Written by: Jeff Lamb
Revelation 3:16 is a scripture that has been on my mind lately. “But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
I have wanted to bike across the country for quite some time, and the Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure provided the opportunity to accomplish this selfish goal. I used the fundraising and “build days” as justification for this trip. But, something has happened over the past five weeks; my perspective has dramatically changed. While on this trip, I’ve been able to step away from my normal routine, and by doing so, I have come to see the type of Christian I have been, lukewarm. Yikes! This epiphany is sobering and frightening.
I’m sure that most people think that this trip is all about the bike. After all, we are on the bike many hours covering many miles. It’s so much more. To the experienced cyclist, what we are doing is nothing special…. Cat 1 climbs, 30 mph pace lines, centuries, and “turning yourself inside-out.” To be first is something we have experienced hundreds of times. What is special is the people I have met on this trip. It is about them and what they have brought to me…
I have met so many kind, generous and caring Christians on this adventure–from my awesome fellow bikers and Fuller team to the people at the places we have visited and stayed. I have met people who are true followers of Christ, not simply religious folk. These people lead by example. This experience has been a catalyst for me to examine my personal relationship with God. Needless to say, it has not taken me long to realize the place where I am, the lukewarm Christian. This is not where I am going to stay.
As we are nearing the halfway point of this adventure, I am praying that I will continue growing closer to the Lord and that when I read Revelation 3:16 in the future, it will have a new meaning to me. I’ll remember that a change that took place in the summer of 2015 on a ten-week bike trip, but it wasn’t about the bike.
