Sheep & Wolves

There are always seem to be a bunch of bad apples in the Church. Does this mean that there are bad apple Christians?

Christianity is a transforming power. The gospel slowly changes us to become better people. True saving faith always produces fruit. It may take time, but God is at work in the heart of the Christian.

God meets people where they are and proceeds to make them better. The bible also warns about not making hasty judgments of others.

But the reality is there are a lot of unsaved people in the church. Often they cause great harm to the church. Sometimes they are attracted to the community of the church and sometimes the church is a place of standing for them to find business or social advantages.

It's always important to not simply trust a person because they attend this or that church. As Jesus reminds us that we will know his followers by the fruit they produce in their lives.

If you interact enough with some well esteemed Christian business men and women in the church in the business world you will quickly find out that things, at times, may not be as they seem. Can these "godly" people be wolves in disguise?

The answer is possibly. It is always difficult to know the status of another before God. But the bible teaches us to test the spirits.

We should not simply assume that because this person has a good reputation that they will act in a Christian way. The church often judges very superficially.

People are impressed by main things which are of no spiritual significance. So if you meant a man with a great Christian reputation, it may because he is a great Christian or because he just knows the right things to say and do.

Saying the right things is of course of no use. Many people say the right things but they have not penetrated into their heart. Salvation is a matter of the heart, not necessarily an ability to speak the right words.