Being Real, not Fake

Welcome again today to the kitchen devotional that I do every day called Why I'm Not Afraid. And today I'm going to throw Michael under the bus. Now you'll understand this in just a moment. Now Michael knows I'm going to throw him under the bus and he's actually given me permission to do this. He's a beloved son in the faith and I really, really love this young man. He's our director of operations here at Times Square Church and he called me and said, Pastor Carter, when you do these devotionals you should change your sweater, change your top so that people get the impression that you're not doing it all on the same day. And so I said to him, well Michael, if I do that I'm here bearing witness to the truth and if I'm propagating a fraud to the people and yet standing here or sitting here saying I'm bearing witness to the truth that will set you free, how do you jive one with the other? Aren't we supposed to be just a people of truth? And so why does it really matter if I do all three devotionals at the same time in my kitchen and we span them out over three days? Why do I need to create an illusion that somehow I'm doing this at different days and different times? It just doesn't make any sense to me. If we're going to be a people of truth we have to be a people of truth because our witness says you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. So now my question to you who are listening today is is your witness a truthful one? Do you change your appearance in a sense when you go to church and try to give the illusion that you are living in another time or place than you really are or you're a different kind of person than you are? Or are you willing just to be real and just to say hey this it is what it is. I'm growing in grace and I'm believing for God to change me but I'm not going to try to be what I'm not and I'm going to trust that God's going to make me into what I need to be. And even in my ordinariness and my plainness I believe that God somehow is going to take it and make a difference in somebody's life who's listening to the words that he gives me to speak. You see we bear witness to a kingdom of truth. Years ago I went to Nigeria for a big huge city-wide crusade and the leaders of the church of that country were told that only I was coming. David Wilkerson was not coming with me. Yet they went ahead and they put billboards up all over the country all over the major cities and they advertised that David Wilkerson and Carter Conner were coming. When I asked them why they were doing that they said well it garners that we're going to get a bigger crowd and I said but you know that's not true. You knew that David Wilkerson was not coming and they said well it's going to give us a bigger crowd and we'll find some excuse. And the irony of it all is the whole crusade was called only the truth will set you free. I mean it's just amazing how we can live in such duplicity and then wonder why we have no power in our community. Wonder why our cities are falling apart. Wonder why our witness has has no divine power behind it. It's really time for you and I not just to embrace the truth but to walk in the truth and just be real. Just be who we are. So here I am this is my third devotional today in the same sweater that I was wearing for the previous two. I hope it's good enough for you because it's the truth that sets you free. Love you so much. See you again. May not be tomorrow maybe later today but you'll see it tomorrow. Love you. God bless you.