Wolves Wearing Sheep Clothes

Every church has them. They always have from the very beginning. They come in unnoticed at first. Possibly b/c we're not watching out for them. Possibly b/c we're not aware they're out there wanting to come in. If we'd just pay a little attention we'd notice they smell different, they act different, and they eat differently. We might have noticed a sheep or two missing. Gone from the flock without a trace. We act ambivalent, like it's just a curious oddity. Then we hear the murmuring. 1st it's dull chatter, then louder and more specific. "We think one of our sheep is not a sheep. We think there is a wolf among us." How did we let that happen? How does any church let that happen? A wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf. Did we not know how wolves act? Did we not understand their kind of hunger? They only want to eat sheep. At that point it's really pretty late in the game. The wolf has taken some of our own, eaten them and spit the bones back out. We scramble to find a way to get rid of the wolf, but we've been caught unawares. We never recognized the threat that had gotten in through the defenses. Truthfully we had very weak defenses. The sheep didn't listen to the Master's words. Or if they did, they chose not to obey. And so it was only inevitable that one day a wolf, or maybe a pack of wolves, would wreak havoc in our fold. If we'd only heeded the warning. If we'd only listened for the traits of the wolf so we'd recognize it when we saw it. Maybe it never would have happened. Now we pick up the pieces, knowing that at least the end for the wolf will be worse than the harm he has done. It won't be the same, but by the Shepherd's grace, perhaps it will be better. If we'll only heed the voice of the Shepherd.