The Bible says:
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” — II Corinthians 13: 5 If we know our Bible we know that the literal church of Jesus Christ made up solely of those who’ve repented of their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ alone for the salvation of their soul, and are now a member of the Body of Christ and part of the Bride of Christ are not going to Hell.
When I use the term church in this instance, I’m not referring to the saved, the legitimate church of Jesus Christ, but to the religious crowd that gathers on the many occasions to participate in what takes place at a church building. These heavily churched and religious but lost people with all the correct answers about church doctrine but who’ve never personally experienced salvation will wake up in Hell one day if they don’t get saved.
Many who attend church regularly and have their name on the church roll can’t say with certainty they’ve been saved and know Christ as their Lord and Savior. They say, “I hope I’m saved” or “I’m trying to be saved” but they don’t have the certitude, the assurance of salvation that God gives to those who sincerely put their faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
They don’t have the Spirit of God’s Son in their heart crying “Abba Father” or “My Father.” (Galatians 4:6) Both C.H. Spurgeon and D.L. Moody in their day said they believed only 25 percent of church members were saved. Our churches are filled with lost people, and some are pastored by lost people.
A person can spend his life in church and never miss a service, but if they’ve never been bornagain, they’ll miss the Rapture and not spend one split second inside New Jerusalem.
The Rapture separates the true believers from the make-believers. The true believers will at the Rapture leave this world for Heaven.
The make-believers that had their name on the church roll, but not in the Lamb’s book of life — the church roll and the Lamb’s book of life are not synonymous — will be left behind to face the horrors of the Tribulation Period. (Revelation 619) Playing church and pretending to be a Christian and hoping that church membership, baptism, or good works will save them, is a game Satan has many people playing. Those who play this game ultimately lose along with Satan.
The reasons there are so many “show boats” and so much “show business” in the church is because of so many lost people in the church trying to act like Christians.
Christians should pray that God would revive His church, for revival is for the saved who are backslidden.
Christians should also pray that God would save the church; that is the lost person that has their name on the church roll and goes to church every time the church doors are open, but cannot tell you that they know for sure they would go to Heaven if they died today.
James H. Cagle is a Ray City resident who pastored several churches for a total of 11 years. Email him at pastorjameshcagle@ yahoo.com
