The Truth About Lying!

 J. Michael Shannon tells about three men discussing the biggest liars they had ever heard. One said, “I know a boy who lied so often he had to get somebody else to call his dog.” The second man complained, “That’s nothing. I knew a man who lied about his golf score so often that one day he made a hole in one and wrote down ‘0’ (zero) on his scorecard.” The third man chimed in, “My preacher said last Sunday that our crowd was somewhere between four and five-hundred. I told him I only counted 125. He insisted, ‘Well, that’s between four and five hundred.’ ” These funny stories illustrate a sad truth – lying is common and acceptable. Groucho Marx once said, “There is one way to find out if a man is honest. Ask him. If he says yes, you know he is crooked.” David said in Psalm 116:11, “I said in my haste, all men are liars.” David admits he was hasty in saying that, and I don’t want to overstate the case. Still, there’s a lot of lying going on. Advertisers, politicians, even preachers sometimes prevaricate (a fancy way to say fabricate, fib,lie)! It is easy to say someone looks nice when they don’t, or tell the preacher you “enjoyed” the sermon when you slept half way through it! Or tell your host the grilled steak was great when it was tough as shoe leather! In "The Day America Told the Truth" (published 1991) author James Patterson, then CEO of J. Walter Patterson (an ad’ agency in New York) related that 91% of those surveyed lied routinely about matters they considered trivial; 36% lied about more important matters; 86% lied regularly to parents, 75% to friends, 73% to siblings, and 69% to spouses. Girls lie to boyfriends and boys lie to girlfriends. Husbands lie to wives and wives to husbands. People lie to the IRS, their employers, and their insurance companies. Witnesses lie to courts, students lie to teachers, and people lie to preachers. All indications are many people have a proclivity to prevaricate! Put more simply, there’s a whole lot of lying going on! And that’s the truth!

Abraham Lincoln famously said: “It is true that you can fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” What can you say about people who are consistently deceitful and dishonest and who make lying a way of life? All you can honestly say is they are liars. Some people lie to be polite, others out of carelessness or to avoid conflict, and some lie out of malice, seeking to create or add to conflict. Some people lie out of habit. The apostle Paul must have been referring to such liars (on the Mediterranean island of Crete) in Titus 1:12 when he wrote, “One of them, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This passage and the people it describes brings to mind the businessman who complained about a partner: “He’s a real phony – I wouldn’t believe him if he said he was lying.” If  we engage in deceit and lying, we are very unlike the God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and for whom it is impossible to lie (Hebrews 6:18). “The truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21b) and Jesus’ gospel is “the word of truth” (Ephesians 1:13). Christians are told to“ put away lying ... Let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 5:25). There will be no liars in heaven (Revelation 21:8). There ought not to be any in the church of Christ here on earth. To be like Jesus, Christians simply will not lie to one another (Colossians 3:9). That’s the truth about lying. 

By: Dan Gulley, Smithville TN     

Endless Hope, Hopeless End?

 A man in Louisiana explained why he refuses to buy life insurance: “When I die, I want it to be a sad day for everybody. Believing that man is nothing more than a pile of material (if magnificent) molecules, millions find it impossible to view death with anything but gloom and despair. What is it like to face death with no more hope than human reason (unaided by faith in God and His revelation in the Bible) can give? The skeptic Ingersoll, while dying (1899) exclaimed, “O God, if there be a God, save my soul, if I have a soul.” The great French skeptic Voltaire (1694-1778), contemporary with American patriot and statesman Ben Franklin, argued that human reason alone was a sufficient guide in life without a revelation from God. But human reason failed to comfort him as he

neared the end of his life. The thought of what was beyond the grave terrified him. On his deathbed he told his physician, “I am abandoned by God and man. I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months of life.” When the doctor told him he

could not comply, Voltaire said, “Then I shall go to hell.” Bertrand Russell, another famous unbeliever, affirmed his life was built on the foundation of unyielding despair. He issued a joint statement with the brilliant big-brained Albert Einstein, just two days before Einstein’s death, confessing that “those of us who know the most are the gloomiest about the future” (quoted by Ravi Zacharias in "Can Man Live Without God?", p 74). David Hume was an atheist philosopher famous for his religious skepticism. His deathbed is said

to have been a horrible scene as he cried out, “I am in flames!” Thomas Hobs, a political philosopher, said as he neared death, If I had the whole world at my disposal, I would give it to live one more day. I am about to take a leap into the dark.” All these were brilliant,

