The Bible warns us of the danger of struggling and living without a spiritual foundation solid. Often, humans engage in activities that appear good or important, but then become prove futile when they are not rooted in God. To put it more precisely, it proves futile military between the ranks of Christ’s disciples, when we are aware that no true repentance nor a new birth.

This message is not addressed to newcomers, but to those who have been attending the Lord’s church for a long time , sharing fellowship and participating in periodic celebrations.

These are identified in Six categories:

1. The Curious:

They are the so-called “community goers ” , I don’t say of churches, because the Church of Christ is one, these people live a life of constant restlessness, watching, listening, judging seeking the perfection in others. They belong to the family of legalists, living a spirituality superficial and find them in a constant expectation of acclaim and solidarity. In reality they resemble those lame and paralytic people at the edge of the pool of Bethesda mentioned in the Gospel of John 5, They are always waiting for someone to agitate water for them. They have no initiative, give no supportive contribution to the community, but they are at the forefront of agapi and know how to ask for help for their material rather than spiritual needs, in reality they do not want to change their way of living even one iota, they belong to the lineage of the self-centered and narcissistic.

2. The Postulants

They are those who have been attending the community assiduously for years, have accepted Jesus into their lives, have publicly declared in water baptism that they want to serve the Lord, many of they also received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Some of them have beautiful and powerful testimonies of healing and/or deliverance, and others have also received gifts spiritual gifts, but remain in a constant state of waiting to be confirmed and empowered for the desired task, which is often standing behind a pulpit to preach. While flaunting a semblance of humility, you don’t find them available in those humble services, or sitting among the pews of a Bible school, they are convinced that they know the Word of God and have a more noble, so they prefer to sit in their seats, participating in passive listening, meanwhile the creation waits with intense longing for the manifestation of God’s children , (Romans 8:19); While the harvest is truly great but the laborers are few, (Matt. 9,37).

3. The Resigned

In physics, the force of Inertia in a body, lies in the tendency to preserve its state of stillness or motion until an external force intervenes to change it. In the religious sphere, the r assigned are those who have thrown in the towel by ceasing to fight the good combat of faith, (1 Timothy 6: 11-12). In this regard, the Holy Word of God, has something to say, “But you, O man of God, flee these things and procure righteousness, godliness, faith , love, patience and meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, grasp eternal life, to which you have been called and for which you have made the good confession of faith Before many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6: 11-12).

In this heartfelt letter the Apostle Paul, exhorts, admonishes and encourages those who, while calling themselves men of God, easily allow themselves to be misled into paths that lead only to suffering that alienates them from God, calling into question the questioning the salvation they have received. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; “Now, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I proclaimed to you, and which you have received, and in which you stand firm, and through which you are saved, if you firmly believe that word which I have proclaimed to you, unless you have believed in vain.” The church of Corinth needs exhortation, Paul will always want to proclaim the same gospel, but while wanting to consider the brethren in Corinth firm in the faith, he leads them to reconsider their belief which is probably inconsistent with their testimony. In fact, the resigned person considers himself firm in the faith, in that he has not blatantly denied the Lord, he continues to attend faithfully to church meetings, but he does not operate, he is like that servant to whom it was entrusted

one talent, but out of fear he hid it in the ground, (see Matthew 25:24). The resigned man not only does not work, but has given up fighting against the wiles of the evil one, the latter has convinced him that he will never change anyway, that he cannot make it on his own, because among other things he is lonely and abandoned. The resigned is depressed; he has been convinced that he can never achieve the spiritual stature that he would like and perhaps sees in some brothers. The resigned person often suffers from some physical illness, so what can he do, Satan convinces him that unless God intervenes in the his life means that he does not even consider it. The resigned person has already been trying for many years to remove away that vice, his flesh continually mortifies him and then accuses him, so he will say, “enough, I can’t take it anymore!” and throws in the towel, however, he cannot help but come to church, he too therefore

lives in a state of constant anxiety, moving by force of inertia, waiting for the push, encouragement, consolation, forgiveness, yet remaining standing at the post. The resigned

