Imposter-knowingly or unknowingly?

The title of this blog intends to address a serious issue in Christendom today. I was tempted to borrow the phrase 'smooth criminal', from the popular song by Michael Jackson, which would be more appropriate for what I am going to expand on this topic, but prefer use the current title.

The word imposter as we all know means "a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others.". But probably all are not out there to deceive and take advantage, but just habitual in living with a different identity to save their face value. In my observation, the Church goers are so ardent in attending Church on Sundays, delivering distinct responsibilities given to them by Church leadership and make a great worship team. However, their identity in Christ seems to be extremely distorted in their personal lives. The so-called good Christians who are ardent Church members sadly fall into one or more traits mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:2-4 which says, "For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..."

I struggle to comprehend the superficiality displayed by people who call themselves Christians. Where is the gap? Who is failing Christians miserably? Paul's warning in 2 Timothy about the traits mentioned above is not referred to non-Christians. Unfortunately, it very much applicable to us. Two hours of Church service on Sundays is failing to transform our lives, yet the congregation and the leadership come back home satisfied after the entire Sunday exercise. Probably regular Church attendees would claim and be boastful they don't drink alcohol or are addicted to substance abuse, unlike worldly people. If you closely observe them, you could identify them with one or more deplorable traits mentioned in the selected Bible passage in 2 Timothy. The spiritual ethics are good sounding to the ears but they have hardly created any impact. 

Leonard Ravenhill statement is worth pondering, "A man said to me, “Brother Ravenhill, I’m glad I’m saved from hell.” That’s wonderful, but it’s a fringe benefit. Are you saved from Lust? Are you saved from Fear? Are you saved from Doubt? Are you saved from Anger? Are you saved from Envy? Are you saved from Pride?" It is so true that many are struggling with real transformation within, how would you expect them to carry Christ’s Mission? Many programs whether in Church or conducted by Christian institutions intends to engage the believers and keep them intact with them so that they are not out of their sight, but I doubt if they are anywhere closer to Christ.

As we struggle with our basics, our Christ mission takes a beating. In the book of Hebrews, the author states, "Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.". Hebrews 5:12 (CSB) is a sad expression. Probably it is time Christians must unlearn and relearn Christ, Church, and His Mission. Philip Nation states, "We have a modern church that does not reach the lost because we never discipled the found. May we see a revival of making disciples who make disciples.". The trouble today, is we are holding on to the old revival model of getting people to the local church which is obscuring the contemporary revival. If this old model is the standard, the great awakening happening in our own time is going to be a farfetched dream and we would be breeding imposters.

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