Living For Show

Living for real.

Are you a good "Insert Religion here"? Are you, or do you know someone, that says "Praise Jesus" after every sentence? Do you know someone that loves going to Church and falling down, or shouting to the top of their lungs, Praising God? Are you someone, or do you know someone that will get in your face and tell you how much of a Sinner you are? Scream about Fire and Brimstone? Are you, or someone you know, Holier than thou?

If you answered yes, to any of these questions, then I only have one more for ya. Are you living for Show? Or are you living for REAL? Do you have true Faith, and an one on one personal relationship with God? Or is it all about you? Do you even know who God is? Is Jesus TRULY the Lord of Lords and King of Kings in your life? Or do you like people thinking you are better than they?

Some wonder why I do not praise God. Now if this was a few years ago, I would most likely become offended at this question. Who are you to ask me this? What makes you think I do not praise God? Do you see what I do when I'm home alone? Oh, I may not say "Praise Jesus" after every sentence. I may not turn into Elwood or Jake Blues in Church and go dancing down the Isles. But do you know what I do when I am home alone? No. Now? I wonder what they do.

You see, there is a difference. A very distinct difference. In what you do in public, and what you do at home. Many people I have known through the years, can't wait to go to church. They can't wait to stand in the middle of church and sing songs and cry, fall down, and Praise God. But then they go home. They drink. They become abusive. They are arrogant. They are ignorant. Then Sunday comes along,,,Praise Jesus!!!!

Another thing people love to do, is talk about how much money they give. They love to get praise and glory from men of how generous they are. They make sure that people see them put money into the offering. They never fail to fill out the card proclaiming, it was them that gave x amount of money. They claim it on their Taxes. See how generous I am? I'll talk more about me in a second...First, let's go to...

Matthew 6:

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Now tithes and offerings are very clear. We will talk about tithes and offerings next time. But this is one way that people love to "show" that they are the better person. That they care. That they give. They love doing this. Jesus said, don't. Again we will talk more about this next time...

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Yelling and screaming, dancing, interrupting the Pastor and the Message by yelling out. Falling down to your knees in front of people, so they see you worshiping God, a Saint, it makes you not. Again, Jesus says don't. If it is genuine, and the Spirit comes over you, for real, and you dance and Praise God? Cool. But what are you going to do when you leave the Church? Become arrogant? Lie? Cheat? Deal falsely with others. Do people at your Job know you are a Christian? A TRUE Child of God? Or do you just love the Show for an hour to two a week?

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

God does not care if you make a spectacle of yourself. You are not impressing Him. He wants to have a one on one relationship with you. Ever try to have a conversation with someone in a busy place. Ever try to have a conversation with the Pastor following service? "Hey Pastor" {Hand shake issues}" Hey God Bless" "Pastor?" "Yes" {People coming out all coming up to the Pastor "Hey Pastor, great sermon, Jennie just got out. Mom is good. We are going. How is Betty?"} He is looking around at every direction, trying to be polite.

But if you really need to speak with the Pastor, you make an appointment. Then, you and him are alone. No interruptions. No noise. No distractions. You have his undivided attention. So when you are home, Praying to God in private, He has YOUR undivided attention. It is quite. You can focus on Him, and He can focus on YOU. It is no longer about the Show. It is now all about you and Him having a Conversation.

I love this next part...

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

If you think you Prayed in Church today, because you said.......

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen!"

Two or three times? You didn't. "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them." God wants you to talk to Him. He knows what you have need of. Do you know what He has need of? What His plan and destiny is for YOUR life?

He wants you to get to know Him. His Will. His Way. He couldn't possibly care less that you gave an extra $100 bucks, or screamed out and cried during Service. He really couldn't care less that you agreed to follow the Tenets of your chosen Religion. Do you actually KNOW Him?

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Many Join Churches and convert to Religion and follow the Traditions of men. Few find a greater truth. The Relationship with God Himself. Jesus talked about this quite often. One such example is in...

