Tag: hypocrites

Let’s Think Some More about the Popular “Christian”

~ Jeff Crippen ~ 7 Comments

Isaiah 53:3 ESV  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

I would like to ask you to think carefully about the Lord Jesus when he was here on this earth, and about the Apostle Paul as he went about preaching the gospel of Christ. Think about how they were treated, and even by those who claimed to be God’s people. Or think of this:

Hebrews 11:36-38 ESV  Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  (37)  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—  (38)  of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

And now I would like you to think about the kind of “christian” most churches and church leaders try to produce.

Continue reading “Let’s Think Some More about the Popular “Christian”” →

The Double Standard of the Wicked

~ Jeff Crippen ~ 1 Comment

Romans 2:21-23 ESV  you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?  (22)  You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?  (23)  You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.

Every victim/survivor of domestic abuse  has experienced the double standard of the abuser. You see it clearly stated here in Romans 2. God sees right through it and condemns these hypocrites.

Churches in particular need to expect that wicked people are going to put on a disguise of holiness and pronounce others less “holy” than themselves. Expect it. This is a universal trait of the religious phoney. In fact very often it is the loudest voice against “sin” that turns out to be the greatest doer of that very sin. How often have we seen church leaders or some “pious” saint exposed as a practitioner of some slimy evil – the very evil they preached against!

Continue reading “The Double Standard of the Wicked” →

Christ’s Remnant – There ARE True Christians

~ Jeff Crippen ~ Leave a comment

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (John 1:45-47)

We deal with evil most of the time. And the victims of evil. This evil is usually hiding in churches, wearing an “unholy” disguise of holiness. Sometimes (we are tempted to say “often”) the evil is in the pulpit or holds some ruling office in the church. And the typical response of local churches to this evil is also very often evil. Alliances are formed with the abuser while victims are mistreated and rejected.

Now, for myself and I think probably for many of you, all this dealing with counterfeit Christianity can take a toll on us. It can be extremely discouraging to realize that much of what we thought all our lives was the real thing is in fact phoney. We have been fed traditions of men that we were told were God’s truth. We have looked up to people we thought were genuine Christians, only to find out later that they were hypocrites of the worst kind. We have even been rejected by entire churches and even denominations when we called out evil in disguise for what it really is.

Continue reading “Christ’s Remnant – There ARE True Christians” →