PROFILE OF THE LUKEWARM

Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe ‘good Christians’ do, so they go. (Isaiah 29:13)

Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church… as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? (1 Chron 21:24, Luke 21:1-4)

Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. (Luke 6:26, Rev 3:1, Matt 23:5-7)

Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. (John 10:10, Rom 6:1-2)

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, not average ones. Lukewarm people call ‘radical’ what Jesus expected of all his followers. (James 1:22, James 4:17, Matt 21:28-31)

Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbours, co-workers or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. (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 nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. (Luke 18:11-12)

Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives. (Luke 9:57-62)

Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors, missionaries and radicals. (Matt 22:37-38)

Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focussed on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached. (Matt 5:43-47, Luke 14:13-14)

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. (Luke 18:21-25)

Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focussed on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they consider the life to come. Regarding this, C. S. Lewis wrote, ‘If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.’ (Phil 3:18-20, Col 3:2)

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 the love of money is.’ Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel ‘called’ to minister to the rich; very few feel ‘called’ to minister to the poor. (Matt 25: 34, 40, Isaiah 58:6-7)

Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the base minimum, to be ‘good enough’ without it requiring too much of them. They ask, ‘How far can I go before it’s considered a sin?’ instead of ‘How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?’ They ask,….’ (1 Chron 29:14, Matt 13:44-46)

Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and taking risks for God. (1 Tim 6:17-18, Matt 10:28)

Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens – they have their saving account. They don’t need God to help them – they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live – they have life figured and mapped out. They don’t depend on God on a daily basis – their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. (Luke 12:16-21, Amos 6:1)

Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitised lives with holiness, but that couldn’t be more wrong. (Matt 23:25-28, Matt 7:21)

You can see the article on their website here!

You can check out the video of the report here!

I spent the morning in a classroom with high school students watching as the towers crumbled and life as we know it transformed before our eyes.  We talk, cried and comforted each other and other day-to-day issues did not matter in light of what we observed on that morning. 

I can’t help but wonder what eternity held for the over 3000 people that perished on that day. 

What was their relationship with God on that day?  Had they ever connected to a church?  What type of an experience did they have when they went to church?  Was there a dynamic, relevant, Jesus-centered, Bible-focused church within a reasonable distance to them that would have reached out to them with the love of God?

Starting churches matters!  People perish everyday that matter to God and God is still using the local church as the primary delivery method of the gospel! 

That is why Church at the Grove matters and why we started this church 3 years ago! 

Happy Birthday Church at the Grove!

We have worked together to complete a complete Home Makeover on a home in our Walnut Grove community! 

We have witnessed almost 100 people turn to follow Jesus as a result of God’s work through Church at the Grove! 

We have serve countless meals to Youth Middle School teachers, Walnut Grove High School teachers, Walnut Grove Elementary School teachers, Athletic Teams, Foster kids and families and many more groups. 

We have Loved Loganville!

We have baptized around 75 people!

We have had part in planting over a dozen churches in 3 years! 

We started with about 50 people, Launched with 183 and now average over 300 people in attendance in our Sunday gatherings. 

We will have over 100 adults in Community Groups this fall!

Our students have packed and served lunches in Monroe, loved and ministered to children in backyard Bible Clubs, helped clean up after Katrina in Mississippi, served people in New Orleans and reached out to their friends on Wednesdays at the CLC!

We initiated and facilitated a complete Home Makeover for a family in Walnut Grove that now attends Church at the Grove! 

We have partnered close to 100 children with local heros and helped make their Christmas something to remember!

We soon will take part in sending two families across the globe to help people find their way back to God through Jesus.  We look for partnerships to carry Jesus across the globe!

We have partnered with a local organization “Resurrecting Hope” to help make a difference in the lives of the homeless at the Atlanta Union Mission. 

We have loved and supported local Teachers and Educators in our community.

We have consulted and provided leadership to numerous church planters and leaders locally and nationally. 

We have only just STARTED! 

Don’t miss the next three years!

You can sign on to be a part of the 40 day “Act of Kindness” Challenge at ResurrectingHope.com  and you can post or email reports of your Acts of Kindness as well.

