Are you part of that group that thinks other people ought to follow all the rules even if you don’t? You know what I’m talkin’ about, “Do not do as I do but do as I say.” How many of us as parents, teachers, coaches, leaders, or – yes, even pastors have ever said something like this?
There are a great number of folks who claim that they won’t attend church because of who else attends and the way they act. “I am not going to have anything to do with that church because it is full of hypocrites.”
“The Bible teaches one thing and some of those church members do just the opposite.” Yes, that is called sin. The Church is full of sinners, and just as Paul says, “I am the greatest.”
I would go so far as to say all church members sin. Is it hypocrisy to teach God’s word and yet fall short of it? Let’s look and see.
The word hypocrisy originates in the Greek. It’s Greek to me! Seriously, it was a theatrical term describing an actor that played two or more roles often wearing a mask as a disguise. That’s where we get two-faced from. Hypocrisy is all about living a lie. It involves deception, dishonesty, and trickery. Why does this person do this? Often, he does it to seek praise and approval from others. But we need to know; God is not pleased! Jesus commands us in Matthew 6 not to be hypocritical in our giving, our prayers, or in our fasting.
And, yes, there are hypocrites in the Church and it hurts when we find out they are not who they represented themselves to be. A hypocrite can destroy not only his own reputation, but also the reputation of the local church as well.
Jesus pointed out that the scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites for they did not do at all as they taught. Matthew 23:2-3, 'The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. NASU But is a preacher or teacher to be considered a hypocrite because he teaches God’s word, yet has sin in his life? Paul said in 1 Tim 1:15, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Paul wasn’t excused as a result of this and nor should we!
So are preachers hypocrites? It is true that James 3:1 warns that preachers and teachers “will incur a stricter judgment.” As a minister, God requires me to preach Truth from the Word of God. If I only preached on the subjects I have mastered there would be very little left for me or any minister to preach about. When I stand on my “preacher’s box,” I stand as part of the group. When I speak, I am speaking God’s word and expanding on it by what He leads me to say. I am first preaching to myself. God convicts me, and then He shows me through His word and then He guides me to prepare a message that I need to hear. And, no doubt, the local body needs to hear it as well! So, in proclaiming God’s Word, as long as we don’t falsely claim that we have mastered it, we are not being hypocrites. Those who make false claims will be judged.
You could look at it like this: It’s a good thing all them hypocrites are in their fancy church buildings on Sunday mornings with the doors closed so that all the folks in the world who are without sin won’t have to put up with us for a couple of hours.
The trouble is that the world is confused! Folks, the church is plum full of sinners. Jesus is the only one without sin. He is why we gather for church!
Choose Jesus, choose life! And find a Bible believin’ church where you “fit in” and know, grow, and follow Christ! Tell others! See y’all at church and keep PRAYIN’ for HIS HARVEST! And y’all please KEEP PRAYIN’ for RAIN! It keeps the drought away! Amen.