Have you ever had times where you just didn’t feel like things were working? No matter how hard you tried, no matter how much effort you put in, no matter what you did, it just didn’t work. And after all that, have you ever found out that the corrective solution was as simple as following the directions? If you think you’ve had it bad during those times, let me help you feel better. You’re not NASA.
Let me explain. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Hubble space telescope, right? It’s the space telescope that can take pictures of galaxies millions of miles away. It was launched by NASA in 1990. After spending 1.5 trillion dollars, everyone was excited to see what it could do. For a trillion and a half dollars, it should have done a lot. Well, when the first photos came back, there was something unexpected. They looked like a 4 year old had taken them. Yes, they were blurry and out of focus.
A thorough investigation was launched, and after several months, it was revealed that the manufacturer of the lens polished one of the lenses too much. Even though they were given clear directions and were presumed to have followed them to the letter, it was later found out after the investigation that they hadn’t followed the directions quite so closely. And the result of not following the plan set out for them caused the issue. I’m sure you’re wondering, just like I was, exactly what the issue was.
The company polished the lens too much, but how much is too much? It was revealed that the difference in polishing the lens from what it should have been to what it was polished to was less than a human hair! Yes, that’s how minute the error was, but it caused everything to not get the desired results. It caused the telescope to not function like the manual said it would. Of course, NASA and the manufacturer worked together to fix the problem, but it cost another 400 million dollars. Again, feel better; you’re not NASA.
If you know this story or go read about it, you’ll see that NASA launched a thorough investigation to figure out why things weren’t working like the plan said they should. After all, they spent millions and billions of dollars figuring everything out and constructing everything with models and computer simulators, and everything told them that it would work the way it does today. They had a firm understanding that as long as these factors lined up like they should, they would get the outcome that all the documentation said they’d get.
At no time in the setback did any of the scientists throw up their hands and declare that it wouldn’t work like everyone thought. They knew it should work; they just didn’t know why it didn’t.
Too often in humanity, specifically in Christianity, if something doesn’t work for us immediately, we’ll throw up our hands (metaphorically) and say that it doesn’t work. It’s a lie. It’s false doctrine. It’s made up to swindle people.
Seriously, how often do we find something that someone says is true and dismiss it simply because it doesn’t work in our lives or it sounds wrong? I’m talking to Christians now. How often have we heard a doctrine or a belief that goes against what we think, or even worse, goes against our experience? And we dismiss it just because it doesn’t work in our lives?
Don’t jump ahead of me here. At this point, it could possibly be excused. There’s an evidential reason why we might dismiss whatever it is. Here’s the catch: How many times have we actually listened to the “false doctrine,” the belief, or the opinion, without a preconceived idea or notion? How often have we listened to a new belief (within Christianity) that goes against what we currently believe? And then we listen to the full explanation that’s been backed up with scripture?
Acts 17:11 says, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” There were Christians who heard the Apostle Paul preach a message that they hadn’t heard before. I’m sure for them, it sounded like heresy. None of what he said was working for them. Yet not a single one of these believers (as far as we can tell), stood up and declared him to be preaching false doctrine. Of course, there were a ton of other people around doing that, but not these believers.
In fact, the Word said that they accepted what he preached, but then they set out on their own investigation, just like NASA, to see if what He said was true. There are people who have been turned off by the Gospel (and various beliefs in Christianity) because it doesn’t work for them. They declare this problem and that. Their prayers don’t get answered. Their faith doesn’t work. Forgiveness doesn’t work. Or maybe they have issues with the Bible because it says this here or God did this thing there.
But when you hear these people, you can always find one common denominator in every single case. The problem is them. They have an issue with how God did something. They don’t understand this supposed contradiction. Their prayers aren’t working. Their faith isn’t working. Their forgiveness isn’t working.
