The Veil Has Been Lifted

This article was written by a friend of ours, and it is pretty lengthy, but I would encourage you to read it all the way to the end. Feel free to comment. Contact information will be litsed at the end of the article.

Dear Pastor, Will You Repent With Me?*
*by David Servant*

The greatest crisis that I faced in two decades of pastoring was not due
to a disagreeable deacon, a financial shortfall, an egocentric worship
leader, or a church gossip. Rather, my greatest crisis was due to an
encounter with the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.

It all began when I read the second and third chapters of the book of
Revelation, which contain Jesus’ opinion of seven churches in Asia
Minor. I noticed that His opinion of some of those churches was
considerably different than their opinion of themselves. The
congregation at Laodicea, for example, considered themselves “rich” and
in “need of nothing,” while He considered them to be “wretched and poor
and blind and naked” (Rev. 3:17). Quite a contrast.

I began to wonder what Jesus thought of my church and ministry. I knew
He must have an opinion. To think otherwise would be absurd. He has an
opinion about everything, and His opinion is always right. And it
occurred to me that He would one day tell me His opinion. When I stood
before Him, there would be no doubt in my mind what He thought of my
church and ministry.

At the time, I believed my church was one of the best, and that the
numerical growth we had experienced was sure evidence of God’s
approbation. All the indicators were positive. But, I thought to myself,
/What if my perspective is slightly skewered?/ If it was, it would be
much better to know it right then rather than discover it when I stood
before the Lord. When I stood before Him it would be too late to change
anything. Now there was still opportunity to make adjustments.

I also reasoned that surely Jesus would be happy to reveal it to me if
in some way my ministry wasn’t pleasing to Him. Thus I decided to ask
Him what He thought, fully convinced that if I was sincere, He’d reveal
to me anything He might want me to do differently.

He soon answered my prayer in a way I never imagined. He impressed me to
look at Matthew 25:36-41. There I read Jesus’ foretelling of the

judgment of the sheep and the goats. I had read it many times before,
but this time it was different. I noticed that Jesus was not speaking to
the multitudes, but to His closest disciples (see Matt. 24:3). According
to Mark’s Gospel, they were Peter, James, John and Andrew (see Mark
13:3). What Jesus said had direct application to them. He wanted /them/
to be prepared for the judgment of the sheep and goats. It was plain as
day. /Jesus did not want any of them to find themselves among the goats./

Jesus told Peter, James, John and Andrew that, one day, people from all
the nations (literally “ethnic groups,” of which there are thousands)
will be gathered before Him. They will be separated into two categories.
Each group will hear Him say one of two things. They will either hear
Him say, “I was hungry and you fed Me” or, “I was hungry and you did
/not/ feed Me.” They will either hear Him say, “I was thirsty and you
gave Me a drink” or, “I was thirsty and you did /not/ give Me a drink.”
They will either hear Him say, “I was naked and you clothed Me” or, “I
was naked and you did /not/ clothe Me.” And there are three other
similar contrasting statements about which Jesus solemnly forewarned His
closest disciples. On the basis of those six criteria, those before Him
will either be cast into the eternal fire or will inherit His eternal
kingdom.

Jesus also made clear that those who serve /Him/ in those six ways
actually do so by serving “the least of these” among His family. So His
point was inescapable: /Those who truly love Him express their love for
Him by sacrificial service to the poor and suffering members of His body./

The Holy Spirit then asked me this question: “If everyone in your
congregation died today and stood at the judgment of the sheep and
goats, how many would be sheep and how many would be goats? More
specifically, in the last twelve months, how many people in your
congregation have provided food for a hungry believer in Christ? How
many have provided water for a thirsty Christian? How many have provided
clothing for a naked follower of Jesus? How many have opened their home,
or provided shelter, for a homeless believer? How many have visited a
believer who is sick or incarcerated?”

I suddenly realized that my ministry needed monumental adjustments. It
was like a sword was being driven through my heart. I knew that the
majority of those in my congregation were in the goat category and that
I was much to blame. I had never told them of the importance of the
things Jesus listed in Matthew 25:31-46. We were American Christians but
not biblical Christians. Our Jesus existed to serve us rather than to
make us servants. My gospel was deficient. It had perverted God’s grace.
I realized that I had been missing the mark by a million miles,
straining out gnats and swallowing camels, building a church but not
making disciples. We were way off course. If most of us had died at that
point in time, we would have died as goats, destined to be condemned
forever.

I was ashamed. I went from believing that I was a successful pastor to
realizing that I was a failure in God’s eyes. I wept. I confessed. I
repented, not just in word, but in deeds. I asked my congregation’s
forgiveness. I promised that I was going to be a man of God from then
on. I declared that I would begin making disciples, as Jesus commanded,
from that day forward, teaching them to obey all of Christ’s
commandments. I put my hand to the plow and by the grace of God, I have
not looked back.

