I love me some sweet tea! I love me some ICE COLD SWEET TEA! I mean I want lots of sugar and lots of ice! In fact I am getting really thirsty while I write about ice tea, I just might get up and get me some! ......................................... (OK, I am back.) This is some good stuff! I even like hot tea on occasion. I can’t stand warm tea. I want my tea really cold or really hot.
Can you see the sermon in that? If you had to rank your spiritual walk with God were would you be? If, at 1, you're really far from God, and, at 10, you are so close you smell like Him, were would you be? I have recently been asking Christians that very question. I have yet to find someone willing to admit to 1 and yet to find anyone who could classify themself as a 10. Every time I have asked Christians to classify themselves, they claim to be between 4 and 7. I want my tea to be a 1 or a 10, I don’t want a 4 to 7—that is a waste of good tea!
You may remember, in the book of Revelation, Jesus told the church at Laodicea that "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would you were cold or hot. So then because you are lukewarm [4 to 7], and neither cold nor hot, I will spue you out of my mouth." We are making God sick with our works. We admit that we are 4 to 7, lukewarm, and do nothing. So I began to think about the new year and a new start to replenish our tea-glass-for-God with something more desirable to Him.
Many people made New Year's resolutions. That is, they promised themselves that they will lose weight, stop smoking, go to church, or something like that. Webster’s defines "resolution" as "a) a resolving, or determining; deciding b) the thing determined upon; decision as to future action; resolve." Now, making resolutions makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. It makes us feel better about ourselves that we plan to start something or stop something. The problem with resolutions is that they are quickly forgotten in a matter of days or weeks at most. I don’t think we need to make any more resolutions. What we need is a revolution! Webster’s defines "revolution" as "a) a complete or radical change of any kind b) overthrow of a government. Form of government, or social system by those governed and usually by forceful means, with another government or system taking its place." I think this sounds more like what we need—a revolution in the Body of Christ! We need to experience a radical change in the way we think and act. We need a total overthrow of our lives, until we become under absolute Lordship and Leadership of Jesus Christ.
We need a revolution in our worship. I am tired of this ongoing debate on what is more spiritual, Hymns or Praise music. Worship has nothing to do with the song, it is all in the heart. If our hearts are praising, the words will not matter, if they are about Jesus! We need a revolution in our hearts to the worship of Jesus!
We need a revolution in our prayer lives. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray without ceasing." This does not mean to walk around talking to God, it simply means to constantly pray. Kind of like an irritating cough—you are not constantly coughing, but the itch to cough is always there.
Later on in 1 Thessalonians, we are told, "Be patient toward all men." I know I need a revolution in that area in my life—patience! We need more patience with lost people. All they know is evil. That is why we should be patient with them, that they may see Jesus in us so He can change them.
Where we need a real-life revolution is in our witness. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 tells us to "hold ourselves back from anything that appears evil." We as Christians—followers of Christ—need to remember that we are the only way some lost people will ever see Jesus. If we are not different, we are telling the lost that Jesus makes no difference in our lives. We also need to have a sense of urgency toward the lost. In order for our ratings to change from 4-7 to 8-10, we must have a revolution in our lives. We need to tell others and show others of the Love of God.
I pray that 2007 is a year of great blessing for you and that you would let God use you in an extraordinary way for His Kingdom. God Bless you!
Brandan Thomas
