A doctor’s job is to heal the human body, to save life whenever possible, to perform the necessary functions within the scope of his knowledge for the continuance, as much as possible, for those who come to him. The farmer and rancher to provide food, the carpenter to build our houses, all manner of trades are performed by all men, only the reasons behind their tasks differ. Some believe it is the pastors responsibility to bring people to Christ, and that the only requirement placed upon them is to attend, to listen, but the man who stands behind the pulpit, if he is placed there by God, knows full well what is required of him, he is to train the saints to serve.
Week in and week out he does this, expounding on the Word of God, sadly, many times to deaf ears, preaching conviction by the Word of God to those who are only, or mostly, convicted to their own lives, dedicated to serving themselves and the world around them. Most people in many churches can tell you more about the currents events that are happening around the world than how many men Gideon finally ended up with, more about the local gossip than the size of the New Jerusalem, more about themselves than about Jesus. The one purpose that man was created for is to glorify God, to lift up the name of Jesus, all else is secondary, all else serves no purpose, it is not eternal, but temporal, and all temporal things will know an end.
Have not you ever wondered why we will all stand before Christ, individually, just you and the Savior, before you are glorified, your sins were all forgiven at the cross, you have nothing to be judged for, Christ took the punishment of that judgment of God for you. You are going to give an account, you will be asked questions by Jesus about why you did that and did not do this, and you will give an answer. Heaven awaits, you will not be cast away, the assurance of your salvation was paid for with a heavy price, but you will answer the questions, and all that you did will be based around one simple statement, how did you glorify My name. There are two items placed before each of us as it were, a continuous burning fire and a treasure chest, the temporal goes to the fire, it can find no place in the kingdom of God, the treasure chest is the eternal, the works that were done for His glory. You should be able to differentiate between the two today, you should be able to look back on your life in all humility and truthfulness and see clearly, “This is where I served, this is where I did not.” You must be able to say with Peter. “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O LORD,” (Luke 5:8) and at the same time say with Paul, “I have run a good race.”
This action requires an in-depth look into your soul, not a vision of who you believed yourself to be, but the truth of not only who you are today, but how obedient of a servant you have been. The man who believes himself worthy of recognition by the Lord because he has a near perfect church attendance, because he performed the functions laid upon him by his religious affiliation, is deceiving himself, he has served no more the first than all the days combined, he did not leave Christ in the pew to return to Him next week, he never took Him with him in the first place. To those who believe that works are of no consequence to the Lord, explain Matt. 7:20 “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” (James 2:18) To those who believe witnessing to the lost means inviting them to church, explain, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;” (John 8:31) “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)
Many who profess Christ today are not serving Him anywhere but in their minds, they go to church and stay for the pot-luck, they put money in the plate, they fit in with the world, never rebuking, never correcting, professing a love for Christ but never telling others about Him, they bear the name “Church-attender,” but not the name “Christian.” Your loving spouse, your parents and siblings, your most beloved friends and companions, all must be placed after Christ, no exceptions, if He is not first, than you have not fulfilled that one task that was set before you, to bring glory to God, to put nothing or no one before Him. There are many who for a show, for a pretense, (Mark 12:40) serve, but they are not serving the Risen Savior, they serve the perception of what they want others to see in them, they serve self.
It is generally quite easy to recognize these individuals and the churches they attend, for they are well thought of by the lost, they fit into their crowds and gatherings, they are invited to their functions, entertained as guests, sought out for their companionship. Why? Because they are good people who just happen to attend that church down the street, because they don’t push that religious stuff on anyone, they keep that part of their lives separate from the rest and all they meet, they are good, decent folks. Most humans are going to stand before Almighty God at the great white throne judgment, (Rev. 20:11) for narrow is the path, and there are few that find the gate, (Matt. 7:14) but how many born-again believers are going to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy LORD.” (Matt. 25:23) And how many will just hear “Welcome,” how many will be saved as if by fire, (1 Cor. 3:15) I cannot say, God knows, but I know this, this life is where that decision is made, it is the choices we make today that will determine the words you will hear.
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7) The heart that served only by good intentions will receive little to no rewards. If it is not done for the glory of God, it will not last throughout eternity.
