Mike Focht 10/17/2025
The third and final characteristic of apathy is that Jesus is on the outside. The word of Christ, the Faithful Witness, is: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. The picture here is simple. Jesus is outside the fellowship.
The door spoken of here is not that of the church collectively. Jesus is knocking on the door of individual hearts. The problem is that something or someone has displaced Jesus Christ and taken His place in our hearts. Our fellowship is with another. Apathy sets in when we are content to live with Christ on the outside.
Mankind was made in the image and likeness of God so that we could be in fellowship with Him like no other created being. The very purpose of our existence is to glorify God by knowing Him. Jesus would clarify that the personal fellowship of the creation with the Creator is the essence of eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. For the creation to be satisfied in fellowship with any other creation over their Creator is the final conquest of apathy.
The apathetic Christian still believes in God, but God is not an important part of their life, let alone central to their heart. Apathy involves being lukewarm to the fact that our fellowship with Jesus is no longer the central passion of our lives. Once this satisfaction with distance has been established, there is no telling how far the child of God can go. Darkness fills the void when light has left. To diminish our nearness to Him brings the enemy close.
Apathy begins with a view of ourselves that is very different from God’s view of us. We are blind to our blindness. Next, our outer lives become disconnected from all spiritual reality. We are simply going through the motions. Finally, Jesus is displaced and left knocking at the door of our hearts. Creation has supplanted the sacred place the Creator made for Himself. At best, we are left alone. At worst, we are dining with the devil.
Apathy may be hard to recognize, but praise God, it is not hard to remedy. What should we do about our apathy when we find it?
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. First, accept Christ’s rebukes and chastening as an act of cleansing love.
Therefore be zealous and repent. Second, diligently follow through on the things the Holy Spirit points out in His rebukes and chastening. Don’t make excuses. Don’t push off change. Respond immediately, regardless of the costs, consequences, or humility required.
If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Lastly, enjoy newfound fellowship with Jesus Christ. Here is a promise from our Savior. If we allow Him to speak to us and respond accordingly, He will immediately fellowship with us. I will come in to him and dine with him.
But that is not all! Jesus also promises, and he with Me. What does that mean? Why does our Savior add that last bit in? It means that He promises to manifest Himself to us in ways that we will know that we have dined with Him. Apathy will end in conscious abiding.