hypocrisy

Agree to Disagree

Frank

To the secularist, Christians and hypocrisy go hand-in-hand. The easy dodge is to admit that “all have sinned,” so in God’s eyes we are no different other than the Christian being saved by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. The risk then, is when Christians become sanctimonious and holier-than-thou on a particular moral issue. Ted Haggard wouldn’t have drawn nearly the media attention for his drug-fueled homosexual dalliance had he not been a conservative evangelical pastor who was outspoken against homosexuality. And it doesn’t even have to be apples-to-apples, is it fair for a minister to preach against homosexuality while having an affair on his wife (sadly so common it’s become cliche)? Or let’s not even go fruit-to-fruit, is it right to pontificate against one particular sin while willfully ignoring another? Homosexuality, promiscuity and drug addiction are all well-recognized and easily condemned while gossip, laziness and gluttony are seldom addressed from the pulpit. So the issue isn’t so much hypocrisy as it is a double-standard.

Jesus spoke plainly when he said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3) If we all humble ourselves before the cross of Christ then we recognize others not by their unique personal sin, but by our collective sin and need of redemption. The stranger next to you on the train needs Jesus just as much as you do. And so we must extend mercy.

That’s looking down at sin. What about looking up at discipleship? Books such as Crazy Love, Radical, Not A Fan and others all hit the same note of calling the reader to a higher bar, a higher standard of Christianity. They are not the first to do so, nor will they be the last. One might argue for “totally committed” or “completely sold-out” or “on-fire with the Holy Spirit” but what do any of those things really mean in a practical relatable sense? Is it fair to expect a single mom scraping by just to feed her kids to go above and beyond in the name of “commitment” by giving more than she can afford to an annual missions contribution? Is it realistic to be “fired up for God” every day, even through all the ups and downs of life? Not to mention one person’s cause-of-the-moment may not be the same as another’s. So can we look down on someone who isn’t fighting to stop sex trafficking but is sacrificing their time to open their home to after-school care? Or what about the person who may not be able to make a church function because they have to work overtime in order to pay the bills, yet happily serves in children’s ministry every Sunday morning? Bottom line, what is important to me in defining my discipleship may not be what is most important to you. I need to beware my plank before I judge.

But what about those who are raising the bar through their books, their podcasts and their conference-headlining performances? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to accuse them of looking down upon those who do not prescribe to their definition of discipleship. But are we guilty of holding them to a higher standard? After all, are they not also responsible to practice what they preach? Or are we to take their words with a grain of salt to do as they say, not as they do?

Recently someone commented on my blog about one such author who writes about making dramatic financial sacrifices in order to advance the Kingdom (one of many points he makes in his book- if it were the entire theme of the book I might feel differently). Meanwhile, he allegedly lives in a half-million dollar home. Is that fair to judge? How do you or I know how much he is personally sacrificing? And just because visibly it appears as if he could definitely sacrifice more, is it up to me to judge him by a standard that I make up on my own?

This is a difficult subject for me. It seems natural to expect the author, the preacher or the leader to exist on some special spiritual level higher than the average layperson. I’ve certainly been guilty of feeling that way. Several years ago I was part of a committee to reexamine ministry salaries. During one of several open forums where we met with ministry staff, the wife of one minister asked, “you can’t expect me to live on that side of town! I have to think about my family and schools and…” You get the picture. I was appalled. For the longest time I could not look at this person the same way. Another time I was in a meeting with a variety of ministry staff discussing how to address a specific issue and it became clear that no one else shared the same conviction I had. Yet at the same time, I realized that I wasn’t as zealous about the point they were trying to make. This experience forced me to step back and realize that it was not fair for me to expect others to think about things in the exact same way as me. I have since been able to avoid many arguments during our board meetings recognizing not everyone has the same convictions about money that I have.

