A confession: I am the new hypocrite. The new hypocrite can be found all over ‘Christian’ culture. The new hypocrite is in love with knowledge and study of God. The new hypocrite is in love with the huddle, the church gathering, the small group. The new hypocrite loves to show up every morning and meet with the Lord in private, so that he or she can learn to live out the word. Live it around who? Other Christians? What about non-believers? Here lies the disconnect in my life, the life of the new hypocrite....
In order to understand the new hypocrite, we first have to understand the old hypocrite. The old hypocrite is a social stereotype that has most likely, at onetime or another, and whether it was deserved or not, been pinned on every church-goer. The old hypocrite speaks the language and lives a life shaped by the Father’s love around other Christians, but not so much around non-believers. This is the teenager who hangs out at youth group, but then gets crazy drunk the rest of the weekend, or the husband who leads a couples group, but is carrying on an affair in his private life. I speak of this group because I used to be one of them. And the old hypocrite is still a presence in the church. But I would like to draw attention to a new, possibly more dangerous type of hypocrite. The new hypocrite. And now that we understand the old, let us begin to unpack the new.
The old and new hypocrite both lead two faced lives. They are one person on Sundays, they are another person the rest of the week. The difference lies in the heart, in the true self. The old hypocrite is in genuine in the church setting, putting on a mask of righteousness, only to rip it off to live his true life of immorality and debauchery. The new hypocrite does just the opposite. The righteousness and loving kindness he shows while in “Christian” settings is not a mask at all, but the individuals true identity, formed through a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ. The mask is worn elsewhere, in ‘secular’ culture, and it is often not a mask of debauchery, but a mask of indifference. This mask shows no passion in the eternal battle for the hearts of God’s people. The new hypocrite speaks and prays in private that he may live out his faith, but in the public eye, for fear of being judgmental, or awkward, or uncomfortable, he shrinks away and remains silent in the face of spiritual injustice. In this, he is denying his true self, his true calling. The new hypocrite lives as their true selves when it is confortable, but lacks the urgency and courage to continue spreading Christ’s love in ‘secular’ life.
What’s the danger here? To put it simply, the new hypocrite removes himself from the battle for the souls of non-believers. If new hypocrite mentality begins to spread, soon we as the church will become a non-factor in this battle, we will disappear entirely, swallowed up by our own indifference and lack of urgency.
So my friends, pray, always pray, but we must begin to seriously watch our actions. We must begin to actively take part in the bringing of lost souls to salvation in Jesus Christ. The new hypocrite is a silent killer, but we only need open our mouths and begin speak for Jesus to defeat him, and to make a Kingdom impact in our church lives, as well as the ‘secular’ world at large.
-jon
The old and new hypocrite both lead two faced lives. They are one person on Sundays, they are another person the rest of the week. The difference lies in the heart, in the true self. The old hypocrite is in genuine in the church setting, putting on a mask of righteousness, only to rip it off to live his true life of immorality and debauchery. The new hypocrite does just the opposite. The righteousness and loving kindness he shows while in “Christian” settings is not a mask at all, but the individuals true identity, formed through a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ. The mask is worn elsewhere, in ‘secular’ culture, and it is often not a mask of debauchery, but a mask of indifference. This mask shows no passion in the eternal battle for the hearts of God’s people. The new hypocrite speaks and prays in private that he may live out his faith, but in the public eye, for fear of being judgmental, or awkward, or uncomfortable, he shrinks away and remains silent in the face of spiritual injustice. In this, he is denying his true self, his true calling. The new hypocrite lives as their true selves when it is confortable, but lacks the urgency and courage to continue spreading Christ’s love in ‘secular’ life.
What’s the danger here? To put it simply, the new hypocrite removes himself from the battle for the souls of non-believers. If new hypocrite mentality begins to spread, soon we as the church will become a non-factor in this battle, we will disappear entirely, swallowed up by our own indifference and lack of urgency.
So my friends, pray, always pray, but we must begin to seriously watch our actions. We must begin to actively take part in the bringing of lost souls to salvation in Jesus Christ. The new hypocrite is a silent killer, but we only need open our mouths and begin speak for Jesus to defeat him, and to make a Kingdom impact in our church lives, as well as the ‘secular’ world at large.
-jon
