“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matt 7:22-23:KJV)

My heart is burdened today over a crafty and scheming hidden sin that is affecting our world, our nation, and our cities. It is called superficial Christianity. I hate to say it, but even our churches are plagued with this problem. I thank God for those who attend worship services, but the problem in the world on Sunday morning is that our churches are full of empty people--people without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and savior.

When you study the Scriptures, ask yourself honestly and sincerely, “Do I truly know the power of the cross of Jesus Christ in my life? Am I a superficial Christian or a supernatural Christian?” Many Christians today will say they have special qualities in their lives: eagerness, humility, discernment, spiritual interest, and moral purity. The self-power of all five will get you everywhere in the world, your neighbor will love you, your pastor may even give you positions in your church, your boss also may give you a raise, but these qualities won’t move you an inch closer to knowing the power of Christ’s cross or any nearer to living Authentic Christianity.

We have a generation of people today who are baptized pagans, members of our churches who have never understood the absolute holiness of God. They join the church thinking they’re doing God a favor. They call Him “good master,” but they never intend to look at the matchless character of God. They see good even in themselves. And this causes them to underestimate what the word “good” means when describing God. No one is ever truly saved until he or she understands the infinite goodness of God’s work at the cross. The first mark on your road to Authentic Christianity is an excellent attitude of godliness in your life.

Now, if you want to be a person of integrity, you must begin down deep within. With your attitude. It’s so easy to mask our lives and look as though our attitude is good when in reality it isn’t. One of the first places it shows up is in the realm of our work in essential things like conviction about the absolute holy character of God, obedience to the greatest commandments of God on love, conversion to God in repentance and faith, and commitment to God.

Here is how you can find out whether you are an Authentic Christian. “Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets.”(Matt22:35-40:KJV).

Take the time to examine the motivation of your heart and not just the fruit of your labors. Anyone can put on a good outward appearance. As Christians, we need to know that we are capable of fooling others and ourselves. Let me ask you these questions. Do you understand what happens on the cross of Jesus Christ? Have you seen the absolute holiness of God? Have you let go of the things of this world and honestly and sincerely surrendered your life to Jesus Christ through faith?