Just this evening I was searching through some Christian blogs and I came across one called: http://www.christiananswers.net. The Title of the essay was: Hypocrisy in the Church-- "I would never be a Christian; they're a bunch of hypocrites."
The essay went on to make several interesting and, at first glance, good suggestions such as we could always make room for one more, there are no perfect churches so just fix your eyes on Jesus who is, and, admittedly a pretty good one, have the advent of medical quacks or E. coli in meat kept us from going to see the doctor or eating a Big Mac?
Well obviously the answer to the last point is of course not. But I feel that while these points have some logic in them, they are flawed because of two overriding and undeniable salient points: 1. We maybe in the world but are not suppose to be of it. While we may not be perfect we ought to be reflecting a higher standard to the unchurched. It isn't enough that we say that there's no place for hypocrisy, we need to live it out as a body; 2. Whether we like it or not what we do and how we do it does set an example for the unchurched. How do we communicate the love Christ has for us to the unbeliever when some of our "leaders" publicly call for the assassination of foreign leaders? We can say, and I pray with conviction, that Pat Robertson does not speak for the majority of Christians, but we are preaching to the choir. For millions of Americans in darkness, this man does represent Christianity.
Asking a person where would they go if they were not a believer and reminding them that hypocrisy exits everywhere and in every faith, is like the store clerk who when told by a customer that he was rude replied, "So what? The guys down the block are just as obnoxious, and they don't sell what I've got, so cash or charge?"
Don't get me wrong, in the end I know that those who harm the Church will reap what they sow. Matthew 24:51 makes that clear. But I'm not so much concerned for us as I am others. I think we owe it to the man or woman on the fence to at least make a good faith effort and do everything in our power to reflect Christ back to them. I'm not just talking about our "leaders" either. I must confess I have failed miserably at this. I can't tell you the last time I did something merely out of love and with no expectation of being rewarded or compensated.
At a Christian accountability group I attend every Monday we ask ourselves a series of questions. The first is, Have I been a verbal testimony to the supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ? The answer is predominantly no. Quite frankly this has been a sore spot for me, and I know that Jesus is convicting me of this. It has been bothering me for some time. Maybe it's time I did some soul searching of my own. The truth is I can't expect others to do what I so lazily refuse to do.
I would appreciate any comments or suggestions here. Perhaps some of you can identify. Perhaps all of us can start anew. If I've learned one thing from being a Christian it's that Jesus doesn't keep score. Thank God!
4 comments:
Just keep on living your conservative family value lifestyle and everything will work out. The filthy hippies will soon realize the error of their ways and Bush will help with great Supreme Court appointments that will allow Christian values to dominate for decades to come!
Some people don't get it!
At my seminary a student once complained, "I don't want people looking at me. I'm not the example; Jesus is the example!" The professor replied, "No. Jesus is the standard. You are to be the example of that standard."
This reminds me of two things that a former pastor used to say:
1) Unless you can drive 'like a Christian', don't cover your car with Christian bumper stickers and insignia. People who have been cut off or cursed at by a driver whose car insists "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven" , don't think it's cute.
2) "Sooner or later, everybody needs a Christian", so live in such a manner that they know they can come to you. What this means is that everyone runs into times of pressure, or even tragedy, and needs help. Live in such a way that nonbelievers will think of turning to you.
Isn't it ironic that non-believers hold us to a higher standard than we hold ourselves? They are offended when we sin, and retaliate (with some justification) by calling us hypocrites.
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