Once upon a time in my previous marriage, I would sit and watch HGTV. I was intrigued by the renovations people did on a tight budget. But I noticed one thing – a lot of what they used was faux (fake/imitation).
So much today is fake…fake body parts (shout-out to plastic surgeons), fake fur, fake fabric, and the list goes on. It can often look so real that people can’t tell the difference.
This is often the case with Christianity. People know the right words to say, prayers to pray, Scriptures to quote, clothes to wear, etc. The problem is that it is all fake. All of this “faux spirituality” is really a thin veneer that wicked people hide behind so no one will find them out for who they really are.
As an ordained minister, people love to be fake around me for some reason. I’m not God, so there’s no reason to impress me. I am humored by it. They haven’t attended church in 25 years but act like they went yesterday. God sees beyond all this junk. In fact, He condemns it. Most of the ministry of Jesus toward “religious” people was in condemnation of their fake (faux) spirituality. He didn’t give them a pat on the back and a high five for publicly displaying their religion for all the world to see.
Sadly, many preachers go to Bible college to be told they have to fit a mould. I fet that pressure for a long time, but I discovered I was ineffective and people could not relate. I saw 3 counsellors during a tough period in my life. Their message was the same – BE REAL!
You and I can’t fake being spiritual as a substitute for spending time with Jesus. Nothing can replace you getting into the Bible for yourself, praying yourself, and spending time with truly godly people. You can try other things, but the result will be the same – faux spirituality.
Matthew Winters (Honest Thoughts from a Pastor) 