Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Monday January 15, 2007

In the coming years should the Lord send a revival of serious religion, I doubt that many will be all that excited about it. Real, biblical revival is far too painful for our modern Christians. The hope would be for a great harvest of new born Christians who had responded to a correct biblical message and were confronted with the correct biblical Jesus, who upon meeting a 'seeker' demands surrender. This surrender insisting on the laying aside of self, and a willing to take up a cross, to literally embrace the cross He has chosen for us, and to set out to follow Him with no turning back.

The popular Christian literature of the last fifty years is pretty much absent the denial of self, but has been strong on discipleship classes to help us develop a more wholesome image of our selves. To be like Jesus? Yes, that too.

I have often alluded to a statement I ignorantly led a congregation at the time to spout, "Any thing to improve the image" of said church. That Christians have long been hypocrites is well known, but for the first time in history the mass of professing Christendom not only condones rampant hypocrisy; pseudo Christianity has been taught as a neat thing. We will climb mountains; write new versions of the Bible, whatever it takes to enables us to have a better idea of self, which hopefully will be much better than the one given concerning self in the scripture which mildly suggests that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags! God surely was in a bad mood when he wrote that!

In time past a revival mostly consisted of evangelism, drunkards, they were called that back then, getting saved, unfaithful marital partners swearing off the running around and even a few drug 'addicts' getting saved. And of course some of the saints committing to start tithing and reading the Bible through in one year.

Today we see little of this. Mostly we see people wearing WWJD bracelets or even tattoos with the same letters saying "Oh, yes I love Jesus today. Tomorrow it's back to the real world. I only signed up for the three week course which promised a deeper, mature walk with Jesus in three weeks. It is titled, "Earn The Deeper LIFE In Only Twenty One Days." Now that I am a 'deep' Christian, I can get on with my real life. I wish Britney would do a 'Closer Walk With Thee Album.' You know, with modern music to match Britney's moves."

As I understand it, the ancient Greek actors wore a mask to hide their true face and we get our idea of hypocrite from this practice. At the end of the play, the actor would remove the mask and reveal his true self. The practice of masking self in garments religious will end the same way. There is a Great Day Coming, when Jesus will rip off the mask we have worn with such pride and the scripture is clear on the weeping and of the shame at His appearing.

The mask can and should be torn away prior to His coming, like right now in order for your people to see the real you, and even more importantly; for you to see you! Thus we can rejoice in His Grace. Andre Berthiaume wrote:

"We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin."

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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