasing the law. Pleasing people, pleasing whoever they feel they should be pleasing in order to get ahead in life – rather than just keeping it simple.

For life is meant to be simple – so simple that we should be hot or cold. If we just chose the path of love – our motive for doing things would be different.

We'd go to school, not because we have to go to school or are expected to – we'd go to school because we want to go to school. We wouldn't be going to church because we have to go to church or are expected to go – we'd go because we want to go. We wouldn't help people because we have to help people or are expected to – we'd help people because we want to.

I worry for the generation that follows ours. The baby boomers generation still places some morals onto us. So we do things because we're expected to. Take that generation away – what would happen? So many people lack motivation to do anything – and lack even more motivation to do things that are helpful for others – all because we live in a time where people are more concerned about getting a high score on Battlefield or Call of Duty; people are more concerned about what others think of them; people are more concerned about paying their credit card bill or mortgage payment.

Eliminate all these bills – what do you end up with? A world that is free. People who are free to help one another. If you want to go to Africa to help people then go – you're free to do so. If you want to just stay in your hometown and help everyone in the town with the little jobs or tasks they want help with – then you're free to do so.

Again – it's all very simple – just love one another.