I don't want to talk about hypocrisy

"I bet you're going to lose your voice again." My husband tells me before I leave to the women's retreat. "No I'm not honey. I don't talk that much." I return with a raspy voice and he laughs at me. "You did it again, you lost your voice from talking." I always tell people " I'm a share-er" I love the Lord I love my family I love encouraging others and praying with others. What better way to share your thoughts than through the beautiful communication of speech that God has given us?

Well at the women's retreat I learned there's something I don't really want to talk about but needs to be discussed.

It's hypocrisy.

This subject came up many times both in the teachings and also in casual conversation in the rooms. There's one thing we can all agree on. No Bible reading-Jesus loving-Christian wants to be called a hypocrite. However hypocrisy can easily creep in the church. There are too many examples that we see and it breaks my heart. There are far too many people saying "I am a Christian" and their behavior completely contradicts all that Christ taught. Stop!! We need to ask ourselves am I really a Christian?

Jesus said you will know them by their fruit. (You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Matt 7:16 NLT) 
We all know this scripture you will know them by their fruit or by their love.

So what's going on?

Many people go to church and publicly identify themselves with the Christian faith only in the level of community. They may pray in Jesus name or go to a Christian church once in a while but the reality is --- they are not in love with Jesus.

One of my favorite musicians is Keith Green. He said going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger. He goes on to say a Christian is defined as "someone who is bananas for Jesus." Someone who loves God with all his heart all his soul and all his mind. That's not the end. The Christian loves his neighbor as himself. (Luke 10:27)

Yes it's a tall order ...but it's what Jesus said. Jesus said love God and love people those are the greatest two commandments.

So what's up?

I see people all the time contemplate divorce and then follow through with divorce (some have Biblical grounds others might not...that's another blog for another day) just the other day I was in family law court and I saw a man with a large NOTW "not of this world" tattoo. It was so large and cool. I thought wow this man must be a Christian and look how bold he is with that tattoo. Then the next moment I remembered "hey wait a minute...I'm in court! This man should not be in a conflict with his ex wife in court! These two people standing up there couldn't make it as a married couple....and in fact they probably hate each other."

Maybe they were nice to each other during the break up. Maybe the divorce went smoothly and there was a valid biblical reason for the breakup.. I don't know.

But what I do know is seeing that tattoo made me sad.

So many people are concentrating on the outside and neglecting the inside. Jesus called the Pharisees whitewashed tombs. Why? He called them this because they looked clean, white and shiny and holy on the outside but in the inside there was death. There was decay. (Matt 23:27)

In the book of Ezekiel the prophet says that there are dead bones that God can make alive again. He can take a heart of stone and make it a heart of flesh. What is lacking?? Why is there so much hypocrisy? Why are there so many people that say they are Christian but are not living the Christian life.
(18"When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19"And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.…Ezekiel 11:18-20)

The reading of the Word and obedience to the Spirit are lacking in many believers' lives.

Here's another word I don't like to talk about- Discipline.

Many people want to have a fit body. People want to look good in their clothing. But they don't want to diet and exercise. We all know the way to a healthy lifestyle is to eat right and get exercise. Nobody wants that. Everybody wants a quick fix a diet pill an injection a surgery. People want the easy way out. Results without effort. This idealogy has creeped into the walk with Jesus. We desire instant holiness. Instant answers to prayer. Instant maturity. God does not work this way! He works on His timing not ours!

During the women's retreat I heard a recurring theme. I heard a word I do like to talk about - Devotion. We need to have our devotion time with God. We need to guard it. We need to have morning devotions. We need to have devotions in the car. We need to have devotions with our kids. We need to have devotions with our spouses. We need to pray and we need to seek the Lord...and results will not happen instantaneously....but they will happen. God is not into quick fix (as Inga-Lill Guzik shared) He is into digging deeper.

I've been reading a book that's called " What happens when Women pray." In fact there's a whole chapter or section dealing with the trials and testing's and difficulties that often come when we put these type of disciplines into action. When we start praying for people (intercession) when we start putting God first we will be attacked. We will experience deep deep difficult things. But the trials deepen our faith, not lessen it. That is we can CHOOSE to let trials rob us of joy, or we can CHOOSE to praise God in spite of the trials.

Outward Christians are really modern day hypocrites. As those in the skateboard community would say they are "posers" and they hurt people. I'm not hyper spiritual or claiming perfection. I have been a hypocrite too! A hypocrite simply means one who wears a mask- acting one way but professing belief in something else.

One woman shared with me how she encouraged another woman to get in the Word to help her through life. "Meh" was the response. In other words, I don't need to read the Bible. I just need to look like, talk like, walk like a Christian...but I don't need to really, really be one. I started crying. How can we be Christian if we don't read Christ's love letter? When we read the Gospels over and over again is it boring? Is it a chore? Is it a routine? If it is to you...PRAY and ask God to revive your heart. Debby Bryson says we should eat, sleep, drink, the Gospels and I couldn't agree more.

Many of these people (let's call them outward professing Christians) sadly are not reading their Bibles and they aren't taking time to pray. They have exchanged love for duty. This is not a judgment ...this is just a sad reality. In fact, the Bible even speaks about this....

You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. Yet you have forsaken the love you had at first. Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don't repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. Rev. 2:3-5 (NLT)

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved Matt 24:12-13 (NKJV)

Marie Rosales shared on Love at the 2015 women's retreat. She said very clearly and simply for us to be careful. She said, "ACTIVITY CAN REPLACE DEVOTION."

Wow. This summed up what I had been pondering. These people that are breaking the hearts of God and hurting other Christians and not being a good witness to non-believers. They are choosing to be  Christian "outwardly" in activity, but they are NOT Christian in devotion. Activity has replaced Devotion. We must be careful too lest we should fall. This is a warning to all of us!

Even Andy Mineo says in one of his songs (on the Neverland LP) that he goes all around the world singing about Jesus and talking about Jesus but he must not neglect to talk "TO JESUS." Did you catch that? We can get caught up in "Jesus activity" that we forget about Jesus. Activity can replace devotion and that's when we become- GULP hypocrites or have a hypocritical spirit.

These are heavy duty lessons. But before we walk around looking at people squinting in our mind thinking "Is that person really a Christian? REALLY a Christian in their heart?" that's not our job. Our job is to LOVE. Jesus told Peter You follow me. (John 21:22) Get your eyes of "that person" or "that girl" or "that marriage" that might be struggling and plain and simply follow Jesus. Like Keith Green said, just going to church doesn't make you a Christian....we need to guard our hearts against activity that replaces devotion.

Help us LORD to not be so busy doing your work we forget YOU are the reason for the work, the reason we live and move and have our being. Help me LORD to recognize when I am so caught up in activity that I neglect devotion and intimacy with you.

Breathe! (sigh of relief)
I did it. I blogged about hypocrisy...I didn't want to touch this touchy subject...but only by Christ's strength He led me to write this... But in reality...this blog is really about love. Keeping our love for the LORD first always. (Matt 6:33) That's the best way to guard against having a hypocritical spirit or hypocritical actions.
Love.
Love God, love people and we can only do this with the Word, prayer and the Spirit's help. Period.