“Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Mat 7:21-23 NKJ)
Some are probably thinking that surely this is a contradiction to the ‘who so ever’? You mean that I might get to the kingdom of heaven and be turned away? Let me change one word to help it make sense of this passage, “And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice ‘Wordlessness.” So you’re driving down the road, and the sign reads 35 mph, but you decide to drive 50 mph. The sign reads ‘no entry,’ but you drive through anyway. At the end of the road, the sign reads STOP, but you drive straight through almost causing a crash, but its okay because you’re driving to church. Life as a Christian requires that we not only read the Word but that we make application of what we read to our lives because the Word, empowered by the Spirit, contains the will of the Father. Life is not just about getting to the final destination; it’s about the journey.
But what about all the external manifestations? “Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we ‘not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name.” They are just that, external manifestations. Even King Saul, who was not a godly man, when he comes into the presence of the prophets, starts to prophesy. Let me give you three pointers.
- Get into the Word of God for yourself.
- Make sure you’re being taught the Word correctly—check it out for yourself, don’t just say Amen!
- Make sure the Word is being taught in its context. Taking the Word out of context just because it makes for a good sermon, along with a shout and dance makes the preacher nothing more than a ‘false prophet.’
The Christian life is all about being accountable, and the Word will get you through that narrow gate and on that straight path.
