Good Afternoon everyone, Christians, and nonchristians alike
This website and this message will be to many offensive, but the way I see it, so were the words of Christ himself to the Pharisees and do gooders of his age. So were the words like stinging rain upon the heads of the gnostics and legalists of Paul's time, and how so were the words of the Apostle Peter to the Romans who persecuted the Christians of Asia Minor. What I will be speaking on in this blog is based not on my own personal opinion for to do so would corrupt the very Gospel itself. As Paul said in Galations Chapter 1:8
"If we or the angels of Heaven, preach to you any other Gospel than the one we have preached to you, let us be accursed."
This scripture alone is so simple a child can understand it, and yet it has become the very heart of sinful hypocracy both in the home and in the world. Tonight I focus solely on the home so let us begin.
A family unit is the beginning for many young people to begin their walk with Christ. From birth these little ones learn from their surroundings and have within them the minds to chose. What we call human will. They recognize, they see, or hear, or feel things that become understandable to them. Here is the point that Hypocracy of Christianity begins to surface. As the child grows and begins to relate outward signs with inward emotions, such as food, to crying, pain to screaming, mother walking out the door to work, to sadness and confusion. Here the child begins to see a Christian as either someone who is filled with the Love of Christ, or the conflicting Hypocracy of enemy. Dad, goes to Church every Sunday brings the kids, sats there reading his Bible, quotes scripture, says "Amen!" or Praise God!" Then comes back home and sats down in front of the television and watches pornographic movies, or listens to violent angry music, maybe he drinks beer, or curses openly. The same for the mother. She Plays the piano at Church, sings in the choir, or teaches their Sunday school lessons. Upon return to their home, she abuses the child, uses angry words or curses the dad over some simple mishap or forgotten chore. Perhaps she is a single mother and after church, smokes marijuna, drinks alcohol, maybe indulges in intermarital relationships in front of the child. Folks the 21st century is an era where anything goes, and all things are lawful for me. We worship Christ on Sunday, and worship self on the other 6 days of the week. We are taught in 1 Corintheons 3:16 that
"Or did you not know that your body is the Temple of God?" and in the next few versus we learn that those who defile the temple God will destroy. Ever wonder why there are so much disease and corruption in the world? It begins here in the inner family. If values and morals are not instilled here, then the child like their parents becomes Christian Hypocrits, living a lie and expecting other people to follow Christ? What a rediculous myth. How can others expect to learn when your family which worships a God you truly do not know, is their only teacher.
I knew a man once who became a deacon of a local church, we will leave his name out of this for he has since learned his lesson. He was the most devout man I ever saw came ot church early every Sunday, was on the middle row of the church on Sunday night, even was there on Wed. He would give generously to the community, visit the retirement homes during Holidays and take baskets to the eldery in the community. I thought it was as close to what God wanted in his Kingdom as anyone I had every witnessed. It was not until many years after this that his son, advised me of a much different man. He would come home, and beat his wife, he would mistreat his son and speak evil of many in the community. His son said many times he would catch his dad watching nudity on the television or lying to people on the phone whom he knew to be friends and family. Growing up the son dispised Christianty, matter a fact he was an atheist. How he said, could a God allow a servent to sin against his own family and still remain alive? The boy missed every opportunity to serve the Lord, even to the point of comitting many crimes and spending a large amount of time in juvenile hall until he was finally arrested for rape and sentenced to many years in jail. Why? The man knew the scriptures, he studied the Bible cover to cover. He knew the Lord existed. And yet it was mere folly. He knew who the Lord was, but like so many Christians today, he didn't know the Lord personally. To know the Lord persoanlly the scriptures say is to be dead to sin. Crucified from the bondage of sin and alive to Christ. That means your body is no longer subject to the sin which before your reformation, consumed and controlled you. This story, like so many tragic stories, begin in the inner sanctum of the family, where Christ should be the center, and yet mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, all turn out to be no more than Spiritual Hypocrits. The Apostle Paul says in Galations 2:20
"The like I live in the flesh, I live through faith in the Son of God, who both loves me and gave himself for me."
We as the family heads should follow this same example to avoid being seen in the eyes of our other family members as mere Hypocrits. The Pharisees were the prime example of how many families act in this generation. On the outside like spotless vessels, clean, and without spot. Always attending the church services, or quoting scripture at work. But witin the vesell is a dirty stain, void of shame or guilt. We live for Christ when it is convenient for us, give a little hear a little I like to call it. We want to have Christ in our lives, but only if it doesn't involve out finances, or we want to serve Christ as long as it doesn't require giving up our lying, or gambling. He is great to have on Sunday, praise his name, but let's keep him at home while we go to work and tell dirty jokes to our coworkers. You see this reflects back on our family. I am a prime example before I realized I was a fan and not a true follower of Christ. Big difference between the two. I would go to church, then come home and tell lies in front of my wife. You see, because of that she didnt believe in the true Christ. So tonight we need to reeaxmine our family lives, and ourselves, as Paul advised us to do in Romans chapter 12. Then live true Christian lives as a follower and not a fan. Tune in next week for the next lesson.
