Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV)
¹⁵ “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Settling into a mediocre Christianity is a danger we all face. It is easy to drift to a place where we are going through the motions when serving God, not giving Him our all. Jesus condemned the church at Laodicea for being lukewarm, but the question is, have any of us fallen into that same condition?

To be lukewarm is to traverse upon middle ground. It is to be in a state where you are not hot or cold; not great or terrible, just somewhere in the middle. In such a state, one does not fight against Christ, but he does not fight for Christ either. Such a condition was appalling to Jesus. He never took the middle ground. He gave His all to accomplish the will of His Father, and He gave His all for us on Calvary’s cross. Are you surprised that He would be unhappy with anything less than that from us?

What does mediocre Christianity look like in real life? It looks like the person who goes to worship services on Sunday morning, then stays home on Sunday night to watch a football game; a per-son who acts holy when around other Christians but lives carnally when around those who are not members of the church; a person who claims to believe in the Bible but never studies it. Mediocre Christianity is the kind that someone picks up at the front door of the church building and then lays it back down on his way out.

None of us should want to be that kind of Christian. In truth, what I described above is not really Christianity. It could be said that a mediocre Christian is not a Christian at all because he is not following in the steps of Jesus. True followers of Christ are Christians no matter where they go or what they are doing, and they are consistently active, doing the work of the Lord. Paul was sure to exhort the brethren at Philippi to be active Christians no matter who was around.

Philippians 2:12 (ESV)
¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

Evidently, there were some who would act one way when Paul was around, but then differently when he was absent. That is mediocre Christianity, and it fails to consider that we are always in the presence of God. What is worse, to serve God with mediocrity, shows that one has lost the passion for Christ that is needed to be a genuine Christian.

If you ever have to be talked into serving God, your Christianity has become mediocre at best. You have left your first love (Revelation 2:4). You must get the passion for Christ back before it is too late. Begin by studying the Bible every day. Make up your mind to pray more often. Think about doing some things that are not commanded but still good for you, like going to gospel meetings of congregations that are not your own. Start doing more for Christ, and it just might spark a flame within you that will turn into a fire for Christ, causing you to once again have an authentic Christianity, not plagued by mediocrity.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.