Locations & Times

Does your reputation reflect your spiritual reality? When nobody is watching, is your faith as strong as your public appearance seems to portray?

We may not like to admit it, but our appearance means a lot to us. We spend a lot of time curating perfect posts, saying just the right things, and acting like we have it all put together.

But what happens when the reality of life hits us square in the face? When we lose the job, when death strikes, when people betray us, and when we come face to face with unexpected hardships, how do we respond? Can we endure without breaking? Is our faith really as strong as we make it appear to be?

We see the importance of having an authentic faith through the examples of two churches: The Church of Sardis and The Church of Philadelphia. The text in Revelation 3 demonstrates one church having the appearance of solid faith but was spiritually dead inside. While the other church lives their faith authentically but was weak in nature. The first church needed to wake up to the reality of their sin, while the other needed to remain firm in their authentic faith even when battling other hardships. Together, they remind us that Jesus is less concerned with appearances and more concerned with faithful dependence on Him.

It’s a lesson many of us need to be reminded of often. Because we live in a time where social media is the currency of relationships, our appearance is on display more than ever before. Whether we accept this truth or not, we all want to be liked, followed, and seen as someone who is respected, loved, desired and accepted. At times, we can make ourselves, and our faith life, look more elevated than what our reality is. It’s the highlight reel. The happy, smiling pictures of the family vacation. Showing off all the fun activities and things we are part of. Very seldom do people see the hard days. The disappointing moments. The arguments with our children. Or how broken our marriage actually is.

It’s understandable that not everyone is invited into those intimate spaces of our lives where the hard moments are on display. But what I want to draw our attention to is the greater message here: our hearts should align with the appearance of our lives.

Luke 6:45 tells us, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

How we live, and the way we appear to others, is a direct reflection of the posture and condition of our hearts. Yes, some of us are pretty good at making it look like we have a faith that could move mountains. But as we’ve seen with the church of Sardis, the Lord knew the posture of their hearts. And He knows ours.

If we are more concerned with our appearance as followers of Jesus, yet our hearts do not long for Him, then we are simply just actors in front of a green screen, displaying an image that isn’t real. If we want our Christian faith to outwardly express the image of Jesus, then our hearts are where it begins.

Think about who and what you worship daily. How is your prayer life and your personal time in God’s Word? Does every life circumstance, good or bad, reveal your dependance on Jesus? Have you entrusted your deepest fears and greatest burdens over to Him fully?

It's my hope that we, as the church of Flatirons, would hear the same words Jesus spoke to the church in Philadelphia, “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” (Revelation 3: 10-11)

In the difficult seasons of life, we can be encouraged to hold fast, remain faithful, and to carry patient endurance. Lest we get caught up in the appearance trap that pulls us away from having an authentic intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father who desires a life of abundance alongside Him.

If this encouraged you, check out more articles from our Flatirons Spiritual Formation Team for practical tools, encouragement, and ways to grow in your faith and leadership. Click here.