As the Apostle Paul reminds us, Satan is “the god of this world.” He has, in fact…

“…blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

In other words, he doesn’t need our help in stunting the growth of the Church.

Satan is cunning. He is deceptively adept at deploying the evils of this world – hate, pride, deceit, vengeance, etc. – in pursuit of his malevolent ends. One such evil of particular effectiveness is hypocrisy.

In today’s volatile political landscape, hypocrisy is rampant. Unfortunately, much of it stems from so-called “Christians” who profess their faith in one breath but spew hate, deceit and retribution in the next. Those yet to come to faith who witness such duplicity feel justified in their unbelief. Rather than the love, humility, mercy, truth and compassion ordained and demonstrated by our Lord Jesus, they observe a spineless political cult whose rhetoric and policies are in direct opposition to those teachings.

These “Christians” are Satan’s collaborators in turning people from Christ. They are either oblivious to or blatantly flouting the Lord’s Great Commission in which He instructs His followers to…

“…make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus instructed His followers to love their enemies, pray for those who persecute them, care for the stranger, feed the hungry, welcome the marginalized and forgive rather than seek vengeance. This is what the true Christian is to teach and to live. This is how we move the unfaithful to faith.

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

If, however, you profess your faith but celebrate vengeance, seek to humiliate those who do not see the world through your lens, or applaud political power that is exercised against the vulnerable, you are a hypocrite and a puppet of the evil one.

Keep in mind that the prophecy of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 doesn’t tell us that our treatment of the underprivileged, the hungry, the sick, the persecuted, the disabled, the widowed, the orphaned, the stranger and the humble is a secondary issue. Instead, Jesus identifies our treatment of them with our treatment of Him.

‎”Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

Who are “the least of these?” Mostly, it is those from whom SNAP benefits have been stripped, healthcare denied, or sojourners unceremoniously imprisoned without due process.

What conclusion about Christianity are people outside the Church likely to make when they see so-called “Christians” defending a political movement that is antagonistic to immigrants, the poor, the marginalized and political opponents?

Do they see Jesus…or do they see greed, pride, rage, vengeance, intolerance and political tribalism? That is, are you following Christ…or doing Satan’s work?