February 12

Counterfeit Christianity and the Real Thing

 
  There is a powerful story in the New Testament that always helps me to see the difference between the enemy's brand of Christianity and Jesus' brand of Christianity. What? You did not know that Satan has a 'brand of Christianity'? Well, beloved, he does. And it is counterfeit through and through to its deepest core. Superficially it looks like the real deal, until you examine it closely. When you do, you see that it has nearly everything that true Christianity has – except for one most essential element. And this counterfeit Christianity is not new. It has been around since the very beginning. See how it was played out in Jesus' own ministry from the Gospel of Matthew:

  "As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector's booth; and He said to him, 'Follow Me!'  And he got up and followed Him. Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, 'Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?'  But when Jesus heard this, He said, 'It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: "I desire compassion, and not sacrifice," for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners'." (Matthew 9:9-13)

  The Pharisees were the undisputed masters of religion. But it was a totally worthless and counterfeit religion because it lacked one element: love. Without love, they only hated sinners, scorned them, and rejected them completely. Hence, they were spiritually stone-cold dead. They were religious actors who loved to pretend to be the real thing, but in their heart of hearts, they were as lifeless and cold as a corpse. What made all the difference? It was love – love for God, and a matching and equal love for others.

  Even today the game of counterfeit religion is still very much alive and well. And the difference? There is none. It is the same as it has always been. Jesus said that all men will know that we belong to Him by our love. For you see, beloved, that genuine love for all men, especially sinners, is the only acceptable answer to the single question on the spiritual authenticity test. The Presence of our Lord Master in our hearts is the evidence of His living Spirit. And His living Spirit is evident in a love for all.

  On this eventide, we must approach the God Who has described Himself as perfect Love. We must petition Him for more of it – for the limits to love are infinite. Like rivers of living waters, they flow through us to the rest of a dying world who need Him and our loving touch with such immediate desperation.