Lukewarm Christianity is casual and comfortable. The Bible calls it carnal because it promotes human desires, opinions, and feelings. It is words without power. It trains people to be passive church attendees and mere sermon-hearers instead of eager and obedient readers and doers of the Word. (James 1:22)

Jesus doesn’t like lukewarm Christianity. He even says that He will spew it out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)

Lukewarm Christianity is self-righteous. It teaches its adherents to believe they are good people (Romans 3:23) and don’t need to regularly humble themselves, (1 Peter 5:6) confess their sins, (James 5:16) acknowledge their great need for Christ’s forgiveness, and repent by changing how they think and act in daily life. (Matthew 3:2)

Lukewarm Christianity ignores God’s still small voice. (1 Kings 19:11-12) It trains Christians to quench the inner leadings of God the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 3:19)

Instead of actually demonstrating (1 Corinthians 2: 4) the presence and power of the risen Jesus, lukewarm Christianity keeps people ever learning sermon-based religious information. Rather than training people to listen daily to and faithfully obey “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” (Colossians 1:27) it makes them satisfied with passive church attendance.

Lukewarm Christianity gives people false confidence. It assures them that if they have ever asked Jesus into their heart, they will go to Heaven when they die as long as they attend and financially support a church. It makes people believe that Christianity is nothing more than a mere spectator religion. (2 Timothy 3:5)

Spirit-led Christianity, however, is radically different. It continually burns like a fire in the heart. (Luke 25:32) It supernaturally changes people from within (2 Corinthians 5:17) and transforms them from glory to glory more and more into the image of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Spirit-led Christianity trains people to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and faithfully follow, listen to, and obey the living Jesus. (Luke 9:23) It releases the fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) and gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-12) of the Holy Spirit to flow powerfully, like rivers of living water, (John 7:38-39) both within and through people.

Spirit-led Christianity always keeps as its first priority to be inwardly governed and ruled directly by God. (Matthew 6:33) It empowers people to be faithful disciples who live the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and all the rest of Christ’s teachings in daily life. It forgives everyone. (Colossians 3:13) It even loves and blesses its enemies. (Matthew 5:44)

Lukewarm, self-focused Christianity is popular. Spirit-led, self-denying Christianity is rare. If you are a Christian, has your love for and excitement about Jesus faded into lukewarmness? Or is it flourishing by being inwardly prompted, empowered, and led by God’s Spirit?