We don’t all have the same convictions. I share mine here on this blog. You are free to disagree. So I appreciate the comment this person left on the subject, but as I think more about it, it is not my fight to fight. If someone preaches the Gospel in public but is enslaved to sin in private, that does not invalidate the Gospel. Paul didn’t say to follow him, but to follow his example as he followed the example of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1) In other words, even if Paul slipped up somewhere along the way it didn’t change who we are really called to follow. Elsewhere Paul went on to point out that many preach out of sinful motives (is wanting to make money by writing a Christian book selfish or worldly?) but it didn’t matter because the Gospel was still being preached.

I appreciate you stopping by this small corner of the Christian blogosphere. We’re not likely to agree on everything. Chances are, I’ll probably say something that is completely wrong. Feel free to call me out on it. I only ask that you recognize that our convictions may not be the same. And I’ll recognize the same with you.

The Thrill is Gone

Frank

Sorry I haven’t been back to post since I’ve gotten back from the World Discipleship Summit. I get home, head back to work, and quickly slip into the daily grind routine. But that’s how it goes, isn’t it? We feed off of a short-term hype and lose that feeling as soon as “life happens” and the hype is gone.

I remember back when I was in a different campus ministry and we’d have our semester retreats. It would be a weekend full of fun, the Word, and little sleep. We’d worship together Sunday morning before heading back down the mountain (literally) and back to school. So what do you think the main topic of discussion was on Saturday night? Was it sharing the good times from the last two days or reminiscing on retreats gone by? No, it was planning the post-retreat party: who would host, who would pick up the keg, and whether or not the new couples that hooked up would consummate their relationships.

That dichotomy would be fresh in my mind every retreat afterwards when I would fight, and lose, against this hypocrisy. When I was baptized later in another campus ministry, I remember being skeptical of their annual campus retreat, fearful of history repeating itself. Yes the buzz from the retreat eventually went away, but here I was surrounded by a group who was committed to actually living out the commands of Jesus- which is what drew me to this ministry to begin with.

So it is now Thursday and San Antonio is 1400 miles in my rear view mirror. The hype is definitely gone. But is my commitment?

Maybe for you the commitment wasn’t there to begin with. Maybe you were dragged to the Summit by some friends and weren’t really into it. Or maybe you were engrossed in the hype and put on your best religious face to fit in but your heart wasn’t really into it.

If you think that couldn’t possibly describe you, let me ask: how were your quiet times while you were in San Antonio? Personally, my schedule was too packed, and I was too tired to make sure I took the time to spend quality time with my Lord and Savior. Yes I read my Bible. And yes I prayed… here and there. But I never once grabbed another brother and said, hey let’s go pray! I never woke up early just to make sure my soul was refreshed before starting the day. And I look back and honestly feel like I missed out on something because of it.

Or maybe there is a sin that you keep hidden way down in the deep dark parts of your heart. There were plenty of opportunities to be open last weekend, but it’s hard to seek freedom when you are enslaved. Consider the urban legend of hotel pornography rentals doubling whenever there is a religious conference (I tried real hard to find a source to verify this, and though I found this oft-cited anecdote all over I could not find any real data to back it up). Or the actual statistic (that I found in more than one place) of 50% of men viewing pornography within one week of attending a Promise Keepers event. (And if this is your struggle, I highly recommend visiting xxxchurch.com)

So again, it has been a week since we first worshipped together. How is your walk with God today? Where is your level of commitment to the purpose stirred in your heart “on the Mountain of the Lord”?

I am grateful for my family to keep me honest. My son, knowing I spent the past week at a church conference, has been peppering me with questions along the lines of what is God made of and where is the Garden of Eden. My wife, convicted not only from the worship she viewed online but also from her own personal study, is committed to sharing her faith daily. My family calls me higher. But you may not have that same blessing. Do you have roommates to keep you accountable? Do you have an unbelieving spouse that is skeptical of all of this to begin with? We are all in different stations in life, so it will take different efforts to not lose the inspiration we received last weekend.

