But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him:  The one who says he remains in Him should walk just as he walked.  1 John 2:5-6 HCSB

Being a witness is extremely important.  As witnesses for Christ, our role is critical.  If someone comes to court as your witness, you wouldn’t want them to turn on you at the last minute would you?  You wouldn’t want them to get up on the stand and tell lies about you.  Especially if their lies would cause you to lose your case whether it be civil or criminal.

Yesterday a friend told me a story that has deeply disturbed me.  She told me of how a group of men who were deacons at a church who turned a member completely away from the church by their witness outside of church.  It seems as though they all worked together and when this man saw how they behaved outside of church, he was appalled.  They were womanizers, they used filthy language, they lied, they seemed to be filled with the devil and not the Holy Spirit. This man decided that if this is how leaders in the church behaved outside of church that he wanted no part in it.  The sad thing is that it has caused this man to be out of church for years now.

When someone is a witness in court, if they get up on the stand and allow an attorney to twist their words around, they may end up making a good witness for the other side.  The same can happen when we allow the devil to get ahold of us outside of church.  The devil would like nothing more than to destroy our witness. In doing so, he can easily lead us into sin.  So for him, it’s a win-win.

I am begging of you today, if you go to church and profess to be a Christian, please align your walk with your talk.  Please be consistent in your behavior.  Now is a good time to examine this.  Would you say the same things you say on the job to your pastor?  Would you talk the same way and about the same things?

Now if you are one of those people who stays out of church because of all the hypocrites, I say this to you. Don’t allow the devil and his minions to keep you out of a good bible teaching church.  Church is not a hotel for perfect people, but a hospital for those who are sick.  Go to church and pray for those that are in there that are lost.  Pray for those that you see in leadership roles that live one way on Sunday and a whole other way during the rest of the week. Don’t let them keep you away from God, allow them to draw you closer to Him.  Allow them to show you how not to live.  And who knows, maybe you can show them how they should live.

It’s hard to not follow the crowd, but sadly more and more these days, the crowd is walking away from Jesus.  Don’t follow anyone to hell.  Allow God to lead you and guide you.  Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin and come into your heart and fill you with His Holy Spirit.

If you are going to church every time the doors are open, but living like the devil out in the world, know that no good can come of this.  Know that you are witnessing for the devil.  Know that God sees what you do always, not just in church. Also, know that not only are you bringing problems on yourself, but you may be causing disaster for others and their families. Be very careful of this because Jesus clearly says in Luke 17:1-2, “Offenses surely will come, but woe to the one they come through! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”

When we follow Christ, it is much easier to walk in the way that He has walked.  When we trust in Him to guide us and lead us, He keeps our paths straight (Proverbs 3:6).  I asked you today, if you are a good, upstanding church member, examine your behavior outside of church.  Are you a good, upstanding church member on Sundays only or every day of the week?  I hope you can honestly say that you are the same all of the time.  I hope that you can say that you trust God to lead and guide you through the week as well.  And, I hope that you are leading others to Christ. If you are not, the alternative is not good for you or them.

Have a great day!