Worthless Christianity

What should the pursuit of God witness to the narrow Dr. Tony Evans is if our goal is to become clouded his time for a recent change of government, the spiritual importance. The sacred, important that the secular celebrating faithfulness. This is the alternative Dr. Tony author, speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship Dallas, Texas, president of the alternative. Have you ever sat down for your morning coffee to discover you've waited too long and that piping hot 1st cup is no lukewarm disappointment.

The Bible says some Christians can be like that today. Dr. Evans explains how we can turn up the heat on our faith to make sure our Christianity has meaning and impact. Let's join him as he begins when our kids were growing up.

One of the places we went on vacation was to Universal Studios. One of the things that they did was they took us through where movies are made on the tram riding through the various towns that have been constructed. The gentleman on the tram said what you're looking at is a façade just behind these constructs and construction is nothing but you would never know it.

Watching the movie when it is filled via because what we do is we put a face on it but behind it. There is no reality. It just seems real feels real and but it is actually a façade in Revelation chapter 3. Jesus wants to talk to the church at Laodicea and the Christians in the church and by speaking to them. He wants to speak to us.

The church today and warned us about worthless Christianity Christianity that is merely a façade Christianity that has a good faith would limit little reality behind, and how list that is speaking we really beginning in verse 14 to the angel of the church in Laodicea write to the angel that is the spiritual leader, the pastor at the church and lay all this is what I want you tell me, spoke this email was a special town. It was a major trade route in Asia minor that was critical for people moving products from one direction to another direction with about 45 miles away from the city of Philadelphia. One of the churches spoken of and that was a key location for three reasons.

In all three reasons above be brought up in this passage relate to us today.

First of all, it was a place of great fortune. It was a banking center a lot of money exchanged hands because of all the training that occurred in Laodicea was a place of great function and fortune was also a special place in addition to its fortune that had a major textile industry that clothing factories were robust people could get not only close but expensive rocks for their homes and mail to see that it was a place of medical science and pharmaceuticals.

It was known for its advancement in medicine consult this city was well known. Jesus says to this advanced profit-making good-looking and medically secure environment, pastor of the church at Laodicea. Here is what I want you to tell. He says I know your deeds, I may not be there but I know what's going on that you are neither cold or cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or so because you are all not call.

I will spit you out. I felt that read he says y'all at your church have a problem in your problem is Luke warm this you are lukewarm you are neither hot nor cold, we give you the reason why use this terminology.

Laodicea is located between two cities Colossae when the book of Colossians and populous. One was 10 miles away from Laodicea. The other was 6 miles away from Laodicea so they were close cities Annapolis was known for its hot springs like hot Springs, Arkansas.

But see got its water from the snow and ice melting flowing down from it from collapsing into Laodicea was cold so when the hot Springs flow down from Annapolis" water came down from Colossae. They met and they met at Leo to see when the call met just now so he tells them about his disgust. This church was in a state of emergency they needed the emergency room that will help me but they didn't even know. So what was it that made this church and what made them worthless. He says because you say verse 17 I am rich, I have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked you dress Gordon don't know you don't have a proposal you got my bike and don't know you pull, you think you understand what was going on. Are you blind as a bat.

In other words, you are a self deceived Christian going to a self deceived church which is to have a church. The problem is that this church measured their spirituality by their external benefits by the close had good medical insurance every day where these Christians would go around and they would been said, I'm blessed.

That's what I was blessed and highly favored goddess God is take care of me and he says I don't even know how bad off your cool looks good but you'll spiritual is emaciated in Western culture, particularly when you allow the benefits that have accrued us to trick us into thinking just because things are looking okay we're okay when the physical defines the spiritual, then that means that things are backwards and that we have become lukewarm Christians in Luke wall churches and we don't even know that Jesus is not in the build asked Charlie. They look good but when measured by the divine standard they fell way short. Dr. Evans will come back to tell us more about how to avoid worthless form of Christianity when he continues this message from his brand-new series divine reset if you're feeling troubled, attempted or trapped were there just seems like there should be more to life than this life changing collection of lessons is for you there messages on moving beyond complacency unlocking God's power in your life, finding triumph after trials experiencing God in this life and the one to come.

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This valuable resource can offer hope and guidance as it helps you identify areas of spiritual weakness and prepares you to stand firm against the devil's attacks on your life you get both of these resources with our thanks when you make a donation and request them online@tonyevans.org or let someone on a resource team help you by calling 1-800-800-3222 anytime of the day or night. That's 1-800-800-3222 four. Dr. Evans will come back with part two of his message right after this coming to theaters this November. Hearing the place where Lazarus was raised from the place where it's believed was to which Jesus rings Tony heaven springs the New Testament Gospels to line as he visits the locations of Jesus earthly ministry connecting them to their significance to mankind today and I relationships I guess what Jesus is can take things November 15, 16 and 17 traveled with Dr. Tony heaven life changing my opening journey with Jesus buying showtimes and learn more Tony Kevin stop had fortune was no.

So the people I fashion fortune pharmaceuticals and other words what was happening in the culture and brought into the church.

They took the success of society and let that define whether they were unsuccessful Christian or whether they were a successful church that the society define whether they are all right. What we have done today.