waits for grace: work, healing, conversion of those in his household, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, he waits, he always waits for an answer from the Lord, meanwhile the harvest always remains great and the laborers are always few, the Lord to these he issues an invitation, “Take away the stone!” but these will respond like Martha, “Lord, he already stinks, for he has been dead since four days.” (John 11:39). The resigned person waits for someone to remove the negativity of one’s existence, thus living a flat and stagnant life. In Ecclesiastes 10:1; it is written, “ Dead flies make the perfumer’s oil stink.” The resigned person is the one who always asks prayer for himself, and when he has the opportunity he comes before the pastor so that he lays his hands on him praying, in reality he of his own prays little or nothing, burns his hours in a way that is barren and unfruitful, but the Lord does not fail to warn these brothers, saying, “Remember Therefore what you have received and heard; keep it and repent. If you do not watch, I will come upon you.

Like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.” (Rev. 3:3).

4. The Dominicans

Don’t worry, they don’t belong to one of the many orders of the Roman church, they are our brothers, who like us have made a covenant with the Lord, but they attend the community if it goes well, only the Sunday or occasionally. These brothers, are the ones who usually arrive in late and leave in a hurry when the celebration ends, you can hardly share with them some fellowship, live on the fringes, are impenetrable and very secretive. Some of them actively participate in the celebrations, others sit passively, as if they were at a movie theater, but they stand there, and you wonder what their burden is and how you could help them. In the

holidays and during the beautiful summer season you seldom see them, they don’t ask for anything, they don’t give anything, for some of them though you have to be careful, they are sneaky, church mice, wolves disguised as lamb, ready to seduce and devour simple souls. The apostle Jude, brother of James, in the his letter warns the church against these ungodly ones and false doctors, writing, “These ones are stains in your agape , while they feast together with you without fear , grazing themselves; they are clouds without water , blown hither and thither by winds, Autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted.” (Jude 1:12).

5. The exiles

Alas, this category of brothers is difficult to deal with, we must ask the Lord to strengthen the gift of discerning spirits. In fact, they will divide into two categories: the scandalized and the know-it-alls. However, it is necessary to clarify from immediately, that both were unable to truly enjoy the new birth. But while for the The former one must lavish loving care on their wounds, standing beside them and reminding them of God’s word, The latter do not bear wounds, but inflict them with their tongues,

slandering and slandering the whole church with its ministers. The latter live a constant religious reality and judgment, but they always complain about personal needs and ask for assistance, only to conclude that there is no love in the church, in fact they have never really been exiles , as they have never left Egypt nor do they want to leave it, however, inside they feel like abandoned and forgottenexiles .

6. The Bold

This is the most desirable and numerous category, these are practicing and active brethren, but alas for many of them, persevering in service becomes futile, let us remember that almost all of Israel went wandering in the desert, but failed to enter the promised land. In Psalm 127: 1-2; “If the LORD does not build the house, in vain do the builders toil there; if the LORD does not guard the city, in vain do the guards watch. It is vain for you to get up early and go late to rest and eat the bread of hard work, for to his beloved he gives rest.” His beloved, are the few who delight in God’s word and rest in it, in them you find the consistency of those who put it into practice with a circumcised heart. The Apostle tells us about such people. Peter in his first epistle, 2:9; “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy people, a people purchased for God, that you may proclaim the wonders of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His wondrous light.” In Psalm 1: 1-3; this is how God

defines his own: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the company of scoffers, but whose delight is in the law Of the LORD, and on His law meditate day and night. He shall be like a tree planted along the streams of water, gives its fruit in its season, and whose leaves do not wither; and everything What he does will prosper.”

