Hypocrites, a bane on churches

Morris Mtisi
TODAY, churches compete very well with the secular world in sinning and destroying people’s happiness and free will to connect with their Creator.

The secular world is saturated with ill will, deceit, corruption and hatred of one against another. Examples of this shocking waywardness are too many to mention here.

We all know them: wars, Satanism, stinking harlotry or promiscuity, unfaithfulness in marriages and relationships, executive and plebian corruption, dirty gossip and lies anchored on envy and jealousy, the list is inexhaustible. We all know how the world is ugly, dirty and unsafe.

I will not dwell on the above human shortcomings as seen in the secular world for it is a world I left many years ago, embarking on a voluntary journey of spiritual and emotional edification.

My story is a microscopic analysis of what happens in the Churches, because that is where I chose to belong and because like many, I chose to trust God than mankind, who change like the weather in thought and deed.

Like many, I forfeited worldly wisdom which springs from shallow philosophies and indulgent life principles sullied by empty pride and intellectual masturbation.

Like many, I chose to search for eternal peace and honesty anchored on the truth that many may see as laughable foolishness. That truth for me is that God through His son Jesus Christ is love, is the truth, is the way. He is the beginning and end of EVERY THING; the truth that we are all children of Adam and Eve, but has chosen not to inherit the Eve-Adamic sin of knowing-it-all in foolish wisdom.

So yes, I belong to a church; not because I am holy or perfect in my ways. But because I honestly and diligently strive to narrow the distance between my God and I as best I can. And wait upon His mercy to save me from the sin of not-believing and chronic hypocrisy.

What have been my lessons in the Church? That is the point of this write-up.

Hypocrisy is the word. Too many people in these churches are liars, stinking gossipers and venomous blabbermouths. A church does not stand on actors and actresses who take church as a stage to dramatise their envies, jealousies and personal resentments of other Christians. They say this and do the opposite. They indicate they are turning right then turn left. Imagine! What kind of driver or drivers would that be? What would the state of road use be with such drivers?

They use their knowledge of Scriptures and positions to ‘kill’ those seeking the real truth about creating a relationship with God. Instead of providing peace and encouragement for growth in Christ, they become the thorn in the flesh of many seekers of spiritual freedom.

They stand on the way of God seekers with their poisonous tongues and loud mouths. They speak against it every day, but do the exact opposite with nauseating religious ignorance.

Whether it is because of poverty of reasoning, chronic dullness or sheer instinct for drama, only God knows. They preach love but spread animosity. They speak Christian family and unity but practice division by gossip and idle talk. They seem to all know what to do but quickly forget as soon as their mouths open.

The Bible talks about the venom of the tongue more than any other part of the human body. It is the tongue which causes worldly hatred and wars. It is the tongue which causes all the love and all the anger and divorces. It is the tongue indeed which splits governments and chiefdoms; which splits churches and sharpens animosity amongst brethren and sisters in Christ.

Some of the ugliest forms of mudslinging and hatred exist in Churches, amongst brethren and sisters in Christ. They discuss church members more than they discuss God. There are more tears in the church caused by other church members than tears of love for God or discovery of the ugliness of one’s sinful heart.

The Bible speaks one thing, they hear something different and do exactly what it teachers them not to do. They preach about others in need of the hand of God and do exactly what it teaches them not to do. They preach about others in need of change of heart and not themselves. They talk of the laws of God and follow none but implore others to.

They remind every else how they must walk the talk but walk none of their own talk. They are daylight hypocrites. They are only good at saying things, and they know a lot of it from the scriptures, but neither mean what they say nor say what they mean. When you remember John the Baptist and call them a brood of vipers, they coil around big brother self-defence and Nicodemously sit night cahoots and wireless home-based meetings to defend their failures and weaknesses. They read about the truth and speak about the truth but are afraid of it.

They are angry and defensive when they are told the truth. They speak about the truth in Church, but gossip and lie every day. Their truth is only reserved for Saturdays or Sundays. The other days of the week at their work places and as they socialize with friends and family they can gossip and lie.

They can muddy other people’s waters and put flies in their ointment at will. Come Sunday or Saturday they confess the truth and forgiveness. Reminds me of mother crab that went to pains to teach her young ones to walk straight.

After a couple of painful trials and errors, one little crab asked, “Mama why don’t you demonstrate to us how to walk straight.” After mama’s futile efforts to demonstrate a couple of painful trials and errors, one little crab asked, “Mama why don’t you demonstrate to us how to walk straight.” After mama’s futile efforts to demonstrate walking straight but continuing to walk sideways, little crab remarked, “But mama you are walking exactly the same way you don’t want us to walk.” Hypocrites and Christian actors and actresses are like crabs that teach others to walk straight but walk sideways as crabs will always do unless God changes them.

But before He does, we will tell them they are crabs and will remind them they do not cheat anyone with their sideways walk. We will not make their crab walk our business so long as they do not cross our own paths. If they do we will kick them aside and rehearse our own walk.

When hypocrites ‘kill’ you they vehemently preach of forgiveness, forgetting about their murder. They ask you to forgive and forget but forget the tree they cut, putting all the blame on the tree and not the axe.

True Christians spend time praying for their own salvation, yes. True Christians mind their own contracts with God and God’s covenant with them without scrutinising other Christians’ lives and ways, yes. They do not judge anybody, for that is God’s part to play. All true. But what if fellow Christians empty their cans of worms in your face? You forgive and don’t tell them to go to hell?

It is not Christianity to allow mad people to meddle with your own Christian space and right to peaceful worship and existence. Jesus died for all of us so that we could live, but when he was angry he beat the hell out of crazy transgressors.

It is not true Christianity to sweep rubbish under the rug, for people will tread or trample over it and fall when they walk about doing their business. Forgiveness does not ignore consequences. True Christians put things right.

They do not allow rubbish until it harms more or other people. And genuine forgiveness is not forced. It is commanded by conscience and listening to one’s own heart. It comes naturally, not by political campaign or appeal.

We must stop using the Bible to hurt people in expectation of priceless forgiveness. To expect this is to foolishly think forgiveness costs nothing. Of course it costs something, and what is that? LIFE! Including eternal life!

Hypocrites have helped the Church to remain with the chapters and verses of the Bible, the evangelical sermons and rhetoric and the knowledge of Theology. Christ has walked out in protest of Church sinning and empty singing. Prayer has become rehearsed poetry to spice religious entertainment and not an offer of God’s daily bread.

Remember Adam and Eve. They were God’s original and divine craftsmanship. He loved them and gave them the virginity of His love and beauty of creation. He gave them everything and promised them everlasting life. But when the tables turned because they allowed Satan to make them wiseacres, they were punished.

Our first parents erred and their mistakes are with us today. It is my prayer today that we refuse to be as foolish as Adam and Eve who knew what to do but chose to be stubborn and instead created everlasting reprimand for generations to come.

If hypocrites and hypocrisy are allowed to flourish in the Church, ‘killing’ those looking for the truth in Christ, woe to those who stand aside and look.

God is looking for true ambassadors and emissaries in the Church, not religious Hollywood actors who shed crocodile tears with the suffering and smile dogs’ smiles to the heartbroken.

God is looking for true stewards of His word and not stage actors and actresses making Church a place for theatre performances.