Authentic is Uncommon, All Else is Noisy Clamor

Those who have been changed into a new creation by Christ hate superficial chatter about things that bring no depth to life. Every time we see something or hear something, our minds automatically turn to the principles of God, comparing them with what we saw and heard to determine if it was righteous or deceptive. Whatever it is, we are compelled to express it.

We yearn for the principles of God and the people who love His principles. We are not those who add the world's ways to the Wrod of God, but rather remove the world's ways from our thinking entirely.

Those who read God's word to find what they like, adding to it the world's thinking to fit in with those around them, design a religion according to their own desires, and being accepted by others. These are not authentic people; they are pretenders wanting to appear spiritual while still being accepted by the world.

1 Samuel 16:7 "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

 
Authentic people who love Christ are not interested in superficial chatter, one-upmanship boasting, laughing at silly jokes that are not funny just so the one telling it won't feel bad, they see through social masks, peacock displays of attitudes of arrogance. Authentic people can discern fake compliments, conversations that are ego enhancers, and small talk that irritates like nails across a blackboard.

It is the monotony of many dull questions and facts that do not feed the soul. The mechanical exchanges of superficial people sit heavily on the heart of those who wish for depth.

Those who love depth are not antisocial, but rather, they find typical social interactions lacking in nutrients that feed the mind. The Scriptures are the food for the born-again believer; we thrive on it and crave it when it is lean.

 
Most people do not think very much during conversations; they glide through them without sensible and rational evaluation, being much more mindful of the social expectation than the truth. They are watching for the signs of approval from those in the group. People exaggerate and embellish stories to impress others.

 
Everything the born-again believer sees and wonders about is interpreted in terms of the Word of God. We don't ask "what would Jesus do", we ask "How does God think." If we think right, we will do right! What Jesus did on the cross is far more important and how He thinks that leads to obedience is paramount to the Christian walk.

 
The "what would Jesus do" phrase focuses on outer acts that can be used to fool people; it is the inner heart that Christ changes that leads to authentic right actions.
The superficial appearances of things neither challenge nor edify. When in company with most people, we walk on eggshells to avoid any offense toward the hearer rather than seeking the Holy Spirit for what edifies.

 
These are the reasons most born-again believers are not party goers; they dislike gatherings that foster boasting, silly jokes, and fake smiles. Gatherings in which only superficiality is accepted and anything of depth is discouraged. After all, deep thinking about important matters ruins the whole ambiance of the party mentality.
Groupthink is intolerable for the one who follows Christ.

 
Groupthinkers will agree with everyone in the room just because they are all doing it. There is no thinking involved in this foolishness, but there is a regression of character that leads to dullness of soul.

Groupthink is laziness and often hypocritical; it is where people pretend to agree with the group to gain the favor of those in the room.

 
Groupthink squashes all authentic conversation, only allowing those in the group to express themselves if they say things others want to hear. The hypocrisy is when there are people in the room who may not agree but remain silent, allowing the group to believe something that is not true, thinking their silence is not approval. They think their silence absolves them of all responsibility toward truth.

 
The authentic person desires sincerity, even if it is messy! The truth is far more valued than pleasing people to those who love Christ.

There is no freedom of expression in secular group settings. Even in "Christian" groups now, there is quenching of the Spirit of Christ in favor of the cultural social gospel. They say freedom, but practice censorship. There is a herd mentality, and the herd tramples the truth.

 
There is a slow spiritual decay that occurs when we spend too much time in groups or with unbelievers. It is possible to regress in Spiritual growth by silencing our voice to be with those who do not love Christ.

If Christ means less to us than people, we will be more concerned about having friends than we are about what Christ thinks.

 
The truth is this: It is either Christ or people we follow, it cannot be both.

 
Authentic people are not anti-social; they are anti-pretense.

 
What a blessing when we come across an authentic believer who is full of joy, expressing themselves honestly and openly without make-believe!
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For Those Who Say God Never Disciplines His Children

Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"

Proverbs 3:11-12
"My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; / for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights."

Revelation 3:19
"Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent."

