The Church and pretense//a continuing series: Back when I went to school, when I was in probably grade 12 perhaps, or maybe it was more recent than that, in any case there was a secular song that was very popular called “The Great Pretender” and it went “Oh! Yes, I’m the Great Pretender, pretending that I’m doing well, I play the game but to my real shame, I’m laughing but no one can tell…”and on it goes. Many of our senior readers may remember it. Sort of a silly way to begin a blog, don’t you think? After all this blog is all about God’s holy word and yet there is a point here, a point of truth that we need to explore. and it echoes a point of truth from one of my previous blog entries in which I quoted from Paul’s letter to Timothy….2Tim. 3:5 “having a form of godliness but denying it’s power. And from such people turn away.”
Are there really those folks in the church body who are just pretenders? All of us know that deep down inside there are times when we pretend…for instance we have a hurt that we are hiding or someone has slighted us and we pretend not to care. There could be any number of things that we are hiding pretending that everything in our life is under control when in reality , the opposite is true.
Jesus and Paul were anything but apretenders. Look at what the great apostle Paul said in Philippians ch. 1:12-18, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.{He was in prison in Rome at this time} so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ.{no pretense here}
Vs14…and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the Word without fear.{no pretense here either}15. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife,{now that is pretense for certain} and some also from goodwill, 16. The former from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17..but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.”
And then he summed up the whole, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes and will rejoice.”
No fear, no pretense
It is said of Jesus that “He being in the form of God, did not consider it to be robbery to be equal with God.” In another way of saying it Jesus was, is and always will be God…not a pretender, therefore we can put our trust in Him completely, and remember He is the Head of the church.
Are there really those folks in the church body who are just pretenders? All of us know that deep down inside there are times when we pretend…for instance we have a hurt that we are hiding or someone has slighted us and we pretend not to care. There could be any number of things that we are hiding pretending that everything in our life is under control when in reality , the opposite is true.
Jesus and Paul were anything but apretenders. Look at what the great apostle Paul said in Philippians ch. 1:12-18, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.{He was in prison in Rome at this time} so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ.{no pretense here}
Vs14…and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the Word without fear.{no pretense here either}15. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife,{now that is pretense for certain} and some also from goodwill, 16. The former from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17..but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.”
And then he summed up the whole, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes and will rejoice.”
No fear, no pretense
It is said of Jesus that “He being in the form of God, did not consider it to be robbery to be equal with God.” In another way of saying it Jesus was, is and always will be God…not a pretender, therefore we can put our trust in Him completely, and remember He is the Head of the church.
posted by Randall | 7:41 a.m.
1 Comments:
Hello Randall
This is another great blog.You aways
give us something to think about.
I know what you are saying about
pretending all is well and hiding
your real feelings,we all do this at sometime or another.
But to think that there are people
in the church that are only pretending to know God how sad.I know it is true, but it is sad that they are so close to the real thing
and are missing out.They are there
to hear the word and they see the
Holy Spirit moving in others but
they just sit there and are not moved.
We would wonder how they could
sit under the preaching of the word
and not hear it.
As you quoted, they have a form of
godliness,but they reject it's
power.This is what the bible tells
us will happen and we see it now,
people in the church but not part of the church.
Let's pray for the Holy Spirit
to move and touch lives,in our church,our family and our city.
C.M.
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