Tag: Authentic

“Cracks in the Whitewash: Jesus, Tombs, and the Beauty of Being Real”

Hey Friends! Happy Tuesday, March 18th. Today, we’re diving into Matthew 23:27-28. Jesus is in the middle of this fiery, full-on rant—he’s not holding back, and it’s aimed right at the religious leaders of his day. The Pharisees, the scribes, the ones who think they’ve got it all figured out. When we find Jesus being harsh, it’s almost always with the religious folks of His day. The people who should have known better. The phony, two-faced hypocrites – who had one standard for everyone else, but a whole different set of rules for themselves. Here’s what Jesus had to say, check this out:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matt 23:27-28, NIV).

Whoa. Whitewashed tombs. Can you picture it? These pristine, gleaming graves—perfectly painted, shining in the sun, the kind of thing you’d walk by and think, Wow, that’s lovely. But then Jesus pulls the curtain back, and what’s inside? Death. Decay. Rot. It’s a gut punch, isn’t it?

Now, Jesus isn’t just throwing shade here to flex his rhetorical muscles. He’s doing what he always does—cutting through the noise to get to the heart of things. He’s talking about the gap. You know the gap I mean—the space between who we pretend to be and who we really are. The Pharisees had mastered the art of looking good. They had the robes, the rules, the rituals down to a science. They were the spiritual influencers of their day—#blessed, #righteous, #holyliving. But Jesus says, “Hold on. Let’s talk about what’s under the filter. Let’s address what’s actually in your hearts.”

Because here’s the thing: you can polish the outside all you want, but if the inside’s a mess, it’s still a mess. And Jesus isn’t interested in facades. He’s not here for the performance. He’s not here for all of the “fake nice” to your face, but the backstabbing and side looks that tell a different story. He’s here for the real. The raw. The true.

How’s Your Heart? – “What does this have to do with me?”

So what’s this mean for us? Because let’s be honest—we’re not that different, are we? We’ve got our own versions of whitewashing. Maybe it’s the way we curate our lives online—posting the highlight reel while the outtakes pile up in the shadows. Maybe it’s the way we slap a “Fine, how are you?” on top of a heart that’s breaking. Or maybe it’s the way we cling to our Sunday-best selves, hoping no one notices the doubts, the fears, the failures we’re hauling around inside.

But what if Jesus is inviting us to stop? To stop painting over the cracks and just… let them be seen? What if the point isn’t to look perfect, but to be real? Because tombs don’t come alive by staying pretty—they come alive when someone rolls the stone away and lets the light in.

See, this isn’t about shame. Jesus isn’t wagging his finger here to make us feel small. He’s calling out the hypocrisy because he loves us too much to let us stay stuck in it. He’s saying, “You don’t have to pretend. You don’t have to hide. I see the bones, the mess, the unclean stuff—and I’m not running away. I’m here for it. For you.”

So maybe today’s the day we quit whitewashing. Maybe it’s the day we let the outside match the inside a little more—not because we’ve got it all together, but because we’re brave enough to admit we don’t. And maybe, just maybe, that’s where the real beauty starts. Not in the shine, but in the cracks where the light gets in.

What do you think? Where’s the whitewash in your life? And what might happen if you let it chip away?
I think that’s definitely something worth pondering today.

Grace & Peace,
-Pastor Scott.

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“The Hypocrisy Hangover – In Search of Authentic Faith.”

Hey Friends,
let’s get real for a minute. This isn’t your feel-good Christianese blog article wrapped up in a pretty pink bow. We’re going deeper today. Let’s think critically together for a moment. We’re talking about that uncomfortable space between what we say we believe and how we’re actually living. Does that make sense? It’s that gray area in between, where no one else is looking. The real you. The one that doesn’t put on a mask and isn’t dressing or looking the part that’s phony or inauthentic.

We throw around words like “grace” and “forgiveness” like they’re hashtags. #Blessed #SoGrateful. But are we really living in the overflow of that grace? Or are we just hoarding it, keeping it locked up in our spiritual bank accounts, afraid to spend it on the messy, imperfect people around us? Silently we judge, and we mentally cast the first stone while ignoring the large boulder in our own hearts. (Okay, it’s getting personal today…sorry/not sorry).

Think about it. We’re quick to judge, quick to point fingers. We build these little kingdoms of “right” and “wrong,” drawing lines in the sand, deciding who’s in and who’s out. And then we wonder why the world looks at us and sees hypocrisy, not hope.

