What is the biggest obstacle to leading people to Christ, especially those who are past their teenage years? I would guess that it would have to be hypocrites. When witnessing, I find that most of the truly hard-cases that I encounter, (after really probing into their resistance), have encountered sometime-somewhere-someone in their past who has acted like a hypocrite to them and has soured them on “religion”.
I know that the exposure to religion that I received in my youth was ruined by the behavior of certain preachers and other church leaders whose personal behavior was far removed from their Sunday sermons. It turned me against religion with a vengeance.
What is hypocrisy?
Do as I say – not as I do.
Wait a minute; I’ve done that on occasion myself.
Yikes! I’m a hypocrite too.
Most of us have on occasion exhibited some form of hypocrisy. We should be aware of how that affects our non-Christian friends. For example I believe it is a sin and flat wrong to curse and use profanity; yet get me mad enough and sometimes I will spew profanity like a sailor. What do my non-Christian friends who look to me as an example of a Christian think about this trash?
Not much, I can assure you.
It is unfortunate that Jesus Christ and His sinless existence receive the “bad press” for the actions of weak humans, but such is the case. One of the churches that I used to attend had a huge controversy when it was discovered that the associate pastor was having an affair with a married woman in the choir. He was removed from office and sent packing as was the gal he seduced.
Now what effect would you think that this so called “religious leader” had on others, especially the innocent families of these two people? Did the choir leader and the adulteress get the blame or did religion and God? Too often it is religion or God that are condemned, and not the culprits who do the deed.
Jimmy Swaggart was a tele-evangelist with millions of viewers. I sometimes listened to his program and I truly enjoyed his beautiful voice and tremendous music program. I did not care for his preaching as he had a fake crying-sobbing-blubbering style of message, but I am convinced that prior to his fall he did lead many people to the Lord and did a lot of good around the world .
He was caught trying to pick up a prostitute in London. His personal world did indeed take a dive and go tumbling down to a complete disaster level, but it was religion and religious leaders everywhere that suffered the most because of his actions. The real harm was to the church. The same is true with the Catholic church and the myriad of priest pedophiles.
In the eyes of many God is too blame and not those who claim to represent Him.
Yes hypocrites can do much harm and unfortunately all of us can on occasion tend to demonstrate hypocritical behavior. We are after all weak, and too often fail our Lord. Temptation is…. well… tempting, but we must fight it off.
It makes me very sad to think that I might be responsible for having turned someone against Christianity and Jesus Christ because I could not exhibit the behavior that I know that I need to exhibit.
How about you? Is any hypocritical behavior ever on your plate? (Dirty jokes, drinking too much, profanity, gossip, jealousy, coveting)
I used to say to my wife about our children that, “little pictures have big ears”, meaning be careful what you say the kids are watching and listening to everything we say and do. The same advice could and should apply to Christians. Our non-Christian friends are watching and listening. As best we know how we should allow them to see the wonderful light from Jesus Christ that we enjoy and the good works that we are capable of and not the mistakes. The last thing in the world for which I would want to be responsible is being an obstacle to someone’s salvation and that is exactly what a hypocrite does.
Matt. 5:16
Let your light so shine before
men that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father in
heaven.