So I ask again for the last time, how is your heart now that the thrill of worshipping together with 18,000 brothers and sisters from all over the world is only a memory? What are you going to do today to keep the glory of God, reflected by you, from fading? (1 Corinthians 3:12-18)

Words Matter

Frank

A weekend ago I attended the 6th Antelope Valley Christian Writers’ Conference. It was my third time attending, and I continue to be challenged and encouraged in my writing endeavors. A theme this time that seemed to be consistent to many of the invited faculty was the priority of Jesus in our lives. Writing as a calling is a challenge, especially if you have another occupation, have family to care for, and/or are otherwise easily distractable. Where do you find time for Jesus in the midst of overcoming writer’s block, doing research, and submitting queries and proposals?

The keynote the first night called our attention to the “writer’s chapter” in Matthew. Matthew 23 to be exact. You are most likely familiar with this passage as the “woe to you!” rebuke from Jesus. But look closely to whom Jesus is rebuking: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees…” (verses 13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29 in the New King James, emphasis added) The charge against these scribes, aka the writers of their day, was hypocrisy- writing one thing but living another. As a blogger and writer-to-be I have to take this seriously. Do the words I type on the screen match the life I’m actually living?

The guard against this, of course, is Jesus. So he continues in verse 34, “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city…” Ok, maybe the last part isn’t encouraging. But what is encouraging is that Jesus sends prophets, wise men (and women!) and writers into the world to spread His message. And in order for writers to be sent from Jesus, they need to start with Jesus.

So I ask myself, “how often do I pray about the blog I have yet to write? How often do I seek spiritual counsel about the topics I’m discussing? Am I writing this for my own vainglory or the Glory of God? Am I trying to become famous, credible, have a large following? Do I spend more time ‘social networking’ than in personal Bible study?” and on and on. Naturally, I don’t like the answer to many of these questions.

My words matter. So I need to be firmly rooted in Jesus and His Word. I need to be about Him, not me. I need to take seriously the truth that the words I type have spiritual consequences. I need to take seriously the warning from James: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (v 3:1) And as an author I have to recognize the ultimate Author in “Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2)

R12: Why is God so serious?

Frank

We all have masks we wear. We have different ones for different times and different people. We have ones we haven’t used or needed in a long time, we have others that we’ve never used but we hold onto just in case. Masks prevent authentic community. Masks keep us from being vulnerable and revealing the real we. And on Sunday mornings we surround ourselves with tens, hundreds, and sometimes thousands of other people all wearing masks.

The fourth relationship in Romans 12 is Serving in Love which appropriately follows Sober Self-Assessment. I need to be ok with the real me before I can share that with others. I need to see myself as a sinner in need of God’s grace in order to see others the same way. Once I’m able to do that, barriers are dropped, masks are taken off, and I can begin to see authentic community.

Removing masks is only one part of authentic community however. Get a couple of beers in me and I’ll be plenty vulnerable. I’ll probably tell you more than you want to know. And you see this type of community at the local watering hole made famous by Cheers or for the younger amongst us, think Moe’s in The Simpsons.

We need to not only take off our masks, but we also need to have conviction behind our vulnerability. I share sin because I’m convicted about it. I rebuke a brother because I’m concerned about him. We need to call sin, sin and not dance around it as we are often so tempted to do. Real community begins when our love is sincere and we hate what is evil. (Romans 12:9)

My small group got together last night. It was encouraging to me to watch everyone interact. This small group has gone through several iterations over the last few years and I’m finally seeing relationships grow deep and people click. One of my best friends called me over the other night to share some of his struggles. I was encouraged to be there for him, but I was more encouraged that our friendship was strong enough that we could be vulnerable with one another. Small groups aren’t the miracle cure. And not every relationship at church will be vulnerable. But if we really want the Body of Christ to be all Jesus prayed it would be in John 17, we need to take the first steps by removing our masks and having a conviction about sin.

