We live in a day and age in which we have access to more people and more information than ever before. That can be a blessing. It can also overwhelm at times. It can also open us up to the wrong people and wrong information. As Christians, we need to be on our guard.
First Peter 5:8 tells us Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. You and I have an enemy who seeks to deceive and mislead us. Jesus warns His people not to be deceived. Multiple places in the New Testament warn us not to be deceived. (Matthew 24:4, First Corinthians 6:9, First Corinthians 15:33, Galatians 6:7, James 1:16). When Satan lies, he is speaking his native tongue (John 8:44), and he masquerades as an angel of light, as do his evil servants (Second Corinthians 11:14).
Satan knows his audience. He knows you and I are too smart to fall for something overt. He's not going to feed you something you recognize outrightly as a lie. He will try to feed you a lie wrapped up in truth, or a truth wrapped in a lie. Just a slight misdirection. There is so much of that going around nowadays. I saw this meme of Facebook (pictured below). It was shared by a Christian friend of mine, whom I usually respect and agree with. The wording sounds very Christian, and comes off as a good challenge to the church, but the message is heresy, almost blasphemy.
We absolutely should look to Jesus' example, BUT I find many who emphasize Jesus' example are the ones least likely to actually know what Jesus stood for, what He did, and Who He really is! He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He is the Savior! The writer of the meme seems to have forgotten that Jesus said I and the Father are one. (John 10:30). The writer of this meme seems to never have read the book of Revelation, where Jesus returns as our True King and object of all worship. The writer of this meme seems to prefer the meek (and made-up) version of Jesus who tolerates everything and is basically a wimp. He (or she) didn't read Philippians 2:10-11, which clearly states that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father! I can't think of any time Jesus refused worship. There were encounters He had where he challenged someone's worship, to test them, and reveal their own heart. But He never denied His deity. He never refused worship. He preached the kingdom, not making the world a better place. We can't "transform" our world. We can make a difference in others' lives, and we should, but our purpose is to glorify God, and bring as many into the Kingdom as possible! Our focus needs to be on eternity. Second Corinthians 4:18 tells us, So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
We should compare everything to God's word, not just what sounds nice. It is our own job not to be deceived. We need to be thinking people.
I recently had an online conversation with an atheist who admitted he fears death, and hopes there is a heaven. I shared with him that he can have that assurance, but he wasn't interested unless I had 100% proof. The thing is, even if I went to Heaven and took a picture and came back and showed it to him, he wouldn't believe (A wicked and adulterous generations looks for a sign...Matthew 16:4). There is an element of faith involved, without which we can't be saved (And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6). I challenged this atheist with a few trustworthy claims of believers who have seen Heaven and been revived to tell their story (Don Piper's 90 Minutes in Heaven), and then told him the Bible promises eternal life, and went on to give what would be convincing evidence to support the claims of the Bible (archeological, historical, logical, etc.). This atheist wasn't interested in further dialogue. But the thing is, he is dismissing evidence that would lead him to the truth, and yet he accepts other things on much less evidence. He can't see how electrical currents work, yet he trusts that when he flips the switch, the light will come on. He doesn't see exactly how the vitamins he takes actually help his body, but he takes them anyway. People prove every day they are capable of faith, yet put more pressure on God than on other things they trust in, because they simply don't want to believe. If we want to know the truth, we will (You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13). Part of not being deceived or misled is having that faith in who God said He is, and what He has told us. We have to choose to believe it. The evidence gives us assurance, but we still trust by Faith!
We might wrestle with certain truths at times, and that's okay. But we must keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again on the third day. Do you struggle with some obscure passages in the Bible that seem confusing? Do you struggle with how God has allowed certain things to happen to you, or to the world in general? That's okay to struggle! But just know that these struggles don't mean Jesus didn't die on the cross and rise again! Keep those things at the forefront, and you will be able to withstand hard questions, difficult times, and heretical memes on Facebook! Remember what Jesus said in John 8:32, The truth will set you free!
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