John 10:10a reads, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Who is that thief? Satan. How does he operate in the church? He works through hypocrites. Not everyone in the church is pure in heart.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, the apostle Paul likens the body of Christ to the physical body. “Germs” attack the body when it is weak because they are less capable of success if the body is well-fed and strong. There are basically three opportunistic germs: viruses, bacteria, and parasites. These match the enemy’s methods. (a) He steals—parasites rob of health; (b) he kills—viruses bring death by deceit; and (c) he destroys—bacteria cause rapid-growing diseases. A virus disguises itself as a normal cell to gain acceptance, then produces infection, i.e. false doctrine, and sin patterns. Bacteria lies dormant waiting for an opportunity, then multiplies rapidly to attack, i.e. toleration of biblical error. Parasites thrive at the expense of another, robbing the victim of all its health, i.e. laziness and busybodies. Understanding these “germs” can protect a church. Twenty-seven years ago, I preached a series of sermons on dealing with each of these in the fellowship. The apostle Paul deals with church parasites in 2 Thessalonians 3, and in the first five verses, he expresses his concern that the gospel move quickly and successfully, and that he be delivered from those giving him trouble. Then, he gets to the heart of the matter. Parasites get into the church, and medicine must be applied to dislodge them. Notice who the parasites are in verse 6: “every brother”—Christians! And Paul describes them in verse 11 as being lazy (“not working at all”) and nosy (“busybodies”). If we are not busy doing the work of ministry, Satan will find something for us to do, physically and spiritually. To Be Continued …

Sin cera, Erik

Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.

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