We go to the florist and buy flowers to give to our sweethearts or maybe to our mothers on Mothers day. Flowers are purchased for weddings and funerals or just to keep around the house. No one can deny how beautiful they are or the joy that they give.
Autumn in my area is a wonderful sight to behold. The leaves turn deep reds, browns, oranges and yellows and if you'll travel just a bit further north, you'll see pinks, peaches, golds and purples too. However just a week later all of the color is gone. All that you are left with is the dessicated branches of the trees that will remain bare all winter.
No matter how beautiful the flowers you buy are, their beauty cannot last because the truth of the matter is that from the time they were cut, they were dying. The water that they are kept in and the food that they are fed is only a matter of life support to hold on to what was a living thing before you bought it, but really it never stood a chance.
The branch appears dead and for nearly half the year exhibits no growth at all. It is exposed to the elements and there is nothing about it to make it beautiful (Isa 53:2). However when the spring comes again it will make a glorious rebound, first budding then sprouting leaves that nourish the tree. What was dead is alive again.
Appearances can be deceiving. The flower looks so vibrant and alive while the branch looks so drab and dead. The branch however is full of potential and life while the flower is doomed to whither and rot. So are many things in our everyday lives.
The ways of the world are very attractive and they can be very pleasurable, but their end is only death (Prov 16:25). We as Christians are to involve ourselves with that which is pure and true (Phil. 4:8). God doesn't offer gratification or even justification, He offers redemption and sanctification instead.
Resist the intoxication of those things that just seem good but are not. Test what you are being offered and be sure whether or not there is any life in it. Many are those who will be taken in by something counterfeit and it is a sad thing indeed. Be ever vigilant when it comes to what is true, you do not want to be deceived (1 Pet. 5:8). Remember that He makes all things new (Rev 21:5). Only through Jesus is there any hope for life (John 20:31).
Showing posts with label deception. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deception. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Consider The Sources
If I said that the sky was green what would you think about that? At the best you'd question my eyesight and at the worst you'd question either my integrity or sanity because we all know that the sky isn't green it's blue. The blueness of the sky is a fact and a fact is defined as something that is actual [1]. This definition implies that facts can be backed up by evidence. We don't use the word fact as much as we use the word truth but they are synonymous. When we are presented with the facts, those facts can be proved.
It is not my intention to say that I need external proof in order to believe anything I hear preached from the Word. I can just hear the comparisons to Thomas now if I were to say such a thing (John 20:24-25). I am capable of taking things on faith and I also recognize the blessing that this entails. What I'm talking about in this post is actually the other side of the issue completely. Instead, what I'm referring to is when we choose to ignore proof in order to believe what we want to believe. That is another thing altogether, deception.
Truth isn't dependent on sources. Something is either true or it isn't. Truth stands completely on its own. Truth is based on facts and is able to be proved. Truth isn't subjective or mandated. Truth can't be derived from opinion. Truth simply is.
Is it not our duty to research the veracity of information that is presented and to judge it against the Bible as a perfect measure (Acts 17:11)? Are we not to live examined lives, proving Christ in us else we be counted as failures (2 Cor 13:5)? Is not a fundamental change in us that allows us to test out exactly what God's will is (Rom 12:2)? We should examine what we are presented in all aspects of life and determine the truth of it, however it seems to me that we are blindly accepting anything from a "spiritual" source and blindly rejecting anything from a "secular" source instead.
It's wrong to judge whether something is true or not based on what sources it comes from and yet I believe that there are some in our group who do exactly that. To accept anything that is said over the pulpit as truth merely because it was said over the pulpit is an example of this. I'm not implying some agenda on the part of our ministry, merely being cognizant of the fact that our ministers are men and thus fallible. Somehow though, our group has begun to equate believing everything that comes across the pulpit with proper obedience and being "in order" and to question what we are told has become labeled as rebellion.
The flip side of this coin is ignoring fact because it comes from a secular source. A good example of what I'm talking about is evidenced in what some fundamentalist Christians say about fossils. Some say that Satan planted these fossils in an effort to lead us astray while others say that God hid them in an effort to confuse worldly scientists. Why is it that some Christians go to extreme lengths to disbelieve anything that comes from a secular source?
