Fake saints and real sinners

I was in the church kitchen today and I opened the spoon drawers.  There are four silverware drawers: a drawer for forks, one for butter knives, and two for spoons.  The idea for two spoon drawers was to have teaspoons in one and bigger soup spoons in the other.  But there a both types off spoons in both drawers. I tried moving spoons to their appropriate drawers soon after arriving at Wesley Chapel, but it was pointless.  They kept getting mixed back in.  With different people in the kitchen all the time, it is only natural that the spoons get mixed up.  And it does not really matter to me.  The only time it is inconvenient at all is when I need a bunch of teaspoons and I have to pick through them.

The world and the church are like the spoon drawers.  We have two “drawers” if you will.  In the one drawer are people who do not go to church (the world) and in the other drawer are people who do (the church).  And just because someone is in the “church drawer” does not necessarily mean they are a born again, Spirit filled follower of Jesus.  Some people simply go to church.  And likewise, there are some people who do not go to church who we would see in the “world drawer”, who are actually born again, Spirit filled followers of Jesus.  I disagree with them that Jesus does not desire that they go to some type of church, even if it is a home church.  Yet, there is no doubt in my mind that some people who do not go to any type of organized church or home church have a relationship with Jesus, though that number has to be low.

Scripture supports the idea that you cannot tell them apart, especially the people who are in the church drawer.  In Matthew 25:31-46, we learn that there are people who have spent their lives in the church drawer who are shocked when they find out they never should have been in the church drawer.  It was a mistake that Jesus rectifies when He says, “Depart from Me…” For some people, church is just a false sense of security.   I read Jonathan Cahn this morning and he said something like this: God can do something with real sinners, but has no use for fake saints.

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! ~ 2 Corinthians 13:5

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Peter 1:10-11

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