Truth, Ignorance, Deception

Does God exist? Are there multiple gods? Is man his own god? These questions have drawn lines across the world. These questions affect not only relationships between people, but those between people and their governments. Under some governments, certain religions are forbidden and persecuted, while others are promoted or enforced. In the United States, a government founded on Christian principles and a trust in God, the government is increasingly allowing persecution of all forms of Christianity while enabling the progression of Islam. This is quite ironic considering adherents of Islam have been actively engaging in terrorist actions against the United States. Additionally, the government has been taking steps to suppress freedom of speech regarding Christianity, while encouraging atheistic religions such as evolution and humanism. The frustration that exists with all of these entities is each is operating by a set of values that they believe is established in truth. They each view the other entities as either ignorant or operating in a deceptive manner to bring others under the umbrella of their perceived truth. Coming from a Biblical approach, the viewpoint given in this article regarding truth is that the Word of God, the Bible, is truth.

John 17:17 – Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Pontius Pilate, a Roman official, during the time of Jesus Christ, stated “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Though subject to much and continued criticism, it is the Christian’s conviction that the Word of God is inerrant and truth. Geography, history, physics, geology, astronomy, meteorology, oceanography, are all affirmed as the Bible has recorded their occurrences and processes and modern day man has later discovered them. No other recording has accomplished this. Recorded over fourteen hundred years by numerous authors in differing locations, the Bible is unique from any other book the world has known. It is documented by more manuscripts than any publication every written, dwarfing the closest competitor by multi thousands. Its words of prophecy have been validated over the course of time without error. Confirmed in the first century with miracles, its confirmation now comes from its own inspired words. This is why men hold it as truth and put it up as a standard against other such claims. This is why man has been told to share the Words of God through preaching. Let people decide if the Bible is true based on what the Bible presents (I Corinthians 1:21). Were there men and women of old who tried to add to the words of the Bible with their falseness? Yes. Are there folks of the modern era who have attempted the same? Yes. The Bible has shown their teachings, writings, and prophecies to be false. It has stood on its own since its completion in the first century. It has stood true since the first word was penned long before the first century.

Psalms 119:160 – Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

So if everyone holds to perceived truths, why are the truths not the same? The answer is twofold: Ignorance and deception.

Ignorance can come about in two different ways. It can exist because there has not been opportunity to gather knowledge or it can exist because it has been chosen. A child may be ignorant of traffic laws because they have never been exposed to them before. In the same manner, a person may yet be ignorant of God’s truths because they have yet to be exposed to them. However, the truths will become evident for God has prompted all men to realize his existence through creation (Romans 1:20). It is at this point they will choose to seek God or not. If they seek Him, they will find Him (Matthew 7:7). God will give them time to find Him (2 Peter 3:9).

Ignorance is not always a matter of not having the opportunity to yet know. Ignorance can also be a choice a man makes (Proverbs 23:9). A man may decide when confronted with the idea that there is a God who demands obedience from him that he does not want to know that God. Consequently, he closes his mind toward any teachings regarding God. He chooses rather to hold other aspects of life as truths regardless of whether they are factual, consistent, or verifiable. Ignorance is also chosen in religion when someone gains partial knowledge, agrees with it, and follows portions of it, yet fails to continue to grow in and walk in the full belief he has accepted (Matthew 7:26). There are a great number of men and women in all religions who fall into this category. It is a type of spiritual laziness. It results in a person being in a religion which is false their whole life, because they choose to be ignorant to the remainder of the truth they have accepted. There are not only a great number of well meaning Christians in this group, but a large number of well meaning ministers as well. They choose to be ignorant of certain aspects of their religion because it might mean lesser numbers would gather, it might cause conflict, it might bring in less money to fund their efforts, or it might mean a loss of power. The world which they have chosen as their god, has blinded them. God does not leave an excuse for such behavior today and has given them opportunity to change:

Acts 17:30 – And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 – But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

This brings in the next aspect to be examined in regard to why the same truths are not held by all: deception. If someone is teaching falsely and it is not because of ignorance, they are doing it to deceive. To be clear, many entities are not above deceiving others in order to gain their adherence to their perceived truth. Nor do they all deceive to destroy. Many people deceive because they believe in their perceived truth. For example, consider the Global warming advocates. There have been many instances exposed in which data was altered, suppressed, or created erroneously to support claims being made. These activities were willingly engaged in to sway people to their umbrella of perceived truth. Do a great number of them believe in what they are doing? Yes. However, to strengthen the attraction to their beliefs they go beyond being honest.

