Hurdling the Barrier of Missed Truth.

Each week I promised to present a synopsis of the book, “Hurdling the Barriers” – to church health. I usually post these on Saturday, however, the internet service was down and we just got it back. This is the introduction from chapter six, which deals with the barrier of “Missed Truth.”

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” (Titus 2:1, ESV)

I’ve been on several courtroom juries and what you see is very much like some of the television shows. As every witness took the stand, the bailiff would ask the person something like this. “Do you solemnly (swear/affirm) that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, (so help you God/under pains and penalties of perjury)?” There are some subtle differences in this oath between municipalities, but in general each court asks the witness to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” I have titled this chapter, “Hurdling the Barrier of Missed Truth,” rather than the barrier of miss-truth or false teaching. This is because one of the more subtle errors found in churches is not heresy, though that does happen at times, but a failure to preach “the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Obviously, churches that are teaching heretical things are unhealthy. Yet, have you ever considered the problem of not preaching the full counsel of God’s word? As feeding people an imbalanced diet will eventually create physical health problems, so will feeding people an imbalanced diet of biblical truth creates spiritual health problems. This will create a spiritually anemic and unhealthy congregation.

Many preachers and teachers can fall into the trap of trying to say things that will attract people. I believe that the drive for numbers, of pew sitters, can sway preachers from dealing with the difficult things that people do not like to hear. They may amass large numbers of people, but the message will be incomplete. This is unhealthy and downright dangerous to the church and parishioner.

In this chapter, I will deal with the issues of false teaching, how to protect the flock from it, and the critical importance of telling the “truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”