When I think of the term ‘fence sitter’ my mind is drawn to the verse Revelation 3:16 which doesn’t actually refer to ‘fence sitting’ but speaks of the Church in Laodicea as being ‘lukewarm’.
Now, from a non-Biblical perspective, let’s have a look at what many of our renowned dictionaries say about a ‘fence sitter’ or ‘fence sitting’. The term is described as something like this:
- a person who remains neutral or uncommitted on an issue
- someone who can’t make up their mind on an issue of importance
- someone who supports both sides in a disagreement because they cannot make a decision or do not want to annoy or offend either side
- a person who wishes to stay neutral, to not pick a side, to avoid confrontation.
“If you describe a person or their attitude as lukewarm, you mean that they are not showing much enthusiasm or interest.”
And gives these synonyms: half-hearted, cold, cool, indifferent
James 1:6-8 (NIV)
6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
Being a lukewarm Christian or a lukewarm Church is something about which our Lord issues a very strong warning about when we examine his feelings as shown in the book of Revelation. In the below verses he tells us exactly how he feels.
Rev 3:15-18 (NIV)
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 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. 18 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.
Let me try and paraphrase these four verses:
“I know what you have been doing and that your lives and lifestyles are not fully committed to me and that you are still self-serving in many ways. Because you are like this and because you live so far away from my teachings you leave a bad taste in my mouth and your ways turn my stomach. If you don’t change your ways and serve me fully, I will cut you off. You are focused on wordly things and not on Spiritual things. You think that you have gained these things by your own efforts and do not realise that apart from me you can do nothing and are nothing. You have become blinded by the things of the flesh and have ignored the things of the Spirit. I urge you to repent and turn back to me and submit to my teachings. You have moved out of my covering and your eyes have become seared by the lure of world and its temptations and you are no longer able to see and discern the things of the Spirit. Clothe yourselves in me and my Holy Spirit so that you will be able to see clearly again”
The Church in Laodicea had lost it’s way by the lure and temptation of things like money, possessions and position in a worldly society. The had become worshippers of ‘gold’ and only had a half-hearted approach to the things of God. If you are not for God then you are against him! You cannot be camped on both sides of the fence - one foot in the world and one foot in God's Kingdom.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Isaiah 29:13 (NIV)
The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
God will not tolerate lip service! He will not be mocked! Those that do not worship Him in Spirit and in truth will be removed from the vine and cast into Hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth! We, the Church, need to be producing good fruit in line with the Holy Spirit and to the glory of Jesus!
Matthew 13:41-42 (NIV)
41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
John 15:4-6
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
Matt 7:20-23 (NIV)
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
In today’s Church many have been corrupted and led astray by false prophets and teachers who preach the messages of man and not the truth of the Bible. Many have been led astray by teachers who tickle peoples ears with what they want to hear as they have never humbled themselves under the mighty hand of God, or who once did believe but have turned their backs on God! The Church in general have become worshippers of the things of the world that man has wrapped in a pretty and corrupted gospel of lies and misrepresentation and have labelled it ‘Church’. Many people attend Church to be entertained rather than to worship God.
Titus 1:15-16 (NIV)
15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
2 Tim 4:3-4 (NIV)
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Matt 7:15-20
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2:17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
Eph 2:8-10 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The only works we should be doing as Christians are the works that God prepared for us to do even before we were born. Works done in the Spirit and not in the flesh! The woks we do apart from Christ Jesus, our self-righteous acts or works of the flesh, are like filthy rags in God’s sight!
Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Matt 6:31-34 (NIV)
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven
I repent of being a lukewarm Christian and of not giving myself to you with wholehearted love and devotion. Forgive me Lord, I pray. Thank you for forgiving me of this sin and from this time forth, Lord, please help me to be on fire for you, Lord Jesus, always. Lord, I ask that you fan into flame the gifts you have placed within me to do the works that you have predestined me to do and to keep your fire ever burning within me by the power of your Holy Spirit and to the glory of your Name. Help me Lord to live my life in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Help me Lord to be discern what is the true gospel from that which is false. Help me Lord to help others, to encourage them and to build them up to reach their full potential in Christ Jesus. I ask this, Lord, in your precious Name. Amen.
Hebrews 10:24-25
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!
Jesus, the Name above all names!
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