A good indicator of whether or not they are genuine or counterfeit is do their actions and words line up with Jesus? Now, as I mentioned yesterday we will all sin sometimes, we are weak in the flesh and give into those desires at times, but a genuine follower of Jesus will be grieved by this stumble. They may reach out to you for help in the way of Godly counsel or ask for your prayers for strength against the temptations. A counterfeit/hypocrite Christian may appear to be good or Christ like based on their works, but their hearts betray their appearance. Oftentimes when this person stumbles they make excuses, not repentance, or do not acknowledge it all. If called out on this action instead of humbling themselves, they react in anger, sometimes throwing your own sins back into face. These statements can be backed by Matthew 7:21-23; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Timothy 3:5; and Titus 1:16.
Another indicator of a false Christian is that when things get tough, and they will, instead of running to the throne seeking the Lord through prayer, the Word, and encouragement of other Christians, they give up, Jesus talked about this in the parable of the sower, found in Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8, I am not adding the exact verse on this one because if you are checking the places I cite as references I really want to encourage you to read the whole thing and hope honestly, that you are ding that anyway, it will bless you. Of course, this behavior isn't exclusive to the counterfeit, it also appears in those who are weak in faith, which I guess some people would probably consider that counterfeit or hypocritical as well.
So, there were some indicators for you, now I want to talk about how to help that struggling Christian, the genuine follower who is battling their flesh because they want to do what pleases the Father, but keeps stumbling. If this person is like me, which they may or not be, they will probably be hanging around after service, most likely near the alter. They might in fact be knelt down in front of the alter praying. They might even have been brave enough to stand before the congregation and ask for prayer to battle their flesh. If you see this, please approach them! Praying from a distance is great and all, but they need your encouragement right now, they might even need to hear your testimony of how God saw you through. Don't assume that there's nothing you can do, sometimes just listening is enough, just having someone show they care can be a huge source of encouragement!
I guess the simplest way to say what you should do to help other followers who are struggling in their battle against the flesh is the golden rule, "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you." found in Luke 6:31 and Matthew 7:12, so think about when you are struggling in that battle. Wouldn't you love to have someone sit with you and talk and pray? Someone who understands and maybe already overcome this through Christ to build your hope and stamina during the battle? Remember we are supposed to bear each others burden, Galatians 6:2. I hope the post the last two days has helped someone, I hope if you are struggling against your flesh you will reach out to the Lord, and other believers, we are all one in Christ and must walk together building one another up, correcting, and loving each other as Christ loves us. Be blessed.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
1 John 1:5-9
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
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