Living for an Audience of One
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 18 Feb 2007 in From Steve's Study ::
He made free use of Christian vocabulary. He talked about the blessing of the Almighty and the Christian confessions, which would become the pillars of the new government. He assumed the earnestness of a man weighed down by historic responsibility. He handed out pious stories to the press, especially to the church papers. He showed his tattered Bible and declared that he drew the strength for his great work from it as scores of pious people welcomed him as a man sent from God. Indeed, Adolf Hitler was a master of outward religiosity – but with no inward reality!
People today, especially Australians hate hypocrisy. Unfortunately, it’s all around us.
We see it in our politicians, in our sportsmen & women and even in the church. I read a story of a rather pompous-looking deacon who was endeavoring to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. “Why do people call me a Christian?” the man asked. After a moment’s pause, one youngster said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you.”
I find it encouraging to think that God hates hypocrisy too – it really busts his boiler! I know this because that’s what Jesus said. This week’s bible reading (Matt 6:1-18) focusses on three areas of the Christian life (giving, prayer and fasting).
The message for each of them is the same and is summarised beautifully in 6:1, “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” True faith is a relationship of the heart with God, not of the outward “religious” trimmings. If your Christianity is lived with one eye on your earthly audience, then God won’t reward you.
It is very tempting for us as Christians to put on a good “religious” face to the world – especially our Christian brothers and sisters. But the challenge to us from today’s passage is whether our outward show reflects the reality of an inward life lived for God. For he is the only audience member that really counts.
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