Why are There so Many Goats in the Sheep's Pasture?

How the Church has Facilitated Unbelievers

Probably more now than ever, our churches house many professing Christians whose lives depict a scarce difference from those in the world—from those who are on the “broad road” (Mat. 7:13). II Corinthians 6:17 says, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” There are many members even in our more “conservative” churches who only differ from the world on Sunday morning when they’re struggling to stay awake in church, as opposed to their neighbor who is at home sleeping in.

The true Christians’ desire
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that our main purpose is to glorify God. Most of us hold to what the Westminster Shorter Catechism says when it states that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” All true believers should be able to confer that there is true peace and joy in God. This happiness and fulfillment in the glorification of God is natural to the new man (Eph. 4:22-24). This form of pleasure was originally designed to facilitate worship of God. Adam was created for the purpose of having sweet fellowship with God, but when he fell, he lost that communion. After we come to know Christ, we are reborn into the type of person that we were made to be, which is one that is able to find joy in God, and who seeks for this joy above any other.
Everything about us in some way was made for the purpose of glorifying God through worship. Idolatry is the act of placing something above God. Our God is depicted as a “jealous God” (Exod. 34:14). God wants us to use our emotions for things that honor Him. Even our feelings of happiness, sorrow, and excitement are to be used in the glorification of God. When we get excited, happy, or sad over a television show, a sport, or a movie, we are wasting the use of our instruments of praise.
Some will say that this view is legalistic or unfounded. I’m sure that the same person who would say this, would be someone who would time and time again choose to watch a movie, watch a sport, or go to the theater rather than do something that glorified God. I would ask this person: “Is God not good enough for you?” “Are you saying that you find more pleasure and fulfillment in these activities than you do in things of God?” If he says no, then I would ask, “Why then did you choose to do them, did you get bored of God?” It seems harsh and unheard-of to require that someone not take part in the entertainments of the present age. Have we forgotten that our Christian forefathers went without these amusements? Do we pity them because they had so much time to worship and serve God? If we find true joy and fulfillment in Christ, why do we need so many earthly pleasures? Do we truly have God’s joy?

The difference between “Christians” and the world... or the lack thereof
In this age we have so many professing Christians who doubt their salvation. I can’t say that this surprises me; I doubt their salvation too. They spend their entire day with scarcely a thought of God passing through their mind; they talk to their friends and act in the manner that they do. When they come home from work or school, they do what the wicked of this world are doing: they immerse themselves in the entertainments and desires of the flesh. Oh but we are legalistic to tell them that they should turn their television off, and pray and read the Bible. Is it wrong to tell someone that they should get more joy and fulfillment from things of God than from our advanced forms of amusement? Have the entertainments of this present age risen to a point that they can now take the place of God and leave us full and satisfied, lacking nothing?! If the answer to that question is no, then why do you still insist on partaking of it? If there is more pleasure and fulfillment in the things of God, then why don’t you shut off your television and pick up your Bible? If you realize that there is more pleasure and fulfillment in carnal entertainment, then I would say that you are not a new man. A new man will constantly seek for the pleasures that are found in God.
Try this next time you go to turn on your television. Ask yourself: which do I desire more, watching TV or immersing myself in spiritual things? Before you turn on the radio to listen to worldly music, ask yourself: would I rather listen to Godless music, or would I rather think about my Creator or listen to something that lifts my heart in worship to Him? Contrast all your entertainment with what you could be doing spiritually, and see if you don’t completely forsake these worldly pastimes in a few weeks. I dare say that if a true Christian were to search their heart on these matters, their television would be sitting in a dumpster somewhere within a few weeks.
I know that some Christians say that they use this or that worldly pleasure to get away from everything and relax. What, do you need a break from God? Do the things of God wear you down? It’s funny that you don’t get worn out doing other things that you take pleasure in—I mean you do get pleasure from the things of God, don’t you?
I do realize that you can be a Christian and not desire the things of God. That simply means that you should be praying for God to give you that desire; you should do that instead of watching television. If after praying for this desire for a good period of time, you don’t notice any improvement in this area, perhaps you are not saved. I believe that a Christian should forsake worldly amusements. In fact, I believe this to be imperative for proper Christian growth. Also, by seeking to rid yourself of these earthly pleasures, you will find where you’re true joy comes from.
Since I will inevitably be called a legalist for saying that you shouldn’t watch TV, go to the movies, or be sport spectators, I’ll let a more prestigious person say it. Here’s what Charles Spurgeon had to say about this matter:

I believe that one reason why the church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the church. Nowadays, we hear nonconformist pleading that they may do this and do that—things that their Puritan forefathers would rather have died at the stake than have tolerated. They plead that they may live like worldlings. My sad answer to them when they crave this liberty, is, "Do it if you dare. It may not do you much harm, for you are so bad already. Your cravings show how rotten your hearts are. If you have a hungering after such dog's meat, go dogs, and eat the garbage!"
Worldly amusements are fit food for mere pretenders and hypocrites. If you were God's children, you would loathe the very thought of the world's evil joys. Your question would not be, "How far may we be like the world?" but your one cry would be, "How far can we get away from the world? How much can we come out from it?" Your temptation would be rather to become sternly severe, and ultra-Puritanical in separation from sin in such a time as this, than to ask, "How can I make myself like other men and act as they do?"

