In Matthew 7.15, Jesus warned about false teachers. He said, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

I want to be faithful to the text. I don’t want to try to make these verses say something that Jesus didn’t say. However, I wonder if things and events sometimes have the same insidious effect. Do various involvements in life look good, but end up being harmful to our walk with Christ and our growth in Him?

In the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, Jesus said in verse 7, “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.” The “seed” in this parable represents God’s Word and in verse 22 of Matthew 13, Jesus explained this as, “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”

Here’s what I am getting at. Christians are told in Hebrews 10.25 to come together regularly, which is what we do in Worship on Sundays. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

This is important, but we often “give up meeting together” without realizing it or intending to. What happens with a lot of people, maybe some of you, is that things come up, often good things, and we miss a Sunday or two. Now, we know we are under grace, not law; we’re not going to hell for missing one or two Sundays. However, then another thing that’s good in and of itself comes up the next week. We want to go to that. Then there’s another. All of a sudden, we’ve missed a lot.

We might still think of ourselves as being regularly involved, but we haven’t been together with the church for six weeks, two months, or more. Those good and interesting things are in “sheep’s clothing”, but they end up, when added together, being a wolf eating up our involvement and our walk with Jesus.

So, folks, be careful about this. DRAW THE LINE when necessary. Say “No” to an event or activity or two that you’d otherwise participate in, particularly if you’ve already missed Worship a few weeks in a row. Don’t get out of the habit of attending Worship with your brothers and sisters in Christ and remembering our Lord around His communion table.

See you at Worship and Bible Study!

I have written to Christians, this month, however if you are reading this and you don’t have Jesus as Lord and Savior, won’t you put your faith in Him? Obey the Gospel in faith, repentance, confession of faith, and immersion into Him so you become saved. You can find scripture references that give more information about making Jesus your Lord and Savior by clicking on our Path to Salvation page on this web site. If we can assist you in obeying the Gospel, or in your walk with Christ, contact us.