| But when I saw that they walked not uprightly
according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them
all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not
as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
—Galatians 2:14
When you are around other believers, do you find yourself pretending
that everything is fine when you are actually hurting and broken? Do
you do it because you are afraid of what they would think if you were
honest about it? The truth is that we may put up a wonderful external
façade when we are hurting, suffering, and sin-filled.
Jesus never had a problem with a hurting and broken person or even
with a sinner who was honest, but He had all kinds of problems with
hypocrites. Hypocrisy is defined as "pretending to be what one is not." The New Testament meaning of hypocrisy and hypocrite reflects their use in the Greek theater—a hypocrite wore a mask and played a part on the stage.
It amazes me how we have made the church a museum of saints and have
forgotten our true mission. The church is supposed to be a hospital
where the wounded and weak can come in and receive strength,
restoration, and healing. In the church, we need to allow people to be
open and transparent so they can lay down their masks and be real
before God and other people. God wants to deal with you, the real you! He wants to know the you that wrestles with secret issues of the heart. The you behind the fake smile.
God wants to make you whole. He doesn't want to put a bandage on a
broken arm. He wants to reset the bone so there can be proper healing
in your life. But for God to minister to us properly, we have to take
off our masks and reveal our needs.
God's Word tells us that there's only one thing that fills us on the inside: knowing the love of Jesus Christ. Knowing
refers to an intimate relationship—not just "know about" something with
head knowledge, but to know from close personal experience. That is
what allows a person to "be filled with all the fulness of God"
(Ephesians 3:19).
It isn't position or fame or money or beauty or education or a
spouse that fulfills us. As long as you are focusing on the externals
of your life, you will not get to the root of the problem. You must
examine yourself within and begin to discover the greatness that God
has deposited in you (2 Corinthians 4:7). The treasure in you is filled
with possibilities and potentialities. When you begin to bring forth
the treasure that God has put in you, your entire life begins to
change. | 
