The Watchman's Diary

The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered (Proverbs 11:9).

Hypocrisy is as old as sin but the world is increasingly turning a blind eye to hypocrisy, just as they have turned a blind eye to sin. It is not just the world though; the church, which is called to be in the world but not of the world, has long been accused of being hypocritical. Sadly, this is true and becoming more shamelessly obvious.

Here in America, Christians joyfully join the world when their political affiliation comes into conflict with doing what is just and right. Why are we so easily deceived? Can’t we see when the enemy is actively trying to trap us? He uses the very same thing that lead to his demise to cause division among us – pride. Pride in our country, pride in our work, neighborhood, family, and especially in who we are.

We Christians must always be mindful that it is not who we are that matters but whose we are. I find myself uncomfortably mindful of the political views of my brothers and sisters when engaging them in conversation. The more I observe, the more I see Jesus’ words come alive and quickly race to fulfillment; “Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Luke 12:53).

It is only the word of God and the Peace of Christ that is currently keeping this world from imploding. While the gospel is spreading like wildfire across the East, the West is slowly drying up and churches are nervously watching the resources they’ve invested in facilities vanish. I wish I had the answer but it will take the work of the Holy Spirit to drag us from the brink, not man.

Have we come to another form of segregation in America? There are some in the church who are holding to Christ’s prayer that we be one just as He and the Father are one. But the loudest voices and those with access at the highest levels are actively threading the needle of hypocrisy with small doses of biblical truth.

If we all don’t stop and examine ourselves in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we will go the way of Judas Iscariot; we will betray our Lord!