THE MASK
To all who are involved in the world of Christian circles, for those attending church each week; and who greet one another with the traditional smile and handshake. There are some things that we need to discuss.
God is looking for truth from within our lives, but there are many who seem to be playing a game of" hide and seek" within the church. There are many reasons for this, but it is primarily our fault for not calling people out on the inconsistency of their life in Christ. One of the basic things that we are all aware of is the change in our life that should occur when we come to Christ. That change should deal with several basic areas in our daily lives, and yet for a tremendous number of people within the churches of today that change is never seen, and most certainly never demanded within the circles of God's people. It is time that we ask the question WHY?
It seems that the Holy Spirit is directing me to bring to the light some things that have been held as a secret within our churches for many years now, but which is very effective in the prevention of any real Spiritual power being effective within the church. Basically, it centers around the lack of questioning anyone who comes among us proclaiming their belief in Christ, and in our giving them a right hand of fellowship or even a position of power or influence within our churches. I am faced with the same things we all must ask when we deal with this..." should I be a judge of another's intentions when I do not know what is in their heart"? Part of the answer to that is found in Jesus's words to those who make judgments "Judge not lest ye be judged by the same standards that you are using to judge others". In that way, we are all placed under the same judgment as we are called on at the same time to discern among those who come to us by discerning the fruits they bear in their lives.
For the many who sit in our churches on a Sunday morning, there is no judgment as to whether or not that life has born any spiritual fruit at all in the week before. There are not accounts given of testimony or effort made to share the cause of Christ with the world around them or to be seen as a witness to Jesus affect in their lives. Because of that, we have easily grown to accept anyone who may come to hide within our midst behind a mask by saying something acceptable without showing it to be true in their private life. When I began to think and pray about this I had to then go back to the original reasons for the church meeting on the first day of each week. I found that they came together to break bread and fellowship, but even more, as they sang songs and worshipped God and shared scripture they did some other things of great value that we are very lax on in today's churches. That was teaching and guiding one another as to how to better prepare for a coming week of work for God through their lives. I found that among giving of finance they also were offering sacrifices of testimony from both the victories and the defeats of their testimony in life from the week before. I found that their very lives were filled with knowing the strength and the determination of one another in Christ and of their mindset to share in their faith.
Because of this inconsistency in our teaching and sharing, we have grown to accept almost anyone who walks through the door without question, but should we really do that without knowing where they stand in Christ through their fruit is shown in the Spirit of Christ? Not everyone has to be involved in a ministry of some kind but it is evident that through the fruit of the Holy Spirit that they bear in life by a change in their life from before they claimed Christ that they are truly a new creature and that Jesus is Lord of their life now. This week I want to discuss this idea further...may you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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