Actions Reflect Beliefs

I watched the History Channel's The World Wars this past week.  The series was well-done, showing the connection between World War I (which started almost exactly 100 years ago) and World War II.

This is a time of history that has always fascinated me.  I often have wondered just how a man like Adolf Hitler could rise to the level of influence he had in Germany.  The writers portrayed Hitler as a poor young artist who failed at his craft, lonely, and without direction.  When Austria entered the war, he tried to enlist, but failed, due to perceived weakness.  Desperate to belong somewhere, Hitler joined the German army, and fought in the German trenches.



This was a man without friends, without connection, and a loyalty to the machine of the German military.  After the first war ended, he found himself lost again, and desperate to find a new purpose.  He found his purpose in a secret society that hated the current German government, blaming it for the current state of poverty German was in.  His rise in Germany was one due to increased talent in speaking, propaganda sharing, and getting others to rally to the extreme nationalism of the great Germany of old.  He genuinely believed Germans were better than any others, and Germans deserved to rule the world.  He believed all others were less than human.  His tactics were increasingly dangerous, and the day he took over, he did it by assassinating all the current German leaders.

The story is compelling.  It explained how over a period of years a man like Hitler could move from anonymity into the power he held.

What is the lesson for the Church?  We need to be on the alert for people in leadership positions who claim to believe.  These are talented people, people with natural leadership traits.  But the true test for leaders is the actions that betray their core beliefs.  It doesn't matter what a person says, it matters what they do.  There is scripture that describes false prophets.

"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep

but are really vicious wolves.  You can identify them

by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.

Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes,

or figs from thistles?

A good tree produces good fruit,

and a bad tree produces bad fruit.

A good tree can't produce bad fruit,

and a bad tree can't produce good fruit.

So every tree that does not produce good fruit

is chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit,

so you can identify people by their actions."

~Matthew 7:15-20 (NLT)

You see, if we don't regard their actions, we will never understand their core beliefs.  Hitler exterminated people he found less than "German."  These actions belied a core belief that Germans were superior to all other people.

What do the actions of our leaders speak about their core beliefs?  I feel assured that our church has leaders who value people, and desperately want to see all people saved.  Their actions speak to that.

Here are deeper questions to ponder...

What do your actions say about your core beliefs?

Indeed, what do your actions say about you?