Fact Check that Story Before You Share

fact checkAlternative truth. Fake news. Fact check. The political arena has added some new terms to our vocabulary over the last couple of years.

As I peruse the social media news feeds of fellow Christians, I see a lot of unchecked facts. We too quickly hit the share button on “news” of people, businesses, and organizations accused of offending our Christian sensitivities. Upon further review, many of those stories are not true.

Starbucks is one of the most common targets of fake news. They have been accused of refusing coffee to Marines and telling Christians they don’t want their money. Liberal politicians find themselves the subject of some pretty wild conspiracy theories. Many posts tout news that means the “end” for someone. Other posts purport to expose some nasty things found in the food at popular restaurants.

If only we shared the good news about Jesus as faithfully as we share the fake news about these non-stories.

Reasons We Need to Fact Check Before We Post

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Preparing Our Minds to Counter the Devil’s Lies

I remember an old joke declaring how you could tell if a particular individual was lying.  The punch line was, “If his lips are moving, he’s lying.” 

preparing our minds

The devil has earned such a reputation.  John 8:44 tells us four realities about the devil’s reputation: there is no truth in him, he is a liar, he is the father of lies, and lying is his “native language.” Through his skilled lying, the devil has led countless people astray, including many Christians.

Maybe you’ve heard the lies. “You’re no good.”  “You can’t _____.” “You won’t ________.”  If you try, you’ll just _______.” You may have heard many other such lies.  The devil likes to get in our heads.

Preparing Our Minds with Truth

We are not helpless against his lies, however.  The only effective defense against the devil’s lies is God’s truth.  You don’t have to fall for his deception.  You can prepare your mind for the inevitable onslaught of his lies by arming yourself with God’s truth.  Let me share three ways you can get ready and fill your mind with God’s truth.

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Do We Really Speak Truth and Is It Really in Love?

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One of the most popular Scripture misquotes is a phrase found in Ephesians 4:15:

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”

Many believers have used the concept of speaking the truth in love as found in this verse to assault verbally other brothers and sisters in Christ.  It seems as though anyone has the liberty to say any matter of hurtful things to another by claiming to speak the truth in love.  The problem with that approach is that (1) usually “the truth” is not God’s truth, but rather opinion, and (2) the motive is most often not loving but self-serving.

When we see the context of Ephesians 4:15 we can gain a more accurate understanding of what it means to speak the truth in love and a better idea of how to practice it.  The verse immediately preceding holds the key for our understanding.  Verse 14 admonishes us not to be gullible and vulnerable to teaching that not grounded in truth.  So then, verse 15 stands in antithesis to encourage us to speak TRUTH.  “Truth” contrasts “every wind of doctrine” in verse 14, and “love” contrasts “by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

While some will manipulate and spin doctrine to suit their own agenda, the true believer, from a heart of love (love for God, His Word, and for His people) will be careful to speak the truth of God’s Word; to teach God’s truth rather than personal preference.

This verse, then, is not license to speak harshly to another believer, while claiming to do it because we love him or her.  A more appropriate guiding principle for our speech toward others can be found a verses after verse 15:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. – Ephesians 4:29