Crazy Love by Francis Chan
Week 4: Chapter 4 — Profile of the Lukewarm
Read Chapter 4 of Crazy Love. Key passages: Revelation 3:15-16; Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 14:25-33.
This is perhaps the most uncomfortable chapter in the book — a detailed, unflinching portrait of the kind of Christian Jesus warns He will spit out of His mouth. Read it as an invitation to honest self-examination, not condemnation.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Chan opens with the chilling words of Jesus to the church at Laodicea: "Because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16). Why is lukewarmness more nauseating to God, in some sense, than outright coldness? What does lukewarmness say about what we actually believe?
2.Chan offers a long list of characteristics of the lukewarm Christian — people who attend church, tithe occasionally, pray before meals, and consider themselves good people, but whose lives are fundamentally shaped by comfort and culture rather than Christ. Which characteristics on his list struck you most personally? Why?
a.Chan says lukewarm Christians "go to church as a means of gaining personal fulfillment." What is the difference between going to church to give and going to church to get?
b.He also says they "give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living." Where is the line between wise stewardship and self-protective giving?
3.One of Chan's most pointed observations is that lukewarm Christians are "more concerned with avoiding sin than actively pursuing righteousness." What is the difference between those two postures? Which one more accurately describes your own spiritual life?
Closing Prayer
Full guideGet the Complete 12-Week Study Guide
All 85 discussion questions, weekly reading schedule, closing prayers, and a downloadable PDF for your group.
Get Your Guide — $24.99