Ouch. That stings, right? But truth hurts sometimes. See, I’m not pointing fingers at you. I’m pointing a finger with you. Because I’m in this boat too. We’re all in this boat. We’re all wrestling with the gap between who we want to be and who we actually are. It’s a continual struggle. And, I want to be honest with you – I’m so tired of fake faith and phony Christianity.

But here’s the good news: God’s not surprised by our mess. He’s not shocked by our struggles. He knows we’re imperfect. That’s the whole point of grace! It’s not about pretending we have it all together. (so take off the mask and stop playing church just to look good) It’s about admitting we don’t have it all worked out, and then leaning into the One who does. It’s about authenticity. It’s about being real. It’s about accepting grace in our messy lives.

So, what’s the answer? It’s not another program, another self-help book, another “7 Steps to Spiritual Superstardom.” It’s simpler than that. It’s about love. Radical, messy, inconvenient love. The kind of love that crosses those lines we’ve drawn in the sand. The kind of love that sees the image of God in everyone, even the people who drive us crazy – even those who didn’t vote like us…(more toe smashing – sorry/not sorry).

It’s about getting off our spiritual high horses and getting down in the dirt with people. It’s about listening more than we talk. It’s about serving more than we’re served. It’s about extending grace even when it feels undeserved (because, let’s be honest, it always is).

This isn’t easy, friends. This is hard stuff. This is the kind of stuff that stretches us, that challenges us, that makes us squirm in our seats. It’s gonna get messy. But it’s also the kind of stuff that changes the world.

So, let’s stop playing church and start being the church. Let’s trade our judgment for grace, our apathy for action, our comfortable Christianity for a faith that’s wild, messy, and real. Let’s bridge the gap between what we believe and how we live. Because the world isn’t waiting for perfect Christians. It’s waiting for people who are willing to love like Jesus.

Let’s go be those people. Alright? Let’s go.
Grace and Peace,
-Scott.

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A “Knock-off” or the Real Deal?

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real christians

A few years ago I purchased an electronic device that I thought was comparable to the electronic standard held by another brand.  It was cheaper and I admit that this was my original motivation in purchasing the device.  I thought I had made a good deal by going cheaper…but I was sorely wrong.  It looked quite similar to the more expensive quite famous counterpart…but upon studying the “specs” which were the inner workings or the hardware, I discovered that though it looked the part it was just a cheap “knock-off” that barely performed the way that I expected it to.  I was thoroughly disappointed and eventually I discarded my “knock-off” and spent a little more for the real deal.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Few sentences in all the world strike at our hearts like this sentence from 1 John.  Mimicking Jesus’ own “new” commandment (John 13:34-35), John reminds us all that we are called to this holy purpose here on earth.  Dare I say that this world is already full of hell and pain, hatred and heartache…how better to display the Light of Christ to a darkened world than to love.  But John doesn’t merely remind us to love with our words and with how we speak to people around us.  That would be far too easy and a shallow, cheapened “knock-off” of Christ-likeness.

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Phony Christians:

No one likes cheap stuff if they can afford the real deal.  If we had the resources to have the original in our hands, to own it and enjoy it, we would never settle for a cheap “knock-off” copy!  The world knows a thing or two about phoniness.  There are far too many people in our world today who have experienced deceit and cons of every kind.  They can spot the phony Christian a mile away.  The kind of “Christian” who only pretends to love but is just as absorbed in their own little world as a non-Christian person.  The pretend Christian won’t fool anyone for too long, because when it comes time for the rubber to meet the road, for faith to be put into action, the phonies will scatter and disappear at the moment of greatest need.  The world does not need any more phonies, let alone phony Christians who are just artificial, cheap “knock-offs” of the real deal.

Newly Minted Originals:

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This is not meant to discourage you dear fellow Christ-follower, this is just a warning to both you and me.  Without real tangible evidence of love bedded deep within our actions towards others, we run the risk of becoming just another cheap “Knock-off”.  Don’t let your faith become jaded.  Don’t allow skepticism and judgement to taint your walk with the Lord.  There is a very real spiritual war going on; we know the final outcome, yet Satan and his minions would like nothing more than to dissuade you as a Christ-follower and discourage you in your faith so that you only resemble what you once were.  Don’t be swayed but how others treat you.  Don’t become discouraged when you feel as if you’re the only Christian left standing.  We are newly minted originals if we allow Christ’s love to permeate our faith in action.  It does nothing to simply say the right things or speak these solid truths unless it is backed up by our actions as well.  Those who are still lost cannot simply to Christ by sweet words and kind thoughts…they need real hands to show them the way.  They need real feet to walk beside them.  They need a shoulder to cry on when life has stripped them of their pride and possessions.  They need you and me to go to them and not to wait in our halls or churches for them to come to us (which will never happen).

