Worthless Christianity

Witness to the world. Dr. Tony Evans says of our goals and become clouded.

Time for a recent change of government, the spiritual importance of the physical sacred important than the secular celebrating 40 years of 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, only to discover you've waited too long and that piping hot first copies now a 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 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.

And as we were 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 what 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 really, 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. He wants to speak to us. The church today and warned us about worthless Christianity, Chris, that is merely a façade Christianity that has a good faith with limited or little reality behind, and how worthless.

That is to him.

We read 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 at Laodicea is what I want you tell me, spoke Laodicea 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 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 and Leo to see 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 so because you are all will call. I will spit you out.

I felt that read y'all at your church have a problem in your problem is Luke warm 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 was the book of Colossians and Annapolis. One was 10 miles away from Laodicea. The other was 6 miles away from Laodicea so they were close cities S 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 flowed down from Annapolis" water came down from Colossae. They met and they met at Leo to see but when the call is no.

So he tells them about his discussed this church was in a state of emergency, negative 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 know how close 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 this person would go around and they would been said, I'm blessed. That's what I was blessed and highly favored because God is God is take care of me and he said don't even know how bad off your physical looks good but your 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 with the help of the physical findings. 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 a worthless form of Christianity continues this message from the new audio collection the best of Tony Evans, 20, 21.

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Here's Dr. Evans told Leo to see – fortune and pharmaceuticals was known for that. So what did the people have passion fortune pharmaceuticals. In other words, they took 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 unsuccessful 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 right rather than the amen true witness and the originator of creation, defining our reality until Jesus tells you you are arguing all right until Jesus tells me I'm all right out.

Not all right until the spiritual shrubs and physical we had. We do not have the proper measuring 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 live 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, connected, that's why you can help him look good on Sunday will miserable you can find couples sit together in church on Sunday will cancel each other out on Monday confined people sitting victory of Jesus on Sunday for addicted to something on Monday.

Not that that fortune fashion pharmaceuticals. All it is his camouflage. It's a universal studio. But Jesus says we gotta reset this thing because all they can be sent to a spiritual reality check. Never been to the doctor thinking you okay and he found some says you're not okay when you thought it was one thing you discovered. Oh no, it's deeper than that is what he saying you you you didn't think it was this bad. But the amen is telling you is real bad.

It's real bad. You have Mr. find yourself because you let the world dictate to you. Your status you climb this letter you working this job you make this money to drive this car you live in this house web-based clause and it's like you're okay.

Jesus says you are a hot wall want to spew you out of my mouth says start with my definition.

My analysis we got people changing our, definitions of life of humanity. Marriage of a human identity people are creating rules out there. We bring in bold rules and Jesus says no, I'm a man up in here are the true witness and defined and stuff with you.

Define who you define how this works.

I define how you live. I define what you value with the amen amen amen on that you got churches bringing secular thinking into the church and focusing. Amen, New York when God is not seen. Amen. What can come with money can come at identity, relationship, and category. He says no don't make me sick to reset this thing. How do 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 zealous and repent to see that those whom I love, I reprove and discipline.

Verse 19 six the Bible is clear about a parent that does not correct and discipline their child does not love.

Let me explain something we are in divine discipline and the culture, but he's talking to the charge because the job of the church is to affect the culture. Gotta go in another direction of the 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 misunderstanding, complaining that they had fortune fashion pharmaceuticals is complaining. I 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 I 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 in to him and I will dine with him, and he with me. Remember the city put him over. Don't you guess who's coming to dinner, where black man shows up the 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 will open the door, I will come 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 latency claimant Jesus want to just break the door down. Is your church using your name for preaching from your book. I've only come where welcome only come when I'm invited, 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 thing about everybody else in the auditorium where 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. Whoever opens up the door, I will come and sup with you. All of us at FedEx come to our house was something that needed to be some big knock on the door boo-boo boo-boo but then they leave it there is no answer and they 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 to 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.

That's intimate 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. In verse 1313 says go outside the camp that means outside religion and let's enter into the pursuit of a relationship buy from 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 this church.

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 force my way I operate a limitation. Dr. Tony Evans encouraging us to make sure our faith is real and not just a pretty façade will come back in just a moment.

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