10.26.7 "What Kind of Truth?"

"What Kind of Truth?"

Jeremiah 49:23- 50:46
Titus 1:1-16
Psalm 97:1-98:9
Proverbs 26:13-16

"From Paul, the slave of God and the messenger of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know God's truth - the kind of truth that changes lives - so that they can have eternal life, which God promised them before the world began - and he cannot lie." Titus 1:1-2

The truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. What does that mean? It's hard to say any more. Unfortunately, truth has become a tool rather than a standard. People manipulate the truth to fit their means. "How do I look? tell me the truth..." how often is that one answered truthfully?

Once I was rear-ended at a four-way stop. I didn't have much damage, if any as it was a car hitting the back of my pickup, but it bent up his hood quite a bit. I went back to talk to the guy who hit me. We were both fine, and he said, "This was all my fault!" It was true, but I've seen/heard enough to know that now-a-days you have to be very guarded about what you say at the scene of an accident. Someone could take advantage of that and sue you big time. (Don't worry, I'm didn't do that!) It's sad that truth has been misused so much.

God's word is often manipulated as well. People will use a portion of it to promote their ideas. They may take a couple verses and build a doctrine out of it. We think that could never be us, but think about the way many Christians deal with unbelievers. We see their conduct and we want to pull out a scripture that will serve our purposes of getting them to act the way we want them to. That's not the truth that changes lives. To see what Jesus thinks of this, take a gander at Matthew 23.

I had a once in a lifetime opportunity yesterday. I was able to go up in an Air Refueling jet w/ the National Guard. They were having clergy day, and invited many pastors to participate. It was great. I had the opportunity to ride in the "boom" area where the tanker we were in lowers the arm so the receiver plane can get fuel. It was incredible to watch the pilots & boom operator communicate and coordinate all of this. All I could think of was "that's a lot of math!" Two huge jets 20 feet apart traveling at high speeds 2100 feet above the ground. It was incredible.

I also had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit, and listen to what the pilots were saying. The pilots of our plane seemed so young ( I must be getting old!)
They had their checklists out at all times. As we were maneuvering in a holding pattern following our lead tanker, one of the pilots asked a question, and the other answered, "There are no problems if you just follow the book. Just follow procedure."

What kind of truth is in a flight manual? Is it the kind that changes lives? Well I guess it could be argued that if you don't follow it, it would DEFINITELY change lives!

The truth that we discover in God's word is the kind of truth that changes lives, not the truth that should change to serve our purposes.

In Titus 1:9, Paul is stating the requirements for pastors. He says, "Their belief in the truth which they have been taught must be strong and steadfast, so that they will be able to teach it to others and show those who disagree with them where they are wrong." This is a spiritual truth that is not only the goal of pastors. Each believer should be strong in the word. This keeps us from trying to convince people in our own strength or wisdom. Understanding the balance of scripture keeps us from building an unstable doctrine and trying to impose that on others. It also equips us to reveal life-changing truth to those who so desperately need it.

In the next verses of Titus 1, Paul warns to stay away from foolish arguments. These arguments often blind people to the truth. Being Empowered through Biblical Training equips us to help others discover the truth of the Good News and not the "situational" truth of man. Too often we get into discussions and try to convince others of our opinion rather than bringing out the truth. As you get involved in conversations with believers and unbelievers, listen for the truth. Wait for an opportunity to bring God's truth to any situation. Not to suit your needs, but to give life to those who need to hear it. What kind of truth? The kind that changes lives.




Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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