Hmmm . . .luke warm waters . . .neither hot, nor cold. No convictions either way. Live and let live . . .no emotion to those with much, no concern toward those with little. No hunger for truth, no desire for freedom.
The only thing that pops up for me is the fact that Jesus stated out of our bellies will flow rivers of living water. Odd that he said bellies and not hearts, or mouths or breaths . . .my belly is what greets what I eat. What did Jesus say about being defiled? It's not what comes in, but it's that which comes out. God is not a simmering smolder of ash, he's a consuming fire. A lilving, breathing, always-reaching-for-more, consuming fire. We are "in" him but how can we be "in" him and not be affected by the moving of his fire? He spews us out of his mouth, we're forced out of his word. We're shut out from his revelational intimacy and freedom.
What would the results of that be? Eternal torment all over again? I hardly think so. There's another passage in Revelation that talks about the Euphrates river drying up. Euphrates means "fruitfulness". Why would the fruitfulness dry up? It's a preparation for something greater than fruitfulness. In our fruitfulness there is the tendancy to become lathargic . . .luke warm . . .but the fruitfulness dries up in "preparation for the KINGS OF THE EAST".
Do we not realize that "we" are kings and priests? Our crowns of thorn have been removed. The curse of the mind has been transformed from thorns to gold. Priceless purity . . the purging of the fire has dried up the river of our fruitfulness . . .it was "our" fruitfulness that was keeping the sons of God . .. kings and priests . . .from coming into their true identity . . .we are not of "this" world, we are of the "East". Was it not kings of the east that came to bless Christ with gold, frankensence and mhyrh? What's "east" got to do with it?
What ascends from the east every new day of the week? Is it not about the message of resurrection? The rising of the sun/Son? So . . .those who are luke warm are those who've become careless (uncaring) about their positions, their identity, their hunger . . .so God spits them out of his mouth . . .he removes their fruitful positions . . .in doing so, they "become" hungry . . .their perspectives have changed, the kings of the east are now bringing in the message of resurrection . . .not death, not burial, but resurrection.
1Corinthians 15
Do you think I'd do this if I wasn't convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus? Do you think I was just trying to act heroic when I fought the wild beasts at Ephesus, hoping it wouldn't be the end of me? Not on your life! It's resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live.
