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OUR EVANGELISTS
Dennis Tucker & James McClenny
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Since January we’ve been in an election cycle. Speeches are made, promises given, debates conducted, and votes are cast. Watching different news networks, one can get conflicting accounts of the same event: why different groups vote the way they do and what is done to win their votes.
At the time of this writing the political pundits, politicians in Washington D.C., and a host of television personalities are trying to interpret polls conducted to see who is in the lead and why. Depending on who conducts the poll and who they are asking, one can get conflicting news. So now folks are trying to understand and explain what happened. Almost immediately after the election the experts will tell us why this person won and the other person lost.
Right now, every possible constituency group is scrutinized to see why some are voting for candidate A instead of B. Who will pick up the independent vote, the women’s vote, the youth vote, etc? The only group I can think might not be analyzed is the left-handed vote. But give it time and how the lefties break the last few days before the election may be mentioned. Some of the polling companies will make assumptions based on previous elections. Other companies will make different assumptions. Many of those assumptions will prove to be false. Few if any are actually letting the facts speak for themselves. They will “spin” the data so as to back their candidate.
The same can be said in relation to interpreting the Bible. The Bible contains facts, commands, and promises. It is written so as to be understood and for a specific purpose. "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20.30-31). "As I wrote before in a few words, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ" (Ephesians 3.3b-4). Yet it is interpreted differently. Why?
Some are blinded by the God of this world. "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4.4, ESV) The plainest and simplest of facts can be misconstrued because of the prism people are looking through. To them the Bible and in particular the Gospel is pure foolishness. "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing" (1 Corinthians 1.18a). It is not the facts that confound them, but their own heart.
Some may be fooled by false teachers. Just as ground can be poisoned and rendered useless so can false teaching cause people to reject the facts laid out in the Bible. But what motivates the false teacher to twist and distort the facts in the Bible? Perhaps Peter answers that question for us in 2 Peter 2.14b, "They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children."
Yet some will not listen to the facts because of the traditions handed down to them by their parents or other loved ones. Much like the Jews in the days of Jesus they have made the Law of God of no effect by their traditions, Matthew 15.6. Some will have been taught that Jesus is not the Messiah promised in the Old Testament by their parents and will not listen to the Bible. Some will believe a person is saved by faith only or by grace only and will not obey the Gospel of Christ.
The fact is the facts are the facts. No matter how one may want to interpret them, they are still the facts. You cannot spin God or His word. It is His word that will judge us on the last day. "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has one that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak." John 12:48-50
Therefore, we need to make sure we are honestly searching for the truth. Just as there are real reasons for the election to turn out for or against candidate A, there will be real reasons why some will be saved and some will be lost. We need to make sure we are looking with honest and sincere hearts.
Dennis Tucker
" And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD,
choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . .
but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Joshua 24:15 (KJV)
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