It seems there is an endless stream of advice coming into my recent emails and Facebook feed. “Wear this shoe” “Take this supplement to increase your productivity.” “Eat this protein everyday.” “Do this workout.”
There must be something in my “cookies” that has told them I am suddenly interested in what they have to say. As some of these things appealed to me, there was some thought given to purchasing the products. Then, there was the realization that anyone can pay for an advertisement that says anything they want it to say. They can make claims that may or may not have any substance or truth to them.
I bought nothing (though there may be research to do).
It brought to mind all of the “Christian” writings that also come through social media and even through “Christian ministries.” A while ago a request came through a women’s ministry on-line acquaintance asking me to review a book she had written. It was absolute heresy, giving credence to every “god” anyone worshipped.
She admitted it was difficult to write but she was sure the LORD had called her to write it. It contradicted scripture but she was sure she should publish it.
When my husband teaches, he is often heard saying, “What’s right? What’s wrong? Says who?”
These are important questions for the Christian in our day. Just as there is need to do our “due diligence” in what we spend our money on, we must be Bereans with the scripture.
In Acts 17 it is noted that the Bereans would hear the word of God preached and then go and make sure the teacher was right. It says it like this, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men (Act 17:11-12).
How often does it happen that, because we are scrolling social media, we stop and read what complete strangers have to say about the Word of God and we never go check the Scriptures to see if they got it right? Should we?
I fear that as the world seems to be spiraling downward with regard to evil that we will be more gullible, more eager to be comforted or encouraged, that false teachers will be able to take advantage of the fear (or anger) we have regarding the world around us.
Part of the reason this is so concerning is because Peter warns us that these false teachers won’t be obvious. They will come through the church. They will sound like Christians:
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 2:1
The call for us is to be like the Bereans going to the Scriptures, the only credible source we have and asking: “What’s right? What’s wrong? Says who?”
