Well this fact puzzles many actually :) I think the real issue here isn't Sheep wearing wolves clothing but mistaken identity, or a wolf thinking he/she is a sheep. Many have false profession because they are lead to believe if they can say something or agree with a doctrine then they are born again believers. This has happened largely in the United States. Half-gospel being half-heartily responded to. Or to put it in a more biblical sense Matthew 15:8 “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."

Yeah, seriously! In baton rouge, I have hardly "hit the streets" like I did daily in the UK and even somewhat on base in Ar. Now, if I were self religious I'd have to say I were a back slider! But God knows. Most everyone around here needs something different than, "Have you ever told a lie?" or "have you ever stole something..." ugh... They need to be told the Love and Radically Free Grace of God Most High. That is what people pay attention to these days. That can be done anywhere. In the stores, to waiters, barbers, friends, family, OTHER CHRISTIANS... etc.

Free Grace is what allows people the room to freely walk out from sin. Putting the pressure of condemnation will only generate a works mentality to "cover up" their bad deeds. It was never about deeds of good or bad. It's about a perfect Savior who willingly gave a perfect Righteousness. It pleases Him to give Good things to those who do not deserve them (sinners). He specializes in that thing you know?

Amen, this is a great problem everywhere. I live in the "Bible belt" (so they say, I'm not sure I believe them) and as I talk to people and try to deal with them about repentance and faith toward God they usually say something like: "Yeah, I've done that before." And you know they know nothing of the new birth. I go to church and see people walk the aisle, make a profession and disappear. You may see them in town once and awhile but you could never pick them out from the rest of the crowd, they go right back into their sin and show no love toward God.

Granted, this is not always the case, but it happens more often than not. Jesus did say "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way, and few there be that find it."

I think the only way to understand this problem is to study the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 (parallel in Luke 8).

Ultimately, we would have fewer false converts if the glorious Gospel of God was preached and not the cheap imitation that is offered today. It has always been that way historically, and continues to be that way.

Thank you for addressing this in this topic.

Allen,

Here is an excellent sermon on wolves by Carter Conlon. The sermon is aptly titled, “Wolves.”

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=2158&commentView=itemComments

Now, about those 90% being wolves.... I do not believe they are all wolves; I believe the error lies in the teaching they received upon getting “saved;” saying “ONE” prayer when they were however old that they’ll always be saved now and that they’ll never have to worry about their soul again.

You understand too how hard it is to reach those that obviously need Jesus but yet they have all of Him and have no need saying a prayer again.

I have a really huge issue with ‘once saved always saved’ because those who teach that stuff DON’T REAP WHAT THEY ARE SOWING; and at the local jail, I am. I minister at the county women’s jail and before I pray with the ladies, I used to ask if they were saved (I don’t even bother anymore) because yes, 95% of them believes adamantly that she is saved and received everything she had need of in that “one” prayer. It’s the biggest, hugest heresy in the church today.

People are not going to quit teaching it, so I don’t know what the answer is. I’m praying for one though. The Lord did give me one thing to tell the girls, “It’s a lifestyle of repentance.” That is what I share with them.

God bless you,
Lisa

Disclaimer: These thoughts and opinions are my own, and not that of sermonindex.

One will not go far on this website before they listen to arhived sermons that speak of a time considered much less apostate than ours and hear the shocking percentages given by those pastors who speak low into the single digits of those who attend church yet are not truly born again. Decision without conversion if you will.

This obvioulsy, if we have been placed by God in this place and at this time as we have, is to be our mission field. We are to discern the times and address others when we are called to give an answer for the hope that He has placed within us. Only those with a true born again testimony will speak to such a deceived and hardened religious people. It may be the most difficult work to be done when it comes to the evangelism of this type of people. It will require considerable strength, prayer, and faith as they can be very wounding if you are not in the Spirit and you are working even slightly out of the flesh.

Allen,

I worked at a CPC for 15 years, right in the heart of the Bible Belt, USA. Most of our clients were singles who came in for a free pregnancy test.

