The Flavorless Church
Revelation 3:15–16
Do you love McDonald’s French fries? I do—especially when they’re fresh out of the fryer, hot and salty. But have you ever taken them home, thinking you’ll reheat them later? Total disappointment. Cold fries are rubbery, bland, and barely edible. Honestly, they’re only good for feeding to the chickens at that point!
Or how about an ICEE or lemonade after the ice has melted? What was once bold and refreshing becomes watered down and tasteless—nothing like the icy treat you were craving. There’s something about lukewarm things that just turns us off. They’re disappointing. Flavorless. Useless.
In Revelation 3:15–16, Jesus speaks to the church in Laodicea using this same idea:
"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."
That verse always hits me hard. God isn’t calling out blatant sin here—He’s calling out indifference. Mediocrity. Comfort. Being spiritually "room temperature." It’s not that the Laodiceans were hostile toward God. They just weren’t passionate about Him anymore. They were settled. Comfortable. And in God’s eyes, that’s a dangerous place to be—so much so that He says He’ll spit them out.
Have we been there?
Maybe you remember a time when you were on fire for the Lord—eager to serve, quick to worship, passionate about telling others the Good News. But then life got busy. The routine took over. Stress crept in. The fire dimmed, and now, without realizing it, you’re just... warm.
Not cold, not hot—just flavorless.
What’s worse is that the lukewarm believer often doesn’t even realize anything is wrong. We tell ourselves, “I’m a good person. I don’t hurt anyone. I still go to church.” But God says indifference is enough to separate us from Him. Not because He stops loving us—but because we’ve stopped responding to Him. Why does He say He’d rather us be cold or hot? Because cold hearts can still be warmed. People who know they’re far from God may still be searching. But lukewarm people have often stopped searching. They’ve settled.
As we focus on missions this month, let this be a wake-up call. The world doesn’t need a flavorless church. It needs a church on fire—compelled by compassion, bold in truth, and stirred with urgency to reach the lost.
Are we too comfortable to care? Too busy to give? Too distracted to pray? Too numb to act?
Let’s not be the flavorless church.
Let’s rekindle the fire.
As you think about missions, remember this admonition - it is serious. It is not often that God speaks of separating Himself from us and putting us aside. I don’t want to be there – do you?