All or Nothing

One of the things Chan's is truly adement about in this chapter is that you NOT take his word for ANYTHING. He readily admits that his opinion is just that... HIS opinion. But, what he does ask each of us to do is read the Gospel with a fresh pair of eyes to see what Scripture says. In his own words, he states: " Before you discount or ignore what I am about to say, read these passages objectively, without preconceived opinions staunchly in place." p. 83

The first Scripture Chan references is the one that started the whole "Lukewarm" conversation: Revelations 3:15-18.

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold not 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. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see." p. 84

There's a lot to digest here. Chan starts with trying to explain what Jesus meant when He said that He would spit us out of His mouth. Chan notes that this is the only time in the New Testament that the word "spit" is used. He also tells us that there is no gentle way to share Jesus' feeling on the matter. The word spit means "gagging. hurling, retching." In reading this, a natural question arises in my mind, and Chan poses it to all of us:

"When you read this passage, do you naturally conclude that to be "spit" out of Jesus' mouth means you're part of His kingdom?"

Well, do you? For me, the answer is a resounding "NO!" Now, of course, I don't have all the answers, but when I read this, I envision a time of judgment... when I come before the Lord... and Jesus speaks on my behalf before His Father. When I read this Scripture, it makes me wonder if Jesus will will say that He never knew me... hence the spitting out. How can this be possible? Again, I can only revert back to what I know... examples that I can relate to. So here's an example for you. How many of you know people that pretend to be something they aren't. In mixed company, they put on a good show, but behind closed doors it's a completely different story? How do those people make you feel? Take an honest account of your heart. What do you find?

THE PUSH

Chan writes that after he objectively read the Gospels for himself, he came up with one conclusion: Jesus wants all or nothing. "All or nothing" is easy to say... but not necessarily easy to give. Today, I want you to listen to my favorite song right now. It really speaks to this issue of giving ALL of ourselves to Christ. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdgg7XmTWls