Romans 16:17-18 – Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

There are many change agents today who are teaching postmodern doctrines, those which are “cutting edge” so that they can draw more people to them. This is the attraction of community churches. They believe they are doing right. They use bells and whistles to influence those who do not know God or those who rely on their emotions rather than truth. Yet, God said it is to be the power of the Gospel preached that should draw men. Teachers who stray beyond piercing the heart of man with the gospel preached deceive those that assemble. Such preachers have become ear ticklers.

2 Timothy 4:3 – For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.

A second branch of deceivers deceives to destroy. Men such as these know what the scriptures say, but purposely distort the gospel. Some of the atheist religion fall into this category. They claim “discrepancies” in scripture when they know their own arguments to be false. Atheists are not alone in their deceptions; even some in Christian assemblies attempt to destroy other Christian assemblies through deceit. One of the most ridiculous internet claims ever published is from a Baptist preacher who has a so called list of items a “Church of Christ Preacher” cannot answer. Of course the distorted list is simply refuted and has been for a great long time, but the claim is still made. It is a pitiful deception to those seeking Christ. It is much better to say “Here is what this body believes and here is what the Bible says” and then let the person take a Bible and decide. Regardless of the Christian faith held, ministers have dealt with such questions and are typically not without answer, correct or not. Where the truth is ultimately discovered is when men sit down together with scripture and earnestly seek using the full breadth of the Bible and not a single (often out of context) verse for an answer. This is a far better approach to combating a belief than making false claims in hopes that it will turn folks away from it. Sitting down and doing so takes love and patience which a deceiver will rarely extend if at all.

Acts 17:11 – Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.

2 Timothy 2:15 – Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.

Ignorance and deception have long been enemies of the truth. They will stand toe to toe with the truth until the end of all things. Men choosing these paths are more than enemies of the truth, they are enemies of God. Their battling against the truth, based on their own love of the world, is like a man trying to hold back the ocean. Their efforts ultimately will fail. God’s truths cannot be suppressed. Ignorance and deception will fall by the wayside while truth will continue forward eternally.

Isaiah 40:8 – The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

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Heavenly Father

Dear Heavenly Father:

Words cannot describe my feelings of gratitude and love for You. You have given me all that I have, and You have seen to it that nothing I needed was held back from me. You gave me life; You gave me of your time and You even gave to me that which was most precious of Yours. You made sacrifice after sacrifice for me, not out of a sense of obligation, but because You loved me and wanted for me to have the best.

I thank you Father, for Your love and Your care for me, even though at times I was grossly undeserving of it, and rarely loved You in return. I turned my back on You and did not appreciate Your sacrifices, or Your love. But You, Dear Father, never gave up on me. You put up with all the abuse You received from me and You were patient while I was in open defiance and rebellion against You and Your teachings. But now, Dear Father, through Your careful, patient and tender-loving care of me and through Your teachings, You have changed my life and shown me how me to become a child worthy of You. I therefore pray, that one day, I will become the kind of man that You would be proud to have as a son.

Dear Father, You have completely forgiven me of all that I have done against You and even built for me a place in Your house. You have received me back into Your life and blessed me once more with a family and a brotherhood. Father, surrounded by the evidence of Your love, I stand amazed that You have chosen to do all this for such a undeserving and unworthy child as I am. I hope and pray, Dear Father that I will never forget, nor take for granted Your love and concern for me; that I will always be mindful of You and that I will be ever grateful for Your wonderful expression of paternal loving-kindness toward me.

Finally, Dear Father, I pray that I can be the kind of father to my children that You would have me to be and that they will come to know You and to love You as I do. I pray that they will come to a knowledge of, and understanding of Your Word; that they can truly be in fellowship with You and know You as I do. Dear Lord, You have given so much to me and I pray that I will give myself wholly to You and that I will never again forsake You. Father, I love You with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind. I pray that my worship this Father’s Day will be to you a sweet savor and that it will be done in spirit, as well as in truth. Dear Father, as I close this letter, I want you to know that I will dedicate each and every day of my life to You and that truly every day, to me, will be Father’s Day.