The importance of this is illustrated by the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. To make a long story short, this couple wasn’t sincere and wanted to put on a mask to impress the fledgling church. The results? Death, as soon as they were confronted by it and then lied to cover their tracks. While this might be an isolated incident, it is no less serious to God. The first to be thrown in the lake of burning fire in Revelation 21 are the cowards. The last are the liars. Pretty much any sin you can think of can be bookended by these two root sins. God takes this very seriously.

I encourage you to identify your masks and cast them aside. Study the Word of God and develop a conviction against sin. You need both to prevent you from living a watered-down-Gospel on one side or being an unloving fire-and-brimstone Christian cliche on the other. Jesus wants a relationship with the real you and so does the rest of His Body, the Church.

Think: What is necessary for the “real you” to show in your relationships?
Reflect: Why do you think God judges the hypocrisy of Ananias and his wife so harshly? How or where are you most prone to wear a mask?
Understand: What is the relationship between hypocrisy and purity? Is there any “secret sin” or temptation God might be speaking to you about?
Surrender: Pray Psalm 139:23-24. Commit to respond to whatever the Holy Spirit reveals to you.
Take Action: We all struggle with sin and hypocrisy. Both are like bacteria; once brought into the light, their power to infect and inflict disease is removed. Bring any “secret sin” or temptations into the light of God’s presence (1 John 1:9) and tell a trusted friend or pastor. “Confess your sins to one another that you might be healed.” (James 5:16)
Motivation: Consider downloading “Overcoming the Dragon of Lust- for Men” if you struggle with the issue. [Follow the R12 button on the right, select the Serving tab and find this lesson under “Free Resources”.]
Encourage your Pastor: E-mail, text, or drop a note to your pastor. It’s no fun sharing “convicting messages” that protect the flock from hypocrisy and impurity. Thank him for his faithfulness and courage; let him know we all need the truthful messages along with the grace of God.

Today continues our “virtual small group” covering the book Living On The Edge. For how this group is going to work, read this entry. For an introduction with disclaimers, click here. For some numbers from Barna to motivate you to continue reading, go here. For the R12 videos, click the R12 button on the sidebar to the right. Finally, as we move forward through the book you can always catch up by clicking the R12 label at the end of each post.

R12: Why is God so serious?

Frank

We all have masks we wear. We have different ones for different times and different people. We have ones we haven’t used or needed in a long time, we have others that we’ve never used but we hold onto just in case. Masks prevent authentic community. Masks keep us from being vulnerable and revealing the real we. And on Sunday mornings we surround ourselves with tens, hundreds, and sometimes thousands of other people all wearing masks.

The fourth relationship in Romans 12 is Serving in Love which appropriately follows Sober Self-Assessment. I need to be ok with the real me before I can share that with others. I need to see myself as a sinner in need of God’s grace in order to see others the same way. Once I’m able to do that, barriers are dropped, masks are taken off, and I can begin to see authentic community.

Removing masks is only one part of authentic community however. Get a couple of beers in me and I’ll be plenty vulnerable. I’ll probably tell you more than you want to know. And you see this type of community at the local watering hole made famous by Cheers or for the younger amongst us, think Moe’s in The Simpsons.

We need to not only take off our masks, but we also need to have conviction behind our vulnerability. I share sin because I’m convicted about it. I rebuke a brother because I’m concerned about him. We need to call sin, sin and not dance around it as we are often so tempted to do. Real community begins when our love is sincere and we hate what is evil. (Romans 12:9)

My small group got together last night. It was encouraging to me to watch everyone interact. This small group has gone through several iterations over the last few years and I’m finally seeing relationships grow deep and people click. One of my best friends called me over the other night to share some of his struggles. I was encouraged to be there for him, but I was more encouraged that our friendship was strong enough that we could be vulnerable with one another. Small groups aren’t the miracle cure. And not every relationship at church will be vulnerable. But if we really want the Body of Christ to be all Jesus prayed it would be in John 17, we need to take the first steps by removing our masks and having a conviction about sin.

