For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.(Matthew 23:25 – ESV)
Recently the leaders of a large, well known church had been questioned about some of their business activities and spending of donations, and other seeming inconsistencies to the Christian life. One such item was the fact that these leaders had undergone numerous sessions of cosmetic surgery. This is not meant to demean plastic surgery in general, and especially reconstructive surgery, which may be necessary after a tragic accident and disfigurement. It isn’t wrong to be dignified and try and look your best.
That isn’t the point, but the answer given pointed to something far more serious. The reason this struck such a discordant note was that the one man who was asked about it said that they did it because they were TV personalities and that they had to “look the part”. Believe me, friend, they do, they look exactly like the part that Jesus warned us about. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15 – ESV).
These TV Pharisees are selling the gospel of themselves. Jesus said He was the way the truth and the life, but these pied pipers to perdition twist that to mean the way out of poverty, the truth of prosperity and the life of wealth and ease. Jesus, if He is mentioned at all, is simply the way to a perfect job, perfect kids, perfect spouse, perfect house, perfect car, etc.
Well many know Christianity isn’t about all that but these “evangelists who don’t know the Evangel” go personal with it; to be a Christian star they must have perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect skin, or whatever. Is this what Jesus wants us to aspire to? Now it is okay to be on TV, don’t misunderstand me, but shouldn’t they be showing their audience the beauty of Jesus, instead of themselves?
Our verse today also applies to how we see ourselves as Christians relating to the outside world. The book of Colossians talks of walking in wisdom to those outside the faith (Colossians 4:5-6). This doesn’t mean, “If you become a Christian you will look like me”; that is setting up YOU as the model! Now your life should be a model, which points to Jesus, but Jesus didn’t have perfect hair or teeth or that kind of thing (Isaiah 53:2). Jesus wasn’t in it for the wealth He had left the source of heaven and put on humanity (Philippians 2:5-11). Christianity is not a ticket to the upper class it is a narrow highway into the upward call and that isn’t upward mobility, friends.
So they wanted to look the part of a successful Christian leader, well, I thought the Apostle Paul already described that for us in the New Testament. I wonder if he would have wanted to get a little nip and tuck after the beatings he received? Perhaps this is what he meant when he said he bore in his body the marks of Jesus (Galatians 6:17).
Christian, you don’t need cosmetic surgery; we need (and they need) radical heart surgery instead. Then we will be able, as Paul exhorts us, to shine as lights for Christ (Philippians 2:15). Jesus said we aren’t supposed to hide our light under a bushel (Matthew 5:15). Well, we shouldn’t hide it under a bushel and shouldn’t hide it under a cloud of makeup either. What role are you playing? Do you look the part?
12 comments:
Words of another wolf:
"Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wanted to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion."- L. Ron Hubbard
Wow...that quote says a lot...
Yeah, & the real irony is Scientology is headquartered in the same city as the shysters you refer to in your post. I believe these were the same two that had the owner of a strip club speak from their pulpit on a recent Sunday.
There's a lot of wolves amongst the sheep today.
Well, let me get this out right now: I know that people, perhaps many people, may be touched by a particular ministry and might be genuinely helped, but that doesn't change the point...they might have been helped in spite of not because of the person, God in His grace allowing the wolf to be used to help the hurting anyway, as others know and the Heidleberg catechism infers...scripture gives us the example of Judas, of course...none of that excuses their wolfen identity, it only disguises it for a while, but the truth will eventually come out, and I believe in this case, considerng the cumulative evidence, it has done so definitively...not to say that everything they have done is bad or that they cannot repent, they can, and I hope they do, but this is jagged teeth and baying at the moon material, for sure...just because you have been ministered to by a wolf doesn't make him any less ravenous inside...
I really don't want to make it only about certain individuals, but for this to be an object lesson in such things to look for...
Well stated.
Look for my call tomorrow, JD.
Lord bless you
Great point about Judas. The following passage is amazing considering Judas was one of the twelve.
“And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits… So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons…” Mark 6:7, 12-13a
Imagine, Judas casting out demons. Judas preaching repentance…
Kinda makes me think of 1 Cor. 4:7-
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
If you have nothing of substance to say, you'd better look good. Or you'd better babble a lot, so that the multitude of words covers the emptiness of your message.
I think this is this modern approach to milking people off of their money. In any case, there are many who will buy into it and go along for the fun of being assimilated.
It was supposed to be a narrow way, right?
On "second" thought that was 2 Corinthians 4:7.
Made myself spell out Corinthians (twice) as a “penance." Does that pay for my sin?
The concern over image made me wonder why I have never seen a painting of the apostle Paul with a scarred face from beatings and stonings.
JD said-
...they might have been helped in spite of not because of the person,...
That would be me, JD. However, when I finally came in contact with the genuine deal, I almost "felt" dirty...like I had been with a prostitute!
The means really DON'T justify the end!
"For many deceivers are entered into the world" 2 John 7
Very good thoughts JD.
You are right Chris, that is why we can't just all get along with it...those that say we must do these shallow things to get the world to listen, and THEN we can give them the gospel are missing the point, it isn't giving God the glory, it is man centered, and it isn't alright, and besides if we do that we are actually being deceptive, bait and switch like, aren't we...
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