Far too many places. What we must resist is leading the world, define our spiritual condition, letting the society tell us whether we are all life rather than the amen true witness and the originator of creation, defining our reality until Jesus tells you you are arguing all right. Jesus tells me out all right out. Not all right until the spiritual shrubs and physical we get we do not have the proper ring stick. That's the problem when you have a prosperity emphasis that makes you think if you prosper physically or financially. You must be spiritual. Nothing wrong with prospering legitimately on those areas. Everything is wrong with letting that define the make you think, because those things are okay. All those things are just okay you living in a place that told you was okay to watch too much television. He says to them you got the wrong view your miserable, poor, blind neck and that's why you can have public good. On Sunday will miserable you can find couple sit together in church on Sunday will cancel each other out on Monday five people sitting victory of Jesus on Sunday addicted to something on Monday. Not that that fortune fashion, so the coast all of this is camouflage it's a universal studio.

But Jesus says we gotta reset this think is all making me sit spiritual reality check how we go to bond reset from worthless Christianity. Lukewarm mess. Verse 19 don't play with me.

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline therefore be resilience and repair to see that those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Verse 19 six the Bible is clear that a parent that does not correct and discipline their child does not love them. Let me explain something we are divine discipline and the culture, but he's talking to the charge become the job of the charge is to affect the culture you got to go another direction you to change your priorities. You gotta make the spiritual more important than the physical, sacred, more important than the secular.

Leviticus 1824 to 28 talk about don't be like those nations don't let their value systems. Their priorities defined you, that's not who you are. Don't miss misunderstand me complaining that they had fortune fashion, but they have pharmaceuticals is complaining they didn't have it is right place and not buying from him.

They were defining themselves by not to be defined by facilities will close all or what our budget is that has its place, but what you define as is our pursuit of God passion for Christ. I love one another.

I witness to the world.

That is what you define. So he says behold I stand at the door not verse 20 if anyone here is my voice and opens the door, I will come into human I will dine with him, and he with me to remember the city put him over. Don't you guess who's coming to dinner, where black man shows up white families home dating his daughter that was one of the first movies that recognized interracial relationships, guess who's coming to dinner.

Jesus says behold I stand at the door that will open the door, I will come in and dine with him, guess who's coming. Jesus says I'm knocking on the door.

No, no women he's knocking on the door. The church this is written to the church to see Jesus want to just break the door down. Is your church using your name. The preacher from the book I've only come where welcome only come uninvited. Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

Watch this if anyone opens up the door he's knocking on the door of the church, but he wants to know what individual is going to come and open UK doing a thing about everybody else.

Anyone in your house question is what you will do what am I going to behold, I stand at the door of the church and not that I want to see which individuals answer it opens up the door, I will come and sup with you. All of us to have FedEx come to our house was something that needed to be some they knock on the door boo-boo boo-boo but then they leave it there is no answer and may take whatever they have what you know what because if it's something that they bring you that has to be signed for special it's only for you. If not for the general public, and FedEx has got a guarantee that you get it, so they drive away and come back another day. But they knock on the door to see if somebody will come in answer Jesus Christ a special he's the amen is a true witness, he's beginning of creation so legal knock on the door and if there is no answer to come back another day not just going to have church without but if you open up the door.

He says I will come in and I will dine with you that's intimate fellowship that's intimate connection that's intimate love association and noticed the last verse he comes, I will grant him to sit down with me on the throne wall. Jesus says if you let me in your house.

I'll let you in the bathroom. He verse 1313 says go outside the camp that means outside religion and let's enter into the pursuit of a relationship, but for me relate to me, pursue me just come to church because a Sunday this dress-up because you look good to make it about closest when you visit me.

I want to come into the house. The house of your life. And of course the house of the church and until discharge every church in the church get this right that American culture is not to define the church house or how Christians live and what their value systems.

Anything you can have me enforcement. I operate a limitation.

Dr. Tony Evans encouraging us to make sure our faith is real, not just a pretty façade is just one of the powerful messages from his current series divine reset. This 10 lesson collection will help you redefine your focus.

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Dr. Evans recently spoke about God's early calling on his life 1968, little church became part of the evangelistic crusade in Baltimore, led by an evangelist named BCM heart is organization was the Granville gospel fellowship was a tent crusade and I was 18-year-old working on this crusade with our church and on the first night he preached. He talked about being fully committed to being used of God and that night is when I sense God calling me to serve him. I really didn't get more involved in the crusade and got to know Sam Hart and then he sent me to Guyana South America to work on his crusade that was going on that which is course is where I met Lois so it was that crusade and 68 that started the ministry direction for me for your support of the urban alternative makes possible the important work that continues even today, so again, contact us at 1-800-800-3220 2C thanks for your help by sending you divine reset and winning your spiritual battles again. That's 1-800-800-3222 or you can make the arrangements online at Tony Avenue and start org it's been said that some of the most important truths in life are contradictory on the surface, and only when we look beyond what seems most obvious. Can we see the real wisdom of God on Monday. Dr. Evans will explore a remarkable paradox that only when we surrender completely to God can fully unlock his power in our lives. Be sure to join us for the compelling message.

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