I complain about Christians often. I attack their beliefs, their practices, and their politics. Why?

I go after Christians because they're lying hypocrites. They claim to be followers of the Christ but they don't obey His commands--they rarely even make an effort. They claim to submit to the Father, notably as He's revealed in His Word, yet they don't. Christians hold themselves up to be morally superior to unbelievers, but they are all but indistinguishable from the damned they scorn. They sicken me. They cheapen the faith. They spit in the face of God and then deny it, duplicitously claiming to love Him.

I can count on one hand the number of Christians I know who make even an ounce of earnest effort to live obedient lives. I would suggest the rest merely fold when the going gets tough, but no, they fold before they even get going. A thousand tests a day, and they fail them all. Oh, sure, in the rare chance a big test comes along, they may just barely pass, adding to their testimony a story of "great success". Most lying Christians have no clue of their own hypocrisy. They've managed to lie to themselves first and best.

How does the church clean up its act when it doesn't even [want to] recognize its own sins? Point them out, and not only will numerous layers of defense mechanisms be brought out in force, but the accusations of "holier than thou" will be brought to bear on the truth-teller. I believe the only viable solution is the same one used to build the church in the first century. No, it's not by getting more people to go to church on Sundays.

The church was built and must be rebuilt by one-on-one and one-on-few mentoring and discipleship. No corporate program can reproduce genuine discipleship. As Jesus discipled His three and twelve, and as Paul mentored his friends and helpers, so mature believers today must lead others back to the Word of God. This is done first by example and second by instruction, the latter being a very significant investment in the lives of others.

In an age of profound arrogance, mentoring relationships are largely an ancient artifact. Finding qualified mentors is nigh impossible. It's okay, though, because finding disciples is similarly difficult. Woe to the apostate church!