Other
startling revelations | Featured
essays | Other
articles
In Christianity there is great importance placed
on becoming
a “Christian.” One has the impression that becoming a Christian is
the end-all in the life of a person. Interestingly, Jesus never mentioned the
term “Christian” and he never told people to become Christians. He
identified himself as the Messiah and told people to believe on him and to follow
him. Following him means among other things that we obey his teachings. Found
among his many teachings is this parable about a wise man and a foolish man.
Salvation or destruction
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these
words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise
man who
built his house
on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds
blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had
its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of
mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish
man who
built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and
the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great
crash.”
One can become a Christian and attend church events faithfully to
hear the word of the Lord. One can even serve in church. But what determines
whether or not we will withstand the rain, the wind, and the streams
we encounter in this life leading to the next life is whether or not
we put into practice the words of Jesus Christ we find in Scripture.
Many Christians hear the word of God, especially every Sunday in church.
But it is likely that many if not most of them do not practice his
words and obey his commands. If they do not, their house will not stand.
This means that they will not enter eternal life.
It is fine to “become a Christian.” But if we do not put
Christ’s words into practice and obey his commands, all the hours
we spend serving in church will be in vain. We will fall with a great
crash and fail to enter life. Let’s apply this now to those who
consider themselves servants of the Master.
The faithful and wise manager
Luke 12:35 “Be dressed ready for service and
keep your lamps burning, 36 like men waiting for their master to
return from a wedding
banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open
the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master
finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress
himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come
and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master
finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of
the night.
The wise and faithful servant will be waiting and watching
for the return of his master. He is “ready” for his master’s
return. Incredibly, the master will actually come and serve and wait
on him at the wedding banquet. What does it actually mean for us to
be waiting and watching and ready for Christ’s return? We will
find out.
41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable
to us, or to everyone?”
The Lord’s answer was that the parable was for
servants of the master. We are all servants of the Master in some
way. We have all
been entrusted with something which we are to manage for him. Some
of us have been put in charge of other servants to feed them at the
proper time.
42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the
faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants
to give them their food
allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom
the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 I tell you the truth,
he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
The faithful and wise manager will devote himself to
the work entrusted to him by his master. He will be busy overseeing
the proper and regular
feeding of his master’s servants. He will use the master’s
funds to purchase the necessary ingredients in order to prepare good
and nutritious food for his master’s servants. They need a high-quality
diet to stay healthy in order to serve the master ably and fruitfully.
But among the master’s servants there will always be foolish ones as well. They will not put their master’s words into practice;
they will not do his will.
The foolish manager
45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking
a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the menservants
and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master
of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and
at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign
him a place with the unbelievers.
But there will be foolish managers who become complacent
in the master’s
long absence. They begin to mistreat the servants who are under their
authority. The love of money and the love of the world take root in
their hearts, and their work of feeding their master’s servants
suffers. They use some of the funds entrusted to them for feeding the
servants to enjoy life in the world instead---eating and drinking and
getting drunk just as unbelievers and hypocrites do. With fewer funds
available, the servants are fed poor quality food.
In this parable we learn that there are servants of
God in the Church who indeed do this. They do not realize how close
the Lord’s
return could be. They are drawn to the world and to the comforts it
offers. They take offerings from God’s people to finance a very
comfortable and even luxurious lifestyle. They justify it by saying
that their Father owns everything and loves them and wants to bless
them with earthly comfort. After all, God loved Solomon and made him
the richest man who ever lived.
They feed
God’s
people a diet of sugary soft drinks---God loves them and wants to
bless them with “success” in this
life. The solid food of holiness and sacrificial obedience and self-control
is mostly withheld. If indeed it is offered, it is only as a carrot
to lead God’s people to earthly blessings. It is not for
the sake of pleasing the Lord to maximize our heavenly reward.
There are foolish and faithless managers in the Church
who are in authority over God’s people today. They have heard and know Jesus’ words,
but do not put them into practice; they do not obey his commands. They
have become friends of the world and love their lives in this present
world. They are hirelings who care not for the sheep. Their hearts
are set on extending their own little kingdom on earth: their ministry.
How many foolish servants are there in the Church?
Jesus also taught a similar parable about ten virgins.
These virgins were given the task of preparing the bride for the
bridegroom. This
would appear to be an obvious reference to pastors and leaders whose
job is to prepare God’s people for the second coming of Jesus
Christ---the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
Matthew 25:1 “At that time the kingdom
of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went
out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones
took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise,
however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom
was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom!
Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8
The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil;
our lamps are going out.’
9 ”‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be
enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and
buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom
arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding
banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they
said. ‘Open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t
know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or
the hour.
Fully
one half of the ten virgins were unprepared and
foolish, and were denied entrance to the wedding banquet. This tells
us that many
servants of God---not a small majority of them---are foolish, and will
not make it to the wedding banquet of the Lamb. They do not keep watch
and are not ready for the Lord’s return. They are not properly
doing their job of preparing God’s people for the Second Coming
of the Messiah.
Instead, they are giving God’s people a constant diet of how
much God loves them and wants to bless them. They teach them how to
maximize God’s earthly blessings and to be “successful” on
earth. They do not teach them to fear God and to keep His commandments
in view of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Interestingly, this
was the conclusion reached by Solomon, the richest man who ever lived.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion
of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the
whole duty of man.
Whatever
the Lord assigns us to do in the Church, we must do it faithfully
and fruitfully in anticipation of his appearing. We serve not for
selfish gain, but to prepare a holy and obedient people ready for his
return. It will be disaster for the servant who is found sleeping---meaning,
eating and drinking and loving his life in the world like an unbeliever---when
the Lord comes. This applies to every believer.
Mark
13:33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will
come.
34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and
puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells
the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner
of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do
not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
1
Thessalonians 5:7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who
get drunk, get drunk at night.
Conclusion
Two thousand years ago Jesus taught that at the end
of the age when he returns, there will be many foolish servants who
will not be ready
for his return. They will be denied entrance to the wedding banquet
of the Lamb. His words are being fulfilled today during these last
days. There are now serious problems in the Church and among God’s
servants. Many are hirelings who simply make their living off of the
sheep and are in ministry to extend their own personal kingdom on earth.
Bob Phillips, the highly-regarded Pastor who has been
on the American church scene for many years, made the following remark
at his morning
service in Houston’s Encourager Church the last Sunday of 2009.
Bob said that he knows very many ministers, and some of them are phenomenal
speakers. But they are in it for their ministry, and not to be ruled
by God.
He who has ears, let him hear.
Are you sure you want to serve the Lord? And if you
are, are you ready for the Lord’s return?
Other
Startling Revelations
Other
articles | Featured
essays
Back
to top