ARE YOU MAKIN’ IT OR FAKIN’ IT? (The Generation of Fakers)
In this age of technology with Snapchat, Facebook, and other forms of social media, it is so easy to pretend to be somebody you’re not. You can stand in front of someone else’s car and take a photo to make it appear as if it’s yours. You can go to someone’s home and take photos of yourself and put all kinds of cute hashtags or comments that would lead someone to believe this is where you live. While we can easily point our finger at the millennial generation for causing this, the fact is we have become a culture of “FAKERS” and it has affected every aspect of our lives including the church. Being a FAKER is not a new concept, in fact Jesus said “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”[
FAKERS get caught up in appearances and fitting in to the culture that they forget their first love, Jesus Christ, and they begin to behave as the world behaves. Jesus made it very simple to understand when He said “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”[2] It is when we seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first that we realize He will meet all of our needs. We shouldn’t fret or worry because God has things in control. Earlier in this chapter of Matthew Jesus tells us how we should view life. He says “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”[3]
Much like the warning Jesus gave to the teachers of the law and Pharisees, this passage tells us how we can seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first which is by paying attention to the things that are most important to our Heavenly Father. FAKERS can store up earthly treasures that will give them status and earthly admiration but MAKERS forget about the worldly things and store up their treasures in heaven. If you’re “fakin” it then more than likely you are wanting to present one image to certain people and a different image to others. Jesus makes a powerful statement when He says “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If we were to examine your spiritual heart right now, would you be classified as a FAKER or a MAKER?
Jesus made it very clear defining how we start our journey of being a MAKER. He tells us “You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[4] Being born again is often confusing because we want to look at it from the physical aspect rather than the spiritual aspect. God changes us and gives us a new life, from the inside out. We are not physically changed but spiritually changed. If we truly want to make it we have to start here or we go nowhere. “Makin it” starts with being born again; entering into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and following Him the rest of your days. Jesus told those that were following Him “if anyone wants to be my disciple they must deny themselves and pick up their cross daily and follow me.”[5] That’s how we can be truly be a MAKER versus a FAKER!
“Fakin it” prefer darkness while those “Makin’ It” prefer the light. After all, “Fakin’ it” is a lot easier in the dark because we feel less vulnerable and our flaws are not as likely to be seen. In darkness we feel as though we can do things without others seeing and we can maintain our “whitewashed” tombs while on the inside we are dark and unclean. Jesus gave a very clear description of those “Fakin It” versus those who are “Makin It.” He said “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”[6] Those “Makin It” are not condemned but those “Fakin It” are condemned already. While this most certainly applies to those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it also applies to those who profess to be a Follower of Jesus Christ but have fallen away from their first love and are living for the world.
There are many in today’s churches that are “Fakin’ It” and in fact there are entire churches that are “Fakin’ It.” Some of you are reading this and saying “WOW that sounds pretty harsh and judgmental!” Don’t take my word for it, Jesus himself said “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”[7] If someone declares that they are saved, I do not have the discernment or wisdom to say they are not. I can however watch their life and if they are not bearing fruit, I can certainly make them aware of what I am seeing is different from what they are professing. The only way of “Makin’ It” is complete and total reliance on Jesus Christ in everything we do and say. So what’s your answer, are you “FAKIN’ IT” or “MAKIN’ IT?”
[1] Matthew 23:27. All scripture used in this article is taken from the NIV translation of the Holy Bible unless otherwise noted.
[2] Matthew 6:33
[3] Matthew 6:19-21
[4] John 3:7,8
[5] Luke 9:23
[6] John 3:18-21
[7] John 15:4-6