“I don’t want to go to church, it’s full of a bunch of hypocrites.”

We have all probably either heard that line or possibly said it ourselves. I use to brush that off and respond by saying, “of course it is full of hypocrites, we are all sinners.” Which is completely true. We are all sinners and no one is perfect. However, I don’t think that is a good enough response. As a matter of fact, I think that is a cop out answer. I would equate that to someone having questions about God or Jesus and us just responding by saying “you just have to accept it and have faith”. Honestly, that is nowhere near good enough as an answer.

So what are we to do?

I think we should take it a little more personally. I think that we need to dig deeper into that question to see exactly what people are seeing that labels us as a hypocrite. What are we saying but not doing? That question scares me. I know it is way easier for me to preach a good line, than it is for me to live it out.

I work at a public school as a teacher. That puts me in the eye of a lot of people. My biggest prayer is that who I am on Sunday morning is the same person as who I am Monday in class or Friday afternoon when I am exhausted and out of patience. But let’s be honest, we all fail. I pray that when (not if) I fall short, I will not be blinded to my own shortcomings. That being said, I don’t think that seeing my own shortcomings is enough, I hope to have the integrity to admit when I am wrong.

Several years ago, I had an experience that changed my perspective a little on my public witness. It happened when I had a student who was the child one of the leaders of a church in the town where I was working at the time. I did not attend this church, so I cannot attest to everything they believed, but it was a Christian church. I have dealt with difficult students and with difficult parents but this situation was really unique. This family proclaimed the same gospel I did. The one where you love others, give them grace, and make allowances for others. That was not the case and not the perspective I saw. This student caused me tremendous frustration in class and was a constant discipline problem. That happens, we have all read the parable of the prodigal son. Honestly, I have seen that so many times it doesn’t shock me anymore when a church leader has kids that act perfect in church, but out of line at school. That wasn’t my issue. The issue that broke my heart was the parents wanting to point fingers everywhere but their own child. They slandered myself and other teachers, blaming us for issues that their child had caused. My heart broke because I knew that everyone involved knew that the parents were church leaders. And honestly, I would hear conversations of people saying they would never attend church because that’s how those people acted.

“They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” Titus 1:16 NIV

Wow. Whenever I think of it it gives me a little pause in my own spirit. I pray that the way I act outside of church wouldn’t turn people away from coming to church. That scares me to think about. I know, especially the me from 15 years ago, probably did just that. When I would help spread the gossip or form uninformed opinions about people and declare them to the world, I am sadly certain I was probably labeled as one of those hypocrites. Honestly, there are probably still things I do that label me as such.

I pray that every single day that goes by, I would grow past that. I pray that any hypocritical actions or thoughts would be replaced by good, Holy Spirit actions and thoughts. I even struggle as I write this, because it is highly possible that someone may be reading this thinking about my hypocrisy in something that happened between us. I am also not perfect. I do hope though that the person I am tomorrow or 10 years from now, is further along in the pathway to sanctification than I am today. And I pray that the person I am today is a better person that I was 10 years ago.

How about you? Where do you fall in this story. Are you the person not wanting to be around Christians because the are “a bunch of hypocrites” or are you possibly one of those hypocrites like me? Maybe you are somewhere in between.

Lord, let us all grow closer in our walk with you. Help us to see our own hypocrisies and strive to be more Christ-like in our dealings with others, both in and out of church.