In Love and Awe of You,

Your Humble and Obedient Child

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Now and Then

Now and Then

It is a familiar answer to a question asked about the frequency of an event, “ Now and then. ”

Like someone asking, “How often does John eat pizza?”  “Now and then.” Okay, bad example, because in this case it is “All the time.”  Because the phrase means occasionally, from time to time, every once in a while.

But the faithful Christian thinks of these two words in a very different sense. Or we should. Spiritually our focus is not on the present but on the future. Not, “ now and then, ” on the contrary, “now but then.” Paul says, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Sometimes this is difficult because we live in the “here and now.” But the word of God gives us some things to think on that will help us to keep our eyes on the “Then.”

Now our vision is defective; then is will be perfect. It bothers me that I no longer have 20/20 vision. I used to brag about my good eyesight, but now I am occupied with where I put my glasses (oh, they are on my head). Or I have to put little lenses on my eyeballs so I can see to play golf or ride my motorcycle. Whether they be minor inconveniences of the flesh or major trials to our faith Paul says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). We cannot and will not understand it all now in this life, but it will all be crystal clear then.

Now our bodies are subject to age and decay; then they will be incorruptible. It’s not just the eyes that go bad! Everything else declines as well. My sweet daughter reminded me of this the other night when she said, “You’re not a young man any more” (Thanks sweetheart, I love you too!). Our bodies decay, they are corruptible. But Paul also said, “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Now we are decaying, but then we shall be immortal!

Now sadness and trouble are frequent struggles; then we shall have joy untold. “Grown men don’t cry!” Right! I’m thinking of a few right now, and so are you. This life is filled with sorrows and troubles. But when Jesus comes again those who are watching and waiting for Him to come will be filled with such joy that we will never sorrow again. The Psalmist wrote, “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Now we sorrow and cry, but then we will never cry again!

Now sin brings death, then we shall have everlasting life. “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). I hate death and the separation and sorrow it causes. This past week mark one year since my mother passed away. I talked to a friend last night who informed me of the passing of a dear brother in Christ. Bill was a friend of preachers and a man who encouraged me greatly. He will be missed here. Many have lost loved ones this past year and we will continue to be plagued by death until Jesus comes again. Now we die, but then we shall live forever!

The sad truth is far too many people live for the here and now (YOLO)! What we need to be doing now is preparing for then. Repent of your sins (Luke 13:3, 5); confess Jesus as the only begotten Son of God (Romans 10:9–10); Be immersed in water for the remission of your sins (Acts 22:16); and be faithful living not for the here and now, but living now for then.

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The Need for Vision

Of course, many people misunderstand what James declares in James 4:13-16. James is not condemning the act of making plans, setting goals or exercising vision; he is condemning the practice of those who do so without any regards for the will of God (James 4:15), realizing that plans, goals and even vision may change. By principle and example, the Bible teaches that exhibiting vision is a positive trait of leadership.

Just as Nehemiah demonstrates, we need to be able to use vision in looking ahead. We cannot ignore the condition of the world around us; neither can we ignore the condition of the church at present! The church must have vision! The church always goes forward when men are in front dreaming dreams. As someone said, “The whole world follows the man who knows where he is going.” The inspired wise man said, “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint” (Prov. 29:18). Is the world wiser than the children of God are when it comes to vision? If science, business and medicine use vision, where is our planning for the future of the eternal souls in the kingdom of God? Where is the congregation who has the faith to plan and the knowledge to know where it is going? Where is the congregation with a printed plan for the next year, the next decade or even the next generation? So often, we are our own worst enemies! Too many congregations are not even keeping up. They barely know what is going on around them today, much less looking for greater achievements. As one has stated, “The greatest shadows of life are caused by standing in our own sunshine.” Robert DeVos, founder and president of Amway Corporation, said that every organization, whether it is business, government, school or church, goes through four stages in its existence:

  • Stage #1 is the building stage—from nothing, we build something.
  • Stage #2 is the management stage—many elders bog themselves down in management with little accomplished.
  • Stage #3 is the defensive stage—deficiencies lead to excuses and failures, and non-growth leads to alibis.
  • Stage #4 is the blame stage—“Who is to blame?” This is where congregations fire the preacher to attribute blame. Problems are not solved, but congregations rationalize that a new man can turn things around, but this rarely happens because the root of the problem is not the preacher.

Therefore, Mr. DeVos concludes, “The solution is simple—we must move back into the building stage.”

