Stop Playing Church: What God Really Wants From You
In this week’s Open Arms Podcast message, Pastor Shawn Pierce continues the Journey to Salvation series with a direct and uncompromising call to authenticity. This sermon confronts the subtle but dangerous gap between outward faith and inward transformation, pressing believers to examine whether their lives truly reflect the Jesus they confess. At the center of the message is a challenge that cuts through religious noise: God has never been after performance—He has always been after the heart.
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When Faith Becomes a Mask
There is a version of Christianity that looks right on the surface. The language is correct. The behavior is polished. The routines are consistent. Yet Scripture makes it clear that none of that guarantees a surrendered heart.
It is entirely possible to know when to raise hands in worship, when to say “amen,” and even which verses to post online—while still living a completely different life from Monday through Saturday. That disconnect is not harmless. It is the birthplace of hypocrisy.
When the person who shows up on Sunday morning is not the same person who shows up at home, at work, online, or behind closed doors, something is broken. Faith becomes a role instead of a relationship. Witness turns into obstacle.
This contradiction is addressed plainly in James 3:9–10, where Scripture warns against using the same tongue to praise God and tear down people made in His image.
With the same tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
James 3:9-10
God’s Case Against Religious Performance
The message then turns to Micah 6, where God calls the mountains and foundations of the earth as witnesses—not against unbelievers, but against His own people. God recounts His faithfulness: deliverance from Egypt, redemption from slavery, provision through leaders, and protection along the journey.
The response from the people sounds spiritual on the surface. They ask what they should bring—burnt offerings, sacrifices, abundance, even their firstborn. But God cuts through the religious bargaining with a response that leaves no room for misunderstanding.
1Listen to what the Lord says:
“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
let the hills hear what you have to say.
2“Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case against his people;
he is lodging a charge against Israel.
3“My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4I brought you up out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.
5My people, remember
what Balak king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
6With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6: 1-8
God is not impressed by volume, sacrifice, or show. He is looking for justice that is lived, mercy that is practiced, and humility that is evident.
Pride Is Always the Problem
Scripture consistently points to pride as the root of separation from God. The fall of Lucifer did not begin with rebellion—it began with pride. A desire to rise above God led to a catastrophic fall.
1 Peter 5:5 reminds believers that God actively resists pride while extending grace to the humble.
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.
1 Peter 5:5
This pride is contrasted with God’s original design in Genesis 1:26, where humanity is created in God’s image and entrusted with dominion.
and God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds in the sky, and over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground
Genesis 1:26
The enemy’s jealousy was rooted in that authority. Humanity was given dominion, and the enemy was cast down into the very realm over which humanity had authority. From the beginning, the strategy has been simple: if humanity could be convinced to forget who they are, authority could be undermined.
The Battle May Be Pointing to the Calling
The struggles believers face are often not random, and they are rarely meaningless. Many of the areas where resistance feels strongest may actually be connected to gifts God has already placed within a person.
What if the fight is not about weakness at all—but about potential?
A struggle with the tongue may exist because a powerful voice has been given, and the enemy wants to keep that voice silenced or misused.
A battle with lust may be connected to a heart that was created for deep love and compassion, with the enemy working to reduce it to a counterfeit.
Ongoing fear or anxiety may be present because bold faith and courage have been placed within, and stopping that faith before it activates becomes the goal.
Anger may surface quickly when the enemy succeeds in redirecting focus toward the wrong enemy.
Envy may appear when a unique calling is being ignored in favor of comparing paths.
Pride can take hold when gifts are subtly shifted from worshiping the Giver to worshiping the gift itself.
Greed may grow where generosity was meant to flow, convincing the heart there will never be enough.
Rather than asking, “What is wrong with me?” a better question begins to emerge: What strength is the enemy terrified of?
The area under attack may be th
The Kingdom Looks Nothing Like the World
The message then turns to Matthew 5, where Jesus outlines the values of the Kingdom through the Beatitudes.
1Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
-Matthew 5
Jesus does not bless the impressive, the loud, or the self-made. He blesses the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. These qualities require surrender, not strength. Dependence, not dominance.
The Kingdom of God moves through humility.
God Chooses What the World Overlooks
This truth is reinforced in 1 Corinthians 1:18–31, where Scripture explains that God deliberately chooses what the world considers weak and foolish.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
20Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
26Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 1
God’s purpose is clear: no one stands before Him boasting in their own strength. Redemption, righteousness, holiness, and wisdom all come from Christ alone.
A Defining Question
The message ultimately presses every listener with a decision:
Is church attendance replacing surrender?
Is religious language masking real transformation?
Is Jesus being discussed—or followed?
God is not asking for more effort. He is asking for honesty. Not perfection, but obedience. Not religion, but relationship.
This is the moment to stop pretending. To remove the mask. To allow life to align with confession.
Responding to the Invitation
When conviction stirs, it is not emotional manipulation—it is the Holy Spirit inviting response. The call is not into flawless living, but into faithful obedience.
Scripture closes the argument clearly:
“Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Take Your Next Step
If this message encouraged you and you feel led to support what God is doing through Open Arms Community Church, you can give online here:
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