Come Out From Among Them

Neil Girrard
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Scriptures Referenced in This Article:
          (Follow the Scripture links if you want to study the Scriptures for yourself.)
Mt. 6:10 π Mt. 13:30 π Mt. 13:38; 2nd π Mt. 13:39 π Mt. 13:41-42 π Mt. 13:43; 2nd; 3rd π Mt. 15:13-14 π Mt. 16:18 π Mt. 18:15-17 π Lk. 17:3 π Jn. 7:17 π Jn. 14:23 π Jn. 14:26 π Rom. 8:14 π Rom. 8:37 π Rom. 14:17 π Rom. 16:17 π 1 Cor. 2:14 π 1 Cor. 4:20 π 1 Cor. 5:9-10 π 1 Cor. 5:11-13 π 2 Cor. 6:16-18 π 2 Cor. 7:1 π Eph. 5:11 π Phlp. 3:14 π Col. 1:23 π 2 Ths. 2:10-12 π 1 Tim. 4:1 π 2 Tim. 3:1-5 π Heb. 12:1 π Heb. 12:16-17 π Jas. 1:3-4 π 1 Jn. 2:27 π 3 Jn. 9 π Rev. 2:6 π Rev. 2:7 π Rev. 2:15 π Rev. 17:5 π Rev. 18:4

At the end of His explanation of the parable of the wheat and the tares, Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” ( Mt. 13:43 ) What did He mean by that and why did He say it? First, we must understand that He speaks of spiritual hearing. Jesus said to the seven ekklesias, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the ekklesias.” ( Rev. 2:7 , etc.) And Paul wrote, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” ( 1 Cor. 2:14; top ) We may readily restate Jesus’ statement as “He who has spiritual ears that are submitted to the Spirit of God, use them to hear what the Spirit says to you.”

Why would Jesus say such a thing? He has just explained the parable of the wheat and the tares in rather clear and precise terms. What is left to hear from the Spirit of God?

Embedded in the parable of the wheat and the tares is the owner’s instruction to allow the wheat and the tares to grow together until the time of the harvest. ( Mt. 13:30 ) And Jesus even clarified it further by saying, “The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.” (v. 39 ) Some have taken this to mean that the tares (the sons of the devil – v. 38 ) are irrevocably in the midst of the wheat (the sons of the kingdom – v. 38; top ) and there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it. Various “church fathers” and leaders whose thinking is clouded by this deception, have even declared that the people of Christ will always be a mixed multitude – never seeing the complete, inherent contradiction of terms in what they are saying and espousing.

Jesus said, “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (v. 43; top ) What is left to hear from the Spirit of God? All the other things Jesus and the New Testament have to say about dealing with men who claim to be children of God but in truth are children of the devil.

It is not necessary to uproot a tare – such a thing, apart from actually murdering the tare (a practice completely contrary to the way of Christ!), can only be done by an angel anyway. ( Mt. 13:41-42 ) It is not even absolutely necessary to expose a tare. Though that may be some thing we have to do on occasion, particularly with someone ensnared by that tare, (see Eph. 5:11 , etc.), there is much, much more to the genuine life in Christ than confronting and arguing with the Pharisees! And if you’re living the real life in Christ, the Pharisees will come looking for you soon enough, with murderous intent! Nor is it necessary to sit idly in some pew listening to demonically- influenced ( 1 Tim. 4:1 ) sermons from some Nicolaitan overlord ( Rev. 2:6 , 15; top ) while we languish and wait for some future time when the angels will have removed the tares from this world. What is necessary is that we let them alone, avoid them, turn away from them, put them out of our midst, come out from among them and be separate unto God.

When the tares no longer exert their wicked and evil influences upon the sons of the kingdom, then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” ( Mt. 13:43 ) It is very likely to be a rather lengthy process to detox and purify one’s thoughts and beliefs – especially for those who have submitted themselves to some “church” or “pastor” or “theology” for many long years. It may take an equal or even greater number of years to learn to sit quietly at the Master’s feet, to hear only His voice and to follow only Him as we unlearn our ingrained tendencies and trained proficiencies in “rationally” and intellectually (soulishly) dissecting and dismembering spiritual truths. This time in “the wilderness” will be difficult, uncomfortable, even painful – but it is still only a tested faith that produces patient endurance that leads to a perfected or completed work in our lives. ( Jas. 1:3-4; top )

The kingdom of God is that realm where Christ and God is obeyed and the will of God is the “prime directive.” ( Mt. 6:10 , Jn. 7:17 , etc.; top) This is the heartbeat of a son of the kingdom. It is not enough to admire the administrative structure of the kingdom. It is not enough to seek to conform to patterns of ekklesia or apostolic “order.”

Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will do what I say…” ( Jn. 14:23 ) It is not even enough to strive to obey the requirements, neither as “church” by-laws or “kingdom” edicts, that are laid out in the pages of the New Testament, God’s “manifesto” of His kingdom. We must love the King! Then we will obey Him and we will seek His will – not as a prescribed remedy or as an onerous duty but as a joy and a privilege. And thus we will be righteous (clothed in His righteousness and doing and saying what He sees as right and good and true) and we will shine in our own dark generation like the sun because we are functioning in His kingdom, that realm of righteousness, peace and joy in His Spirit ( Rom. 14:17 ) and of power and not mere talk. ( 1 Cor. 4:20; top )

This is what no man can tell us and what we must hear from the Spirit of truth who resides within and teaches us all things. ( Jn. 14:26 , 1 Jn. 2:27 , etc.) We are called to something that far transcends mere religion and mere philosophy – we are called to a new and transcendent life in a glorious and transcendent kingdom ruled by the God of love, truth, beauty and life! We will only be the sons of God when we are truly led by His Spirit ( Rom. 8:14 ) Though the devil and deceived men and even some sincere but misguided men make every effort to keep us from stepping into this liberty (and responsibility!) which God calls us into, the schemes of death and darkness cannot keep the genuine people of Christ imprisoned! ( Mt. 16:18 ) It is our birthright and personal privilege to overcome all the hindrances of sin, self, this world and Satan combined. “We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.” ( Rom. 8:37; top )

This is what the Spirit is telling – when the tares no longer exert their wicked and evil influences upon the sons of the kingdom, then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let us with all diligence press onward and upward in this call of God in Christ Jesus ( Phlp. 3:14 ), casting aside every weight and sin which so readily trips us up and running with endurance the race God has set before us ( Heb. 12:1 ) and cleansing ourselves from all filthiness and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. ( 2 Cor. 7:1 ) This is our glorious privilege and inheritance which only a blinded and deceived fool would trade for the mere morsels dispensed by the “church” and this world. ( Heb. 12:16-17 ) Let us be those who diligently and truly continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” ( Col. 1:23; top ) We have gone too far, gained too much and endured too long to grow weary now. Let us press on.

He awaits us!

Let he who has ears hear.


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