Speaking God’s Truth

. . . and Why It Matters

Speaking truth can be a tricky business these days. First you have to consider whose truth you want to speak. My truth, your truth, the world’s truth, or God’s truth. I like to think that my truth aligns with God’s truth. Do you feel the same way? The problem is, we can be enticed to believe things that aren’t true. Afterall, we hear messages repeatedly that aren’t Biblical and they start to seem normal. Sometimes we can be deceived and think teachings are coming from scripture when they aren’t. That’s why it’s so important to keep digging in the scriptures and asking God to continually give us wisdom for each day. It also helps to be a part of a community of believers who are also seeking God’s truth. I have learned so much through conversations with close friends as we search for answers.

Are You Listening for God’s Truth

I find myself listening more closely to preachers, pastors and teachers and the messages they are sharing. Are they speaking God’s truth? The Jews faced these same problems discerning the Jewish laws. Here’s a comparison: scrolling through sermons on YouTube and the Jews listening to different rabbis in the temple courts! The Jews had to listen and decide whose teachings to follow. There were conservative, liberal and progressive teachers then, just like there are today.

We moved to Florida last fall, after living in Kentucky and attending the same church for 32 years, I can tell you, it can be tedious looking through church websites looking for a new church home. No two churches are the same, even in the same denomination or non-denominational thread. The leadership of each church plays a huge role in where a church is headed and what they believe.

Searching for Truth

I wonder how hard it was for the Jews in Jesus time. There were certainly prominent pharisees that took different paths to the truth, some using much more liberal interpretations of the law. Finding church leaders who are speaking God’s truth today can seem difficult. But, maybe we just make it hard. Afterall, we have the Old and New Testament as our guidebook. We have Jesus teachings, even highlighted in red in many Bibles. The Jews in Jesus time didn’t have the New Testament and most of what they knew of the Old was through memorization since there weren’t copies available for everyone. Also, most women couldn’t read anyway.

The Truth Debated

Chris, my husband, and I were recently watching a podcast episode from Apologia Studios. They were debating an LGBT theologian who has gained a huge following on TimTok. You can check it out here. Just the term “LGBT theologian” seems contradictory, doesn’t it? If you watch the debate, what you’ll notice right at the start is that the “theologian” doesn’t believe that the Bible is the inherent word of God. He also doesn’t think it’s an objective truth. Honestly, you don’t have to listen past that point because he has already dismissed God’s truth. Interestingly, he does take most of the Bible’s teachings and apply them to his life and teaches them to his congregation. But, things that don’t match up with what he wants to do, like leading a gay lifestyle, are dismissed. I won’t go into all the details but you get my picture.

To go back to my previous point, maybe speaking God’s truth isn’t that hard. You just have to believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. All of it. Not just the New Testament. Not just the scriptures you like.

Who Is Speaking the Truth?

In looking for a new church home, I can admit there are small things that can get in the way of searching for God’s truth. Things like style of worship and feeling comfortable are certainly things that help us worship authentically. But consider if you were in the mission field in Africa, suddenly all the preferences don’t matter. We would just be there to worship God and bring others to Christ by sharing and speaking God’s truth. This should be our litmus test.

BIG THINGS MATTER

When you go to church next Sunday, or when you are listening to your favorite pastor’s podcast, can I encourage you to really listen to the message. Words matter. God has provided us with 66 books for a reason. If you hear something that sounds a little off, don’t hesitate to dig deeper into the topic by studying scripture, talking with a wise Christian friend, and reading books that speak on the issue. The more you are studying your Bible and committing passages to memory, the more you will feel confident in what is true. God doesn’t want us to be confused. He’s not trying to make it hard. We as a culture are the one’s doing that. However, he does warn us about false teachers. It’s easy to get comfortable where we are and put too much confidence in the person teaching us. We certainly don’t want to nitpick a sermon, but we are being wise when we question things we don’t understand, or we know to be false.

Read through this passage a few times. It really offers clarity on why speaking God’s truth matters so much.

Our nation is incredibly confused and they are looking for hope. Jesus is the only hope that will bring eternal life. It’s so important that we are following God’s truth and not a botched up version that allows sin and a very wide road to heaven. Matthew 7:13 reminds us. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it “

As you continue to seek the truth, check out some of my book recommendations on my Resource page. They might help you recognize ideas that are not from God. I will be praying for all of us as we continue on our faith journey.

You are precious in his sight,