The Watchman's Diary

The world is rapidly changing. Social, political, and economic powers are shifting at a pace unfamiliar to our generation. We have been tottering on the brink of global change for the past century but at no time has it seemed so confusing as today. The media has blurred our view of which nation stands on a moral high ground and which one is an aggressor. Technology and the ability to monetize views allows many to disseminate their views farther and faster, regardless of veracity of the information being pumped out.  It is as if we are living on a reality TV set without any awareness we are being filmed, all the while being fed a steady diet of propaganda. 

Where is the church in all of this?

The church has been swept up in the social and political campaign and has become an economic staple for those who would control the levers of power.  The world looks at the church and they see the same crop. They are not able to tell the difference at first glance, but Jesus said that His disciples are known by their fruit (Matt 12:33; Luke 6:43-45). 

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them”  (Matt 7:15-20).

The church today is a mature field of wheat, ready for the harvest. It is also infiltrated by posers (tares) feeding off the nourishing soil of the saints and attempting to choke them out of the kingdom. In the parable of the wheat and the tares the owner told the workers to let them grow togethers until the time of the harvest, lest they uproot the wheat when attempting to remove the tares (See Matt 13:24-30). 

Are you part of the Body of Christ (Messiah)? First examine yourself and the fruit that you are bearing, then examine those to your left and to your right. We must be discerning to identify the tares lurking among us, lest we fall for their deception. We must also be honest to recognize the nature of our own fruit and whether they are worthy of Christ. The world is always examining us and is quick to point to those among us who depart from the Gospel as evidence of our hypocrisy. We should not allow the produce of the tares to define the quality of our fruit. Identify them, expose them, and produce your own fruit that will last (John 15:16). 

Time is short. The harvest is ready, and the reapers are readying their tools. Will you be gathered among the wheat or the tares? Will you be ushered into the presence of God unto eternal life, or cast in the furnace to everlasting punishment? Our works do not save us, only in and through Jesus the Messiah are we saved. Our fruit reflects the spirit of Christ in us and is testimony to the world as to our nature. Our fruit differentiates us from the imposters among us. The fruit of the believer nourishes and strengthens. The fruit of the imposter weakens the body even while stimulating the senses. 

Let us work while it is still day but as though the night draws near. The Lord’s return is nearer than ever, and we should not be found sleeping. Let us stand firm on the Gospel of Jesus, love each other, and exhort one another. 

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” 
(1 John 3:7-8).