Dear Christian brothers and sisters,

I have long been driven to write about the Christian faith and how its been severely watered down for today's Christians. And it doesn't matter what you call yourself (Catholic, Baptist, Mormon, Presbyterian, etc.). The key to all of those faiths is Christ himself. And what did he say?

He said in John 10:27: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 12:26: "If anyone serves me, he must follow me." Also repeated in Luke 9:23: "So it's unequivocal that one must follow Christ and the examples he set, and the teachings that he left behind and commanded us" to follow. See Matthew 5:24-27, where Christ gives these instructions.

24: "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." 25: "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." 26: "And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand." 27: "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it"

Many of you know John 3:16 by heart. It reads as follows: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Let's continue.

17: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." 18: "Whoever believes him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." 19: "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil." 20: "For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed." 21: "But whoever does what is true comes to the light, believe that Christ died for all of mankind's sins, but then we believers must then come to the light which is Christ and live within the light Christ avoiding darkness and the evil."

Which takes me to what Christ is saying about final judgment with the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46.

Most people think that the sheep are believers and that the goats are nonbelievers. But what did Christ say in John 10:27? "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." The sheep are following the teachings that Christ left.

Let's look closer at Matthew 25:31-46.

31: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne." 32: "Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." 33: "And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left." 34: "Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." 35: "For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me." 36: "I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me." 37: "Then the righteous will answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?" 38: "And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?" 39: "And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?" 40: "And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers. You did it to me."

Let's stop for a moment.

As we see, these are the sheep who applied not only the teachings of Christ but the foundation itself. Yes, the sheep applied love, mercy, and compassion to each scenario. Now we look at the goats.

41: "Then he will say to those on his left. Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." 42: "For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink." 43: "I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. Naked and you did not clothe me. Sick and in prison and you did not visit me." 44: "Then they also will answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?" 45: "Then he will answer them, saying, Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." 46: "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

A nonbeliever wouldn't have asked, Lord, when did we see you hungry, in need of clothes, sick or in prison and did not visit you. Only a believer would have questioned Christ on where they failed at.

If you ask the majority of believers today, if they are clothing and feeding those in need, or going to hospitals and prisons to visit those who are suffering, unfortunately the answer is no. Most people are following deceptive teachings for self-fulfilling interest. And unfortunately those misguided Christians are following the path of the goat.

James 2:24: "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." It coincides with Matthew 25:31-40. As does 1 John 3:16-18.

16: "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." 17: "But if anyone has the worldly goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" 18: "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

As stated in James 1:22: "But bedoers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

I know this is a lot to take in. But Christ's message is abide in him, the light. God bless you.

In peace and love,
Ronald W. Clark Jr.