When you judge the truth of a statement solely by the person that is making that statement or intentionally discredit the veracity of a statement based on an unrelated quality of the speaker that is called Ad Hominem. Shane Clifford and I both have written about this before and you can see what we wrote by clicking on the following links: What Shane says about Ad Hominem and what I say about Ad Hominem.
Instead of having to be spoon-fed the truth, it is our responsibility to go searching for it ourselves (2 Tim 2:15). We should desire a greater understanding of God's Word and His will for ourselves, and we shouldn't be too reliant on any external extra-biblical source, including our leadership (1 Cor 13:8-9). Instead we should be instilling the Word of God in our hearts in an ongoing effort to grow in Christ so that that understanding becomes a part of us and changes who we are (Psalms 119:11, 2 Pet 3:18, James 1:21). Isn't this some of what Paul refers to as pressing towards the mark (Phil 3:14)?
Reference:
[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fact
It is not my intention to say that I need external proof in order to believe anything I hear preached from the Word. I can just hear the comparisons to Thomas now if I were to say such a thing (John 20:24-25). I am capable of taking things on faith and I also recognize the blessing that this entails. What I'm talking about in this post is actually the other side of the issue completely. Instead, what I'm referring to is when we choose to ignore proof in order to believe what we want to believe. That is another thing altogether, deception.
Truth isn't dependent on sources. Something is either true or it isn't. Truth stands completely on its own. Truth is based on facts and is able to be proved. Truth isn't subjective or mandated. Truth can't be derived from opinion. Truth simply is.
Is it not our duty to research the veracity of information that is presented and to judge it against the Bible as a perfect measure (Acts 17:11)? Are we not to live examined lives, proving Christ in us else we be counted as failures (2 Cor 13:5)? Is not a fundamental change in us that allows us to test out exactly what God's will is (Rom 12:2)? We should examine what we are presented in all aspects of life and determine the truth of it, however it seems to me that we are blindly accepting anything from a "spiritual" source and blindly rejecting anything from a "secular" source instead.
It's wrong to judge whether something is true or not based on what sources it comes from and yet I believe that there are some in our group who do exactly that. To accept anything that is said over the pulpit as truth merely because it was said over the pulpit is an example of this. I'm not implying some agenda on the part of our ministry, merely being cognizant of the fact that our ministers are men and thus fallible. Somehow though, our group has begun to equate believing everything that comes across the pulpit with proper obedience and being "in order" and to question what we are told has become labeled as rebellion.
The flip side of this coin is ignoring fact because it comes from a secular source. A good example of what I'm talking about is evidenced in what some fundamentalist Christians say about fossils. Some say that Satan planted these fossils in an effort to lead us astray while others say that God hid them in an effort to confuse worldly scientists. Why is it that some Christians go to extreme lengths to disbelieve anything that comes from a secular source?
When you judge the truth of a statement solely by the person that is making that statement or intentionally discredit the veracity of a statement based on an unrelated quality of the speaker that is called Ad Hominem. Shane Clifford and I both have written about this before and you can see what we wrote by clicking on the following links: What Shane says about Ad Hominem and what I say about Ad Hominem.
Instead of having to be spoon-fed the truth, it is our responsibility to go searching for it ourselves (2 Tim 2:15). We should desire a greater understanding of God's Word and His will for ourselves, and we shouldn't be too reliant on any external extra-biblical source, including our leadership (1 Cor 13:8-9). Instead we should be instilling the Word of God in our hearts in an ongoing effort to grow in Christ so that that understanding becomes a part of us and changes who we are (Psalms 119:11, 2 Pet 3:18, James 1:21). Isn't this some of what Paul refers to as pressing towards the mark (Phil 3:14)?
Reference:
[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fact
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say.
I have been rather disturbed by something that has been creeping up more and more in our group over the last few years. For some reason, semantics are playing a more prevalent role and intention has been relegated to the back seat. Personally I make it a habit not to judge the intentions of others, but when what you say and what you do aren't lining up it's no longer a matter of judgment, it becomes a simple matter of observation.
