A charlatan is a person falsely claiming to have special knowledge or skill—a wanna-be or fraud. The lead character, Professor Harold Hill, in the Broadway musical, The Music Man, falsely claimed to be a Gary Indiana schooled musician. As a traveling salesman, he sold musical instruments to children. Partially because people could so relate to the storyline, the musical was a tremendous success in the sixties. Being a charlatan has been common throughout history. A couple of examples in the Bible would be Simon, the magician (sorcerer), and the seven sons of Sceva, who was a Jewish chief priest. Charlatans have shown up in every professional field thinkable. Sadly, they are also in the religious world, which has done great harm to the name of Christ and Christianity.
If the truth is told, all of us have tried to leave a false impression of being more respectable or knowledgeable than we really are. This is frequently seen when we make ourselves appear to be ideal parents when we are not, put on a cheerful face while crying on the inside, or look successful when our possessions are all owned by the bank. It has been said, you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. Our children know our imperfections, our banker knows our debt load and our mentor knows the deep pain we carry.
Today, we also can be a charlatan about spirituality. For example, when it is politically correct, politicians present themselves as being deeply spiritual. Yet, the legislation they advocate stands in complete opposition to what God’s Word teaches. While this may be common among national politicians, it is equally common among civic leaders and churchgoers. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be genuinely spiritual, but we must be authentic and be honest about our struggles to walk out our faith.
There is no such thing as secondhand spirituality. It is not transferred from parents or friends. It can only advance in a consistent, life-giving relationship with Christ. The life and power of God’s kingdom can only grow out of passionately searching to know God’s ways, value system, character. Something indescribable happens as the Holy Spirit shapes Christ’s character within. Paul’s exceptional revelations, wisdom, and courage were birthed out of his chosen lifestyle of surrendering his rights, exercising self-control, and selfless dedication. Sceva’s sons tried to bypass all the vital building blocks that transformed Paul into the man of God he was. They had not been stoned and left for dead, beaten with whips, shipwrecked, or known hostile rejection, all of which shaped him into the man of God he was.
There is a deeply felt attachment with God that creates a mutual mindset with Him. This can be experienced only by a personal revelation of the awesomeness of God Himself. Jesus’ disciples could not do what Jesus did simply by seeing Him do things or hearing His teaching. They first had to have Jesus breathe on them (John 20:22) and later be filled with His Spirit (Acts 1:8, 2:4).
The breath-taking truth is, the eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9, NLT2). By choosing to honestly surrender yourself completely to being an apprentice of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will shape you into a modern-day man or woman of God. Imagine working hand in hand with God, doing what only He can do through you. The learning experience will last a lifetime, but the rewards are indescribably wonderful.