Jesus described the kingdom of heaven like a man who sowed good seeds in his field. The Son of Man (Jesus) sowed the good seed. The field is the world. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. But the devil (enemy of God) came and sowed tares among the wheat. God is aware of it. However, He instructed the angles to let both grow together until the harvest. At that time He will instruct the reaper angles to bundle up the tares and burn them. The wheat (sons of the kingdom) will be gathered into the kingdom of their Father. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)
When the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. The angels asked whether they should pull them out of the field. Jesus said, “No, lest you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.”
Why were the seeds not detected? Why would the pulling of the young tares disturb the young wheat? My understanding is as follows:
1. All Christians start with seeds. Jesus sowed the seeds. When the seeds grow, they are Christians (the sons of the kingdom of God), the righteousness of God in Christ.
2. All un-believers start with seeds too. The devil sowed the seeds. They grow up and become sons of the wicked ones.
3. During evangelistic meetings it is possible that un-believers join the crowd and get into the church as part of the Christian community. They are treated as though they have believed in Jesus whereas in their hearts they do not believe. They are seeds sown by the devil.
4. The seeds are hidden below the surface. The devil came and sowed at night, in secret. No one can detect them. On the surface there is no difference between a young Christian and a non-believer in the church.
5. As they grow in the church, the young believers make friends with one another (including the un-believers).
6. It is obvious that there is risk in allowing the fake/counterfeit Christians (who become worship leaders, elders, pastors etc.) to remain in the church. Otherwise the angels would not have asked whether they should immediately remove the tares (sons of the wicked ones).
7. It is obvious that God has the authority and power to remove the wicked ones at any time.
8. God being merciful does not want to disturb the relationship. He knows the weakness of man, how we tend to let emotion and sentiments rule in our immature days.
9. Both the believers and un-believers grow up together in the church environment, attend the same worship services, listen to the same sermons, possibly serve together, spend leisure time together, join the same Bible study cell group, sing the same set of hymns and praise songs, share the same holy communion, solemnize their weddings, birth, and death in the same church etc. They may even be buried in the same church cemetery. Yet, at the end of this age, one goes to heaven and another gets to be burned.
10. The difference between a son of God and a son of the devil is recorded in the Bible and can be detected based on the words of God. In the above passage, Jesus called them “all things that offend Him, and those who practice lawlessness”. Jesus also called the sons of God, the righteous. No man can be called righteous except by faith, believing in Jesus. The lawless ones are those who do not believe in Jesus.
My application: Examine my life and make sure I am a believer. Continue to share the true Gospel of Jesus. Continue to pray and intercede for the church. Do not take for granted that all who go to church are believers.
This is the fifth times when an elder/pastor who led the Holy Communion omitted to teach the meaning of the bread and cup of wine in accordance with what the Lord taught. When reminded, one elder told me to let them lead by the Spirit. Whilst I pray my own prayer to make sure I do not partake the bread and the cup in the wrong manner, I really worry about those who do not do so due to lack of teaching by the church elders and pastors. Why are the elders and pastors so reluctant to read the passage in 1 Corinthians 11:24-30 of the Bible? There is no need to interpret if they cannot, just read them aloud to the congregations, please!!!
AAA Jack
April 6, 2009
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