How to Be Complacent: Part II
Revelation 3:14-16 says “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
We are discussing how apathy can slip into our walk with the Lord unchecked if we aren’t careful. Below are three other surefire ways to allow complacency to have room to grow.
Value your comfort over obedience to Christ.
A great way to be complacent is to avoid being challenged and to stay insulated in our comfort zone. I think there is some danger to the currently popular “self-care” message. There is good intentions to it but it has to be tempered with the message of the gospel. Which is not to treat yourself, it’s to deny yourself. Matthew 16:24 says “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’’
In the persecuted church, I have rarely met an apathetic, complacent Christian. I remember one pastor told me they wanted their church to grow by another two hundred people in the next three years, but in order for that to happen, two or three of them would certainly have to die. I had to have the translator repeat it twice to make sure I understood what he had said correctly. Can you even imagine that? Often the way we view inviting people to church is very apathetic “if the conversation just goes that way, maybe I’ll invite them”.This pastor and the believers at his church were willing to give their lives to see the church grow and see the lost won into God’s kingdom. Their goal isn’t comfortable or safe lives, their goal is obedience to Christ because they are in love with Jesus.
A great way to value obedience over comfort is to be intentional to be around Muslim people and embrace the great commission. If we want passion for lost people, don’t just pray for passion for lost people, go be around them! And it might be uncomfortable but I promise you won’t feel apathetic. It will light a fire in your own faith.
Embrace and justify the subtle sins.
Certainly many of the typical “sins” we think of can drive a wedge in our relationship with Christ. But I think so often it’s actually the sneaky, subtle sins that cause us to be apathetic in our faith. Many of the “self” sins can do this: being self-righteous, self-promotion, self-pity, self-sufficiency- and then add in materialism, gossip, pride and many others. Apathy grows when we don’t take ownership. And these are the sins that are easy to ignore. In fact, they can blind us into thinking we have somehow “arrived” in our spiritual journey and don’t need to pursue growth as much anymore.
It would be like if your boss criticized your team for a decision that was made but you knew you had nothing to do with it. It probably wouldn’t bother you nearly as much as if it had been your idea. When there is a lack of ownership, apathy can abound.
Taking this a step further, even the things that aren’t overt sins, but a lack of engagement in what God has called us to be a part of, such as the Great Commission, can cause apathy. When we aren’t intentional to reach others, it’s easy for us to think it’s someone else’s job to befriend a Muslim, someone else is better equipped, and we can find excuses to justify our lack of involvement.
The next time you are tempted to justify a thought or behavior stop and ask yourself if that thought or behavior has the potential to draw you closer to Christ or farther from Him. Sometimes we like to think we can just coast along in our faith journey but the reality is we are probably either moving forward or backwards, we just might not recognize it.
1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 says: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
We need to allow the cross to do its full work in our lives. We are called to die to ourselves and to live for Christ which doesn’t just mean what we consider the major sins; it means any part of us that is contrary to the character of Jesus.
Elevate your own dreams and desires above intimacy with Christ.
This is where I want to address some of our good dreams and desires. Because complacency can grow when we miss the whole point of Christianity which is knowing Jesus. Sometimes the easiest place to do this is in the midst of really good things.
We can get so caught up pursuing and working towards our own dreams and desires that it can overshadow pursuing our walk with Christ. This will leave us burnt out, dissatisfied and disappointed. Then there is a very good chance we will end up feeling complacent or apathetic eventually as well.
Phil 3:7-8 says “But whatever were gains to me (my insert: prior to this scripture Paul had just listed all of his religious/ ministry activities, these are the “gains”) I now consider a loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ.”
The key to not being complacent is knowing Christ. This is the reverse recipe. It’s a living breathing relationship with Him. And all of the things I listed above either foster this intimacy- spiritual disciplines, obedience to the great commission etc.; or they choke it- social media overload, seeking comfort first, justifying our sins, etc.
As long as the enemy can lull us into complacency which leads to inaction, his job is done; we will not be effective. Jesus doesn’t want apathy from us. He doesn’t want us just getting by, just being a moral person and living a good life. He wants a living all-consuming relationship with us. And this will inevitably flow over into other people in our lives, including those desperately in need of the hope of the gospel.
Because no one wants to wake up one morning a lukewarm Christian, my challenge to us, myself included, is to pursue our intimacy with Christ above all else. And if you currently feel apathetic in your walk with the Lord ask Him to help you identify where the apathy was allowed to creep in. Most likely God won’t call you to move to Iran like Nava did (or maybe He will!) But we can rest assured that we are not alone in this. We can never lose sight of the fact that we have a gracious, loving, Heavenly Father who always pursues us and will never give up on being close to us. James 4:8 says to draw near to God and He will draw near to you. And guaranteed, the closer you are to Him, the farther you will be from apathy.