I find it most harrowing that a decision can hang on the definition of one word, or rather how we choose to define that word at the moment. When being "politically correct" becomes so important it signifies that somebody is playing politics. Furthermore it seems to me at least that these people are employing misdirection, and making misleading statements in order to accomplish their goals. Personally I prefer honesty to political correctness every time.
An example of what I'm talking about happened at the Brownsville ministers meeting when the decision was made to disfellowship the Nashville church. Instead of simply saying that this is what was happening though, an attempt to soften the blow was made by calling it something else, withdrawing. Let's take a closer look at this and examine what is really happening so that we can know the truth of it. If we were going to disfellowship a church, we would stop visiting their church and attending their meetings, and we would not recognize their leadership. However keep in mind that we are not disfellowshipping this church, instead we are withdrawing, where we will stop visiting their church and attending their meetings and will not recognize their leadership. Don't let yourself be fooled, this is the exact same thing and to say that it isn't is a lie. To believe that these two things aren't the same must either mean that you are being dishonest with yourself or that you are very naive.
Even if disfellowshipping and withdrawing were two completely distinct defined procedures, if you can't see an appreciable difference in the results then they are still the same, though this is not the case here. There's a old bit of horse sense that goes something like "If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck". I ask myself why we are trying to convince ourselves that if we just say it enough or with enough conviction that that thing that's waddling down the road quacking will miraculously become something other than a duck (John 3:19). Stand up and have the guts to actually call a duck a duck, and if you are going to disfellowship a church have the fortitude of character to not be deceptive and misleading about it and actually say that what you are doing is disfellowshiping that church. If it looks like disfellowship, and sounds like disfellowship, it's disfellowship.
The one criticism that I've received over and over regarding how I handle myself in this blog is that I shouldn't name names or hold people accountable for what they say or do, especially when those people are in leadership roles, and instead should be more oblique about how I say what I say. I've been told this with the best of intentions, but in essence I am being asked to candy coat what I say, even if that means having to stretch the truth from time to time. That this desire to be deceived comes from my fellow laborers saddens me greatly. If I were to say that an unnamed brother in certain northern church which just happens to reside a mitten-shaped state may or may not have made a statement that resembles something that comes close to the truth, would that sound better than if I said that my name is Dan Dillon, and I will say what I believe is true 100% of the time and if I'm wrong, I'll be man enough to admit it and take my lumps? Is it right that I am criticized for writing the truth in a plain and simple fashion while I've yet to hear much criticism at all of those who would mislead with the words that they use?
Don't be fooled, what I'm talking about here is deception, nothing more, nothing less. When someone says that they won't do something but then does it anyway and calls it something else to hide the facts, we have a term for that: operating under false pretenses. Quit playing word games and instead speak the truth! The truth will set us free (John 8:32), but misdirection is only good if you are trying to hide something. Do you think that perhaps those who are playing these word games are secretly aware that they are handling the issues that the ministry has with Bro. Farmer in a non-Christian and unbiblical manner and are feeling guilty about it so they are hiding behind pretense? I don't know about you, but that explanation certainly seems plausible to me.
If there seems to you to be a little more passion in this post than normal, you are absolutely right. Dishonesty isn't just a pet peeve with me, I despise it and to knowingly accept dishonesty from our leadership sickens me. You see, there comes a time when you have to make a choice between doing what is acceptable and what is right. The problem is that what is right isn't always acceptable and what is acceptable isn't always right. I speak for no one other than myself in the next statement, but if I am criticized, maligned, condemned and shunned because what I say isn't acceptable and yet what I'm saying is still right, then so be it, I'll bear that onus. So I ask you, does this deception represent the leadership that we really want? Are we so happy with the comfort that deception provides that we prefer it to the truth, no matter how harsh? The only answer I can give is I hope not.
As I reread through this post I realized that the heat of my words needs to be tempered with a splash of cool water, so to close I want to remind you of one of the most blessed scriptures Paul ever wrote. "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39). Even though I am disheartened by the turmoil that seems more and more prevalent in our fellowship, I am persuaded that it could never be able to separate us from the love of God.
