Monday, September 19, 2016
514 - Masked Man
Spirituality Column No. 514
September 20, 2016
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
Masked Man
By Bob Walters
“…
Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14
Paul had
just an awful time with the Corinthian church.
Every manner of false apostle,
Judaizer, heretic, pagan, deceiver, quarreler and fool had a seat in God’s
house in Corinth. Paul’s steadfast
message of Jesus Christ and righteous preaching of the Gospel attacked all
false doctrine, fanned the flame of truth and shared “surpassingly great revelations” (12:7) even as he bore a personal
thorn of unknown torment and courageously endured shipwrecks, beatings and
prison.
Paul plainly had his story straight
and his ministry blessed straight from the top.
His mission was to build people up, not tear them down (13:10), but he
pulled no punches, tolerated no heresy and gave in to no falsehood.
The light Paul preached was the
true light.
I don’t know of a modern day church
that has a “Paul,” exactly; he was really one of a kind; a ministry archetype
of faith, knowledge, anointing and action.
But there are plenty of great preachers today preaching Christ crucified
to faithful congregations that are full of sinners, full of problems, full of
hope, full of truth and full of repentant but stumbling believers who
nonetheless pursue God’s call, love their Lord, their neighbor and help out
where they can. A smile in church is
neither a mask nor hypocrisy.
Believers can be sinners in the same
awkward, tangent comparison that judgment can include mercy. Knowing you have
sinned and going to church doesn’t make you a hypocrite any more than knowing
your car is dirty and taking it to the car wash.
Are “churches full of hypocrites?” Sure, but the question really asks about man, not the
church. Considering fallen humanity’s
proclivities and fears, hypocrisy is not our worst trait. Ignoring God is our worst trait. Church is a step in the right direction and
hypocrisy is OK if it brings one into proximity with Christ.
From there, let the Holy Spirit – Who
is not a hypocrite – do its job.
I wince when I hear preaching about
the “masks” we wear in church to hide our sin, how we’re hypocrites, etc. Baloney.
Satan masquerading as a believer is different from a believer bucking up
with a smile in an effort to escape a bad week.
Church and the love of Christ are supposed to provide welcome respite
from life’s sin, shame and struggles. We
share our burdens. Jesus is our peace
and our rest, after all, and God rested after a week’s work.
So relax – wear a smile and leave
the mask at home. The best relationships are built from honest joy, not from
behind a mask.
Going to church should make you
feel better, not worse.
Walters
(rlwcom@aol.com) realizes church always has room for more
hypocrites; Paul likely would have preferred them to the crowd he had in
Corinth.
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