"Backdrops"

    With religious media so presently filled with caricatures of Christ in both persona and teaching, we may wonder why God allows such misleading distortion to exist and continue.  Thankfully, the Bible directly answers the question.

    There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you" (I Corinthians 19:11).

    The contrast of light and darkness allows us to more assuredly recognize the genuine article, as opposed to deceptive and lurid imposters who abound over the airwaves and Cyberspace.  I recently found myself reminded of these backdrops for God's illumination while channel surfing the new lineup of stations we receive since closing our cable account and setting up an antenna that receives a limited number of local and national networks.  Included among these are a number of "Christian" stations that apparently alternate between begging for money and purveying both false doctrine and a false example of the character of the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Not having seen or heard such things in many years (we had those stations blocked out on our cable system), I found myself repulsed and even angry.  Certainly, this comprises a proper initial response upon witnessing our Lord and His truth so blatantly misrepresented.  We cannot remain in such a disturbed state, however, even as the Apostle Paul commanded, "Be ye angry, and sin not" (Ephesians 4:26).  Thankfully, I remembered Paul's illumination regarding carnal and devilish deceivers serving as the background against which God's light more brightly shines.  This set my heart at peace, although I still feel a proper sense of disturbance that false teachers do much harm to believer and non-believer alike.

   Most importantly, I realized the importance of seeking to be among those who accurately portray the Lord Jesus and His truth.  By both example of life and communication of light, we must shine as forth as faithful illuminations in the growing darkness.  We must be able to affirm with the Apostle, "I have coveted no man's silver or gold" (Acts 20:33).  We must also join him in seeking to "declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).  Thereby God avails Himself of both the light and the darkness, revealing who He is by the former, and who He is not by the latter.  Indeed, all will ultimately serve His eternal purpose of glorifying and revealing the Lord Jesus.  We want to be sure that we serve as rays of the Light, shining forth against the backdrop of those who will one day hear the terrible pronouncement...

"Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name?  And in Thy name have cast out devils?  And in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity."
(Matthew 7:22-23)