We ought to have three areas of vision. The first is our purpose statement—our reason for existence: involving every member in service to Christ utilizing his or her respective talents, creating an exciting Bible school program, challenging youth ministry, effective evangelism program, broad world mission program, develop a heart of compassion for the poor and needy, building great homes within the families and create a sense of belonging and fellowship. The second part that captures the heart and service of the church is the short-range goals: number of baptisms and total responses for the year, specific goals for missions, Bible school drives, need for additional space for growth, additional staff workers and such like. The third part is the goals for the next decade of work: size of congregation in ten years, kind of youth ministry ahead, kind of Bible school ahead, number of missionaries in ten years, specialized ministries for aged, singles and such like.

Consider Amram and Jochebed, the parents of Moses. The Hebrew writer wrote of them, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment” (Heb. 11:23). They looked at Moses and knew there was something special about this baby. In other words, the parents of Moses had vision. Their faith set out to see that Moses became what God wanted him to be, and their vision prompted them to act accordingly (cf. James 2:17). They not only saw by faith, but they did something about it. It is one thing to have and see vision, but it is another thing to go out and act upon it. They did not rationalize, “Oh well, God will take care of our little baby.” Notice that they did not practice fatalism: “Whatever will be, will be.” Neither did they practice fanaticism: “Let us throw our baby into the Nile, and see if he can swim.” Rather, they exercised proper vision and acted accordingly. If not, then Pharaoh would have killed baby Moses just like all the other Hebrew baby boys.

Let us consider one more important point—we need to have vision to be able to steer clear of the dangers that lie ahead. The Bible describes the children of Issachar as “men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chron. 12:32). Unfortunately, Christians who lack vision fail to have an “understanding of the times” and are caught unawares in the dangers that Satan puts before us. Christians need to have vision to steer clear of the effects of denominationalism on the church. We ought to see ahead at what the ecumenical spirit may do in the church of our Lord and be ready to reprove such when necessary (cf. 2 Tim. 4:1-4). Christians need to have vision to steer clear of the effects of psychology and sociology on the church, knowing the futility in humanistic thinking (cf. 1 John 2:15-17). Christians need to have vision to steer clear of the effects of the entertainment industry, and what it is doing to religion today. Christians need to have vision to steer clear of the effects of atheism (Psa. 14:1). Christians need to have vision to steer clear of the effects of the world and its measure of success (cf. Luke 12:15; Rev. 3:17). Leaders of the church need to have vision, and will fix their gaze on the word of God and the Lord Himself as they make plans for the future. Praise God, the future of God’s people is bright!

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Visitors

Church Building Evangelism

I remember seeing a sign posted so all those leaving the building could see it. It said something like, “Evangelism begins as you leave this building and extends to all the world.” There is no question that His words, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” and “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15) cause our eyes to look places far removed from where we are. May I suggest that evangelism starts as we leave worship, but actually can begin long before we depart?

Not everyone can conduct a complete Bible study with others, but there are five vital things that every member can do which can open the doors for the teaching of the lost. How many of these are part of your life?

We all can welcome visitors. There is no way to over emphasize the importance of the first impressions made on those who visit our services. From the moment you exit your car, start looking for those you do not know. That friendly word spoken to them as they walk toward our building will never be forgotten. Do not be concerned that the person you greet might be a member you have not met; go ahead and greet them. If they are members, your life will be enriched!

We all can “pass visitors on” to others. Here’s the idea behind “passing visitors on” to others. Tell them about the classes we have or bring them to our greeters. Then, if you find out where they work, where they were born or where they now live, use this information and introduce them to someone with similar interests! The point is, do not just walk away from them.  Get other members involved in their lives.

We all can write to visitors. The addresses of our visitors are available on Sunday nights, and the opportunity is given to write to visitors every week. Write them a brief note, remind them who you are and encourage them to come again. Of course, you can write all visitors, but those you meet will remember you.

We all can tell others about visitors. We must do all we can to reach those who reach out to us. Tell the elders, preachers or secretaries who you met and what you learned about them. This helps so much in following up on those who come our way.

We all can look for visitors to come again. When you meet visitors in the parking lot, those who happen to sit next to you, or those who were passed on to you, be on the lookout for them at other services. First impressions are so important, but the “second greeting” from you can have an even greater impact. So, let us all begin evangelism long before we leave the building!

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