Dealing with the Ugly H word: Hypocrite

You've heard it. I've heard it. We call other people it. God forbid if anyone calls us one. And it's an ugly word, isn't it?

Hypocrite.

Hypocrisy: Saying an act is morally wrong, yet doing that very act or something much worse, all the while failing to acknowledge this as an inconsistency.

85% of young Americans outside of the church would define the American Church as hypocritical.

My question? What are we going to do about it?

We could start by pointing the finger at Christians we would consider hypocritical. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones on the news. The ones with signs. The ones sitting in pews. We could to turn to Matthew 23, the rebuke of the Pharisees, to strongly make our point.

"For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. They love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law; justice and mercy and faithfulness. You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean." (Matthew 23)

It would make us feel justified to stand behind Jesus and point the finger at all of the people we think are hypocrites.

But this would be wrong.

I believe that the first temptation after reading Scripture is to think who needs to hear this passage. Using Scripture as our argument, to be our justification. All the while forgetting that we read Scripture first to change our own hearts.

That being said, as we read Matthew 23, we first ask ourselves, "How am I inconsistent in what I say, do, and believe?"

Do I practice what I preach?

Am I willing to lift a finger to help the burden of others, or do I make them feel worse about themselves?

Do I do what I do just to be seen?

Has my life ever shut the kingdom of heaven in someone's face?

Have I neglected justice, mercy and faithfulness for my own personal interests?

Do I clean my appearance only to hide my greed and self-indulgence?

When Jesus examines my heart, does he call me a hypocrite?

And then our inconsistencies begin to become evident.

But let me share something with you that will free you:

The opposite of hypocrisy is NOT perfection, it's transparency.

First, transparency with God. We approach God not as perfect creatures, but creations in progress. Our transparency and honesty with him spurs healing.

Then transparency with others.

No one is expecting you to be perfect. No one is expecting you to follow every Biblical passage flawlessly. What they are starving for is people admitting their mistakes. To show that they are not perfect like Jesus, but strive to be.

If 85% of young Americans outside of the church would define the American Church as hypocritical, then real change starts, not with pointing our fingers at others, but with YOU being transparent. With ME being transparent.

So for starters, to everyone who is reading, I know that I put up a front like I have it all together. But I don't. I struggle with this very idea of pointing my finger at people of my faith who are messing up. I read Scripture so I can have good arguments, not a good relationship with God. And sometimes I write a little blog to show people that I have better ideas that others, as if I knew how to fix the big problems in America and the world. I tend to be hypocritical, not transparent. But God is still working in me. And he is making progress.

There. I feel better with you knowing that.

And again, with most issues I bring up, I believe we need to be intentional about this. We need to initiate these conversations with people who have hypocrisy as a barrier between them and Christ. We need to confess our sins. And we need for God to bring us to transparency.

Be the exception to the rule. Be transparent, rather than hypocritical.

Gandhi said to us,

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

So I say to you,

"Be the change you want to see in Christianity."

(for the record, I have nothing against pews)

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Who do you need to confess to?

What are other ways that we can influence those who have hypocrisy as a barrier between them and Christ?