In Matthew 7, Jesus makes a statement that should give each of us pause to consider our personal relationship with Him. Jesus said that not everyone who calls out to Him “Κύριε, Κύριε”, “Lord, Lord” are of His flock, the household of God. If people who claimed to follow Jesus, to the point of producing miracles, did not know Him, and more, He said He did not know them, are we true to ourselves? Have we considered our true beliefs?
This division between those in the church who know Jesus and those who do not know Jesus has led to the creation of the terms “church invisible” and the “church visible”. Everyone who associates with the church at all is basically part of the “church visible.” Only those who have been born of the Spirit of God are part of the “church invisible.”
Everyone can see the “church visible.” The “church visible” can be empirically observed. We can hear people call themselves Christian. We can see them go to church. We can hear them talk about Christian ideas. On the other hand, it is difficult for anyone to know who is part of the “church invisible.” Having the Spirit of God living inside of us is an internal spiritual reality. As a result, the “church visible” includes not only those born of Spirit, “the church invisible”, but those who think of themselves as Christian in any way, who have yet to be born of the God’s Spirit.
I would not be surprised if less than 50% of those in involved in the “church visible” are actually born of God’s Spirit. At times I think that number may actually be much lower.
If you do not believe in your heart that Jesus is God and that He died and then rose from the dead for your personal salvation, don’t be left out, especially if you think of yourself as a Christian.
If you are not a Christian and you see hypocrisy in those calling themselves Christians, this a part of the reason. It is up to each of us to know ourselves and how we stand with Jesus.
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’