Job 5:17
"Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."

Placing our Trust in an Object is Idolatry

Recently, I witnessed someone giving pictures of a man depicting Jesus and a little statue of the same to a lovely Down syndrome child. She was so happy to have these things that she delighted in saying, "I have Jesus." My heart broke when I saw it.

 
This child was being led to believe that believing in Jesus was about idols and things you can see. Children do not need toys and idols to be able to love Jesus Christ. They can be told the stories in the Bible, allowing the Holy Spirit to reach them for Him.

I don't judge the heart of the person who gave out these idols, but I do question his spiritual immaturity when he cannot see that objects detract from the gospel.
Causing a child to believe in an object she can see will diminish her walk with Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:7
"7 For we walk by faith, not by sight."

An elderly lady many years ago told me that looking at a picture of a man depicting Christ helped her faith when she gazed upon it. I shared gently with her that the man in the picture was not Christ, but in fact was an idol that she placed her trust in rather than Christ.

 
If my husband looked longingly at picture of a woman who was not me but called her by my name, I would be offended.

 
I am convinced Christ came in a time when there was no such thing as photos because people would tend to worship the object rather than Him.
Trusting in Christ by faith, means "without seeing."

Romans 4:2-3 "…2 If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “ Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

 
Galatians 3:6
"So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Romans 1:17
"For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Romans 10:10
"For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved."

Faith is following what we cannot see, but know is true in our hearts. The lesser faith is the one that has to see something with their physical eyes. The greater faith is believing in Christ even when we cannot see Him.

Growing Together in Holiness

No person completes another person. Only Christ can complete us and make us whole again. If we seek people to validate us we will be disappointed.

 
Not only can we not be the validation for others, we cannot complete them. The best way to be helpful to those we love is to show the truth as given by Christ in the Bible and support their decision to follow Him.

Our job is to lead others to Christ and support them when they obey Him.

 
Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

 
Hebrews 10:24-25
"24 and let’s consider how to [a]encourage one another in love and good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

There is no greater help and encouragement than the words of Christ. He is called "The Word"; we can count on everything He teaches to be right and good.

 
Galatians 6:9-10
"Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith."

1 Thessalonians 5:11
"Therefore, encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing."

Philippians 2:3-4
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. / Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

1 Corinthians 10:24
"No one should seek his own good, but the good of others."

When we obey Christ and stand firmly on HIs Word that will be a help to others who are seeking Him.

Colossians 3:16
"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

There is no greater blessing than growing together in holiness.

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People are Infectious

People are infectious; they will influence those they spend the most time with, either for good or for evil. This includes us; we affect the thinking of others, too. Because righteousness is rare in our day, the greater influence over people will be attitudes that dishonor and disgust God.

 
This is why God said:

1 Corinthians 15:33 "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners."

2 Timothy 3:1-5 " 1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."

We are living in the end times when we are going to have to avoid more people because the culture as a whole is infected with bad manners and rude misinterpretations for a sense of control over others.

 
If someone's general demeanor is crass and rude, then we cannot associate with them. They will either cause us to become like them or they will silence our righteous mentality.

 
We must choose friends who love the ways of God and will walk the path we have chosen with us. The path of love for God and a desire to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Most people in our day mock at this, even gossiping against it just as those did in the days when Christ walked the earth.

 
Matthew 24:12
"Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold."

Romans 1:29-31
"They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless."

Often, these ways are so subtle and common that we miss them, thinking what God detests is normal. If we follow the culture, we will not be following Christ. If we follow Christ, the culture will despise us.

 
Even those who claim to be Christian are religious but they are not born-again. They follow the ways of cultural Christianity while denying more of God's Word than they obey.

2 Timothy 4:3
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"

If we keep company with those who are in rebellion against God's Word we will either go silent to keep the peace or we will begin to think like those who dishonor God.

 
God said, "Two cannot walk together who are not agreed. If we go silent to be liked by people, we will not honor God but will support what God hates by our censoring of the truth.

 
Being alone is far better than walking with those who hate our God and silence our Truth.