don’t spend much time on Facebook, mostly because I get in trouble for speaking my mind, and there’s just way too much scuzz on social media. You do know what scuzz is, right? It’s the junk which accumulated in a filter within the air conditioning system of our trusty Suburban which caused air conditioning failure during a trip through Utah on a 105 degree summer day. I work hard to get rid of scuzz because it causes all sorts of problems. Once scuzz accumulates on the filter, the only solution is to discard the filter and install a new one.
Still, in a moment of boredom, I browsed a little bit of Facebook and came across this post [I’ll not post any identities]:
“Yesterday I was talking to a sweet friend about something I’m going through in my life right now, and this morning she sent this to me [link to a motivational speech by Joel Osteen about how God wants to bestow favor on you]. And I think Everybody needs to hear this message! I’m not a huge Joel Osteen fan, but I do know if God could use a donkey to speak to Balaam, He can certainly use Joel to speak a word of faith to me!”
Folks, this statement right there explains what is wrong with today’s church. Let’s explore for a moment just how flawed this ideology really is.
How about that donkey? The truth is Balaam should not have been where he was, and the donkey was only in a position to speak because Balaam disobeyed God. The reality is that when we get to be so bad off that a donkey speaks to us, then we know we’ve really made a mess of things. The donkey speaking was not a positive moment. It was instead a harsh reminder of just how much of a mess Balaam had gotten himself into. Ultimately, Balaam would lead the army of Israel into such great sin that 24,000 soldiers died from a plague. (See Numbers 25) So, how about that donkey?
Let’s say you have been accused of a serious crime. The police have arrested you, and now you are in court before a judge, jury, prosecuting attorney, and witnesses. The prosecutor calls a witness who begins to utter damaging testimony against you. However, during the testimony, the witness also utters lies and falsehoods. If the case rested on this one witness, you’re headed to prison for a very long time.
Set aside for the moment whether you are actually innocent or guilty. You and your defense attorney could refute the lies and falsehoods with evidence and factual testimony. Your defense attorney could handily call the credibility of this witness into question and cast major doubt in the minds of the jury. However, you decide that it’s for the jury to sort out the false from the true. You and your attorney decide to carry on with the trial without refuting the lies and falsehoods.
Are you prepared to place your fate and freedom for the next 30 years in the hands of a false witness? And can you count on the jury understanding that the testimony was false?
Now let’s say that you are standing before Christ at the end of your life. According to my Bible, we will all be judged. Hebrews 9:27 There is no need for witness testimony against me because I already know I have done wrong. Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, 1 John 1:8 What I need is an Advocate who will vouch for my acceptance before God.
Still, knowing that an eternity in the punishment of hell or the reward of heaven awaits me, I voluntarily allow a witness who will knowingly make false statements about me to God.
There is a legal principle known as falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus. It is a Latin expression which means false in one, false in everything. A determination can be made that a witness has expressed enough false statements that no testimony of the witness can be accepted as credible. If a witness is intentionally deceitful, the witness may be impeached, or the jury may be instructed to disregard the entire testimony.
Such is the recent case of Christopher Dunn whose criminal conviction was ultimately overturned because the original witness testimony could no longer be deemed credible.
Perhaps it’s just me, but if I know I have sinned when I stand before God at the end of this life, I would rather have an Advocate who will vouch truthfully for my acceptance. Give me Abraham, Peter, or Paul who were given second chances, and let them plead for mercy in my behalf. But a false teacher such as Joel Osteen?
If we would not trust our freedom to a deceitful witness or our eternal fate to a false teacher at Christ’s judgment seat, then what are we doing excusing falsehoods uttered by popular voices today? I tell you it’s no different from allowing an intentionally false witness to testify against you and voluntarily choosing not to present evidence to refute the testimony. If you end up in prison, it’s your own fault, and you voluntarily gave up your freedom when you had the opportunity to engineer a better result. Even if the jury would have still found you guilty, perhaps the outcome would not be severe if the witness had been impeached.
If I stand accused, I should at least be entitled to truthful witnesses. So I don’t understand intentionally allowing falsehoods into our hearts and minds. We’re allowing them to determine whether we’ll spend eternity in heaven or hell. Then, when we do hear the words from Christ, “Depart from me,” it will have been our own voluntary decision. This is the result of willfully choosing to allow false messages into our hearts and minds.
If a preacher or teacher is false in one, be quick to reject the message, and seek out truth. If you would demand truthful testimony in a court of law, then we should also demand truthfulness in matters of eternal concern.
We know Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, so let’s be careful from whom we take directions to heaven. Matthew 7:13-14, 2 Corinthians 11:14, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, 1 John 4:1, Jeremiah 6:16
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