Focusing On JesusWhen No One Is Watching

Most of us have little trouble being a Christian when surrounded by those who have fellowship with us in worshiping God. Many even have an easy time continuing to serve God in the workplace or in our recreation, because we know others are watching. But what about when we are alone? Is it easy to be a Christian then? Or do we struggle with a life with God when no one is watching?

Those may seem like silly questions, but for many, the failures of Christianity come not when we are faced with opportunities to affirm or deny our faith before others, but when we must stand on our faith simply alone.

Robert Turner tells the story of a preacher who called on a family (upstanding by what everyone could see) and, as he sat on the sofa, felt a magazine between the cushions. Thinking he was doing them a favor, he pulled it out and placed it on the coffee table, only to see that it was magazine! This is a classic example of someone who could do what was required to look like a Christian, but had very shallow faith when it came to the real life, one on one, relationship with Christ.

The hypocrisy of one who is unable to live up to the life he publicly professes is something that has dogged God's people for centuries. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, and a brood of vipers all in one chapter (Matt. 23) which detailed their inability to live the lives they required of others. Even today, the lame excuse many give for not serving God is that they choose not to associate with ""all those hypocrites down at the church."" While the excuse fails to justify anyone's refusal to serve God, it does prove the damage done to the cause of Christ by the hypocrite.

How does one avoid hypocrisy? What steps can be taken to keep us from becoming like the Pharisees?

First, we must cultivate a true relationship with Christ, based on a recognition of what He has done for us and a desire to please Him because of His redemption. Our salvation is based on faith in Him (Heb. 11:6), and it should cause us to want to serve Him. This relationship is built on gratitude and a belief that our faith will be rewarded. It is strengthened through careful study of His word, in which we see the faithfulness and love of God, as well as what He expects of us. His great love compels us, as we walk by faith, to have a desire to be with Him in heaven and therefore, to please Him (2 Cor. 5:6-9).

Second, having developed our relationship with Him, we must realize that the idea of a God who is only at the church building is false. This is the concept Jacob had. When he left his family because of the rift between him and Esau, he traveled a great distance, and as he rested one night, God came to him in a dream. Jacob's reaction, ""Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it""(Gen. 28:16), shows the shallow nature of a faith which confines God to a box where we worship. God is omnipresent, and because of that fact, we cannot leave Him when we are alone. There are secrets we can keep from everyone we know, even those closest to us, but there are no secrets with God. He knows our innermost thoughts, and the things we would like to hide (Heb. 4:12-13). This realization will cause us to understand that being a Christian is a full-time commitment, without a place we can go to hide from God.

Finally, we need to understand what a blessing it is to have Jesus who is with us even when we are alone. At our lowest ebb, deserted by all others, we can turn to Jesus who cares for us. He is active in our world, and not just on ""a big level"" but also in our individual lives we can see the hand and help of Christ. That truth will help us to live our Christianity even when no one is watching.