By Kevin Harris, pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Wollongong, NSW
And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses…Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)… they went about to kill him….
Acts 21:21, 28-29, 31
Here is a multitude in an uproar because they heard that the Apostle Paul was anti-Moses, and because of a rumour that they ‘supposed’ to be true. None of this was fact. It was fake news, and it nearly killed Paul.
It is sad when men believe what they are told without looking into the truth of it. Proverbs 18:13 says, ‘He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.’ The Pharisees themselves said, ‘Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?’
Whether it’s a story about current events or a rumour about someone else, let’s do our research before we believe the whisperers and backbiters amongst us.
Father, help me to be committed to the truth. I thank You that in a world awash with lies, Your Word is always true. Help me to be slow to believe what people tell me, and quick to believe what You say. I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
This article was written by Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church.