We were sitting on the sidewalk outside a cafe in London enjoying the warm sunshine and a coffee when a large crowd appeared marching down the street. It turned out to be a Good Friday procession. It was encouraging to see such a large group of believers expressing their faith. After they passed, I began to listen in on an interesting conversation taking place behind me. A mother was trying to explain to her two children what Good Friday was all about and why those people were carrying a cross. She began by telling them that Jesus was put to death because the Romans were afraid he was about to overthrow the government. She continued by retelling the Biblical account of the resurrection, saying Jesus rose and went to heaven, and she concluded her narrative by saying she thought that had happened but wasn’t entirely sure.
The woman got the first part completely wrong. The Jewish people were indeed looking for a Messiah who would overthrow the Romans. But that was a role Jesus refused to take. He told Pilate that’s not the kind of king he was. But she did get the second part right, even if her faith was on shaky ground.
In one sense, getting things half right is a better outcome than getting things all wrong. But half the truth is not the truth, and in fact is far from it. Half the truth sometimes is more dangerous than no truth at all, because it has the appearance of being right. “Heresy” is derived from the Greek word for “part,” and it refers to having part of the truth. Few believers fall for outright lies, but many are deceived by half-truths.
For instance, you would think few Christians would see things the way the woman at the cafe did, but many do. There is a trend toward seeing the righting of social and political structures as an integral part of Christ’s mission, but it never was. “My kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus told Pilate. All believers are called to care for the poor, some Christians are called to be salt and light in elected office, but Jesus never called us as a people to take over the government. Christians can and should take a clear stand on issues such as abortion, but you cannot identify Christianity with the agenda of a political party. If you do, the agenda gradually takes us away from the purity of the Gospel.
I am distressed by the number of half-truth movements there are in the body of Christ. We take Biblical truths such as divine healing, financial provision, apostolic ministry, the reality of evil spirits, the passing down of negative spiritual influences from previous generations, God’s love for the Jewish people, and many other things, and twist them into doctrines which are out of line with other Biblical truth, and then compound the error by making them a main focus instead of only emphasis among many.
The problem is rooted in Biblical illiteracy. I am a firm believer that if we only read the Bible, God would reveal its truth to us by his Spirit. And the problem is made worse by preaching which is both shallow and deliberately crafted to keep the maximum number of members in the seats rather than equip the maximum number of disciples to go out into the world.
Listen to preachers who teach the whole Bible. You’ll have a much better chance of getting the whole truth.
The lady in the cafe never managed to explain to her children why being politically unpopular led to Jesus being raised from the dead. They were left with a Gospel that doesn’t make sense. And that is why we are losing people from churches today, because they have too often been taught a Gospel that does not in the end make sense. What happens when the God who does heal and provide doesn’t heal or provide for you the way you expected?
Read the whole Bible and get the whole answer. It’s a much longer route than the “easy listening” that goes on in many churches. But it will leave you with a Gospel that makes sense because it gives you the whole truth, not just a part.
CONSIDER PARTNERING WITH DAVID & ELAINE CAMPBELL IN HELPING TO SUSTAIN THEIR ACTIVE MINISTRY.
AWAKENING MINISTRIES // FOUNDATION of FAITH Project
Foundation of Faith Project is strengthening generations in faith and bringing beautiful changes to the communities around them. Through teaching, mentoring and coaching, many are finding out who they are and who they are destined to be. They are bringing more to their world. David Campbell is the key leader in this initiative and you can support him financially directly through Awakening Ministries.
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