By Dr. Rebekah McCloud
Momma’s nurse was recently on vacation so the agency sent out a substitute. When the woman arrived, Momma gave her the up down all around, twice. Then she looked the nurse dead in the eyes and asked, “What’s your name?” The nurse told Momma her name. Not satisfied, Momma gave her the up down all around, again.
Then, Momma said, “Listen, I don’t know how to pronounce your name, but there are too many letters on your name badge to say the name you just said.” Nervously, the woman giggled and said, “Oh, I told you my nickname.”
Momma gave her the up down all around, once more. And asked, “Are you a faker?” The nurse was so taken aback by Momma’s question, that she stuttered and stammered. Finally, she said, “No, Ma’am. I’m not a faker. I’m a real nurse. I’m here to take care of you today.”
Momma said, “there’s a lot of fakers going around trying to take advantage of old people. They come to their house and pretend to be somebody else. All the while, they are looking around with search light eyes and then they come back to rob them. Sometimes the old souls get beat up or killed.”
After Momma had given her the up down all around a fifth time, Momma went on to say, “I don’t know, there’s something about you. You look like a faker to me.”
There’s a saying, “fake it until you make it.” Now, that might work in some circumstances; but our Christian walk should not be one of them. The Bible tells us that we are in the world, but are not of the world. The world is watching our every action; in fact, Christians have never been under such scrutiny. If the world gave us the up down all around, would it ask, “Are you a faker?”
Recently at work, I went to a diversity workshop about Secular Humanism. I got into a discussion about Christianity. One of the attendees asked me why I believed in God. She couldn’t understand why I ,or anyone else, would identify as a Christian. Given the decline of the church, especially as it relates to the compromise of Christian values and the commercialization of religion, Christianity no longer made sense to her. She talked about the fakers at her old church and in her immediate circle. She had been hurt by them and it caused her to leave the church some years ago. I could hear the bitterness and the sorrow in her voice.
Yes, there are fakers in every church. No doubt, some of us have been hurt by them. But, the Bible tells us to let the wheat and the chaff grow together. There will come a time of separation. Amen!
The advent of mega churches, the rise of televangelism and the popularity of Christian music have made religion a big business. It’s easy for Christians to get lost in the immensity of it all. If we are not careful, and I mean very careful, Satan will deceive even the very elect. 1 John 2:15 tells us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”
We are living in a time when everything the world has, Christians have their own variety of it. Instead of Christians influencing the world, the world is influencing us. Why? A recent poll said 75% of Americans say they are Christian. So, where’s our influence? Every church has its group of CME Christians. You know, the ones that attend on Christmas, Mother’s Day and Easter. However, the rise of “Sunday Christians” is staggering. You know the ones. On Sunday, they say the right things, “Glory, to God! Hallelujah! I’m blessed and highly favored! God is good all the time! I’m saved and sanctified! You know the phrases they use. But on Monday, you better not run up on them because they are just like the other folks; the world can’t tell them apart. Some are even like Eleanor Rigby and wear a face that they keep in a jar by the door. Their everyday actions make it easy for anyone to ask, “Are you a faker?”
I read a quote that said, “Don’t let your lips and your lives preach two different messages.” And another that said, “a man who tries to walk two roads at the same time will split his pants.” This Christian walk of ours is not easy, but it’s doable. To be successful, in addition to the love of God, it takes two things: a village and the truth.
It takes a village to raise and nurture a Christian. Our village should include our church family, our prayer partners, and other brothers and sisters in the ministry. Acts 2:42 and Hebrews 10:25 talk about the importance of fellowship. The latter says, “We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. This becomes more and more important as you see the Day getting closer.” Amen.
Truth is also important. The word truth shows up in the Bible 167 times. John 8:32 says, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Psalm 86:11 says, “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.” Finally, truth is the first piece of the armor of God. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:14, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.” Grace, we are stewards of the Most High; truth can keep us from being fakers. Amen!
When we are born again, we become a new creature. We have a new walk, a new talk, a new mindset, a new heart. We are not the same. Romans 12:2 admonishes us, “be not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” As new creatures, our lives should bring forth the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Fakers can’t fake this.
Christianity does not make us perfect. And, if we say we are or that we don’t sin, I John 1:8 reminds us otherwise. It says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” As Donnie McClurkin says, “We fall down, but we get up. For a saint is but a sinner who fell down.” But, God!
Let me leave you with these words from a church sign. It said, “If you got arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to prove it?” Hmmm… “Are you a faker?”