The importance of this is illustrated by the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. To make a long story short, this couple wasn’t sincere and wanted to put on a mask to impress the fledgling church. The results? Death, as soon as they were confronted by it and then lied to cover their tracks. While this might be an isolated incident, it is no less serious to God. The first to be thrown in the lake of burning fire in Revelation 21 are the cowards. The last are the liars. Pretty much any sin you can think of can be bookended by these two root sins. God takes this very seriously.

I encourage you to identify your masks and cast them aside. Study the Word of God and develop a conviction against sin. You need both to prevent you from living a watered-down-Gospel on one side or being an unloving fire-and-brimstone Christian cliche on the other. Jesus wants a relationship with the real you and so does the rest of His Body, the Church.

Think: What is necessary for the “real you” to show in your relationships?
Reflect: Why do you think God judges the hypocrisy of Ananias and his wife so harshly? How or where are you most prone to wear a mask?
Understand: What is the relationship between hypocrisy and purity? Is there any “secret sin” or temptation God might be speaking to you about?
Surrender: Pray Psalm 139:23-24. Commit to respond to whatever the Holy Spirit reveals to you.
Take Action: We all struggle with sin and hypocrisy. Both are like bacteria; once brought into the light, their power to infect and inflict disease is removed. Bring any “secret sin” or temptations into the light of God’s presence (1 John 1:9) and tell a trusted friend or pastor. “Confess your sins to one another that you might be healed.” (James 5:16)
Motivation: Consider downloading “Overcoming the Dragon of Lust- for Men” if you struggle with the issue. [Follow the R12 button on the right, select the Serving tab and find this lesson under “Free Resources”.]
Encourage your Pastor: E-mail, text, or drop a note to your pastor. It’s no fun sharing “convicting messages” that protect the flock from hypocrisy and impurity. Thank him for his faithfulness and courage; let him know we all need the truthful messages along with the grace of God.

Today continues our “virtual small group” covering the book Living On The Edge. For how this group is going to work, read this entry. For an introduction with disclaimers, click here. For some numbers from Barna to motivate you to continue reading, go here. For the R12 videos, click the R12 button on the sidebar to the right. Finally, as we move forward through the book you can always catch up by clicking the R12 label at the end of each post.

Then again,

Frank

it’s easy to indulge in sin when no one else is looking. We can put on our ‘Sunday’s Best’ and smile in the pew and say “Amen” and later retreat to our homes that we can’t really afford and turn on our television bought on credit or log in online and enjoy the limitless supply of filth anonymously, with no accountability. So what’s to stop us from watching what I described before?

I said, “If we’re going to keep calling ourselves a ‘Christian nation’ we need to start acting like it.” I guess the same thing can be said for a ‘Christian state’. I have a lot of respect for the Mormon religion when it comes to their emphasis on family, despite having zero respect for their doctrine. And despite my joy at taking jabs at the state of Utah, this news shocked me. Actually, no it didn’t. Hotel PPV of pornography is one of the largest segments in that economy, and that’s largely due to the Marriott franchise of hotels. But to see that Utah has the highest per capita online porn subscribership, for such an upright (uptight?) culture, really did come as a surprise.

What’s sad though is how the study tried to paint the issue red and blue as if politics has anything to do with pornography. If you look at the graphic both the top 10 and bottom 10 are pretty evenly split between red and blue states. Even the argument of “the scarcity of adult entertainment outside the home” doesn’t hold water when you see Hawaii and Florida also in the top 10 while Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming are on the bottom. You can tell the authors of the study are trying really hard to make this a political and religious issue, given the overwhelming support for California’s Proposition 8 out of Utah and the Mormon Church.

I guess no religion is immune from hypocrisy. So while I’m raging against our choice in television shows, it’s only fair to also rage against our choice of Internet browsing. Glad you’re online and that you’re here, but exercise caution with where you go from here.

“And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell” (Mark 9:47)