Monday, December 10, 2007
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A friend of ours is an avid hunter; so much that he's been known to skip church occasionally during duck hunting season. He's well known in the church, so the pastor notices when he's not there. With a twinkle in his eye, our friend explained recently how he's prepared to handle pastoral questions like, "Where were you on Sunday?" He said he's named the duck blinds where he hides to hunt those birds. One is named "The Word." The other is named "Prayer." So when he's asked where he was on Sunday, he can simply answer, "I was in 'The Word,'" or, "I was in 'Prayer.'"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Christian Camouflage."
Obviously, this is a hunter who understands the value of camouflage, as in the value of hiding behind some wonderful spiritual words. While his words are meant to be more whimsical than deceptive, they illustrate a deeper and more dangerous issue that’s rampant among us church folks. We know how to use all the right Christian words and have just the right Christian look. We put it on every time we walk in the church door, but often it's camouflage that's covering up some issues in our life that aren't Christian at all.
Jesus put it this way in Mark 7:6, our word for today from the Word of God: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." You can say all the good, God-honoring things and underneath you can have a heart that is far from Him. A life that has, beneath that spiritual camouflage, some attitudes or actions that have no place in a child of God, someone who’s been rescued at the price of the blood of His Son. We forget that God does not look at the "outward appearance" but "at the heart" ( 1 Samuel 16:7) the Bible says. In other words, the only One who really matters is not fooled by our Christian words, our Christian rationalizations or our Christian activity. Your whole relationship with Him, His blessing on your life, is all about the condition of your heart.
Could it be that you've been hiding some serious unrepented sin under the camouflage of spiritual words? You can be talking about prayer and Bible study in the morning and swimming in the cesspool of Internet pornography at night. Your mouth can be talking about glorifying God, but your heart can be full of pride and selfish ambition. Your Christian words can mask all kinds of hidden bitterness, lust and deception, or a compartmentalized life that's all about Jesus in the God-compartment, but all about you at work, or at home, or at school.
You can even try to put Christian words on things that are anything but Christian. You call it conviction, God calls it stubbornness; you call it compassion, God calls it compromise; you call it love, God calls it immorality or adultery. Isn't it time you looked in the mirror and saw the hypocrite behind the beautiful words? There's freedom, there's forgiveness and there's integrity waiting for you at the cross of Jesus Christ, where you need to bring all the sin that's been hiding behind that spirituality.
One of the greatest dangers of being in a Christian environment is that you can know the words and never know the Lord. Jesus said there will be people like that on Judgment Day to whom He will say, "I never knew you." Could it be you've got Christianity but you don't have Christ? You've mistaken agreement with Jesus for commitment to Jesus, and that mistake will cost you heaven. But today you can experience what it is to know Jesus for real if you'll make this the day you say, "Lord, all this time I've missed You. But I want You in my heart, not just in my head. I am Yours." My booklet Yours For Life describes how to begin this most important relationship. It's helped others make sure they really know Him, and I'd like to send it to you if you want it. Just let me know you want it by going to our website. It’s yoursforlife.net. Or you can call toll free for it at 877-741-1200.
It isn't the rhetoric of Jesus that matters; it's the reality of Jesus. So come to Him today as you really are. There's so much you've been missing. You can have it today.