In our interview we asked them whether they are Christians. Rarely did any one say 'no'. They knew they were living a lifestyle of sin and some would freely admit that if they died at the moment they would go to hell. Others believed that God would grant them special favors and overlook their sin. A lot of them went to church. I asked them why they went. They always thought a while before answering and the reply always was they went because of the music. The music that was played is the modern Contemporary Christian music. They loved it but it did not evoke a repentant spirit.

Yes, there are wolves in the churches. Too many are sweeping sin under the carpet. If you want to really know how bad it is, just go to a Crises Pregnancy Center and do some volunteer counseling....while my post is general, implicating the person in the pew, I said nothing about those in leadership, did I?

Sad. Tragic.

ginnyrose

Knitefall and Madefree: Oh that the Bible Belt would gird up its loins with Truth.

BELIEVERS THAT ARE OF THEIR FATHER THE DEVIL:

John 8, particularly 8:28-59, is very helpful to me in understanding the difficulty in “the church”/mixed multitude today. There were Jews that believed in him as he spoke( 8:30), and here it is the very words of the cross that he spoke.

And to THESE believers he said, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed; ” By verse 59 “Then took they up stones to cast at him:” It seems to me that the same obstacles, laid out in verses 32-58 exist today.

For balance I remember: John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:; and I remember the difference between condemnation and conviction. Just as it is possible for the gospel not to be preached, and not to be heard with “Have you ever told a lie.”, it is possible for the gospel not to be preached/heard with “They need to be told the Love and Radically Free Grace of God Most High. That is what people pay attention to these days.”

I have added the truth in what Yorri Richards once said: “It is not that I have accepted Jesus as my Savior but that God has accepted Jesus as my Savior.” to the truth that “regeneration does not occur through decision-making.”

I appreciate reading this thread. Good things to think and pray on.

There are a lot of folks that do believe in Jesus Christ, and still living in sin. I know a lot of self righteous so called Christians, that if your not where they are in their walk, you have no hope, maybe a sheep in wolves clothing. We all are at different place in our walk, I would even say, there are probably a lot of folks living in sin, that want to change so bad it hurts, but it takes them a little longer, than maybe it did others, to come totally to Christ. I am so glad, Christ see's our hearts, unlike man, who only see's the surface, and is so ready to condemn. You know, I fell out of fellowship with Christ many,many times, before I finally gave in totally, most of us did the same, some remember, some forget. You said the ones that, smell like the world, act like the world, love the things the world loves, love the things God hates, think like the world, live like the world - but bless God, they confess to be Christian? Well I did the same thing, and you know what finally brought me around? I did keep confessing I was a Christian, and my confession is, what finally brought me to Christ. If I would have lived in the world and never make that confession, I really doubt I would were I am today. Remember, it takes all kinds, all ways, to get to Christ and stay there, and I think Paul and David would agree with me. God loves us all, and he knows we all have our own personal struggles, but he keeps working on us and loving us, and not condemning us because of where were at in our walk, now if we could only get man to act like Christ.

Yea, there is a lot of folks that see the person on the street corner, that thinks he is ripping people off,and don't want to stop and help. I hope I never get to the point in my life to where, I condemn, or try to figure folks out, I hope I just continue to Love them and try my best to help them regardless, as God does. I know this is going to come as a shock to some, but some folks, they are literally lost, even some Christians. I guess Jesus would just walk by them and say, I am sick and tired of you, claiming to be a follower of mine, I give up on you, you have had long enough to get it together. See Jesus has no time lines, or three strikes and your out, only that we come, and thank God he "never" gives up on us, or develops an attitude, he just continues to Love us and help us, in our struggles, until we finally come completely to him. Time lines are man made, the only time line Jesus has, is that we come as long as we have breath, and thank God, because there is some that might take that long. Just because folks confess they are Christians, don't mean their not, some are still work in progress, yes even after 30 years.