Why do some Christians not act like Christians?

Be sure that you live in a way that brings honour to the Good News of Christ

Philippians 1.27

 

There’s a big word in the Bible for a person who says he is a Christian but doesn’t act like one, hypocrite.  It comes from the name for ancient Greek actors, who were famous for the masks they hid behind. It’s what Jesus called the religious people who acted good on the outside but were full of sin on the inside.(Mat 23.25-27) He got very angry with them, not for sinning once, twice or even many times but for pretending to be good when they weren’t. Hypocrites act the way they do because they aren’t close friends with God. 

Sometimes hypocrites say they are Christians but do unkind things to other people. When non-Christians see that, they think all Christians are fakes. Being a hypocrite is the exact opposite of what Jesus wants us to be. So don’t ever be a pretender. Be a believer who loves Jesus through and through, and show it by the way you act!

 

Name some actions that would be hypocritical for a Christian and wouldn’t honour Jesus Christ. Then pray starting with yourself, your family, your pastor and other Christian leaders, and your church, that all believers would stay away from hypocritical actions and “live in a way that brings honour to the Good News of Christ.”(Phil. 1.27)