Some poor deluded of us suppose that by attending a church they’re being disciples. Very unhappy. I’ve recognized disciples who attend a church, I’ve recognized disciples who collect collectively in small teams, I’ve even recognized disciples who meet simply “the place two or three are gathered,” however I’ve recognized only a few disciples. They’re the few. They’re the remnant. Simply because the Lord mentioned it will be. The overwhelming majority I’ve recognized are church goers, which is a world aside from disciples……bro Frank.
Charles Simeon 1759-1836 wrote…………
Isaiah 29:13, “The Lord says: These folks come close to to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, however their hearts are removed from Me!”
In our church providers, we undergo all of the exterior bodily motions; however as to the prostration of the soul, we’re for probably the most half oblivious and unconcerned. We predict that we have now executed our obligation to God, if we have now gone by means of the appointed exterior rituals, although our coronary heart has not accorded with the physique in any a part of the service. In fact, our providers have been hypocritical all through.
Had a stranger come into certainly one of our church providers, and overheard our glowing praises, and our solemn confessions, petitions, and thanksgivings–he would have supposed that we had been probably the most humble, non secular, and religious folks within the universe!
However had he been aware about the actual state of our hearts–then how little would he have seen:
of earnest ardor in our praises,
or of sincere humiliation in our confessions,
or of honest fervor in our petitions,
or of real gratitude in our thanksgivings!
He would see that the state of our hearts indicated that we felt nothing, and meant nothing–on the very time that we professed to imply a lot and really feel a lot!
For probably the most half, he would have seen that the entire of our service was solely a solemn mockery; that as an alternative of being real worshipers of our majestic and holy God–for probably the most half, we had been however insincere hypocrites!
Let me ask, within the title of God Himself: What cause you’ll be able to need to suppose that God would settle for such providers as these?
If, certainly, God had been like ourselves, and will see solely the outward look, then we would hope that, being deceived by us–He can be happy with us.
However once we keep in mind, that the omniscient God is aware of . . .
our each secret thought,
our each secret want,
our each secret motive,
and that He completely searches our coronary heart, and is aware of our ideas–then we should ensure that our very providers are an abomination in His sight!
“Isaiah was proper when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it’s written: These folks honor me with their lips, however their hearts are removed from me! They worship Me in useless.” Mark 7:6, 7
J.C. Ryle: In all our Christian duties, whether or not giving or praying, the nice factor to be stored in thoughts, is that we have now a heart-searching and all-knowing God! Every thing like mere formal worship, is abominable and nugatory in God’s sight. The one factor which His all-seeing eye appears to be like at, is the character of our motives, and the state of our hearts!
“Serve Him with a complete coronary heart and a keen thoughts; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands each intent of the ideas!” 1 Chronicles 28:9
