Recently a newly born-again Christian shared with me his delight at discovering a couple of preachers on the Internet. “They make the word of God come alive,” he said. Sadly though, when he mentioned this to a few people in his local church who he thought were Bible Christians, their responses left him feeling dispirited. “Welcome to the church world,” I replied. Fortunately he has learned early what some of us learned late; not everybody in church gets excited about the word coming alive. The sooner that’s understood, the less shocking it will be down the track; and the less dispiriting!
When one is a new Christian and new in a church, one tends to think everyone is on the same page spiritually and doctrinally. And as far as the doctrines of salvation in Christ and baptism by full immersion in water are concerned, that could be so. Too, as long as they stop at these nobody is going to feel dispirited. But the day you share something different with them, as the man above did, there’s a good chance you’ve rattled their spirituality one way or another and if that’s so, they’ll pour cold water on you, metaphorically speaking. In other words, if you’re hot for God they’ll try and cool you down! How good the joys of fellowship when believing we have all things in common. Not so good, when one is hot but discovers others are not!
The question new Christians rightly ask though is, “Why is this so? If Jesus is your Lord and He is my Lord, what’s going on here?” So it’s wise also then to contemplate on what Charles Spurgeon said about it: “We meet with professors by hundreds; but we must expect still to meet with possessors by units.” That’s it. We could be sitting in a church with a hundred or a thousand people, but the reality will always be – some hot; most not. It’s not up to us make the call as to why this is so with regards any individual person, but Jesus made it clear, For many are called but few are chosen Matthew 22:14. “Many hear; few believe. Yea, many are members of the visible, but few of the invisible Church.” – John Wesley.
Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows those who are His….. 2 Timothy 2:19. Whether they are professors of Christ or possessors of Him, there are a few reasons why people in a church will pour cold water on newly born-again Christians hot for God. Jealousy and envy will be among them. Here he or she is, having been a Christian only a short time but the grasp he or she has on Scripture is exceptional. “How come I haven’t got that?” will be their thinking – and it’ll unsettle them. It will make them angry too but they’ll cover that up with lots of Christian-speak. It’s important for new Christians to understand this; it will be a safe-guard against becoming dispirited when moving from their presence.
Getting baptized in the Holy Spirit and functioning in one or more of His spiritual gifts is a reason why some in a church will pour cold water on newly born-again Christians hot for God. Especially will this be so if it’s the gift they’ve been coveting. Take the gift of music for example. They’ve spent years playing the piano, or drums or guitar in the church and now you come along, recently from Satan’s world, you begin playing one of those instruments under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the Lord blesses the worship like it hasn’t happened there in a long time. The same applies with singing and worship leading. To my mind there’s nothing more pathetic than to observe a singer or musician not under the Spirit’s anointing “perform” as though they are under it!
How about the gift of evangelism? The one who’s hot for God here is guaranteed to have someone come and pour cold water on their efforts. Unlike encouraging Aquila and Priscilla, who both took new convert Apollos aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately Acts 18:24, some jealous one in possession of the gift of criticism will come alongside, offering “a couple of tips” on how to be more effective. What they really mean is, “You’d be better if you did it the way I do.” New Christians dispirited by that would “be better” if they knew such people don’t win many to the Lord! Certainly it is wise to make one’s self available for fine-tuning with any spiritual gifting; we just have to make sure the one coming alongside is anointed by the Spirit too.
Ignoring altogether one’s gift in the Holy Spirit will leave a newly born-again Christian feeling dispirited – not only the newly-born but any Bible Christian. How common it is for Christians to be part of a church yet in all the weeks, months or years they’ve been there, no leader or elder has ever come near them to find out what God is saying or doing or might want to say or do in their life that would benefit the church and bring honor to God. Why would that be? It’s because they believe they already have such people and they’re all in leadership! In other words, these people possess a clergy/laity mentality – a “them” and “us” mentality. If you suggest to them, Do not quench the Spirit 1 Thessalonians 5:19, they’ll pour cold water on you.
So what’s the remedy? How can a newly born-again Christian hot for God but feeling dispirited overcome when this happens? First, come to terms quickly with the fact that there’s always someone in a church ready to pour cold water on you. It’s the nature of the beast, so to speak! The Pharisees and others did it to Jesus and the apostles, like-minded people have done it down through church history and they’ll continue doing it until Jesus returns. But in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor 2 Timothy 2:20. Not all who do it are set for dishonor, but this Scripture does confirm not everyone is on the same spiritual page in spite of appearances otherwise.
The grandest safe-guard for any Christian hot for God but feeling dispirited, is the word of God – the Bible. It was a word from in there that the Holy Spirit used to light His fire in us in the first place and it is a word from in there that He will use to stoke the fire the moment someone comes to pour cold water on us. Every cold word, every “wet” word spoken over our life will be burned up immediately. Is not My word like a fire? says the LORD……. Jeremiah 23:28. Perhaps many came to pour cold water on Jesus’ disciples believing they’d finally gotten rid of Him. But how about Jesus three days later when He met up with two disciples? Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us? Luke 24:32.
Of course, it’s not only fellow Christians who come to pour cold water on us who are born-again. They pour the coldest water, yes, but religious family members who are not born again, theirs is pretty cold too. Not only will they pour it on us, they’ll throw it all over us when our biblical theology conflicts with their religious theology. Certainly will they do that too when they see us standing firm in the liberty by which Christ has made us free Galatians 5:1. Here they are, chained and imprisoned with religious laws, traditions, rituals and rules, and here we are set free from all of that and more, because we’ve made the decision to obey the word of God and, not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Hallelujah!
Then there are our non-believing friends. They’ll pour cold water on us for sure – as well as give us the cold shoulder when they see none of it has any effect on us. They’ll do it because we convict them of their way of living. It’s not too long before Christians hot for God experience the gap between themselves and friends becoming wider. And as sad as that is, it is the way it is! We are in the light, they are in the dark. How long that lasts only God knows. So just as we do for family members, we pray for their salvation and are overjoyed when they humble themselves to receive it. But until that should happen there will be a God-ordained separation. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14.
But above all; there’s Satan the Devil. He’ll pour cold water on us as Christians at the drop of a hat; newly born-again or otherwise. And guess whose mind he’ll use for the task more than anyone else’s? Our own! That is why it is ultra-crucial we know the mind of Christ and yield to it non-stop. No mind but Jesus’ can shut Satan down. Once again we say; the grandest safe-guard for all born-again Christians is the word of God. No matter who comes to pour cold water on us, whether it be people, devil or self – or all three at once – we win, they lose. Hot for God but feeling dispirited? Look to the Word – His name is Jesus! The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever Psalm 119:160. Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him Proverbs 30:5.