DAY #21: December 26, 2010

#2. The second trait of toxic religion - Hypocrisy.

You see this in toxic faith all the time. You know what hypocrisy is: you don’t do what you say you believe in. You’ve got all these rules and you push them on everybody else but you’re not keeping them yourself.

The word “hypocrisy” actually comes from two Greek works that were literally used in the old Greek plays, the tragedies. When they would have a play, often actors held many different parts. You have one guy playing many different roles in the play. He comes out on stage with one mask and says a certain monologue. Then he goes back and gets another mask and comes out and does another monologue. He goes back and gets another mask and does another monologue.

Hypocrite means you act different ways with different groups of people. It’s like you act one way at church and you act another way with guys on the golf course. You act another way with your kids. You act another way at work. You act another way in your small group. Your life is not integrated. You’ve got your life segmented, compartmentalized, and you act different ways. That’s what hypocrites do. The Bible says in Matthew 23 that the Pharisees, the toxic people, were great at hypocrisy. He said, “They don’t practice what they preach.”

#3. The third trait of toxic religion - Nitpicking

You know this one! People who love to find fault are toxic. That’s called a toxic faith. They are the folks who are always pointing out our mistakes. Always trying to get at you. Judgmental, critical of actions. Particularly critical of your words. Toxic people like to take words and twist them.

In fact the Bible says the Pharisees did this. As I read through the gospels multiple times this week, I found this sentence multiple times. “The Pharisees went out and made plans to trap Him in His words.” They’re always looking for ways to catch you – to trip you up.

Jesus never put up with this kind of nitpicking. That’s why Jesus says this in Matthew 23:24 “You strain out a gnat but you swallow a camel.” When Jesus would say things like, “Before you get the speck of sawdust out of your neighbor’s eye, you go get the telephone pole out of your eye!”

I’m sure the entire crowd who hear Jesus say these words burst into laughter. Then when Jesus said, “It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to get into heaven.” They must have been rolling in the aisles. Folks, nitpickers are toxic. Don't be one.