TRUTH

Where do I begin? I have a feeling that this posting is going to be rather RANDOM. I have tons roaming around in my head and heart but am not quite sure how to articulate them or organize them. Through Christ, maybe you can take something from this posting and be encouraged by our great Father God. HE has been quite evident in multiple ways these last weeks.

First of all, let me say that I'm overwhelmed by what a great GOD we serve! HIS goodness leaves me breathless, HIS faithfulness leaves me awestruck, and HIS love consumes me!

One thing that I've been faced with a lot is the fact that HIS truth endures forever. I've been attending a Thursday night Bible study/discussion group where we've been watching The Truth Project series. We have looked at several areas dealing with truth and have looked at them through God's word and HIS point of view and then heard popular opinions held by the world that oppose God's word. The series has been very challenging and thought provoking. It has caused me to evaluate what I believe to be truth, how that matches up to God's word, and how prepared I am to discuss what I believe with others, especially those who disagree. If I'm honest, I have to admit that I am not nearly as prepared as I should be or hope to be. It has convicted me to truly study God's word in order that I may know what I believe and how to share it with a perverse and confused generation. There are so many untruths out there that are craftily put together with partial truth to deceive those searching for absolute and real Truth. Colossians 2:8 says, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Sadly, we as believers can be taken captive by the untruths of this world. At times, I find myself treating traditions or learned "beliefs" as truth when in fact they are nothing more than lifestyle preferences and good habits. It is important that our view of what is true matches up with what God's word says is Truth.

I was caught off guard by a question that was asked at the beginning of The Truth Project series. "Why did Jesus come into the world?" The answer that Jesus HIMself revealed was not the one most commonly given in Sunday school classes or within the Christian community. In John 18:37, Pilate asks Jesus, "You are a king then?" Jesus answered with this, "You are right in saying that I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, TO TESTIFY (BEAR WITNESS) TO THE TRUTH." God is the ultimate source of Truth, and to glimpse truth, we must gaze upon HIM. I like this quote: "What we believe and how we act defines what we trust to be reality (TRUTH)."

Just this past week, a Korean girl approached Aaron and me as we were touring Seoul. Having Korean "students" ask you to take a survey is not out of the ordinary here in Korea, so I decided to help this girl out with her "school work." I immediately notice that the questions on her survey were spiritual. I thought, "Oh this is great. She's a Christian trying to reach out to the lost English speakers in Seoul." As I neared the bottom of the questionnaire, I came across a strange question about the purpose of Mother God. We began to talk, and the girl assured me that she was a Christian but that she wanted me to understand and believe in Mother God. She began to take verses (many from Old and New Testaments) out of context and very articulately explain and try to convince me of Mother God, her purpose, and the importance of knowing that element of God. Each time I quoted or paraphrased a verse in opposition to what she said, she quickly shared another verse and opinion. At the end of our conversation, I had to tell her that I'd be praying for her but that she was never going to convince me of her belief. I got her phone #, because she wants to meet up again and discuss the issue. Apart from the Holy Spirit convicting her, she is not going to change her beliefs. I don't even know how to discuss this with her, but I'm confident that nothing I say, no matter how articulate or TRUE, can change her heart. Please pray for me that I will view her as Christ sees her and that my heart will be burdened for her to see the Truth. Pray that I will be willing to call her and to discuss my beliefs with her. I'm not even sure how to prepare. The strange thing is that she has mixed this weird belief with the truth of Jesus Christ as the hope for our salvation. May Jesus speak through me. May I rest in "...Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge...in order that no one may delude [me] with persuasive argument." Colossians 2:2-4
May I be able to gently instruct her "in the hope that God will grant [her] repentance leading [her] to a knowledge of the truth, and that [she] will come to [her] senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken [her] captive to do his will." 2 Timothy 24-26

I need prayer. I can see it being easy to ignore this situation. I believe that she will not change, and confrontation is not something I enjoy. However, I want to trust in God's faithfulness and power to do the impossible and to increase my desire to see HIS truth reign and captivate a wandering heart. I honestly believe that she knows the Truth but has mixed in some untruth.

Okay, I'll spare you any other random things that I've learned. This one topic is quite enough for now!