That said , let’s see how God feels about everyone else:

Isaiah 1:22; “Your silver has become dross, your wine has been diluted with water.” But what happened, how could you consume your living silver by reducing it to dross, and how did you could adulterate the effervescence and fragrance of your wine by diluting it with water. In other words you have forgotten your first love for Jesus and His work. The apostle Paul writes to the Galatians 5:7-9; “You ran well; who hindered you by preventing you from obeying the truth ? This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little leaven ferments the whole dough.” Also in Galatians 3:3; ” You are so foolish that, having begun in the Spirit,

Would you like to end up in the flesh?” He continues, Galatians 6: 7-8; “Do not be deceived, God cannot be mock, for what a man sows, that he shall also reap. For he who sows for his flesh, from the flesh he will reap corruption, but he who sows by the Spirit, from the Spirit shall reap eternal life.”. The LORD is angry with Israel and announces the imminent destruction of Jerusalem foretold by the prophet Jeremiah 6:29-30; “The bellows blows mightily, the lead is consumed by fire; in vain refines the refiner, for the dross will not come off. They shall be called “waste silver” , because the LORD has rejected them.” Tell me the truth , in spite of the most attempts, you cannot break away from you that vice or habit; or you cannot manage to forget the wrong or disappointment received, and what shall I say of you who say, “what can I do about it,

I cannot forgive,” do you know why?, because you have forsaken your altar in the secret chamber , you no longer pray! The LORD makes a heartfelt call to Israel, through his servant Jeremiah 4:30; “And you, O ravaged one, what will you do? Even if you clothe yourself in scarlet, even if you adorned with gold ornaments, even if you enlarged your eyes with stibium, in vain would you make yourself beautiful. Your lovers despise you, they want your life.” . Tell me how much time you lose in front in the mirror before you leave the house, or before you come to church, do you know who these your lovers who want your life, the spirit of vanity in all its forms. Do you not know that it is in abomination for your God, why do you strive to be beautiful, do you do it for the Lord or for your neighbor, and don’t tell me that you do it for yourself because that makes you feel good because it doesn’t, maybe you you don’t know but you are being seduced by vanity to draw looks to yourself; what emptiness do you want to fill in your heart; what is it that makes you so unhappy; why are you content with so little, don’t sympathize with these seducing spirits; they love to see you decorated like a Christmas tree just In the house of your God, and among themselves they laugh and despise you. If you then dress yourself in such a way as to show all your forms, know that you also become an occasion of sin for your brothers who blink and must appeal to the gospel of Matthew 5:29; “Now if your right eye is a cause of sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish,rather your whole body be thrown into Gehenna.” Do you want to know what the Lord’s counsel on the matter: 1 Peter 1:14; “As obedient children, do not conform to the lusts of the time past, when you were in ignorance.”. And again the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2:9; he writes, “Likewise let the women dress decently, with veracity and modesty, and not with braids or gold, or pearls or costly garments, but with good works, as befits women who make profession of piety “. Of course I know I put my foot in a field.

undermined, and that this exhortation, while being the Word of God, makes this decidedly unpopular meditation, someone will say to me, “brother so the churches are emptying, times have changed.” Well, I would like to conclude by quoting Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana, John 2:9-10; “And , as the master of the feast tasted the water into wine (now he did not know where it came from that wine, but well did the servants who had drawn the water know), the master of the feast

called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘every man presents at first the best wine and, after the guests have copiously drunk, the least good; you, however, have kept the good wine until now'”. You have understood now the spirit of the message, if your stone pile was first full of water, and Jesus in his infinite mercy turned your water into wine, how effervescent and ruby red you were in your testimonies, how edifying you were in the common gathering, the subject of your days was Jesus; now, why brother are you watering down that wine by adding water to your every disobedience, you know that you have no more flavor and you are Becoming undrinkable. While you sister, yes, I say to you, your wine how long have you been keeping it. hidden, know that it is becoming vinegar!!! Now, I say to the bold ones on duty, but do you really want to be part of those foolish virgins of whom Matthew 25: 11-13 tells us ; “Later came also the other virgins, saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us” . But he, answering, said, “Verily ye I say that I do not know you.” Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the son of man will come “

Church of the Lord, do not let what you have received, you have received in vain!!!

H.S.