American Christianity in 2026 looks vastly different than the Christianity of first-century believers. That is, of course, to be expected when considering such things as centuries of schisms and arguments, the rise of science and technology, modern individualism, etc. Whatever tradition or denomination you may be a part of, one hint remains true throughout history: the Church has, is, and will be challenged to rid itself of false teachers. This is not foreign to the Church of the New Testament.

My wife and I love coffee, but one thing that can often annoy a coffee connoisseur is the dreaded case in which the coffee cools off and goes sour. There are two types of people in this scenario: those who will pour the coffee out and those who will heat it up. This could represent an all-too-familiar picture for many believers. Sometimes our faith can grow cold and we can become lukewarm Christians. This could lead to complacency in our faith, an abandonment of repentance, and a halt to our pursuit of God. Such a church is what Jesus warns about in Revelation 3:16. There are two responses we can have when our faith grows cold: we can settle into complacency or we can stir ourselves to begin seeking God until we’re on fire for Christ again. Christians ought to have a faith that keeps the coffee hot.