The Church Marches On

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

— Matthew 16:18

 

Our numbers have never been greater in the church today. So-called megachurches dot our landscape across the United States and around the world. What an amazing thing when you stop and consider the fact that our faith had such humble beginnings.

When Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem due to the decree of Caesar Augustus that everyone should be taxed, who would have thought that little baby would grow into a man who would change the world—and world history—from that point forward? During His ministry, I don't think the Romans paid a lot of attention to Jesus Christ or to His claims. They tolerated Judaism and would allow it to exist as long as the Jews conformed to Roman law.

The Moment of Truth

But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.

— Numbers 32:23

 

In 1990, the band Milli Vanilli was awarded a Grammy for Best New Artist. They were quite successful in their day, selling millions of albums. But then it was revealed that they did not do the vocals on their own recordings. Some studio singers had done that. Their Grammy was returned. There came a moment when Milli Vanilli had to face the music.

And there will come a day when everyone will have to face the music as well. There are some who are putting on a good show right now as Christians. They have just about everyone convinced. They have their parents convinced. They have their husband or their wife convinced. They have all of their friends thinking they are very committed believers. But they are living a double life and are fooling them all.

Time Will Tell

Here is another story Jesus told: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away."

— Matthew 13:24–25

 

Even back in the apostle Paul's day, there were counterfeit Christians. He wrote to the church at Corinth, "I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not" (2 Corinthians 11:26). There are a lot of people today who are putting on a great performance, but it is not genuine. It is not real. They are posers.

In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares found in Matthew 13, Jesus talked about people like these—genuine imitations. Jesus was not referring to struggling believers, but to phonies. He was talking about actors. And in this parable, He exposed one of the ways in which the devil works. Specifically it is one of the ways the devil will be working in the end times: through imitation.

Judgment, Not Condemnation

 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

— 1 Peter 4:17

 

Sometimes I think Christians believe they are never to make any evaluations of others, that they are to just be loving toward everyone. While it is true that we should be loving, that also means speaking the truth. In fact, the Bible tells us to speak the truth in love (see Ephesians 4:15). So if I am having lunch with a friend who has spinach in his teeth, then as a friend, I will tell him that. A friend tells a friend the truth, even if it is uncomfortable or awkward.

A Counterfeit Gospel

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel.

— Galatians 1:6

 

I watched a very famous preacher being interviewed awhile ago on television. When the topic of sin came up, the preacher said, "I never talk about sin. I never use the word 'sin,' because people already know they are sinners. I am not here to beat people down. I just want to lift them up." However, I don't think that most people know they are sinners. And our job is not just to lift people up; it is to point them to Christ. So we have to use the word "sin."