Pastor Elwin Ahu
May 4, 2003 - W0318

I love to listen to a childís response to a question.  Thatís because children will take a slice in life and form their own generalized conclusions about the rest of life from their young, fresh perspective.  And how many times do we adults do the exact same thing?  We conclude that everything will end up the same way based on experiences or events in our lives.  Similarly, people will automatically assume all Christians are hypocrites based on an unfavorable encounter with a certain Christian 

Yes, the world seems to hold Christians to a higher standard.  And sometimes there is some merit to what theyíre saying.  Yet it is difficult for us to hear and receive comments about Christians being hypocrites.  In fact, George Barner, a researcher did a study on the similarities and differences of Christians and non-Christians.  He found no statistical difference between the two groups for such things as divorce rates, extramarital affairs, or if itís morally acceptable to drive excessively over the speed limit.  So how then should we respond to those negative comments when they arise?

Well the Bible says that Paul and Titus went to the island of Crete to plant new churches.  Eventually when Paul left, he encouraged Titus to continue to develop leaders who would build, encourage, discipline, and teach.  However, Titus ran into some problems on Crete.  The people who converted to Christianity began to walk off Godís path.  So Titus wrote to Paul telling him about this problem.  Paul wrote back saying:  ìFor there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers who must be silenced because theyíre upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of dishonest gainÖEven one of their own prophets has said, ëCretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttonsí.  This testimony is true.  Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in their faith.î  (Titus 1:10-12) 

In other words, Paul is saying that people will say things about us, question our faith, and our attempts to follow Jesus.  Yet if there is some truth in what they are saying, donít get defensive.  Instead, take a look at your heart.  Take a look at truth and allow it to make your life better.    God is not looking for perfect Christians.  Rather he is looking for authentic Christians.  Heís looking for people willing to do a heart check, take a look at problems they may have within themselves, and make the necessary adjustments. 

Q1:      Have you ever had a bad experience and generalized a conclusion from that point on?  Explain.

We all fall short of the Kingdom of God.  But if weíre willing to make the adjustment to bring our hearts in a relationship with God, we donít have to worry about what others say. ìBut the Lord said to Samuel, ëDo not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.íî (1 Sam. 16:7)  God looks at our hearts.  So how do we develop that heart we need to build a relationship with Him?

1.                  SET INNER INTEGRITY AS YOUR GOAL.

Inner integrity is not about recognition or reputation.  Itís about whatís going on within you.  Recognition and reputation is whatís happening when the lights are turned on you.  On the other hand, integrity is whatís happening when the lights are off.  Whatís going on in the inner chambers of your heart.  ìO Lord, who may abide in Thy tent?  Who may dwell on Thy holy hill?  He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.î (Psalm 15:1-2)

Integrity is built under the pressures of those hard choices in life.  Sometimes there are things we should do, but donít want to.  Other times there are things we shouldnít do and yet we yearn to do them.  Often we measure success by recognition, financial status, and fun.  And we take any road to get there.  But the real value of your life will be found within you and how you respond to those incidents will shape your reputation and your integrity. 

Q2:      Has your integrity ever been tested?  What was the outcome?

For example, would you take a muddy, crinkled up fifty-dollar bill if someone offered it to you?  Of course you would because the value is still fifty dollars no matter what it looks like.  Now would you take a printed copy of a fifty-dollar bill?  Of course not because thereís no value to it.  Itís deemed counterfeit when thereís no value in a copy of the original. 

Sometimes I wonder how many of us are counterfeit Christians.  We look, talk, and praise like Christians.  Everything on the outside looks good, but we lack integrity on the inside.

ìWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead menís bones and all uncleanness.î (Matt. 23:27) 

Our hearts must be clean from the inside out if weíre going to live the life that God has paved for us.  We must clean our hearts of the ìdead menís bonesî or everything that dishonors God.  God cannot begin changing our hearts if thereís no room in it.  So begin with a full and willing confession to the Lord of all the things you are holding onto.  ìSearch me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.î  (Ps. 139:23-24) 

Have the courage and boldness to stand before God and ask Him to clean out your heart.  Why?  It is because itís the only way to build inner integrity.  Then you can begin to fill it with convictions by following this second point.