accomplished men loaded with tons of human brainpower. But they all discovered that human brilliance, intellect, reason and brain power alone are no match for the power of death and the hopelessness that accompanies death without Christ. Atheists and materialists sometimes boast they can die without fear. While that may be true in some cases, they want us to forget that they also die without the hope Christians have (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Contrast this doom and despair with the hopeful and confident words written by the apostle Paul from a prison cell as he awaited certain and imminent death: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8). For Paul death was not the end, and it was not a “leap into the dark.” He was not in despair and was not gripped by a sense of doubt, fear, doom or gloom. For Paul death was not an end but a new beginning! Not a descent into hell – but a transition into a glorious forever, at home with God (verse 18)! Not a hopeless end, but an endless hope. And the difference was not human brilliance or reason alone – the difference was Jesus Christ. How about you? Are you headed for a hopeless end or an endless hope? Jesus will be faithful to you when you die if you are faithful to Him while you live. Are you listening? 

    By: Dan Gulley, Smithville TN     

Unpopular Preachers!

 A preacher was having a tough ministry. His work was not going well and he was not appreciated by many in the congregation. Things were falling apart, attendance was low, finances failing. After one particularly poor bad Sunday morning sermon he received an anonymous note – “The last train out of town leaves today at 3 p.m. Be under it.” History bears out truth-preaching preachers sometimes displease men and women. The bigger question is whether or not God is pleased. Jesus Christ preached truth. In John 8:26 Jesus told a group of Jewish leaders who opposed Him, “... He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.” But what God had to say was not what those close-minded men wanted to hear, so later at John 8:40 Jesus stated,

“But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.” They finally did kill Him, but not for long, and He and the truth He told ever lives on. Jesus always pleased God (John 8:29), but that wasn’t enough to please some people. The prophet Jeremiah preached the Word of the Lord for forty years. He spent part of that time in prisons and dungeons for telling God’s truth (Jeremiah 38:6). John the Baptist’s preaching literally caused him to lose his head – to King Herold’s executioner’s axe, that is; all because John had the gall to tell Herod his marriage was unlawful in the sight of God (Matthew 14 * Mark 6). John’s case reminds us God still has a little something to say about marriage, and that preachers who are true to their God-assigned task will remember they answer to a higher authority than kings, Presidents, public opinion polls, the Supreme Court, liberal preachers and churches, popular pop icons, and people who don’t want to change their ways. Jesus’ apostles were often accused of causing trouble and suffered for preaching Christ  (see Acts 4:3, 17ff; 5:18-42; 16:20-24). So dangerous was it to be a prophet over the course of Old Testament history that Jesus plaintively lamented in Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” The historical record testifies that truth-tellers and preachers who are popular with God are always unpopular with some people.               

 All this is what makes the words of 2 Timothy 4:1-5 so important in every time and place. Wherever you live, whoever you are, whatever church you’ve been in or are in or even if you’re not in one, this is what God expects of the preacher: “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when        they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” If the preacher is the real deal, those words are his guide. Hopefully he is kind, patient, and loves not only God but people. But he will preach the Word whether it pleases people or not. And God is on      public record – His truth will not please everybody. Never has. Doesn’t now. Never will. Still, we must preach the word. That will make us popular with God, but not all people. Every preacher is unpopular with       someone. The vital question is, is it people with fable-loving and itching ears, or with God? Think about it.

Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN 

What Do Broccoli and the Bible Have in Common?

 

Let’s think about broccoli and the Bible. First, broccoli. It is common knowledge broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. The list of healthful benefits for those who ingest broccoli are too numerous to list, but include things like reduced blood sugar and cholesterol levels and reduced inflammation in body tissues. Some research data (not yet definitive but encouraging) suggests broccoli even contributes to protection against certain kinds of cancers. The list goes on. So here is a question to ponder – if broccoli is so good for your physical health, why do some people absolutely refuse to eat it? Former President George H. W. Bush spoke bluntly to that very issue! “I do not like broccoli,” Bush told the New York Times in 1990. He even banned broccoli aboard Air Force One! When that news leaked out, broccoli growers dispatched 10 tons of the health-giving veggie free to Washington. The feisty President dug in his heels and proclaimed, “I haven't liked broccoli since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And [now] I'm President of the United States, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli!” Bush just didn’t like broccoli, and no amount of preaching and persuasion about its many benefits toward good health could change his mind.                 

