Fake Christianity: 3 Signs of an Inauthentic FaithSample

Fake Christianity Is Motivated by Human Attention and Affirmation

In the New Testament, the Pharisees are often the target of Jesus’ rebukes and correction. As leaders of the Jewish people, they should have been living examples of authentic humility and servanthood. Instead, Jesus often warned the crowds to avoid imitating the Pharisees and scribes, who “do all their deeds to be seen by others.” Being “seen by others” isn’t just being visible; it’s being praised, admired, and affirmed by people.

The Pharisees had a performer mentality. They did a good thing in commending the believers, but they didn’t do it with a godly motive. They didn’t do it to encourage the people; they did it to garner praise from them. It was a performance.

We can easily be motivated by human attention and affirmation—not by a desire to serve God and our neighbor in humility and love.

Moment by moment, the Spirit of Christ leads us to the servant mentality and away from the performance mindset. Every day we can choose to follow His leading or oppose it. Will Real Christians always be authentic servants? No. All Real Christians are a mixture of unintentional inconsistencies, righteousness, and sometimes intentional failures. Jesus didn’t shed His blood to produce a Fake Christian world of praise-hungry performers. Rather, His Spirit creates Christ-imitating servants. Jesus saw the depths of the Pharisees’ and scribes’ hearts, and it wasn’t pretty. What does He see when He looks at yours?

Discussion Questions:

• Have you gone through a time of simply playing the role of a Christian?
• Do you agree with the statement that, thanks to social media, “everyone is a performer now”? Why or why not?

This study has been adapted from the book Fake Christianity: 10 Traps of an Inauthentic Faith (and How to Avoid Them) by Jed Coppenger. To continue learning about the ways Jesus saves us from ourselves, please consider purchasing a copy.