I find it most harrowing that a decision can hang on the definition of one word, or rather how we choose to define that word at the moment. When being "politically correct" becomes so important it signifies that somebody is playing politics. Furthermore it seems to me at least that these people are employing misdirection, and making misleading statements in order to accomplish their goals. Personally I prefer honesty to political correctness every time.
An example of what I'm talking about happened at the Brownsville ministers meeting when the decision was made to disfellowship the Nashville church. Instead of simply saying that this is what was happening though, an attempt to soften the blow was made by calling it something else, withdrawing. Let's take a closer look at this and examine what is really happening so that we can know the truth of it. If we were going to disfellowship a church, we would stop visiting their church and attending their meetings, and we would not recognize their leadership. However keep in mind that we are not disfellowshipping this church, instead we are withdrawing, where we will stop visiting their church and attending their meetings and will not recognize their leadership. Don't let yourself be fooled, this is the exact same thing and to say that it isn't is a lie. To believe that these two things aren't the same must either mean that you are being dishonest with yourself or that you are very naive.
Even if disfellowshipping and withdrawing were two completely distinct defined procedures, if you can't see an appreciable difference in the results then they are still the same, though this is not the case here. There's a old bit of horse sense that goes something like "If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck". I ask myself why we are trying to convince ourselves that if we just say it enough or with enough conviction that that thing that's waddling down the road quacking will miraculously become something other than a duck (John 3:19). Stand up and have the guts to actually call a duck a duck, and if you are going to disfellowship a church have the fortitude of character to not be deceptive and misleading about it and actually say that what you are doing is disfellowshiping that church. If it looks like disfellowship, and sounds like disfellowship, it's disfellowship.
The one criticism that I've received over and over regarding how I handle myself in this blog is that I shouldn't name names or hold people accountable for what they say or do, especially when those people are in leadership roles, and instead should be more oblique about how I say what I say. I've been told this with the best of intentions, but in essence I am being asked to candy coat what I say, even if that means having to stretch the truth from time to time. That this desire to be deceived comes from my fellow laborers saddens me greatly. If I were to say that an unnamed brother in certain northern church which just happens to reside a mitten-shaped state may or may not have made a statement that resembles something that comes close to the truth, would that sound better than if I said that my name is Dan Dillon, and I will say what I believe is true 100% of the time and if I'm wrong, I'll be man enough to admit it and take my lumps? Is it right that I am criticized for writing the truth in a plain and simple fashion while I've yet to hear much criticism at all of those who would mislead with the words that they use?
Don't be fooled, what I'm talking about here is deception, nothing more, nothing less. When someone says that they won't do something but then does it anyway and calls it something else to hide the facts, we have a term for that: operating under false pretenses. Quit playing word games and instead speak the truth! The truth will set us free (John 8:32), but misdirection is only good if you are trying to hide something. Do you think that perhaps those who are playing these word games are secretly aware that they are handling the issues that the ministry has with Bro. Farmer in a non-Christian and unbiblical manner and are feeling guilty about it so they are hiding behind pretense? I don't know about you, but that explanation certainly seems plausible to me.
If there seems to you to be a little more passion in this post than normal, you are absolutely right. Dishonesty isn't just a pet peeve with me, I despise it and to knowingly accept dishonesty from our leadership sickens me. You see, there comes a time when you have to make a choice between doing what is acceptable and what is right. The problem is that what is right isn't always acceptable and what is acceptable isn't always right. I speak for no one other than myself in the next statement, but if I am criticized, maligned, condemned and shunned because what I say isn't acceptable and yet what I'm saying is still right, then so be it, I'll bear that onus. So I ask you, does this deception represent the leadership that we really want? Are we so happy with the comfort that deception provides that we prefer it to the truth, no matter how harsh? The only answer I can give is I hope not.
As I reread through this post I realized that the heat of my words needs to be tempered with a splash of cool water, so to close I want to remind you of one of the most blessed scriptures Paul ever wrote. "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39). Even though I am disheartened by the turmoil that seems more and more prevalent in our fellowship, I am persuaded that it could never be able to separate us from the love of God.
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