Pastor Brad Bergman
No More Fake News!
We Canadians are pretty savvy consumers. We often pride ourselves on the ability to spot what’s fake.
Fake news
It’s everywhere, and it’s becoming increasingly harder to cut through the noise to get to the truth. As a whole, we are becoming more skeptical and even cynical. We may have been fooled in the past, but now we consult our ever-present smartphones to fact check nearly everything. No more wondering if a duck’s quack really echoes. It does. I checked.
Fake watches
I remember going to a night market in Hong Kong and listening to the venders proclaim that they had the very best imitations… challenge accepted. I bought a ton of stuff that night. Typically, I don’t really care for shopping, but that night I sure did and had so much fun.I even bought a “Rolex” watch for $10. What a deal! I wore that watch nearly every day for an entire month until it suddenly stopped working… not unlike the “totally legit” DVDs I got from the same place. I really liked that watch, but I certainly didn’t fool anyone with my new-found bling.
Fake Money
In 2007, Canadian money counterfeiting reached an all-time high. At that time, authorities estimated that over 140, 000 counterfeit bills were circulated, robbing individuals and local business of approximately 3.3 million dollars. That worked out to 10 counterfeit dollars for every single Canadian.Since then, we have seen an 88% decrease in counterfeiting, as the result of the new Polymer (plastic) bank notes as well as educating the public and businesses what a real bank note looks and feels like.[ii] We are surrounded by so much fake stuff, we need to know what is real and what is true.The truth will set you free.You may have heard this phrase before, however, we need to go back to the words of the person who first spoke them in order to unlock this powerful truth. In the gospel of John Jesus addresses his followers saying:“If you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:31-32
We need to know Jesus. We need to study Jesus. We need to devote our very lives to following Jesus. The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we’ll be able to recognize what isn’t true. Jesus said that he is truth personified.[iii] Jesus embodies all that is true.I remember having coffee with a friend who expressed his concerns about how deceptive the world is… how people are constantly being manipulated and taken advantage of. He suggested that I make it my mission to warn people about all the different kinds of evil in the world.My first thought was that there wouldn’t ever be enough time to address it all…Then I told him that if people know the truth, then they’ll be able to recognize what is false. Our Canadian counterfeit problem improved exponentially when more people began studying legitimate bills. They didn’t waste time learning all of the different counterfeiting methods. So, when they encountered a fake bill, they were easily able to identify it.Jesus said, “my sheep know my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”[iv] When we know and follow the voice of truth, we won’t fall for what’s fake.
[i] https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ducking-the-question/[ii] https://www.bankofcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/economic_impact_counterfeiting_feb2016.pdf[iii]John 14:6[iv]John 10:27