Perceptions and image are marketing buzzwords. Every individual has an image of the church in general or a local church in particular, unless they have never heard the word. The church does not have complete power over how it is perceived. Nevertheless, the church has a duty to God to project a good image toward the world (Titus 2:10).
Emphasising image has its down side. One can get so preoccupied with looking good that a false impression is created. Upon closer inspection an observer could be disappointed if the image is far removed from reality.
In God's communication with man he has always made demands, even in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17). These may be regarded as external requirements he placed on our behaviour. The most famous are the ten commandments, although in their case an internal requirement was added (Exodus 20:17).
Man has been quite skillful at keeping up the appearance of obeying God's commandments without internalising them. The religious leaders in Jesus' day were particularly good at this. Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables so that they found it hard to fake discipleship (Matthew 13:10-13). He required his disciples to be more righteous than the Bible teachers (Matthew 5:20), emphasising that attitude is just as important as action (Matthew 5:22,28;6:1).
One question every Christian should consider on a regular basis is: "Am I modeling my faith or faking it?". The answer may not be immediately obvious because we have deceitful hearts (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus rebuked the religious leaders because they were frauds (Matthew 15:7-9).