 Now think about the Bible. Why do many people refuse to include the Bible in their diet and “eat” it’s truths? The Bible is loved by many as the “Good Book.” John Adams spoke even more highly of the Bible when he observed, “The Bible is the best Book in the world.” Many, of course, disagree and point to extreme and egregious attitudes and actions on the part of some who misunderstand, misrepresent and misuse the Bible. Others point to sad but real-life examples of people who loudly profess faith in Christ and talk a big talk but fail miserably to walk the walk. The Bible word for such people is “hypocrites” – and their “example” helps to empower critics of God and His word (see Romans 2:21-24). Be all that as it may, the two-thousand year-old words of the apostle Paul to Timothy continue to make this high claim about the Bible: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable (‘beneficial’ [NASB] * ‘useful’ [NIV]) for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim.3:15-17). We can’t unpack those words here. But it is clear Paul is saying the Bible is not only the Good Book – it is God’s Book – and as such it is good for you and for me! I know the Bible has critics who disagree with those statements, and they offer a myriad of  “reasons” why they won’t consume its teaching and recognize its authority over their lives. The Bible admittedly includes some things “hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). But consider this. In John 6:60, after Jesus taught “he who feeds on Me shall live because of Me” (vs 57) “many of His disciples, when they heard this said, ‘This statement is very unpleasant; who can listen to it?’ ” Verse 66 tells us, “From that time many went back and walked with Him no more.” The problem was not that what Jesus said wasn’t true and wasn’t good for them. He offered them the bread of life (6:48, 51)! The problem was they just didn’t like it, and they refused to eat it. That’s what broccoli and the Bible have in common – they are both really good for you, but some people just don’t like them! Think about it.

     Dan Gulley,  Smithville, TN

Used Christians!

 

                           

Somewhere I ran across this quip by a lady named Greta K. Nagel: “You can still drink from a chipped cup.” Her quote reminds us usefulness is not impaired by imperfection. Most of us have drunk from a chipped cup! Nagel’s quote went on to say, “There are many reasons God shouldn’t call you into His service ... But don’t worry, you’re in good company.” Her point was that some of the greatest people God used in Biblical history to accomplish His plans and purposes had serious moral and spiritual chips and cracks in their character, at least on occasion. A partial listing includes Moses who couldn’t talk right (Exodus 4:10) and killed a man (Exodus 2:12-13); David who had an affair (2 Samuel chapters 11-12); Elijah who suffered  burn-out (1 Kings 19); Samson who had long hair and multiple chips and cracks in his character (see Judges 13-16); Noah who once got drunk resulting in something really bad (Genesis 9:21ff); Peter who cursed and swore three times he didn’t know Jesus even as Jesus suffered painful beatings and humiliating treatment by those orchestrating His death on a cross (Matthew 27: 66-54); Timothy who suffered from ulcers or some other kind of stomach-related problems and apparently tended to be a little shy and timid (see 1 Timothy 5:23 * 2 Timothy 1:6-8). And last but not    least there was Saul turned Paul who, because of His efforts to persecute Christians out of existence before his own conversion to Christ, was the great persecutor of Jesus and His church (Acts 9:1ff). Even a surface reading of the Bible makes clear that over the centuries of time covered in the Bible, Christ was the only flawless, sinless individual who ever showed up! There were no chips or cracks in His moral or spiritual character. He was the sinless, peerless, pure and holy Son of God, Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21 *    Hebrews 4:15 * 1 Peter 2:21; 3:18). Regarding perfection, Jesus is truly in a class all by Himself! 

 God used imperfect people in the past, and He can use you in the present. He’s not expecting that you won’t have a chip or two in your cup. But be careful – none of what has been written here is to say He does not have some criteria and does not make some demands if you want Him to use your life to bring glory to Himself and good to the church and to the world. Words from the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 2:19-21 tell us the kind of traits God expects on anyone’s spiritual resume if he / she desires and expects God to        use them – “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” A careful study of the books of 1st and 2nd Timothy makes clear God was calling Timothy to place Himself at God’s disposal and to serious responsibilities, in spite of apparent limitations mentioned earlier in this little article. The people God is willing to use don’t have to be flawless, but they are required to be faithful. They must maintain a serious commitment to “depart from iniquity” – be a “vessel [instrument] for honor”, be “sanctified” (that is set apart) in order to be “useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” Christ will serve His living water in a chipped cup. What He won’t do is serve His bread on a dirty plate. The issue is not will God use you – He clearly is. The issue is how willing are you to be used by God.  Are you a used Christian?  Think about it.

  Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN