Darkness, deception and Light

Darkness, deception and Light.  Ephesians 5.6-14

As the rest of my household slumbered in their beds, unfortunately, I could not sleep.  So I went to the family room and turned the television on low, looking to pass the wee hours or better yet, fall asleep!  That’s when I caught the content of the late-night television program which would have been laughable if it had been a Saturday Night Live skit … the host’s promises would have been revolutionary, perhaps miraculous, if true … except they were neither.  Peter Popoff is a televangelist, who made me feel ashamed that he calls himself a Christian, and yet makes millions of dollars from desperate people.  Peter Popoff has apparently been bilking money out of people for decades, using different gimmicks to do so.  The night I was watching he was peddling a "Miracle Mixture" of water that the audience could send money to get that would ‘end the economic, health and relationship "drought" in their lives.’  It was just so sick. 

In Paul’s writing here in Ephesians 5, he wrote of such things:  “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:  “Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

False teachers—like this guy Popoff--should be exposed, (actually he was exposed in the 1980s, but he is back).  I realize that some may think, ‘anyone who would send money to a fool like that deserves what he gets—how stupid!’  Not so fast.  Particularly in the middle of the night when sleep has not come, and when someone feels completely alone, sick or even destitute, the promise of miraculous answers may provide long sought-after hope.  I don’t judge those who have responded to folks like this, partly because I have not walked in their shoes. 

The thing about false teaching is that it is never 100 percent false; in fact, many times there is quite a lot of truth in what is being taught.  Scripture verses are quoted out of context or twisted, just enough so that people can be duped.  But consumers, parishioners, the congregation must be wise, exercising the part of wisdom that is prudent and discerning.  I think of The Secret, (2006), which raked in millions of dollars worldwide, though the teaching and philosophy was nothing new, just repackaged and well-marketed New Age thinking put forth by edgy contemporary feel-good notables like Jack Canfield, Bob Proctor and “Reverend” Michael Beckwith. Deceived … folks were.  They bought the counterfeit rather than the REAL—a cheap replacement for spirituality, rather than relationship with the eternal God of the universe.

The Bible warns that “there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.”¹ 

You and I must be wise consumers—of whatever we take into our minds.  But not only that, I believe it goes back to what Paul is talking about in his letter—we must know who we are!  ‘We were once in darkness, but now we are in light in the Lord…we are to walk as children of the light.’ 

Walking in the Light of Jesus is making the choice to walk in Truth. 

Truth without adulteration.  In a recent briefing, I quoted Blaise Pascal, and I must do so again:  Truth is so obscured nowadays, and lies so well established, that unless we love the truth we shall never recognize it.²

We cannot afford ignorance when it comes to eternal matters, and yet we allow false reasoning to creep into our thinking about God and matters of holiness and truth.  We employ our intellect to think, reason, and problem solve on our jobs, but grow lax and lazy in our understanding of the one true God and right relationship with him.  This ought not be so!  “Most ignorance is vincible ignorance.  We don’t know because we don’t want to know.  It is our will that decides how and upon what subjects we shall use our intelligence,” wrote Aldous Huxley.³

So what is the cure?  What is the remedy from folks like Mr. Popoff and the nouveau-riche Rhonda Byrne?  Truth.  Caring about it.  And knowing it.  You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.⁴

Let’s be like some of the folks who listened to Paul—they [the Bereans] listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.⁵  Let us reason together to choose to live in the light rather than the darkness; let’s be wise so that we will not be deceived.