Perhaps you think I overreacted. But I don’t. Not in the least. That was
just the beginning of what I can only describe as waking up from the
dead. Since then, my entire life and ministry have been radically
changed. And there have been so many on-going awakenings since then—as
I have simply believed more of what Jesus plainly said—that I would
hesitate to tell many professing Christians the entire story, knowing
they would reject it outright.

To this day I am completely dumbfounded as to how those solemn words of
Jesus found in Matthew 25:31-46 escaped my attention during the first
two decades of my ministry. And since that day, I’ve remained astonished
that so many professing Christians and Christian leaders live as if
those words did not exist. /But they do exist./ And anyone who ignores
them is surely among the most foolish people who have ever lived. /Jesus
has told us in advance the correct answers to a test that will determine
our eternal destiny./

Take note, first of all, that Jesus is not going to ask the sheep or
goats if they prayed the sinner’s prayer, accepted Jesus as their
Savior, read their Bibles, paid their tithes, attended church, or voted
for pro-life candidates.

/Also take note that many, if not most, professing Christians are goats
according to the unmistakable testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ./ Why
isn’t this being shouted from every pulpit in the world?

And there is more to face up to. Those who skim over the surface of
Matthew 25:31-46 may suppose that the goats represent the Muslims,
Buddhists, atheists, and so on, while the sheep represent all the
Christians. The truth is, however, that the sheep and the goats
/together/ represent /all professing Christians/. The sheep are true
believers whose faith is alive with love for fellow believers. The goats
/think/ they are believers, and they are shocked to be eternally
condemned. /Jesus’ foretelling of the judgment of the sheep and the
goats serves as a warning that there will be multitudes of professing
Christians who possess the assurance of their salvation but who will be
stunned when they stand before Him as He condemns them to hell forever./

What is the proof of this? First, consider the context. Remember that
Jesus was speaking in Matthew 25:31-46 to four of His closest disciples
(see Mark 13:3). He was not giving an evangelistic sermon to a mixed
multitude. And He first told those four devoted disciples the parable of
the unfaithful servant, which is a warning to hypocrites, that is, those
who profess to be what they are not (see Matt. 24:42-51). The
highlighted servant in that parable was indeed a servant in the house of
his master. He did not start off as being unfaithful. Rather, he
/became/ unfaithful when he believed that /his master/ would not return
soon. When his master returned unexpectedly, he was caught in his sin,
and he was cut in pieces and assigned a place with the hypocrites where
there was “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The moral of the story? “Peter, James, John and Andrew, don’t become
like the unfaithful servant who backslid. Serve faithfully no matter how
long My return is delayed. Otherwise even you, currently My most devoted
disciples, will find yourselves with hypocrites weeping and gnashing
your teeth.” Jesus made it clear from the outset of the parable that He
was telling it to them for their personal benefit: “Therefore be on the
alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” (Matt. 24:42).

Jesus next told His four devoted disciples the parable of the ten
virgins (Matt. 25:1-13). Again, this was not a parable to motivate
unbelievers to repent and get ready for Christ’s return. It was a
parable to encourage Jesus’ true disciples to /remain/ ready for His
return. All ten were virgins (they don’t represent unbelievers). All ten
were waiting for the bridegroom (they don’t represent unbelievers). All
ten were initially ready (they don’t represent unbelievers). But five
became unready, and they were ultimately refused entry into the wedding
feast.

The moral of the story? “Peter, James, John and Andrew, don’t become
like the five foolish virgins. Stay alert for My return. Otherwise even
you, currently My most devoted disciples, will be refused entry into My
wedding feast.” Jesus warned /them/ in the one-sentence conclusion of
the parable, “Be alert then, for /you/ do not know the day nor the hour”
(Matt. 25:13, emphasis added). What He said was for their benefit. There
is no escape from this. It is so obvious that only a theologian could
miss it.

Then Jesus told His four devoted disciples the parable of the talents
(Matt. 25:14-30). A man who was about to go on a journey called “/his/
/own/ slaves” to entrust each of them with some talents. All three
servants were servants of their master. All three were entrusted with
talents. The one-talent slave was no less a slave of the master than the
other two slaves. He does not represent an unbeliever any more than the
other two represent unbelievers. All three represent believers.

When the master returned he rewarded the two slaves who were fruitful.
But the one-talent slave had nothing to show. He had been unfaithful,
having buried his talent in the ground. His master was very angry,
wondering why the one-talent slave hadn’t at least deposited his talent
in the bank to earn a little interest. Then he ordered that “worthless
slave” to be cast “into the outer darkness” where there is “weeping and
gnashing of teeth.”

