Daily Devotions: Full of Hypocrites

Mark 2:17       On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Church people are not perfect and I have often heard the remark: “I don’t go to church because it’s full of hypocrites.” I agree wholeheartedly because all of the churches that I have ever joined or served have been full of sinful people like me. The church was created and established by Christ for sinners, not saints. There is no such thing as a perfect church or a perfect Christian, so part of the burden that we have to bear is that world will always point out our mistakes and gleefully call us hypocrites.

Even Jesus said it Himself, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” There’s none of us too good that we don’t need Jesus; there’s also none of us so bad that He won’t welcome us into His fold. He is the Perfect One who calls imperfect people to His Kingdom. Christ is the Sinless One who invites sinners to God’s grace. Jesus is the One True Savior of all the world and history who seeks hypocrites to become disciples. That’s what makes grace so amazing; that’s what makes His love so wonderful.

On Sunday mornings, when people gather together to worship God, they look for forgiveness and healing, guidance and direction. They honestly know that they do not deserve God’s grace, but they also realize that Christ has the authority to absolve them from their sins. They come through the doors as proud and hypocritical sinners; they leave the church as humble and sanctified people.

So perhaps next time you or I hear someone say: “I don’t go to church, it’s full of hypocrites,” we should answer: “I know. I’m one of them. I need God’s grace and forgiveness each week. Don’t you?”

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for allowing hypocrites into Your Church. Thank You for calling sinners like us to God’s Kingdom. Forgive us when we fail and restore us to God’s favor. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Daily Devotions: Room for Hypocrites

Psalm 26:4 I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites;

Over the years, I’ve heard some people say, “I don’t go to church. It’s full of hypocrites.” My usual answer to that is: “Don’t worry. There’s always room for one more.”

There’s also no such thing as a perfect church on Earth because congregations are made up of imperfect people. We go to church because we know that. We seek the Perfect One in our lives. We know that only Christ is sinless and unhypocritical. We understand that we fail each day to live up to the demands our faith. We don’t go to church because we are spiritually holy; we go to church because we find the Holy Spirit there.

I’m amazed sometimes at people who publicly talk about God in their lives, but who never seem to get around to going to church on Sunday. I don’t get it, nor do I understand it. If God is so important to them, then why isn’t church on their timetable? Do they honestly believe that church is an option to their faith?

If they take time to read their Bibles, they would discover that church-going and being a Christian go hand in hand. From the earliest times of our faith, Christians would gather together on the first day of the week (Sunday) to worship, sing hymns, hear the Gospel, and share communion. They did it in defiance of the authorities, and in the knowledge that they could be arrested, persecuted, and even executed for such a simple gathering of faithful people. In the 17^th century, the Scottish Covenanters experienced the same thing, and in today’s China, Sunday Church groups meet together knowing that the police could break up their services at any time.

The church is full of hypocrites, but at least it’s full of people who prioritize their collective worship of God, especially on a Sunday morning. As for those other hypocrites who always talk about God but never get around to actually worshiping Christ on Sundays, we’ll leave the door open. After all, there’s room at worship for them, too.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, each week on the Sabbath Day, You were to be found in a local synagogue. Even though You are the closest being to God, You never treated worship lightly. Even Your first followers, who began worshiping on Sundays to recognize Your Resurrection, never stopped going to church, even though they were hunted down and persecuted, tortured and executed for defying the authorities. Help us hypocrites to find room at church on Sunday mornings. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Daily Devotions: Calloused Hearts

Christian hypocrisy is alive and well in the Bible Belt.

Matthew 13:15 ‘For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'

Not exactly ‘Gentle Jesus, meek and mild’ stuff, is it? I wager that if Jesus was to step into a mainstream church pulpit today and preach what was on His heart, the congregation would be squirming in the pews and vow never to return again. To call religious and spiritual people callous is a bit disconcerting and yet that is precisely the kind of Christians we are raising in the Western Church today.

Okay, so you were looking for a word of encouragement or an affirmation of God’s blessing in this devotional, but the pastor is now meddling with the spiritual comfort zone most people have created for themselves. I’ve heard people talk the talk for years and they live deluded Christian lives. I’ve seen countless people busy themselves with other things, but as far as Sunday worship, Bible study, or prayer are concerned, you would think you were asking them to move a mountain!

Oh they are full of good intentions, but we all know that the pathway to Hell is paved with good intentions. I just wish that Jesus was around in the flesh and that those who constantly make excuses could meet Him face to face. Then I wouldn’t get shot down as being the messenger of His words. Jesus could take the flak for Himself.

So the challenge for us all is this: what are we going to do about our calloused hearts and self-centered excuses in the Western Church? When are we going to start living as Christians instead of wannabe followers of the Faith?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are not always meek and mild; in fact in the Gospels You are very confrontational and fiercely straight-forward. Somehow we have mixed up our ideal image of You and have begun idolizing ourselves in the process. Revive our faith! Reclaim our souls! Restore us to God! Get rid of our good intentions and replace them with real commitment. In Your Holy Name, we fervently pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s devotional, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.