Tuesday, March 17, 2009

TRUTH PROJECT - (take 2)

My Friday night small group has been going on for longer than I can remember. It has been 3 or 4 years, at least. Our latest study has been Focus on the Family's "The Truth Project." The study's purpose is to take the participant through a comprehensive look at how God's Truth compares and CONTRASTS with what the world has to say in just about every realm of our lives. The study is very deep and it has invoked much discussion and thought.

As we neared completion of the study a few weeks back, someone suggested that we do it again. Others seconded the motion and it was quickly decided. Last week we started our 2nd run through. I am glad we did. As I said it is very deep and I (we) are getting more out if the second time through.

The first Lesson is "What is Truth?" Jesus said to Pilate, as he was on trial, "for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." (from New International Version) From the beginning time God has spoken the truth to man and Satan has countered with a stream of lies. Our culture is believing the lies.

I had noticed how important the idea, or the word "truth" was to Christ when I watched the Gospel of John a while back. If you have not seen it - see it. It is available on DVD - borrow mine - It is the Gospel of John - word for word - nothing added, nothing taken away - dramatized.
Anyway, when I watched it all in one setting I noticed that Jesus used the phrase "I tell you the truth" quite often. He could see that the people around him were believing in the lies of the world. Most would not listen to the truth as Jesus told it. I just counted, by the way, and the Gospel of John uses the word truth 52 times!

So what is truth? The best definition has to be reality AS GOD PERCEIVES IT. Our perception of reality is insufficient to verify truth. Our viewpoint is usually to close and our timespan much too short. Only God had seen all, and knows all from the beginning until the unending end. Only he really knows what is truly true. So our job is to take the Truth God has revealed to us through his Word and his creation and believe it and act on it. Instead, however, we tend to simply accept the competing "truth" put forth in society around us.

I will discuss the examples of God's truth compared to the world's lies as we go through the project again.

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