Jesus didn’t practice what He preached.
Instead, Jesus preached what He practiced. He encouraged His disciples to do what He did. He wanted them to pray, love the hurting, and obey the Father.
Jesus wanted their lives to be authentic.
As He spoke to His disciples, Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples not to pray, give alms, or attend worship in order to be seen of men. Doing things–even good things–to be seen of men would only bring man’s reward. They would be paid in full by being seen, but they would have no other reward. Whatever they received would only be earthly–not eternal–in nature.
What makes authenticity so important? Two reasons.
First, God desires authenticity in His followers. He desires a heart turned toward Him.
When Samuel followed God’s instructions to go to the house of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king, Samuel would have anointed the firstborn, Eliab. “But the Lord told him, ‘Samuel, don’t think Eliab is the one just because he’s tall and handsome. He isn’t the one I’ve chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts’ “(1 Samuel 16: 7).
Jesus reminded us that our heart contains our character. If the heart is evil, it produces evil actions and thoughts, but if the heart is good, it produces actions and thoughts which are good.
Second, our lost world desires authenticity. How many people have left the church because we did not live authentic lives?
Our children need to see in us an authentic relationship with God. Our right words on Sunday but wrong actions on Monday produce rebellion in children. We can’t get everything right, but we can get our apologies and our repentance right.
David Hume, the Scottish philosopher and skeptic of the 1700’s, listened to the inspired preaching of George Whitefield during the great awakening. When confronted by those who said, “I thought you didn’t believe the Gospel,” Hume said, “I don’t.” Then, he nodded toward Whitefield and said, “But, he does.”
Authentic lives will go a long way toward pleasing God and helping our lost friends know Him.
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5 Responses
To the heart and core of it all pastor. This topic makes it, as they say, “real.” If anyone was listening to this message this weekend it made them stop and reflect on themselves. I know it made me. God’s Great Word, thanks.
Your post today reminded me of advice given me when I was a young Pastor and that I pass on to those I am permitted to work with in our day. It is this: Read Margery Williams’ “The Velveteen Rabbit” for the short conversation between the Rabbit and the Skin Horse regarding “what is real.” After the Skin Horse tells the Rabbit the reason the Boy loves him more than the Rabbit is because he is “real,” the Rabbit asks a very important question: “What is REAL?” Then he wants to know how it happens, “Does it happen all at once, like being wound up, or bit by bit?’ The Skin Horse reply is spot on: “It doesn’t happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” I pray daily that I will live as an authentic, over-the-top, bananas for Jesus, REAL disciple of Christ.
That’s a great story and wonderful truth.
THANK YOU, WAYKON!! 🙂
Ellen, thank you for reading.