Cold is good??? What say you?

Something I learned recently and I'll bounce it off of you...The laodecian church Jesus said I wish you were cold or hot. I have preached many times cold was a negative statement He made.In laodecia in the bible times there was two mountains on either side...one mountain had hot springs running down, and the other was cold water rushing down....and both of theses came together and made a nasty lukewarm water. Cold water for these people was refreshing it was good...hot water was good to. When Jesus said "cold" did He mean it in a negative way?? Was cold good? We know lukewarm was bad.

Perhaps he saw the lack of intensity, or driving force as the biggest problem.Saul persecuted Christians with great intensity, however God used this same intensity to reach most of the the Roman Empire after Saul became Paul.The lukewarmness perhaps suggests a couch potato attitude which He can't use to his glory at all.PassingThru

Rev. is given to christians, but is also for the unbeliever. To the christian it's prophecy of the future, and to the unbeliiever, it's a warning. I'm no revelation scholar, but I believe it's the divide between being for God and against him. One burns with the love and fear of the Lord, and the other is cold against him. Many "christians" attempt to take a "halfway" stance. Maybe Sunday morning belongs to God, but that's about it. They stand in a place between loving God and hating him. And while they may not outwardly reject him, they are only waiting in the body of Christ until a time when they will be vomited out. I work in an office environment. In turn, I've seen well the "office politics" that come with it. I have friends who are loyal, set to be my frinds. I know others who are dead-set against me and my beliefs. And there is a group in between- they are my friend to my face, but will turn on me behind my back just as quickly. I wish they would be one or the other.

When one is hot, he is sold out to the Lord. When one is cold he is the opposite. He has no interest in God. He knows it, and he doesn’t pretend to be a follow of Christ. He is real. He is honest about his position. Then there are the hordes of lukewarm people. These people think that they are followers of Christ. They call themselves Christians; they have the talk, and they have an outward form of godliness without its power. On judgment day they will say , “Lord Lord….” fully expecting entrance to heaven. And Christ will say, “Depart from me..” These are the countless who have taken the Lord’s name in vain. They called themselves his children, but did not end up with the inheritance. It was all in vain – their entire “Christian” life! Now, consider this: which group: the cold ones or the lukewarm ones are more apt to be aware of their lost condition before God? Which group will be more likely to consider their need for Christ, because they know they don’t have him? Another consideration: Which group turns more people away from Christ – the cold pagans or the lukewarm nominal Christians? Now, can you see God’s viewpoint – why he would rather have someone cold than lukewarm?Diane

sis dianeyea and amen! those who are lukewarm think that they are saved but are really not. the thing about that is if you're not saved and you think you are, when the last day comes you will be pushed to the side of the enemy because you haven't chosen God. now that hurts...you were almost there, but almost doesn't count.

Now, consider this: which group: the cold ones or the lukewarm ones are more apt to be aware of their lost condition before God? Which group will be more likely to consider their need for Christ, because they know they don’t have him? Amen, there's no repentance available for the lukewarm because there's no need for the blood of Jesus or the Holy Spirit because of a veil of religionistic ways (I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing). That's how I was when I was younger and I made the decision in 1983 that I wasn't going to be lukewarm any more because the thought of being spewed out of the mouth of God was appalling to me and after a long season of rebellion he has drawn my heart back to him.There's no conviction of sin for the lukewarm and there's no hearing the voice of God, no hunger just to be with Jesus which is the joy of my heart and my life.But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I think this was broght up allready...What I have experienced:When I'm hot for God, meaning when I'm on fire; that's all that needs to be said.When I'm cold, I NEED God. When David the psalmist was cold, he went up in the mountains and prayed, he searched for God's face becuase he knew that he needed Him.When I'm lukewarm, I don't think about anything, I don't think about how I'm sinning is bad, or that I need to pray or that I need to go to church.Obviously being cold is worse than being hot, but it is way better than being lukewarm. While your cold, you can still learn, you can still change.So, in a sense, cold is good, if your not hot.blessings-andrey

I agree with you all...I'm just thinking out loud here...Jesus said lukewarm is bad, but the 2 streams in Lao. were hot & cold. In Lao. cold was good. Did Jesus really say cold was bad??

Here's what Thayer's lexicon says for this word cold.1) cold, coola) of cool water2) metaph.a) cold i.e. sluggish, inertb) in mind: of one destitute of warm Christian faith and the desire for holinessThere's another word that Jesus used for cold in Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. The definition here is to breathe, blow, cool by blowing and I'm not a Greek scholar but the word appears to be very similar.That's a very quick search from www.blueletterbible.org which is an excellent source for a more detailed definition than available via the Strong's.