Would the real believer please stand up!
Three guests would stand and one by one they would repeat the line, “I am…” Then, following questions from the panel and a decision from each as to which one of the three was telling the truth, the announcer would say, “Would the real… please stand up!”
It was the game show “To Tell The Truth,” and it ran from 1956 to 1968, hosted most of those years by Bud Collyer. At the end of each show, Bud would look at the camera and say with a grin on his face, “Don’t forget to tell the truth!”
Long ago, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” And, today, some are wondering if there is such a thing. There was a time when our culture viewed certain things as sacred, and you just didn’t mess with them. One of those was the Bible. Even people, who didn’t really believe it and never thought of living it, respected it. Today, however, The Da Vinci Code, National Geographic and the Evening News are attacking the very foundation and fiber of what Christians have proclaimed through the ages is God’s very revelation to man. Jesus, Himself, prayed to His Father concerning those who would believe in Him, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
After 9-11, the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California, did a survey to determine how many people in America believed in absolute truth; IE, moral truth that remains the same regardless of cultural or circumstantial changes. They found that only 22% of those surveyed believed that truth is absolute. Among Baby Busters (age 36 and younger), it was only 13%! It is obvious that there is a growing tide of people who no longer believe that there is a right and wrong. For them, there is no sacred that governs the affairs of men. They would say that it’s quite alright to do your own thing just as long as you don’t get caught! What’s happening to us?
I suggest that the problem with our culture is that we have set out upon a course that is totally inspired and directed by an entertainment mindset. Long ago, Jesus warned of a flippant lifestyle in which people conclude, “just take your ease and eat, drink, and be merry!” (Luke 12:19) But, today, that’s the way many people are approaching life.
Why would only 13% of people 36 and younger believe in absolute truth? What happened to reality in their thinking? Well, what have they grown up with? They have spent hours in front of video games, creating their own life scenarios. They have watched countless TV programs and movies where one week an actor dies and the next week is playing another part or is the bad guy in one movie and the good guy in the next. Violence, immorality, and the realistic portrayal of every kind of gross act and behavior are seen over and over seemingly without any real consequence. What’s real? “Would real truth please stand up!”
Then, a book is published which never purports to be true but contains a character that is suppose to be an authority who delivers page after page of fictional evidence of how the Bible is not really what it claims or is believed to be… and people read it and believe it! Fiction becomes truth and truth becomes whatever has someone’s attention at any given time. Is there any hope for us?
It was the game show “To Tell The Truth,” and it ran from 1956 to 1968, hosted most of those years by Bud Collyer. At the end of each show, Bud would look at the camera and say with a grin on his face, “Don’t forget to tell the truth!”
Long ago, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” And, today, some are wondering if there is such a thing. There was a time when our culture viewed certain things as sacred, and you just didn’t mess with them. One of those was the Bible. Even people, who didn’t really believe it and never thought of living it, respected it. Today, however, The Da Vinci Code, National Geographic and the Evening News are attacking the very foundation and fiber of what Christians have proclaimed through the ages is God’s very revelation to man. Jesus, Himself, prayed to His Father concerning those who would believe in Him, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
After 9-11, the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California, did a survey to determine how many people in America believed in absolute truth; IE, moral truth that remains the same regardless of cultural or circumstantial changes. They found that only 22% of those surveyed believed that truth is absolute. Among Baby Busters (age 36 and younger), it was only 13%! It is obvious that there is a growing tide of people who no longer believe that there is a right and wrong. For them, there is no sacred that governs the affairs of men. They would say that it’s quite alright to do your own thing just as long as you don’t get caught! What’s happening to us?
I suggest that the problem with our culture is that we have set out upon a course that is totally inspired and directed by an entertainment mindset. Long ago, Jesus warned of a flippant lifestyle in which people conclude, “just take your ease and eat, drink, and be merry!” (Luke 12:19) But, today, that’s the way many people are approaching life.
Why would only 13% of people 36 and younger believe in absolute truth? What happened to reality in their thinking? Well, what have they grown up with? They have spent hours in front of video games, creating their own life scenarios. They have watched countless TV programs and movies where one week an actor dies and the next week is playing another part or is the bad guy in one movie and the good guy in the next. Violence, immorality, and the realistic portrayal of every kind of gross act and behavior are seen over and over seemingly without any real consequence. What’s real? “Would real truth please stand up!”
Then, a book is published which never purports to be true but contains a character that is suppose to be an authority who delivers page after page of fictional evidence of how the Bible is not really what it claims or is believed to be… and people read it and believe it! Fiction becomes truth and truth becomes whatever has someone’s attention at any given time. Is there any hope for us?
Yes! “Would the real… please stand up!” A man named Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote, “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3) The Apostle Peter expressed the same thought this way; “…always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15) The point: We who know the truth and believe the truth must also stand for the truth. You see, a Christian can also live in a fantasy world, believing only what he/she hears on Sunday morning but never really taking seriously or confirming what they have been taught. The Bible was not inspired and preserved just for the preacher or the small group leader. It’s for all of us. It is to be read and studied with the goal of understanding what the truth is and how it is to be applied to our lives. It is imperative that each of us not only identify what we believe but why we believe it. As Paul told young Pastor Timothy, “work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, NLT)
Someone correctly said, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” Well, that’s what’s happening. The world is falling for a lie because most have never met the truth. We have! Now, what are we going to do about it? “Will the real believer please stand up!”