Church hypocrites used as justification for non-belief

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5: “The church is full of hypocrites.” How many times have you heard that? That statement can be found on the heart and lips of the saved, the unsaved, the backsliders, and the stay-at-home Christians.

Somehow folks seem to believe that they are justified in not becoming a part of a wonderful church because of the presence of a minority of hypocrites.

Isn’t it strange how you are encouraged not to give power to the “300” or so gang members, but you actually do the same thing when it comes to church members.

That is, for the presence of a minority of hypocrites and dishonourable Christians, you cut off the whole body of Christ. Is that fair? Does that really make sense? Or is it a “cop out”?

Let’s examine the parable of the wheat and tares. If you have looked at this passage before you will recognize that there will be tares (false Christians) planted in the House of God. And get this. You are told not to pluck them out.

Matthew 13: 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Amazing. For you would think that Jesus would know better. You would think that Jesus would want to identify the enemy within and root him out. You would think that Jesus would want to separate the wheat from the tares and show up the tares for what they are.

However, that is not the case. Perhaps, you must now consider the usefulness of tares. Tares ought to make you want to be a better Christian and a more effective witness of God’s love. Tares ought to make you desire to show the sinner that there are true Christians in the House of God.

As I thought on this parable, what gripped me was the picture of the tares entwining their own root system around the roots of the wheat system. Can you see them as they grow together? Have you ever known a “wheat” Christian to befriend a “tare” Christian? I have.

Now think of the danger, the hurt, and the pain that would take place if you separated the tares from the wheat. Oh, the drama that would take place. Indeed, you would end up losing the wheat and the tare. No. Let them grow together. The wheat will be wheat. The tare will be tare. The fruit of who they are will eventually be seen.

Allow God Himself to do the separation. It might be on this side of glory or it might be on the other side. It’s His choice. Who knows? The tare may actually be won over and transformed by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ and by the power of the love of God. Allow God’s will, and not your will, to unfold.

Christians must operate with a sense of godly wisdom and with The Fruit of The Spirit so that tares and wheat alike are not injured when uprooting is attempted.

In the House of God there are vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour. You must be sure of which one you are. Are you adding or taking away from the work of the House of God? Are you adding life or causing death?

Christians, you must focus on what God has in store for you rather than what people think they know about you. Be sure that your conduct as a child of God is reflecting those things that please God. In this way, you are quite clear that when others speak of the tares in church, that they are not speaking of you. Respice finem.