It’s not a problem with God. It’s not a problem with the Bible. And I can say with 100% certainty that they’re the problem for a few different reasons. One: God is perfect, and He doesn’t change. Two: The Bible is true, and it doesn’t change. Three: If it worked for one single person, it will work for them if they do what that other person did.
I have heard so many people say (in some way or another) that they don’t believe in this or that (whether it be Christianity in general or a specific belief within Christianity). In every situation, the problem is the person. They say that this ‘doctrinal’ belief isn’t true, even after sitting and listening to a preacher accurately teach the belief and thoroughly exhaust the truth of the matter repeatedly.
The problem arises because the person doesn’t do what the Bible says to do. Just like the Hubble Telescope had a flawed lens, a person has a flawed action or belief. Take, for instance, getting your prayers answered. To get your prayers answered, you have to have a few things happen. You have to have a desire. That desire has to line up with the Word of God. You have to have heard the Word of God. You have to have faith for that prayer to be answered. You have to take some kind of action, whether that’s praising God, acting on your faith, or something else. At the same time, you have to make sure there is nothing hindering your faith—unforgiveness, doubt, a negative confession, or strife with people around you (especially a spouse). And with all those things working accurately, you still have to actually pray!
If you don’t even pray, it’s not going to work. If one of those things is out of whack—if it’s not been polished enough or polished too much—you’re not going to get your prayers answered no matter how hard you try. You would be the problem. Not God. Not the Word of God. Not the church. Not the doctrine. You!
And if you don’t get smart enough to realize that God is not the problem and the Word is not the problem—that it should be working but it’s just not—then you’re going to fall for the lies of the devil telling you that it’s not true.
Have you ever seen any counterfeit money? A while back, I pulled up to the gas station and opened my door to get out, and lying on the ground were a bunch of folded up $100 bills. For a split second, there was excitement in me. But I could tell something was wrong with the color. I reached down and picked them up, and upon that first touch, I could tell something else was wrong. I didn’t need to see what the bills looked like. I didn’t need to see the details in the fonts and wording. From their color, and their touch, I knew they were fake. It wasn’t because I was well versed in counterfeit money. I hadn’t taken classes at the community college on it or watched hours of YouTube videos about counterfeiting.
I, like you, have had to see and handle money my entire life, and it was clear that these were fake. Much the same as this, I can tell when something is said in a church service, no matter what church it is, where it is, who is speaking, or what credentials they have, whether it is true or not. I have studied the Word of God; I have the Spirit of God living in me and guiding me; and I know the author of the book personally. I’m not talking about going to church a few times a week. I’m not talking about going to Bible school (though that can help at times). I have a daily, committed relationship with my creator, and He talks to me just like He talks to you.
There are times, though, when counterfeit bills do pop up in circulation that are so good that they fool thousands and thousands of people (if not more). They look right, they feel right, and they spend right, but something is wrong. The Secret Service (that’s the branch of the law that deals with counterfeiting) doesn’t have a huge list of counterfeit techniques and examples. They don’t grab that bill and put it next to the wall chart to see which fake it matches. They have a genuine dollar bill that has been manufactured by the US government. They compare the fake to the real thing.
No matter what is being preached, no matter how good or bad it may sound, No matter if you think it’s false to the look, touch, hearing, or taste, or if it’s true to the look, sound, touch, or taste. There’s a standard of comparison. What does the Word of God say? Not a single verse out of context or a few verses out of context. But over and over and over, what is the thread that runs through the Bible? That’s the truth. And if it doesn’t agree with that, no matter how good or bad it may sound or whether we agree with it or not, that’s the truth.
Now, the question may be, “Why isn’t it working for me?” That’s when you’re going to have to do an investigation, have an honest look at yourself, and figure it out. You may have to spend some time in prayer. But once you have set your personal opinions aside and accepted the truth, regardless of preconceived ideas, don’t let any devil, any denomination, or any doubt steal it from you. You stay with the truth and get all that God has for you. Stay with the Word and the Spirit.
Leave a Reply