Recently I was talking to a friend and some of my other friends asked him if he went to church. He launched into a verbal assault of the church that was downright nasty. He went on and on about hypocrites and priests molesting boys, and preachers having affairs with secretaries and choir members, those preaching for mega bucks, and so on, and then he said that he was not going to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
My friend’s harshest criticism of the church was hypocrites. I tried to tell him that Christianity does not stand or fall on the way Christians have acted throughout history or are acting today. Christianity stands or falls on the person of Jesus, and Jesus was not a hypocrite. Since Christianity depends on Jesus, it is incorrect to try to invalidate the Christian faith by pointing to horrible things done in the name of Christianity.
We had just been to a secular event, a captain’s meeting for a fishing tournament. I calmly asked if he thought there might be some hypocritical people, or perverts, or adulterers, or those making a fast buck, at that secular gathering that he was standing shoulder to shoulder with. He looked at me funny and then I asked for that matter if there was anywhere in society he could go and not be standing shoulder to shoulder in the company of sinners and hypocrites. A hypocrite is someone who not only does not practice what one preaches, but a person who does the opposite of what one preaches. So, does he feel the same about a parent holding a beer and admonishing their child not to drink.
And then there is the question of him, has he ever done anything like that? Is he perfect?
Zig Ziglar once said that he invited a friend to go to church with him. The man answered, “Well, I’d like to go. But the church is so full of hypocrites.” Zig replied, “That’s okay. There’s always room for one more.”
I told him that yes there were hypocrites and all kinds of sinners at church gatherings, and that is probably a very good thing; sick people need to be in a hospital. Hypocrites and other sinners have little to do with Jesus and His church. Jesus is the head of the church and His followers, those who have asked for forgiveness and believed in Him being the Son of God and repented, comprise the church. Unfortunately, no one in the church is perfect aside from God from a fleshly perspective and until Jesus perfects and glorifies us, we will continue to struggle to lead a good life free from sin.
I was wasting my breath. Whatever happened to him during the few times he attended church deeply scarred him and only the Holy Spirit can break through his resentment and bitterness.
I’ve never wanted to be a role model for anyone. I know I still sin on occasion and when I do I sincerely regret it. However, if I let out an oath when I miss a fish or some similar event and others are watching, it hurts the cause of Jesus because most everyone knows I love Him with all my heart.
For heaven’s sake it isn’t the fault of Jesus that I sin, it is my fault. But few recognize that Christians are just sinners who are forgiven.
I strive to do the right thing not just for my own sake, but for the sake of others. Most of all I don’t want to disappoint Jesus. I know there have been plenty of people in the church tempted beyond the pale and succumbed to the deceit of Satan and deeply regret it and then there are others that are preying on people and trying to make a quick buck. Personally, I don’t think there is anything more detrimental to the church than those who are in leadership who destroy impressionable people attending God’s church.
We must work harder at this and pray about it.
Mark 7:6
He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!