“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4)
Every possible topic under the sun, but Christ, every temporal thing that comes into their field of vision, that tickles their ears, that assails their senses, but God. The driving of their flesh and their supposed daily needs, wants and desires. Anything to keep their mind occupied, except for the Word of God.
You meet them before church, they call themselves Christians, yet they do not speak of the One they say they are there to serve, instead it is the latest news of the week, how they have been spending it, wasting it, and the same conversations occur after the service is over, yet this time it is a little briefer, shorter, for they have the need to rush back into the world.
Places to go, people to see, things to do.
A chance meeting with them during the week, and nothing has changed, they will converse with you as long as it’s about the latest gossip, the most recent “breaking news” they have believe it’s necessary to pay attention to, but when the Scriptures begin to come from your lips, when they begin to feel convicted, there is an important place they need to rush off to. And they call themselves Christians.
My friends. Matthew 15:8 does not even apply to some of these people. “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” They are friendly, polite, kind and courteous, they smile when they meet you, and then after a short amount of time, they begin to avoid you, for it seems to them that you do not really care about them. All you want to do is speak of the Savior, of His enduring grace and mercy, of His love, and all they asked of you when you met them was, “How are you today?”
They lead frivolous lives, they are led by the supposed needs of the day, they have heard Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” but if they don’t get out there and put forth some personal effort, that promise will not come upon them. And when the day is done, their rest is found in furthering their intake of useless, temporary knowledge of the world. Ad Infinium.
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:18)
Yet they will say there is, they are good people, they are on the path to heaven, or at least they believe themselves to be, but their hearts are far from Him.
I personally know people who say they are saved who rarely ever initiate a conversation about the Lord, I know people who say they are Christians that will not speak at length about Him, and when an attempt to do so with them in a personal nature is brought up, they feel offended, as if you are questioning their faith. My friends, I am, and I do, for we are to test the spirits, and many if not most of those spirits, those souls that profess to be born-again are deceiving themselves. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15)
Except when questioned about their supposed faith, except when it becomes personal, except when it is you who is doing the questioning. It is why so few who stand behind the pulpits these days offer no convicting sermons to those that sit in the pews, one must not question the congregation about their personal, visible day-to-day walk, or the congregation may take offense and find another pastor.
You know them, you have met them, they are not difficult to find today, they are polite, kind, caring people, just don’t try to speak of the Lord Jesus to them, at least not on a personal level, they are very busy people when His name comes up.
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matt. 7:22)
