As the signs around us increasingly point to the fact that we are living in the end-times, the church must remind people that the Lord is coming soon by sending a resounding message.
The Bible says that in the last days:
“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power”. (NIV)
The writer point out that people will have a form of godliness. That means that people will look the part but are not living the part, as Saints of God.
As a child, did you ever "play church?" Were you a worshipper pretending to dance and shout to the music? Or perhaps you played the role of the preacher delivering the Word from the pulpit?
When we "play church" we are mimicking a very real experience and going through the motions of what it looks like. But in order to make it to heaven, we are going to have to put aside the pretense and get serious about our salvation.
It is time to stop playing church. We can no longer look and dress the part as Christian, but we must live what we preach. Matt 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”
That means being authentic and consistent in your walk with God.
From the outside we may look like all is well. We come to church, praise, run and loudly proclaim the blessings of God. But how are we living when no one is looking? Are you only a Christian on Sunday? But then living how you please from Monday to Saturday?
Rest assured that God sees all. He knows the truth of our hearts and lives. The fifth chapter of the book of Acts tells the story of a couple who thought they could get away with playing at being true Christians.
Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property and then held back some of the money. To compound their sin, they then lied about turning all of the money over to the Apostles. Both paid with their lives for attempting to deceive the men of God. Could you imagine what might happen today if the Lord struck us down for our hidden sins?
Let us pledge to move forward with a very real relationship with our Savior. It is better to do the work of the Kingdom than to play at living a submitted life. Jesus is coming back for Christians who are real and about the business of His kingdom.
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