“Do Not Be Present Yet Absent!”

“Do Not Be Present Yet Absent!”(Mt.7:21-23).
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
A student was conducting research on one side of a street in a small settlement. Each house he entered, he asked the person(s), “Are you a Christian?” The answer was either “yes” or “no.” He entered the house of a bachelor and asked him whether he was a Christian? The bachelor replied, “I cannot answer your question. Go up and down the street and ask my neighbours whether I am a Christian or not.”
Christian denominations have membership cards. The card can be called a Church identity card. To identify yourself as a member of a denomination means you are a disciple of Christ. We often assume that being a disciple of Christ is a guarantee of salvation.
The word Christendom came into existence to define “a group of people or nations under a Christian set of morals and values.”
Here lies the problem: “Are the groups or nations of Christendom truly living under Christian rules and values?”
The Lord Jesus Christ says we may be present yet absent. We may be present without belonging! Jesus explained this with the story of two sons: “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. ‘Which of the two did what his father wanted?’ ‘The first,’ they answered.”(21:28-31).
Whoever sits with others at the dining table with nothing on his plate did not have dinner with the people. Presence is not a guarantee of belonging!
Dear friend, as we run the race of faith, let us work hard on submissive obedience; doing the will of the Father rather than hypocritical loyalty.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, prompt us daily to do the will of the Father. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
13/08/2025.