Matthew 15:

1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

And in....

Mark 7:

1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Then Jesus said this..

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

These people were Religious folks. They followed their Traditions better than anyone else. They TAUGHT what the traditions were for others to follow and held those accountable that failed to follow the Tenets they laid down.

Problem is, Jesus told them, yeah, you do all these things, but not only do you know know God, you are not His. They were living for Show, not, for real. In...

1 Timothy 1:

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;

2 Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

This is a sad truth. Many in many different Religions, are brought up in the Religion and they are taught the Tenets of said Religion. They are taught all the Show. They are taught to do this or that, say this or that. However, many have no idea why? If someone asks them a question outside of their "script" or lessons they have been taught to teach, they can not answer it.

8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

So what does this mean? The Law says you can not drive more than 70 miles an hour. There are many Troopers, and Highway Patrol persons sitting around waiting for you to go by. You go by 70 or under? They stay where they are. Why? The Law no longer applies to you. You drive by doing 90, you will get to meet a new person that day. NOW the Law applies to you. Why? Because you are in violation of it. Are you following me?

The Laws of the Spirit and God are the same. Thou Shalt not Kill, means nothing to me. I'm not under the Law. But If I do go out there and kill someone, THEN the Law applies to me. Now I am guilty of violating the Law. Can I brag about never being in Violation of the Law? Not really. It truly means nothing.

Even when God deals with you directly, He never tells you to go out and brag about it. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us to forget the Show, and live for real...

Luke 17:

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

Also in....

Mark 1:

40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

In both these instances, Jesus said go show. Go be. Do not go out bragging, or telling stories. Just go be who you are. You see, the Priests and well, everyone, knew who these were. They knew that were Lepers. Now they are not. They are new creatures. Jesus said just go show people who you have become.

"But by the grace of God I am what I am" {1 Corinthians 15:10} is a passage that has become my own. I am just me. Whenever I meet someone, I attempt to love them for who they are. I am who I am. What you see, you get. I will not change to meet your desires or expectations. Nor should you to meet mine. I learned a long time ago, just be me.

Here is a couple of examples of what I mean. First, there is a local Grocery Store. I go there often and met a really great girl. She is a beautiful person with a great Spirit about her. I think she is like 19 or early 20s. The Store had a table with bagged Groceries. You could buy a bag for $6.00 and the Store was giving them to a local Church to give to those in need. So I bought one every time I went in.

One day, I was checking out and the girl stepped away from the Register and gave me a hug. She said to me, "You are the kindest, gentleness, more generous person I have ever met." Without thinking about it, I said, "Life is too short to live it through Hate." With a tear in her eyes, she looked at me and said. "I wish more people would understand what you just said."

Now picture if I had gone in there, walked up to the Register, and started spouting Bible verses and telling her she was a Sinner if she didn't know Christ. Do you think she would have been open to it? Here is some White guy telling her that she was not good enough. It could have taken a whole different direction. Just by me, not even thinking about it, just being me, put this meeting into place. It opened up the opportunity. She SAW who I was. She witnessed what I did. She SAW me. A Child of God, for who I really am, not what I tell people I am.

Another would be a guy I worked with. I had no idea I was effecting him the way I was. We were friends. We talked about many things. But later I found out that he wanted to know why I was the way I am. There was something about me that he wanted. I had the opportunity to share with him the truth. That "thing" about me is the Holy Spirit. That "thing" that makes me, me, is God. We did not discuss it too much, but just by him watching and observing me being me, make him seek the greater Truth. Do you think he would feel the same if I slapped him upside the head with the Bible and told him he better live this way?

Most of the time, you effect people in very profound ways, more so, in you being you, than anything you could ever say. Allow God to truly create the you He wants you to be, then BE you.

1 Thessalonians 5:

16 Rejoice evermore.

17 Pray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

19 Quench not the Spirit.

20 Despise not prophesyings.

21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Forget the Show. Live for real. Be you. As a Child of God, that is all you need to be. Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus IS Lord of all!