“Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’’” (Matthew 13:24-30)
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say they would never be involved in a church because in every church there are too many hypocrites. You know what? THEY ARE RIGHT! That’s what Jesus said in this parable. He acknowledges the truth that not everyone in the church is right with God. And, of course, we also know that even when a person is right with God not everything about his or her life is the way it should be. Not even Paul had “made it” yet, he was still pressing toward the goal.
Have you ever wondered why God allows the church to have hypocrites in it, those who aren’t really a part of the kingdom but are just trying to fit in? I mean, He could do something about that! Jesus said that God allows it because He cares too much about the wheat to do anything about the weeds right now. He knows that if He dealt with the hypocrites it would hurt some of His real children, too. He won’t do that!
So, the answer is to let the hypocrites stay in the church. After all, perhaps eventually something will happen in their lives that will open their hearts to the Lord. And if not, God will deal with them at the end.
Are there hypocrites in the church? YES. What do you do about them? Leave them to God, and do what you can to touch their lives with His love and grace!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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