Lukewarmness... Continued!

Craig Groeschel's Follow-Up Blog post on Lukewarmness looks like this:

Question: What do you do when you realize you are lukewarm?

Answer: You do something drastic!

If some small change would have made the difference in your spiritual life, you would have made the change a long time ago.

You might:

• Start a seven day fast and devote extra time to seeking God.

• Take a sabbatical and pray like you haven’t in years.

• Confess to your spouse, your elders, or to trusted friends and ask for help.

• Seek spiritual counseling from another pastor or counselor.

• Take the week off and go to a hotel alone with no cell phone, no computer, and no books but the Bible.

• Read a Children’s Bible and pretend like you’re hearing the gospel story for the very first time.

• Repent to your family for your lack of spiritual passion and leadership.

• Tell your church honestly that you are struggling and invite them to pray for you.

• You might turn off your computer now and go somewhere and cry and repent deeply.

Whatever you do, it should be drastic and you should do it before another voice talks you out of it.

My Year-End Self-Evaluation

Craig Groeschel recently posted some signs of a lukewarm pastor. Since lukewarmness is something detested by our Lord, I think an effective year-end self-evaluation can be created from the points following:

Do I pray as much, or more, publicly than privately?
Am I almost exclusively dependent on others’ sermons to preach than directly hearing from God?
Do I care more about my church than The Church?
Do I preach about evangelism but not practice evangelism privately?
Do I tolerate and rationalize unconfessed sin?
Do I preach for the approval of people rather than the approval of God?
Am I overly sensitive to criticism?
Do I harbor bitterness and unforgiveness?
Do I read the Bible to prepare sermons but not for personal devotion to God?
Am I jealous or critical of someone else that God is blessing?

Do you see any of this in yourself?

According to Craig, a lukewarm pastor:
Prays as much, or more, publicly than privately.
Is almost exclusively dependent on others’ sermons to preach than directly hearing from God.
Cares more about his church than The Church.
Preaches about evangelism but doesn’t practice evangelism privately.
Tolerates and rationalizes unconfessed sin.
Preaches for the approval of people rather than the approval of God.
Is overly sensitive to criticism.
Harbors bitterness and unforgiveness.
Reads the Bible to prepare sermons but not for personal devotion to God.
Is jealous or critical of someone else that God is blessing.