For it is by grace you have been saved...

Monday, August 3, 2015

Uh-Oh The Real Truth is Comin' Out

That's right, I just titled this with hip hop lyrics from an old Flame cd.  But I feel like it's pretty appropriate.  Part of that song goes on to say:

The media's lying the T.V. is lying, and guarantee the streets ain't telling the truth
So what you want me to do?
But point to the Bible for more than survival
But God's word that be speakin' to you, they God breathe its true


OK, get past the loose grammar of the hip hop and consider the “truth” part.  If nothing else has been learned in the last few weeks, with all the revelations coming out about Planned Parenthood, it's that none of them have been telling the truth.  In fact, we're now told that 8-10 more videos might be coming out soon.  Sadly, our President's administration has responded by opening an investigation, not into PP, but into the group exposing them.  Uh-oh, the real truth is comin' out.

But before we get too excited about this (though we should be excited, no, outraged as this fine article says); let's turn those eyes of truth back toward ourselves and ask if we are ready for the truth to come out.  What does that mean, you ask?  Simply this.

When it's the enemy's dark side coming out, we all scream for the “truth.”  We want all the dirty details to come out.  We want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  But do we hold ourselves to the same standard?

I can hear the protests:  But we're not selling baby parts!  No, we're not.  But the truth of Scripture is that your heart is just as black in its natural state as those who are.  Uh-oh, the real truth is comin' out!  We don't like that kind of truth, do we?  But all of God's Word is breathed true, including the truth of the sinfulness of our hearts. 

We say we want the truth, but we often don't hold ourselves up to the standard of truth set forth in God's Word.  We like the convenient truths that make us feel better about ourselves.  We like the truths that make those we dislike look worse.  But truth is a double edged sword, cutting both ways.  If we want to stand for “truth”, then we need to look to God's Word and stand for ALL of it. 

Too many in the church are falling for false teachings, half truths, worldly ideas.  That issue needs to be addressed as much, if not more so, than the horrors of PP.  As Flame also says in that song:

See it's a war and I done stepped into it
And I'm on the team of the rescue unit
For the following people..
1. Ones who caught up in false doctrine
2. Non-believers ignoring the sin problem
3. And new saints, so while my mic is on
All I've got is the truth and a warning
WARNING


Indeed, all we have is the truth.  The truth of God's Word.  We need to let it's light shine into our own hearts and lives as much as we want it to shine on the sin of the world.  And there are so many applications of that.

For one thing, it means truly being dedicated to the truth.  That means not passing things around the internet simply because we like it, never testing to see if it's actually true.  How many times have Christians been guilty of passing along some quote that was never actually said by the person it was attributed to, or sending along some story about this or that latest conspiracy that a simple search would reveal isn't true, or any number of other simple ways we ignore truth?

On the other hand, or on the more serious side, there are so many caught up in the cheap gospel tricks of the Osteens and Meyers of the world, whose messages aren't any different than Oprah's or even a fortune cookie for that matter. (here's a great little piece on that).  No sound biblical truth to be found, but Christians everywhere buy into it; again, pass it around the internet; join the crowd because it feels good.

We need truth.  We need to be devoted to truth, in all it's forms.  The truth we speak to others, the truth of what we pass along on social media, the truth we accept from anyone claiming to be a teacher of God's Word. 

We need The Truth.  No matter how uncomfortable it might make us at the time, God's light needs to shine on our hearts and lives just as much as the light of truth needs to reveal the despicable acts of baby killers. Sin is sin, in my life just as in others'.  We all need Christ.  Apart from Him we are all lost.  Apart from His grace, my sin is just as vile and damning as those in the PP videos, and I am just as much deserving of His wrath.

And so, if that's true, the real truth that needs to come out is not just that these people are disgusting and horrid in every way imaginable; but that they need Jesus.  So don't just yell and scream (though again, in our outrage, a little yelling and screaming needs to be done on this particular issue).  But pray for these folks.  Be willing to share the love of Christ with them and those who support them. Only God can change their hearts.  Fight for the lives of the innocent children being butchered, but also fight for the eternal souls of their executioners.  I know it's hard, but it's what the Truth demands. 

So, if you can handle the truth, enjoy a little hip-hop truth from our man Flame from “back in the day.”  (full lyrics can be read here)


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