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let your love be seen from your heart to your hands!  Let your faith propel you into action.  Be bold, take risks, and discard the temptation to become just another cheap “knock-off” for Christ.

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Authentic or Fake? (Igniting the Passion Again!)

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“Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

–Genesis 5:24

 

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 5:20)

 

Is there meaning behind what you do in your worship? 

How is your heart?  Is it still in it?  Are you in love with God?  These questions may get to the heart of the matter.  We are called ‘Children of God’ (Gal 3:26) and yet at times we act like we are mere acquaintances of God.   I will admit that there have been times when my heart just hasn’t been in the worship service that I am attending.   Have you been to that point? 

 

Setting the stage: 

You get up and prepare for the Sunday Morning Service.  You put on your ‘church clothes’, comb or brush your hair…and make sure everything is in place.  On the way out the door you grab your Bible, which may have been resting in the same spot since last time you went to church.  You get in your car or van and race to the church because you are nearly late…someone cuts you off on your way to the church building.  Then you get to the church and find all the ‘good parking spots’ are already taken.  So you finally reach the front doors of the church building in a huff, slightly irritated and just a little bit disheveled…but you still have your Bible in hand. 

 

When you finally sit down in the pew as the service is about to start, you suddenly realize you didn’t eat breakfast…great one more thing to think about during church.  You stand when they tell you to stand, you sit back down when they tell you to sit, and all the while you are staring at the clock thinking about what you will do with the rest of your day.  You barely hear what the pastor preaches on…the first joke in the introduction was funny but after a while the sermon just becomes the mumblings of that teacher on the t.v. show ‘Peanuts’…”Whah, whah, whah, whah, whah.” 

 

The Heart of the Matter:

Hopefully your worship doesn’t look like that!  But if truth be told I would almost bet that you have had those Sundays.  My question to you is “why even go to church then?”  If we aren’t emotionally, physically and intellectually there in the first place, why even show up? 

 

There are a lot of people out there who go to church but fail to actually show up.  It’s unfortunate, I’ve been there, and it happens.  It makes me wonder sometimes if we aren’t acting a little like the Pharisees of old.  We’re all about the ritual of worship…we all know the right songs to sing and the right ‘Amen’s’ to proclaim at any given time in the service, but our hearts are just not in it. 

 

Dare I prod us all for a moment:  If we just show up for worship on Sunday mornings (or whatever day we attend church) but we aren’t really there…aren’t we a little like the Pharisees that Jesus talked about that were all about cleaning the outside of the cup but not too serious about cleaning the inside? (Luke 11:39)  Now I’ve probably stepped on a few toes with that one…but I have to confess…I’ve done it too!

I’ve been just as guilty of showing up for Sunday service and said all the right things and gone through all the right motions and yet my heart has not been in it. 

 

This isn’t some sort of guilt trip that I want to lay on you today.  I don’t want us all to think that we’re awful people by any means.  But what I do feel as if God wants from us all is not our ritualistic church attendance.  Or our ritualistic methodology…or even our ritualistic uniform/church clothes that we wear so that we fit in.  What God wants from us is our hearts.  He wants our worship, our undivided attention.  He wants from us authenticity in the songs we sing, the scriptures we read and in the sermons we hear or the sermons we preach.  HE DOES NOT WANT OUR LIP SERVICE!  He never did!!! 

 

He wants to make us holy, set apart people for Him!  We can’t just settle for cleaning the outside of the cup and keep up appearances of something that isn’t true on the inside!  God wants us to be real, to be vulnerable people before Him.  He calls us all to genuine fellowship with Him.  The kingdom of God begins within our authentic worship of a God who has poured out His unmerited favor on us.  How can our hearts NOT be in on that? 

 

To the pretenders out there STOP PRETENDING!  Either get on with real worship and adoration of God or just get out of the way!  To the luke-warm believer: MAKE UP YOUR MIND!  Don’t settle for a skim-milk type of passion.  Don’t stop at just being a ‘ok’ in your faith…we all have to grow and mature!  Get on with it!  To those of you who are ON FIRE FOR GOD: Don’t let your flame go out!  Keep burning for the rest of us so that we have something to aim for! 

 

RECAP:

Don’t fake it.  Don’t settle for mediocrity.  Don’t suffocate your fire with distractions, worries and things that have no eternal worth! 

 

REMEMBER: Have passion, clean the inside of the cup daily, and walk with God…He longs for you to do so! 

 

 

 

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