The last book of the Bible is the Book of Revelation.  In the third chapter a letter to the church of Laodicea can be found.  It is a letter from Jesus to a luke-warm group of Christians in which He threatens to “spit them out of His mouth”.

What is so offensive about being neither hot nor cold?  The middle of the road seems like such a safe place.  Isn’t avoiding extremism a virtue?  Why wouldn’t Jesus prefer well-balanced non-fanatical followers?  I don’t know…it naturally seems to me that the middle of the pack is a good place to be.

Until I realize that Jesus is asking for total commitment, not half-hearted or nominal commitment to Himself and His Kingdom.  He is using the graphic visual illustration of vomiting to make clear how He feels about moderate, partially committed followers.  There it is compelling and unavoidable: the call to get “hot” in your whole hearted surrender to the leadership of Jesus.  It will make others uncomfortable. They may spit on you with verbal abuse and rejection.  They don’t like hot hearted Christians.   So, in the end it comes down to who you want to please.  There’s spit involved either way.