2.                  LIVE BY CONVICTIONS, NOT BELIEFS.

Thereís a big difference between convictions and beliefs.  Beliefs are what you would live for today, but convictions are what youíre willing to leave behind.  Legacies are made out of convictions.  And when we base our convictions on the Word of God, our convictions are eternal.  ìThe sum of Thy word is truth, and every one of Thy righteous ordinances is everlasting. ÖThose who love Thy law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.î (Psalm 119:160, 165)

Beliefs can easily be bought or sold because we get enticed by different interests and subjects.  Thereís a book titled, ìThe Day America Told the Truthî, by James Patterson and Peter Kim.  They polled the American public with this question: What are you willing to do for 10 million dollars?  Twenty-five percent would abandon their family.  Twenty-five percent would abandon their church.  Twenty-three percent would sell their bodies to prostitution.  Seven percent would kill a stranger.  And ten percent would withhold testimony to allow a murderer to go free.  Sometimes thereís a high price to pay for living by beliefs.

So when we are not firm in our convictions, people may view us as hypocrites.  In fact, the word ìhypocriteî comes from the Greek word that means ìstage actorsî.  The same actor would play different roles by just changing the masks worn on stage.  We have a tendency too to wear different masks.  We can wear one mask on Sunday at church and wear a different mask throughout the week at home and at work.  Weíll take a position on one day and then take a different position the next day.  So if we just ìgo with the flowî, pretty soon we forget who we really are.

Q3:      Do you wear different masks in life?  Think about it and explain.

George Barner once said, ìWe live in a soundbyte society.  Americans are more likely to buy simple sayings than a system of truth that takes time and concentration to grasp.  People are more prone to embrace diversity, tolerance, and feeling good than judgment, discernment, and righteousness.  People are more focused on temporal security than eternal security and itsí temporal implicationsî.

ìAs a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of menÖbut speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ.î (Eph. 4:14-15)

I encourage parents to set your conviction early on in life.  Donít wait till you kids are twenty, thirty, forty or fifty years old and try to anchor them down.  Children will not necessarily follow your belief system, but they will capture your convictions.  Remember that more will be caught than taught.  Children will learn more by watching your lifestyle than listening to what you try to teach them.  Doing devotions with your child is a great way to demonstrate your convictions.  Even if you are not a parent or married, you still have convictions that you need to set for family and friends.  So keep up with your daily devotions.

One simple way to set your convictions is to ask yourself:  What do you want to be known for at the end of your life?  The next thing to do is write them down on paper.  Then when you feel yourself drifting off Godís path, reread what you wrote.  It will put you back on track.  Shoot for those convictions with all your heart. 

Q4:      Write down one conviction that you can commit to starting today.

So remember to work at building your inner integrity.  Next, clean out your heart and write down your convictions so you can get yourself back on track when you start to drift.  And finally the third point is toÖ

3.                  RENEW YOURSELF IN HIS GRACE DAILY.

Renewing yourself in His grace is about reminding yourself that youíre here because of His grace.  Godís grace thatís offered to us freely allows us to live another day.  And God will continue to offer His grace to us if weíre willing to receive it and renew ourselves in it every single day.  Hypocrisy is born when we forget about the value of Godís grace. 

ìHe brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.î (Psalm 40:2)  T

There was a man who fell into a pit and couldnít get out.  A Pharisee came by and said, ìOnly bad people would fall into the pit.î  Then a mathematician started to calculate how the man fell into the pit.  The newsreporter wanted to exclusive story of how the man fell into the pit.  Next, Buddha came along and stated the manís pit is only a state of mind.  The evolutionist came along and said, ìYour are a rejected mutant destined to be removed from the evolutionary cycleî.  The evasive person came along and simply avoided the subject altogether.  The health and wealth preacher said, ìJust confess that youíre in the pitî.  Finally, Jesus came along and reached down into the pit and simply pulled the man out.

Q5:      Was there a time when Jesus pulled you out of a pit?  Share it with your group.

I wonder how many times weíve fallen down into the pit of life and refused the hand of Jesus because we felt that we were not worthy.  The Lord doesnít care how many times we fall.  Heíll continue to reach down to us if we continue to reach up to Him.  Renew yourself in His grace everyday, set your convictions with His anchor and live by them, and remind yourself of the value of His grace.  ìFor by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.  How great is the grace of God.î (Eph. 1:7 TEV)

The following is to help you reflect on your life and to help you stay on the path God has paved for you:

1.                  Ask the Lord to search your heart for anything hidden.

2.                  List 3 convictions you are willing to live and to die for.

3.                  Commit to memory the following:

ìBut I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.î (Gal. 5:16)

ìÖfor you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.î (Eph. 5:8)

Final Q:  What most impacted you about todayís lesson and how will you be different because of it?

 Mahalo to volunteer writer Christy Itamoto for her unwavering faithfulness! 

By the way, if you enjoy these summaries and would like to be a part of this volunteer-driven, spirit-filled ministry, please contact Dawn at dawn@enewhope.org for more information.