When we come to Jesus, He helps us to become real with ourselves and with Him. However, sometimes after we’re saved, we begin acting again. This time to impress other Christians or trying to act more mature than we really are. Jesus had some things to say about this.
“When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out. Matthew 6:2-4 (Message)
Jesus tells us not to make a show out of prayer or try to be impressive with our giving. It is important to fight the carnal nature and not to allow it to get any glory in prayer or in giving to others. Those things are not meant to elevate our status or value. They are meant to please God and bless those in need. Jesus is not impressed with actors!
“I’m not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God’s love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God? John 5:41-44 (Message)
The above passage gives us two important insights when it come to acting. Some people tend to gravitate towards those who are boastful and who have a sense of self-importance, and some of these same individuals tend to jockey for a position. Those with a need for self-importance are drawn to to people like themselves, which continues to feed their desire for self-importance . On the contrary, Jesus came in gentleness and meekness and did not seek the approval of the crowd. Those who seek self-importance are in dire need of crowd approval because their importance is based on their approval.
Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong. Romans 14:22-23 (Message)
Apostle Paul is telling Christians to pay attention to their own lives and try to live as consistently as possible. Make sure you are not acting and trying to look better than you really are. He also tells us to mind our own business and stop trying to impose our convictions on other Christians.
When we try to meddle in other people’s lives, we are distracted and tempted. We get out of line, and we become critical, judgmental, and inconsistent in our walk. If we are successful in our walk with God, praise God! However, this doesn’t mean we impose our views on other Christians. That is religious and oppressive. We are not called to be the voice of the Holy Spirit in other people’s lives. The Holy Spirit does a great job of convicting and correcting people if they are listening. If they need advice, they will seek it and we can gladly help them and direct them to the word of God!
The above three passages give us insight on some areas that we can be acting like a spiritual person. Let’s trust God that He knows how to speak to other people. Let’s also be content to be pleasing to the Lord without seeking to be impressive!