He goes on to say later:

Was Jesus found at the theater? Did He frequent the race course? Do you think that Jesus was seen in any of the amusements of the Herodian court? Not He. He was “holy, harmless, undefiled, [and] separate from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). In one sense, no one mixed with sinners as completely as He did when, like a physician, He went among them healing His patients. But, in another sense, there was a gulf fixed between the men of the world and the Savior which He never attempted to cross, and which they could not cross to defile Him.

Man’s desire
Man by nature seeks to be happy. The unsaved man will not try to find fulfillment of this happiness in God because he is still subject to the flesh, so he will seek to be filled with carnal things. An unsaved person in our day will not be happy without television, movies, sports, video games, worldly music, and material goods. If you took away from a lost person these things—If you told them they couldn’t watch TV, go to the movies, and play video games; if you told them that they couldn’t listen to rock, rap, or country music; and if you told them that they couldn’t have certain cars, clothes, or gadgets, they would throw a fit! They would be miserable if they didn’t have those things. Would you be miserable without them? Would you throw a fit if they were taken away from you? Be careful what you answer. If you answer yes, then I say: “Why do you love the things of the world?!” “The love of the Father is not in you, unredeemed sinner (not carnal Christian)!” (I John 2:15)

Why there are so many goats in the sheep’s pasture
So now to my point: Why are there so many unbelievers in the church? The simple answer goes like this: because they can. It’s easy for an unbeliever to be comfortable in just about every church in this nation as long as they profess to be a Christian. Why is that? It’s because they can profess to be a Christian while still finding their fulfillment ultimately in the things of the flesh. As long as they can call themselves a sheep while grazing in the pastures of the devil, they can be happy. Take away the amusements of this age, and see if they survive. Tell them that they should constantly be in the practice of growing closer to God through spiritual edification, and communion with Him. Tell them that they should desire to seek God with every spare moment they have. Tell them that God should be uttermost in their thoughts throughout the day. If they follow this practice, they will not have time for useless entertainment. Of course they will say, “I don’t need to do all those spiritual things because I’m under grace, so I have freedom.” I would respond to this extend: “So you don’t desire the things of God; you don’t enjoy God more than these worldly pleasures?” “Are you sure you’re ‘under grace’?” “I’m not convinced you are.”
The amusements and activities of the world are goat’s feed. Our churches have become littered with it, and that is the reason so many unbelievers are in our services. The goats will remain in the sheep’s pasture as long as they can survive, and goat’s feed is plentiful in our churches. We need to cast out this devil’s meat, and maintain only those who desire to graze in the pleasant pastures that are filled with God’s word and true, joyful worship of Him. The goats will then have only two options: (1) Leave the pasture, or (2) be transformed into a sheep of the Great Shepherd’s pasture.

Further discussion (Added later)
I’ve already met opposition over this, and I expected that. I certainly wouldn’t expect the goats to be too happy about this proposal (although I wouldn’t take it upon myself to say whether or not for sure these people are lost). Maybe we just need a little more persuasion.
These people seem to be contending that requiring that someone give all their spare time to God is just a little bit over the top; they think it’s too much. Let me ask you this: “Is He worthy?” Isn’t God worthy of all our time; does He not at least deserve our spare time? You see, people have the wrong view about television. See if this isn’t your thinking as well: Shutting of the TV and doing things that honor and glorify God is really righteous. At the same time they think that watching television is neither righteous nor sinful. But wait, we just said that God was worthy of all our spare time. So in other words, He deserves that time. We’re not doing something really righteous by shutting of the TV and worshiping God; worshiping our Creator is what we were made for! By putting aside vain amusement and glorifying God with our time, we’re simply giving Him what He deserves. So you see, it’s not that turning off the TV and worshiping God is really righteous, and watching TV is amoral; giving all our spare time to God is what we’re supposed to do, and wasting our time in useless entertainment is sin. If you’re a believer you should realize that God is worthy of all our spare time because saving us from our sin was an amazing thing, to say the least. If you owed me $10 million, and you gave me a dollar of your $100 of spending money, do you think I would just be totally elated that you had given me one hundredth of your spare cash? Obviously, I couldn’t expect you to pay me everything you owed, but I would at least expect you to give me what spare money you had. Of course this illustration doesn’t quite match up to the magnitude of the situation, but I just want to get the point across that spending time worshiping God instead of watching TV really isn’t that righteous—it’s required. So that’s why I think Christians should be forsaking useless entertainment. And we don’t do this to earn points with God; the true Christian does this out of love and gratitude, and because we realize that He is worthy.