Here are some ideas to spur on your creativity:

• Pick up a neighbors newspaper and take it to their front door.
• Cut part or all of your neighbors grass.
• Pay for someone’s parking, meal, drink, toll etc in a drive-thru line.
• Allow someone to move ahead of you in a line at a store, bank or business.
• Take food or a meal to someone new in the neighborhood.
• Clean up litter in your neighborhood.
• Visit a nursing home or an assisted living center and make someone smile.
• Bake cookies or your favorite snack and take them to the local police or fire station or to the emergency room medical staff at your local hospital.
• Look for opportunities to open the door for someone or to help an elderly person with their packages.
• Write your child a special note and leave in their lunchbox or their room to be surprised.
• Tape the correct change to the front of a drink machine or newspaper box.
• Leave an extra amount for the tip at a restaurant.
• Leave a thank-you note for your mail carrier. 
• Send flowers or balloons to someone you are thankful for.

I will post some other new ideas throughout the next month or so.  Go be kind!

You are the change agent but you cannot change anyone.

• In any and every context, change is difficult.
• True change in our context has to be the work of the Holy Spirit.
• We need to allow for constructive dissatisfaction and give time for the change process.
• The gospel of Jesus is perpetual new wine that will burst the old wineskines. 
  Matthew 9:17 (NIV)
  ¹⁷ Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”The hardest person to change is yourself.

Check out what the Walton Tribune had to say about it.
http://waltontribune.com/story.lasso?ewcd=77ece9291ec0fba3    

Check out the video:

Thank you to everyone that made Easter incredible! But let’s not stop now! What if we were that intense every week of the year in investing and inviting people and loving on our community? Let’s continue with the momentum we have built.

Check out the video below and let it be an encouragement to continue to reach people in this community with the gospel of Jesus.

CATG Cardboard Testimony from David Crewey on Vimeo.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to join the Father in His rescue mission led by His son Jesus.  One way we can be a part of this mission is by leveraging this Easter Sunday and inviting some of our friends and family to join us at Church at the Grove.  Here are a few things to think about:

• Pray for your 3 for Easter daily by name.
• Talk to them early on and remind them a few days before Easter. 
• Make specific plans to either pick them up or meet them in the parking lot or at the entrance to the building.  Walk them around and sit with them.  Introduce them to some of your friends.
• Make plans ahead of time to have lunch with them after the service. (After you help break down of course.)
• Ask them a couple of simple questions about the service.  Ask them if they enjoyed it.  Ask them if they understood everything in the service.  Ask them if they have any questions. 
• If you feel like it is the right time, ask them to come back and join you.  If not, call them later and invite them back to join you again. 
• Continue to pray that the seed of the gospel of Jesus will take root in their heart.

The first Thursday morning of the month I get to spend my time with about 15-18 crazy guys who have either started churches or are looking to start a church.  They are insane!

It is an honor for my friend Chip Wheeler and I to help plan and lead these Church Plant Network Coaching events.  I love hanging out with guys that want to reach people and transform a community utilizing the best strategy that exist today on the planet–Church Planting!

We meet at FBC Conyers, GA and spend time in prayer from 7:30am-8:45am.  At 9am we have a guest speaker that leads us on a specific topic related to church planting and pastoring.  After our speaker leads us in a Q & A time we break out into coaching groups where we can apply the learned lessons to our specific context.   It is a blast and another way to broaden CATGrove’s Impact in the world for Jesus!

Circus

Thursday evening Jill and I took the kids to the Big Apple Circus that was showing at Stone Mountain Park.  I know it may seem funny to mention church planting and the circus in the same blog post but they do have a lot in common especially when you think of how church planters and clowns……………..well, I won’t go there!

It was a blast!  The clowns are my favorite part of the circus!

Here is the deal!  We all need to laugh.  Life is just hard at times and the recent pressures in our culture necessitate us find an outlet to relieve the pressure.  Church planting is a lot like the circus!  The Pastor and staff could possibly be confused with the ringmaster and some clowns.  The circus tent is always full of a bunch of hungry animals and people waiting to be entertained! Ouch, did I just say that!  Yep!  I’m sorry, I just needed to relieve some of the pressure from running a circus. 

I don’t know why I thought of writing a post on church planting and the circus, but somehow they just seemed to go together! 

Be Blessed!  And laugh a little this week.