The Local Church, A Fortress For Truth
In a day where “fake news” is a reality, fabrications and outright lies are told to the public and established authorities can no longer be trusted, where do we turn to find the truth? Without truth, our society crumbles. How do we determine fact from fiction? Must we sift through volumes of data and material to determine what is the truth? Shall we trust the news media and “science” to tell us the truth? Information changes, knowledge increases and school textbooks require countless updates year by year.
There is a book, however, that has stood the test of time and is literally the foundation of our whole civilization. It tells us where we came from, where we're going and who we are. It teaches man’s duty on earth and tells of future events yet to come. It is the beginning and source of all knowledge and wisdom upon which our society is built. What am I referring to? The Bible, of course. The Bible was literally the first book ever to be published and has served as the fundamental truth for our society even to this present day. The Bible is the Truth upon which all other “truth” is founded. 100 years prior to Martin Luther and the Protestant reformation, the Bible was unavailable to the average person. An early reformer by the name of William Tyndale, stated on one occasion; “I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the scriptures than you!” (spoken to a Catholic clergyman). Just a few years later, William Tyndale was martyred. On October 6, 1536, The Rev. Tyndale was hanged and burned at the stake for translating the Holy Scriptures into English. At his execution he cried out, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.” Three years later, King Henry the 8th printed the “Great Bible” in English. Less than 100 years later, the King James Bible was published. Tyndale’s translation of the Holy Scriptures made up 60-90% of the KJV Bible. In the past four centuries of its existence, the KJV Bible has impacted our world in an incalculable way. Now, over 400 years later, the KJV Bible continues to be the most used and read Bible version in the English speaking world.
Jesus said, in John 17:17; “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” Let me state again that the Bible is the bedrock upon which our society is built. The further we move away from this platform, the more unstable and corrupt our society becomes. If we are to survive, we must move back to the Bible as our sure foundation.
If we are to return to the Bible we must also return to the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said of the Church that it is, “….the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15)
The local Church is God’s organization on the earth from which “Truth” is disseminated and dispersed. In a day where our educational system is in question, universities and colleges are rampant with prejudices, media is constrained and the internet delivers misleading and false information, it has never been more crucial that we as a society return to our foundation of “Truth” ie. The Bible and the local Church. The Church upholds Holy Scripture, provides vision and purpose, gives moral and principled directives and teaches what is right and what is wrong. Society in general has failed to establish truth in people’s lives. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the fortress for truth on the earth. I encourage everyone who reads this article to read the Bible daily and take part in, attend and support your local Church.
Pastor Gary Bailey
Light Ministries Church
Lewistown, PA
To contact: email Pastor Gary @ gbmin@me.com