Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Truth. Is it worth fighting for anymore?

I know that I said my next post would be on purpose and while I still am planning to write on that, I feel that this post was needed first. It seems these days I've been lit on fire with a passion and desire for truth that I can hardly contain myself and I feel compelled to get it out in some way and so here it goes. Lately I've been wondering what is Truth anymore and do we still believe that it exist? Who is there to uphold it and to make sure that what we present and put out there is indeed Truth and not just our version of it? And for it to be Truth does it have to a denominational attachment to it? For many believer I think we would say of course there's still Truth and an absolute Truth, but then my question is how do you know and are you living it out? All I know about my faith and what I claim to believe is because I had incredible teachers, family, friends and mentors who taught me and modeled it out for me. But what about those people who do not have that? What about those people who are sitting in churches or under teachers who are giving them false truth, but they don't know that the truth isn't really truth and so they believe it and spread it around as truth to others? I don't know if it's taught or just assumed that the preacher or teacher is speaking truth at all times and that he's got to be right. I was told by my youth pastor to not just take the words of the preacher or teachers as absolute and to look things up and the meanings for everything myself. I know that preachers are human and they they are not perfect and they can make mistakes. But are we taking their words as truth and not looking things up on our own? What if they are wrong? What if they are preaching false theology, by their own knowledge or because of error? Who is there to fact check the preacher? I mean as soon as any president or congressperson gives a speech to a group of people there's immediately people fact checking what they said. What about pastor's or teachers? Who holds them accountable for what they preach in the name of Truth? Deacons or elders? Trustee's or committee's? The congregation? And what pastor or teacher is going to be receptive to somebody saying hey I don't think I agree with that? How did you come up with that and what scripture do you have to back that up? But then what happens when the pastor is just preaching based on his own agenda and twist every bit of scripture to fit what he wants it to say? Then he's using scripture and he'd show you where he got it but he'd be wrong. So then how do you deal with that and prove it? Maybe the problem is that people don't know scripture for themselves and so they can't say, hey I don't think that's really Biblical or hey your twisting that. They come to church to be told what to think without ever questioning it and thinking it through themselves. Yes I said questioning it. I'm sure some will gasp at that and think how dare I, but I dare. I think it's healthy to doubt and question what you hear and what you claim to believe and through that the real Truth will be revealed. Jer 29:12-13 talks about when you seek God with your whole heart and earnestly search for Him, He will be found by you. But you have to search and look sometimes. Would you rather know what you believe because you've fought for it and it's become a part of you or just because it was spoon fed to you? What I tend to see is people just taking whatever is told them as fact because that's easier then looking it up for themselves. Maybe that goes back to the whole apathy deal. Are people too apathetic to care that what's being taught is false truth? Would they even know the difference? And if they know and do care how do they say or do something to fix it? Can it be fixed? While I don't know what or how to say something, I do know that to sit back and keep silent makes me as guilty as the person preaching the false truth. I know that we, as a church, have the obligation and responsibility to present the real and absolute Truth and word of God. We don't get to just pick and choose what we think would get the biggest conversions or just what fits our agenda, but we have to present the entire Truth! We have to show every aspect and facet of who God is and we have to do so in a real and tangible way for people. We have to show the loving, gracious, merciful, faithful, constant, forgiving, just, wrathful and many many more sides of God! We can't just pick the ones that will get people "Saved". Psalms 51 talks about how God desires Truth in our innermost parts! Oh God make Truth my core and center and make it ooze from within me! God blot out anything that is false and a lie and replace it with Truth, YOUR TRUTH! God heal and forgive our churches for speaking anything but TRUTH! Make the people desire Truth and make them seek it out!! Help people discern Truth from lies and give them the courage to stand up if truth isn't what's presented to them!!! Raise up people, God, who will seek truth at all cost and who will accept nothing less!!! God, make our ears burn at false teachings and tune our hearts to hear and decipher truth!! God I don't want to be the only person fighting for something! I want people who think that Truth is still real and worth the fight! Rise those people up, Father please! Acts 4:20, "For we cannot help but speak about what we have seen and heard!!!" God for those who have hears truth and have seen you in a real way, we cannot help but speak about it!! Give us courage and desire to speak truth and to make Your truth known to others, especially those people who are already in the church!!!

1 comment:

  1. Cammie again.
    Well. I know we've talked about all this, but it's nice to read it. I have friends who go to a church where their pastor is younger than them. They said that it has really challenged them to examine what he says because he is so inexperienced. They said they go home each week and investigate the scriptures for themselves. Wow. What if we all did that, too?

    I think you're right on with the apathy. But, I think it's also true (as you've said either here or in conversation) that people just don't know that what they're hearing isn't true. They are ignorant. They have been taught to trust the pastor.

    Yeah, I don't really know how accountability works in an SBC church. Who holds your husband accountable? Who holds the pastor accountable? The deacons? Any leadership, for that matter?(I know you weren't talking specifically about our church. But I am.) Hmm. Yes. I want to know these answers, too.

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