The moral of the story? “Peter, James, John and Andrew, don’t become
like the unfaithful one-talent slave. When I return, you will stand
before Me, and I expect to receive a return on what I have entrusted to
you, even if what I have entrusted you with seems small in comparison to
what I have entrusted to others. Otherwise you will be cast into outer
darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The fact that Jesus was warning believers, as opposed to unbelievers, in
these three parables is so unmistakable that some modern commentators
amazingly try to convince us that “the outer darkness” of which Jesus
spoke in the first and third parables is actually a place located in the
outer fringes of heaven where unfaithful believers will temporarily
mourn their loss of rewards! Then, however, He will wipe away their
tears and welcome them into His kingdom!

Finally, after warning four of His devoted followers by means of three
parables, Jesus culminated His private sermon to them by telling them
something that was not a parable, but rather a certain future event for
which they must be prepared—the very judgment He had been repeatedly
warning them about in the previous parables. It was His foretelling of
the judgment of the sheep and the goats. And the reason He told them of
that future sobering event was very clear—He didn’t want them (or any
of His professing followers) to be among the goats on that day.

All of the preceding context, as well as the internal evidence, makes it
abundantly clear that the judgment of the sheep and goats is not a
separating of Christians from Muslims, Buddhists, atheists and so on. It
is a judgment of all professing Christians from every nation. Jesus’
words in Matthew 25:31-46 had direct application to Peter, James, John
and Andrew. /Obviously/ the possibility existed that they could one day
tragically find themselves among the goats, just as the possibility
existed that they could find themselves like the unfaithful servant in
the first parable, the five foolish virgins in the second parable, or
the one-talent slave in the third parable. If this were not true then He
would have had no need to warn them. But He did warn them repeatedly.
And if it was possible for Peter, James, John and Andrew, it is possible
for anyone else who professes to be a follower of Christ.

Notice also that the goats will be surprised at their condemnation. They
will call Jesus “Lord,” and ask Him, “When did we see You hungry, or
thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not
take care of You?” (Matt. 25:44). The implication is that they will
believe that if they had seen Him in those pitiful conditions they would
have certainly assisted Him. (That is what every professing Christian
would think.) They will think that they love Him. But Jesus will declare
to them that, if they had loved Him, they would have loved His suffering
family. Again, the implication is that they had knowledge of His
suffering family, which would hardly be true of most non-professing
Christians. /These goats had the opportunity to know about and assist
suffering believers./ But they aren’t “those kinds of Christians.” No,
they are unfaithful servants, foolish virgins, and slaves who buried
their talents. Goats.

*The Question*

Pastor, there is no difference between me and you. You have been
entrusted with a ministry to a congregation. Jesus has an opinion of
your church and ministry. Sooner or later, you will know exactly what
Jesus thinks about your church and ministry.

If everyone in your congregation died today and stood at the judgment of
the sheep and the goats, how many would be sheep and how many would be
goats? How many of them, because of their love for Jesus, are doing
anything to feed hungry believers, clothe naked believers, provide
shelter for homeless believers, or visit sick and incarcerated
believers? Have you told them of how vitally important these things are?
If /you/ died at this very moment and stood at the judgment of the sheep
and the goats, would you be a sheep or a goat? If your answer is “goat,”
then you are a goat.

/”But I’ve studied the Bible in its original languages! I teach from the
Bible every week! I pray. I tithe! I’m a spiritual leader! People
respect me as such!”/

This was also the testimony of the scribes and Pharisees. They all
possessed “the assurance of salvation.” But they’re in hell now.

/”But I prayed the sinner’s prayer! I speak in tongues! I’ve cast out
demons!”/

In the strongest terms possible, Jesus warned against trusting in such
things as proof that one will inherit eternal life. He warned, “Many
will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many
miracles?’” But He will solemnly reply, “I never knew you; depart from
Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:22-23).

/”You are robbing people of their assurance!”/

Yes, just as John the Baptist, Jesus, all the apostles (see, for
example, Luke 3:8, Matt. 7:22-23, 1 Cor. 6:9; Eph. 5:5-6, Jas. 2:14-17;
2 Pet. 2:1-22, 1 John 2:4-9; Jude 1:3-4), and any other preacher who
loves God and people, I am robbing people of their /false/ assurance.
Like John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles, my hope is to wake up
those in darkness to the plain and solemn truth, so that they will
repent and be born again in actuality rather than just in doctrinal
theory. Pastors and preachers who are not warning those who think they
are sheep but who act like goats are pastors who are filling the hearts
of demons with jubilation. They are pastors of Satan.

