DEVOTION – DAY 342

Acts 17:11 “Knowing Truth From Lies”

Acts 17:11 Now, the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

When the apostle Paul, and his travelling companion, Silas, arrived in Berea, they went to the local Jewish synagogue. They met Jews living in Berea in the synagogue. Paul started to tell them the good news about Jesus Christ. We are told that the Berean Jews received Paul’s message with great eagerness. But they did not simply take what Paul said as absolute truth. Instead, they faithfully received Paul’s message. Then, they quickly counter-checked what Paul told them about the Messiah, with what the holy Scriptures had written about the Messiah. This was to ascertain independently, that what Paul said, corresponded to the Scriptures. This was the most reliable way to determine the authenticity of Paul’s teaching. Today, it remains an excellent way to ascertain whether the teaching of God’s Word is Biblical.

In April 2023, the Kenyan police reported that they had arrested a doomsday cult leader. Pastor Makanzie Nthenge was the Pastor of the Good News International Church in Kenya, an independent church. He was arrested because some of his church members were found dead and buried in shallow graves in a forest. It was reported that Pas Makanzie had warned his church members that the end of the world was approaching and disasters would occur. He urged his members to seek to be with Jesus before the end came. He told his members to starve themselves to death and then, they would be with Jesus. It would seem that many followed his doomsday teaching and died from starvation. The number of the dead had exceeded 80, and the police expect the number to rise because so far, more than 275 people had been reported missing, linked to this cult.

Sadly, it would seem that the dead church members had failed to follow the Berean Jews’ example. They had failed to counter-check what Pas Makanzie had taught them, with what the Bible had said about the end-times. Had they been diligent and knew their Bible well, they would have been able to ascertain that Pas Makanzie’s teachings were not Biblical and should be rejected.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, You have given us Your Word as the final and complete revelation as our guide and for our spiritual growth. Help us to be diligent in knowing Your Word and applying it. Help us to be guided by Your Word so that we will be able to discern truth from falsehoods. We ask this in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. What are some lies prevalent in the world today that so easily mislead many people? How does the Bible reveal them as lies? Discuss.
  2. How have you used the Bible to determine truth from the lies you hear? Share from your own experience.
  3. What steps can you take to ensure that you know the Bible well enough to discern truth from lies? Discuss.