Authenticity - An Answer to a Disillusioned Culture!
"22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
Why is the world so disillusioned with Christianity? I don't pretend to have all the answers to that question, but I will venture to say that much has to do with how Christians act. Christians are said to be "new creations"... "renewed in the attitude of their mind", so there is an expectation of different behavior. I am certainly not advocating that Christians are perfect, but they should be in a process of being perfected, and that should produce different behavior. The testimony of a Christian goes a long way in the eyes of others outside the faith. While it is true that many will watch and jump on even the smallest mistakes that we make, it is equally true that there is little difference between how many Christians behave and those outside the faith. The world becomes disillusioned with Christianity because their message does not seem to match the reality of their life!
As I have been going through Ephesians in my quiet times, I have made the claim that believers are to live from the inside out! It starts on the inside... but it does make its way to the outside. Paul says "Therefore (in light of what I just said), each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor." Why is this such a big deal to God? Because God is truth! It is the very fabric of His character and we are to become like Him. Because it is a part of the character of God, we know that God desires us to value truth. This is an issue that many of us agree with but what does it mean practically in our lives?
The obvious is that we should not lie when asked a direct question, but are there other ways that we present ourselves as less than truthful. Here is a list of other ways that may spur on your thinking...
1. Cheating on your taxes...
2. Cheating on a test...
3. Downloading music off the internet for free...
4. Not telling the whole truth with the intent to deceive...
5. Time card at work...
6. Acting one way with one group of people, and acting another with others...
There are several other ways that you could probably come up with, but the point is that we should strive toward being a truthful person! Authenticity starts with truth! If you don't value being a truthful person, it's hard to say that you're authentic. Let's quit the deception and the self-preservation and love truth because God is truth. Again, becoming a truth person comes from an inward desire to be like Christ, not because we think God will be mad at us if we don't.
How can you be a truthful person today?
Eph. 4:22-32
Why is the world so disillusioned with Christianity? I don't pretend to have all the answers to that question, but I will venture to say that much has to do with how Christians act. Christians are said to be "new creations"... "renewed in the attitude of their mind", so there is an expectation of different behavior. I am certainly not advocating that Christians are perfect, but they should be in a process of being perfected, and that should produce different behavior. The testimony of a Christian goes a long way in the eyes of others outside the faith. While it is true that many will watch and jump on even the smallest mistakes that we make, it is equally true that there is little difference between how many Christians behave and those outside the faith. The world becomes disillusioned with Christianity because their message does not seem to match the reality of their life!
As I have been going through Ephesians in my quiet times, I have made the claim that believers are to live from the inside out! It starts on the inside... but it does make its way to the outside. Paul says "Therefore (in light of what I just said), each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor." Why is this such a big deal to God? Because God is truth! It is the very fabric of His character and we are to become like Him. Because it is a part of the character of God, we know that God desires us to value truth. This is an issue that many of us agree with but what does it mean practically in our lives?
The obvious is that we should not lie when asked a direct question, but are there other ways that we present ourselves as less than truthful. Here is a list of other ways that may spur on your thinking...
1. Cheating on your taxes...
2. Cheating on a test...
3. Downloading music off the internet for free...
4. Not telling the whole truth with the intent to deceive...
5. Time card at work...
6. Acting one way with one group of people, and acting another with others...
There are several other ways that you could probably come up with, but the point is that we should strive toward being a truthful person! Authenticity starts with truth! If you don't value being a truthful person, it's hard to say that you're authentic. Let's quit the deception and the self-preservation and love truth because God is truth. Again, becoming a truth person comes from an inward desire to be like Christ, not because we think God will be mad at us if we don't.
How can you be a truthful person today?
Comments