*The Decision*

When a pastor has been tickling ears and telling people what they want
to hear, it is indeed a fearful thing for him to think of actually
telling people the truth for the first time. It could cost him his
“ministry,” at least temporarily. Droves of goats might run for the
doors, taking their money with them. He could lose his job and his
paycheck. But dear pastor, do you think that the price you will pay for
telling the truth will be less than the price you will ultimately pay
for continuing to play your present church game? Do you truly believe
that you will escape hell when you have helped populate hell?

When you walk up the stairs to your sanctuary platform and pulpit to
deliver a message that once again soothes the hardened and deceived
hearts of people who are goats according to Christ’s revelation in Matt.
25:31-46, you might as well be leaning a ladder onto the cross of Jesus,
climbing to the top, and spitting in His tortured face!

He suffered and died to make people holy! His sacred blood was shed to
transform sinners into saints! There he hangs, gasping for breath, held
by nails, covered with blood, His back ripped to shreds, spat upon and
mocked by those who hated Him. All to deliver to His preachers the keys
to the kingdom of heaven, a glorious gospel that can deliver sinners
from their selfishness through His atoning sacrifice. All to create a
community of new creations in Christ who love each other!

Yet those preachers alter the message that He has entrusted to them to
take to the entire world. They strip it of all its real power, and use
it to deceive those living in darkness, promising them heaven when Jesus
has promised them hell! Worse yet, after they have deceived their
congregations into believing that they possess what they actually do not
possess, they then doubly-deceive them into believing that they can
never forfeit what they do not possess! How can such preachers and
pastors escape the sentence to hell? How appropriate to this are
Christ’s words, “Whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall
be taken away from him” (Luke 8:18).

/”But where can we find followers of Christ who are hungry, thirsty,
naked, homeless, sick or in prison?”/

Living in our bubble-world with the rest of the world’s elite does
indeed blind us. Yet when one-half of the world lives on less than two
dollars a day, is it possible that there are any followers of Christ
among that group of three billion people? Is it possible that some are
hungry, thirsty, in need of clothing or shelter? Might some be ill from
drinking undrinkable water? Are there not thousands rotting in prisons
for their faith in countries where Christians regularly face brutal
persecution?

Tragically, most professing Christians living in wealthy western nations
live as if they are unaware of the sufferings of the persecuted church
around the world. How the angels must weep! Imagine this for a moment:
Imagine western Christians hanging lights on Christmas trees to
celebrate the birth of the Savior whom they love. Then imagine Chinese
Christians working as slaves in prison camps because of their faith in
Jesus, forced to labor twelve hours a day. Imagine those prisoners being
given no tools, being fed two small bowls of rice each day, and being
beaten if they don’t meet impossible quotas…to produce thousands of
Christmas lights to be sold in the U.S. and Canada.

This is happening. (www.thelightsofchristmas.org/christmas/story.html
<ttp://www.thelightsofchristmas.org/christmas/story.html%22>,
www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=GE.view&pageIda272
<ttp://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageIda272%22>,
www.crossroad.to/News/Persecution/alert/China.htm
<ttp://www.crossroad.to/News/Persecution/alert/China.htm%22>).

Why is there no uproar? Why hasn’t this at least been mentioned from
every pulpit of every evangelical church in the Western world? JESUS IS
ROTTING IN A CHINESE PRISON, FORCED AS A SLAVE TO MAKE US CHRISTMAS TREE
LIGHTS!

/Oh no time to worry about that…the Christmas rush is upon us! Gifts
to buy, food to eat, church services to attend—where we can hear
another message about God’s love for us. Tonight we’ll hang the lights
on the tree!/

There should be tens of thousands of Christian ministries that focus on
serving the poor and the persecuted among Christ’s family around the
world. Billions of dollars should be pouring in from the pockets of
western Christians and churches to show their love for Jesus by loving
His body. Every church should be immersed in involvement, top to bottom.
Western Christians should be spanning the globe to find such needs and
meet them.

But no. We’re goats. Who think we’re sheep. /Surely Jesus didn’t mean
what He said in Matthew 25:31-46, right?/

While Jesus is hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, homeless and incarcerated,
tens of thousands of pastors who profess to love Him ignore His pitiful
plight, collecting hundreds of millions of dollars each Sunday from
people who also profess to love Him, and those dollars are primarily
used /to serve the people who gave those dollars, /and mostly for things
for which you can’t find a shred of scriptural support. What money does
escape from the goat pen is often just a token fraction, tossed towards
Jesus, who sits like Lazarus on the street, longing for a crumb from the
rich man’s table.

*Dear pastor, will you repent with me?*

Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46).

http://www.shepherdserve.org/e_teachings/2008_04.htm

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