The Truth War: Trusting With True
Three Essential Exhortations From the Apostle Paul
1—Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever has a good reputation, if there is any excellence, and if anything is worthy of praise, let your mind be focused on these things! (—Philippians 4:8)
2—Don’t be conformed to this current world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may present and prove what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. (—Romans 12:2)
3—Watch carefully to make sure that no one takes you captive with empty, deceptive ideas based on popular opinions and worldly people’s intellectual pursuits, things not according to what Christ taught us. (—Colossians 2:8)
There is (and has been for a long time) a battle for the control of our minds that is raging all around us! I’ll spare the details (and some of the drama) by simply saying, “the truth of God’s Word is being suppressed by a rampant unrighteousness and lawlessness that has taken hold in our society.” The news and information we’re being given is being filtered by most media sources to “twist the truth” and deceive our thinking.
On one hand, there’s a flood of information that often overloads and overwhelms us, increasing the need for a biblical filtering system to help us sort out what’s true from what’s false. But on the other hand, even though the amount of information is huge, we’re not always getting the whole story. The words highlighted above from Philippians 4:8, Romans 12:2 and Colossians 2:8 remind us that there is a never—ending spiritual battle being waged for the control of our minds—one that started long ago when Eve met the serpent.
Over 100 years ago, a shrewd marketing expert named Edward Bernays revolutionized the advertising (as well as the political) world by developing mind—control strategies that actually should/could be described in a plain and simple way as “deception and spiritual warfare.” Bernays defined his plan to persuade people to want what he was selling as “propaganda” or “intelligent manipulation.” Here’s a quote from his book (entitled Propaganda), “Those who manipulate using this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” He goes on to say, “we are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes are formed, our ideas are suggested largely by people we have never heard of. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world.”
Please take a few moments to compare/contrast what Bernays said, with the warnings inserted above from the Apostle Paul. It’s important to observe that there’s a hidden agenda behind the attempt to sell a product or influence people to follow a different path—it’s all about controlling a person’s mind and eventually controlling their behavior/lifestyle.
In conclusion, I’d like to point out that in our contemporary society, it’s very likely that we’re more susceptible and more exposed to false teaching and a non—biblical, secular world view than any time in history. But that’s not a reason to throw up our hands, and compromise with anyone who’s using “propaganda” to persuade and push us away from strongly standing up for God’s Truth. His Word is as relevant as ever, His Gospel of mercy, grace, and sacrificial love is what rescues people from the penalty and power of sin, and His promises are the reason we have HOPE that enables us to trust totally in Him.
With prayer for God’s glory and praise for His grace …
And as always, with prayer for our ACEFC family, Pastor Greg
