After yet another loss, the bewildered football coach for the Hull City Tigers said, “I don’t know if this is a mentality thing, but our accumulation of points against the lower-down teams is crazy. Whether it’s mentality or complacency, I don’t know.” The Tigers should have been winning games. Instead, they were losing to lower-ranked clubs, causing their coach to wonder if his players cared.
Complacency is an attitude that’s addressed in the Bible as well. During the reign of King Josiah, the prophet Zephaniah spoke to the people of Judah. They were idolatrous, worshiping both Baal and Molek (Zephaniah 1:4-6). Their idolatry was even violent and deceitful (Zephaniah 1:9), inciting God’s righteous anger (Zephaniah 1:14-16).
It’s interesting that complacency is listed alongside these seemingly worse sins (Zephaniah 1:12). Complacency isn’t something to be proud of, but is it truly as bad as worshiping another god?
Jesus revealed to the apostle John that complacency has no place within His church. In His letter to the church in Laodicea, Jesus said, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16).
It’s easy to become satisfied with the status quo. Skimping in our giving, avoiding sacrifice, and forgetting to pray can come naturally to comfortable Christians. But complacency is a bit of a slow death. As it quietly sets in, we grow numb to the sharp pains that usually drive us to God. It then robs us of the joy of His presence and renewal.
May we be “hot water” today, bubbling over in passionate worship of our great, loving God.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 6:1-15
More:
Read the prophecy to Judah in Zephaniah 2:1-3. Notice the attributes God seeks in His disciples.
Next:
Where in your spiritual life have you become complacent? What can you do differently today to heat up the lukewarm areas?
Gary Shultz on October 15, 2016 at 6:22 am
Hi Andy, complacency is one of those stealth things, to get it and to be captured by it all you have to do is nothing. It self generates itself by nothing, of course we all know the vacuum of nothing will attract something. Coasting no matter where you find your “amp” level in the christian life will bring less than zero results. As God continually points out we can’t be at zero, life moves and we are pulled with it. So we are not in a stand still world, we are either moving with it or we are moving with God. To move with God we must be doing something, that not being salvation works, that is working out our salvation. That is maintaining the relationship started with regeneration, that is why Christ paid the price, to have active fellowship and to live our lives through Him. Not just so we could be pulled over the edge of the boat escaping drowning, but so we could row too. The ship is going somewhere. Thanks Andy
sim jing ying on October 15, 2016 at 9:34 am
There’s nothing complacent yet but I’ll always pray that complacency doesn’t take over me so as to keep heating the lukewarm areas of my life.
minkjh on October 15, 2016 at 10:39 am
Great post today, Andy. The problem of complacency has been around for a long time and continues to plague the church to this day. As you pointed out, Old Testament history is filled with examples of what lay at the root cause- syncretism and idolatry. During the early centuries of Christianity a whole host of -isms and cults permeated the landscape. In our age we continue to face rising pressure not only to compromise and revise core doctrine and teaching from God’s divine Word, but to blatantly defy it with human viewpoint. We must remember that while God is merciful, he is also just.
envirotact on October 15, 2016 at 1:41 pm
Amen! We are definitely in the Laodicean Church age…the last age before the rapture of the true church.
hsnpoor on October 15, 2016 at 7:37 pm
I am familiar with the 7 churches that John describes in Revelation, but I’ve never understood them to represent a specific time or “age” where they predominate, but rather all of them have been, are and always will be represented in the world., until Jesus returns as King of kings and Lord of lords. I am truly perplexed by your statement that the Laodicean church represents the last “age” before the rapture of the the true church. What is your Biblical reference for this?
minkjh on October 15, 2016 at 10:17 pm
Hi Kim, if I can interject a few threads to help clarify envirotact’s comment without getting too involved (which is difficult when dealing with Revelation). Church scholars through the years have presented a variety of views on the meaning and relevancy of the Seven Churches. Three of the most widely accepted are the practical view, which examines the churches within the framework of their historical setting at the time of John’s writing; the perennial view, which postulates that at any given time in history there are churches (and Christians) who are representative of all the individual churches; and the prophetic view, which looks at each of the churches chronologically in seven stages from the post-apostolic era onward to the present. In this view Ephesus would cover up to AD 100, Smyrna 100-300, Pergamum 300-500, Thyatira 500-1500, Sardis 1500-1700, Philadelphia 1700-1900, Laodicea 1900 onward. Some of these views may alter somewhat depending if one takes a preterist, futurist, historicist, or idealist approach to the book itself, of if one leans to a premillenial, postmillenial, or amillenial viewpoint, although these latter positions weigh heavier in the succeeding chapters. One other point concerning the historic Laodicean culture- it was affluent and noted for its financial, educational, and industrial power bur spiritually bankrupt. It was a church that valued compromise and what we would today label PC correctness. Simply put, it valued and exalted human viewpoint over divine viewpoint. RBC/ODB have prepared several documentaries on the seven churches within the last 15-20 years which can also provide solid foundational teaching.
hsnpoor on October 16, 2016 at 7:06 am
Thank you, minkjh. As you say, things can get involved when dealing with Revelation. Based on your very helpful comments, it would seem I take the perennial view on this matter and envirotact takes the prophetic. I appreciate your guidance on where to find additional material to about this matter. Thank you for taking the time to offer such a lucid & edifying response!
youssef1777 on October 15, 2016 at 11:53 am
GOD NEVER LET ANYBODY GO AWAY WITH SIN . BUT IF WE TELL GOD ABOUT IT . HE WILL FORGIVE US . REMEMBER THE BLOOD THAT OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST SHADED FOR US IN THE CROSS WILL REMOVE OUR SINS .
hsnpoor on October 15, 2016 at 7:46 pm
Andy, this is a much needed wake up call to all who have ears to hear and eyes to see. I am so guilty. And you are so right. We know The Truth, The Way and The Life. We know how the story ends. Real lives hang in the balance and yet we (me) are not consumed with getting the message across at every opportunity. God help us (me)!