Christian Living
October 22, 2011 – Foolish Facades and Corrupt Christians
1 And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Sardis write: These are the words of Him Who has the seven spirits of God [the sevenfold Holy Spirit] and the seven stars: I know your record and what you are doing; you are supposed to be alive, but [in reality] you are dead. 2 Rouse yourselves and keep awake, add strengthen and invigorate what remains and is on the point of dying; for I have not found a thing that you have done [any work of yours] meeting the requirements of My God or perfect in His sight. 3 So call to mind the lessons you have received and heard; continually lay them to heart and obey them, and repent. In case you will not rouse yourselves and keep awake and watch, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know or suspect at what hour I will come. – Revelation 3:1-3 AMP
The church at Sardis had some serious problems in the late first century. They had a wonderful reputation in the community of being alive and advancing the kingdom of God, but God knew all their work was superficial. They were not doing things to advance the kingdom of God: they were working to help their reputation personally, and Jesus knew of their deception. In addition to being superficial, they had not followed the doctrine they had been taught and were as corrupt as some present day politicians. The worst part is that many churches today continue to follow their example.
Before I go any further I will admit that there is widespread corruption as well as superficiality in our world today. God doesn’t want either of those behaviors in the world at all, but these words are addressed specifically to Christians. It is not a warning to the world, but a warning for Christians to avoid such behaviors.
So where do Christians act superficial? I can tell you from personal experiences over the years that they act that way at church. I cannot count the number of believers I have met over the years who have been all smiles every time I have seen them. I thought a rainbow shone through their bedroom window every morning and that their world was full of gum drops and candy canes. Then I would see fruit in their lives that was definitely not something to smile about. So why do such people feel like they need to be fake? I mean after all, church is supposed to be a place where people can be real and worship God and not have to pretend, right? It’s sad to think that our churches have been reduced to being an exclusive club where we have to guard our every step so others will not gossip about us or look down on us, but in many cases that’s what today’s church has become. People do not feel free to share things about themselves at church because they are afraid of appearing vulnerable and weak. I would also like to point out that if Christians put up a façade at church then they more than likely do the same thing everywhere else in their life: at work, at the grocery store, and any other time there may happen to be other people around. It is time for this behavior to stop.
It is time to stop corruption in our churches. Corruption can come in a variety of ways. Sometimes people steal money from the church. At times, people in leadership are conniving and manipulative to others. Gossipers are both corrupt, as well as, evil. Whatever the case, whether it is gossiping, extortion, manipulation, or anything else, Christians who do such things are compromising God’s Word and are straying off the narrow path. Now, I am by no means saying that superficial Christians have not strayed because they obviously have. They are living a lie and can also be counted as a corrupt group.
There is only one way to combat corruption and superficiality in our churches. It is simply to not compromise in your own life. You cannot change the behavior of others, but you can choose not to make concessions in your own life. For years I have heard the saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” That saying needs to be thrown away completely. You may be thinking that since that person beside you at church gossips then it is okay to do it. Maybe the preacher manipulates lay people to get his way so you choose to try the same thing. If either one is the case, if you hear someone else at church curse, will you also pick up that habit too? I hope you don’t pick up any of them! Challenge yourself to live an uncompromised life for God. You may not be able to change your church or even those around you, but when you finally make the choice, to not compromise what the Bible says in your own life, you can rest easy, knowing that you are back on the narrow path.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 469 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by David Wells or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 469 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.