Applying Biblical Teaching on Detecting False Info and Deception

Where do we see this deception and false information? Everywhere! It’s on the news, in the local churches, in the churches and mega-churches, in the schools, companies, political leaders, etc. There is also information being censored to hide truths. Sometimes, people aren’t intending to deceive and have good motives, but are just mistaken or have just been led astray. Other times though, you have to at least consider the possibility there may be an agenda behind leading someone astray. Either way, we need to detect it even when it is subtle. What we believe will impact our thoughts and actions.

There is a burning need to learn to detect deception. The churches have failed us. They’re not calling out lies as lies and deception as deception. Nearly all the churches in the world were shut down for at least a few months. Politics have no place in the church, but when evil in politics start affecting the church family, then it’s time to stand and help educate your people by calling out evil for what it is like Jesus did! Instead, the churches have taken a stance that unity is best and it’s all about love. They say we shouldn’t call it out because someone might get offended. They say it would be sowing division.

Here are a few types of deception and false teachings we see in the world today. We will take a deeper look at the first example to practice what we have learned.

• You shouldn’t talk about politics or anything that could offend someone in church. You could offend people by talking about anything political. Love and tolerance should prevail.
• Emotional appeals in an effort to manipulate people by making them feel emotions like guilt or inadequacy
• Using fear to manipulate people into doing something – let’s take a walk through how dangerous the motives can be when fear tactics are used
• Offering financial incentives to coerce people into doing something
• A mindset of scarcity

Example Claim:

You shouldn’t talk about politics or anything that could offend someone in church. You could offend people by talking about anything political. Love and tolerance should prevail.

It has been a multi-step process to break down the defenses of the churches. First it started with a push to be politically correct to not offend anyone. Then it went to the next level that you should not talk politics in church. Many of the issues that create a huge moral dilemma with the Bible have been deemed “political” no-go discussion zones: abortion, gender confusion, relationships other than male/female, vaccinations, social scoring, climate change, globalism, and more. This is also supported by the IRS rule that one can lose their 501c3 status if they take “political sides”. This has weakened the churches and prevented them from taking a stand against evil.

Furthermore, the churches have failed to inform people of what is really going on in the world and is therefore unable to help them prepare for what is coming. The churches have failed us. Shutting down during the pandemic was just confirmation that the churches have been weakened to the point of not standing at all. What once was a set of Christian churches nobody would dare mess with has now become a group of churches you can tell to shut down for the “greater good” and they do it without questioning, researching, or even looking at data. Not all churches shut down, but most did. The light of the churches was literally extinguished from society for a while. People who relied on churches for fellowship really felt the pain in the form of loneliness, depression, and anxiety.

Jesus Was Not Afraid To Call Out Evil

First Let’s look at what the Bible says on whether we should hold back on calling out evil for fear of offending someone. Jesus was polarizing, calling out evil and hypocrisy when he saw it. He would be considered offensive and divisive today. It is absolutely the place of the church to call out this evil and be the light that shines the Biblical moral code. There are countless times Jesus calls evil out for what it is without concern of offending anyone.

●       Matthew 23:1-33 – Jesus went on a rant against the evil of the scribes and pharisees

Matthew 23:1-4 – 1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. …

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 [a]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

●       Matthew 23:23 – The pharisees and scribes leave out important basics…justice, mercy and faith.

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

●       Mark 8:15 – Jesus warns his disciples of the evil of the pharisees and a political leader, Herod

15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

●       Luke 11:39-54 – Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders

Luke 11:42 – 42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

●       Luke 20:45-47 – Jesus calls out the scribes, the leaders of the law, for thinking they are better than everyone else

45 Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 47 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

●       Matthew 10:34 – Jesus didn’t just come to bring peace, but instead a sword to divide those who follow him from the rest….Division. See also Hebrews 4:12 that the word of God can be used to discern or divide good from evil intentions

Matthew 10:34 – “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

Hebrews 4:12 – 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

No matter how much it would offend someone, Jesus says the scriptures maintain their authority to the end. At the end of the day, church attendance and maintaining 501c3 status motivates tolerance of things that should not be tolerated according to the Bible. Jesus called evil what it was without fear of offending people. The churches have failed to follow Jesus’ lead on this. Let’s be a group of believers strong in this knowledge having been warned against falling into the trap of not wanting to offend people. And let’s share this important warning with our fellow believers. Caution – Those who are not of God will NOT hear this or accept this message because they will be…you guessed it…. Offended. Don’t expect people who don’t follow Jesus to understand or accept this. And of course, our message must be delivered in a loving way.

Now let’s look at our Biblical test about the concept of not saying anything that could be considered offensive or political in church:

• Is the suggestion that churches should avoid saying anything that could be considered offensive or political coming from people who believe in Jesus? Who is pushing this movement? These are the same people pushing the LGBTQRSTUVWXYZ+ movement and forcing that on our children, the woke movement, the climate crisis agenda, and the removal of God from all things government including schools. Many schools don’t even say the pledge of allegiance any more because it says “one nation under God”.
• Who listens to and supports those saying that nothing that could be considered offensive or political should be said in churches…people of the world (non-believers) or people of God (followers of God)? Who is typically easily offended?
• Does the suggestion that churches should avoid saying anything that could be considered offensive or political match up with what’s in the Bible? See the section above about what the Bible says…and what Jesus himself says and does.
• Do the people suggesting that churches should avoid saying anything that could be considered offensive or political despise the idea of us having knowledge, data, and facts? Are things being censored that don’t align with their agenda? Are people who speak out against their agenda being persecuted? 

Jack Hibbs says it best when he warns the church, “Don’t let anyone ever tell you there is a separation from religion and politics. I think Satan invented that statement.” The church should also not be afraid to speak truth for fear of offending someone. It is time for the church to stand up.

Now let’s take a look at the current happenings in the world and the direction the world is going that churches will not talk about … in detail. Since the churches have stayed quiet and compliant, there has been a lot of progress you may be unaware of. However, it’s very important that you are informed so you can be prepared.