The last time we were together here in the backyard, having a conversation, we were talking about lies. Lies that kill. And we made the shocking statement that we live in a world of lies. A world steeped, saturated, and immersed in lies. That’s kinda hard to take. If we take that at face value it seems that it wouldn’t take long to become pretty jaded and untrusting. Here at One Hundred-Fold Ministries, it is our belief that when we know the Truth, He will truly set us free. That is why a conversation about lies is important.

I mean, it can’t all be lies. Science is true, isn’t it? Didn’t we hear quite regularly during COVID that we should “follow the science.” It is just that, in that season, the science was still emerging. There were no longitudinal studies for this virus or the vaccines. I think it would be fair to say that most in positions of trust during that difficult time were doing as best they could and meant well. Still, not all the facts were known, and yet these unproven conclusions or emerging theories were sometimes presented quite firmly as “studied truth.” And now, after the fact, we are hearing that some in positions of power and trust did, in fact, embellish the facts, suppressed facts, or withheld some important data.

Remember that famous courtroom question where the person about to testify places their right hand on the Bible?

Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

Facts without embellishment and withholding nothing. That is actually a pretty good definition of truth and, for that matter, how lies become so effective. We leave just a little bit of the true story out so that the conclusions are inaccurate or suspect. Or a person adds a little bit of sketchy story attached to the truth and the hearer is given a false impression. Lies are best sold when they are a little bit true!

Here is where the rubber hits the spiritual road. If Jesus is all about the Kingdom of God as we here at One Hundred-Fold Ministries have promoted, then if we leave that out of our teaching from the pulpit, isn’t that a problem? It seems to me that the various doctrines of the gospel of the Kingdom help to create the edge of the puzzle that will help us to get a clearer picture of all that God is offering to us in our salvation. Sadly, many have been left with an impression that salvation is merely about “going to Heaven.” Many evangelists have started their conversations with searchers with the tease, “If you were to die today and meet God face to face, and He asked you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?”

Hear me well – I don’t hate that question! I’ve used that question at times. Still . . . the impression this conversation leaves us is that salvation is about securing a spot in Heaven. Not untrue, of course, but there is so much more! Jesus’ atoning death does, in fact, make a way for us to be covered in His righteousness. And His righteousness opens Heaven’s gates. What great joy to consider this truth! But still, these conversations don’t often speak of following Jesus as a disciple, or dying to self, or serving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Many are left with false impressions about what the relationship with Jesus is all about! Some have said that these conversations are for later. The fact is, Jesus started with these conversations! He rarely spoke of going to Heaven, with the thief on the cross crucified next to Jesus promised a place in paradise being one of the rare ‘Heaven’ conversation exceptions!

Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts put it this way in his terrific article Jesus and the Kingdom of God: What You Need to Know¹

“The essence of his (Kingdom) message is summarized in Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.”

Growing up as a Christian, I always read this verse as saying: “The time for your personal salvation has arrived. Be sorry for your sins and believe in Jesus as your Savior so you will go to heaven after you die” (emphasis mine). Now, years later, after having spent much of my life studying Jesus, I no longer believe this is what Jesus meant in Mark 1:15, though I still believe in the truth of what I once attributed to Jesus. We do experience personal salvation through Jesus, partly through acknowledging our sins so that we might trust Jesus as our Savior. Our salvation does include life beyond physical death. But I don’t any longer believe this is what Jesus meant when he proclaimed the presence of the kingdom.”

Maybe you will connect with some of Chelsea’s story:

“I grew up in a Christian home and we went to church every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. I was the ‘perfect’ little Christian child – I memorized my verses, I got attendance stars, I went to VBS every year and into my teen years you could have called me a Bible Thumper. Even into college I was active in college ministries, and I led Bible studies on my campus. I bought into a set of beliefs based on certain transactional Bible verses:


Psalm 37:4-5
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
trust in him, and he will act.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

And this verse was the clincher for me:


Matthew 6:33
Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The overarching idea was that life in Christ was good and easy and filled with joy and good things. That if you did your part, then God would do His part. I learned that sin was bad and that my main job as a Christian was to, as best as possible, avoid temptation, not sin, and tell others about Jesus.

Then things began to break down on all these assumptions. As time went by, I started to learn something different. Something outside of my so very safe paradigm – God didn’t always deliver on His end of the bargain. At least the way I thought He would. I wanted to be popular and to be prettier and to be considered smart and important by my peers. In my head I thought, “I did my end of the bargain – I sought first your kingdom – so where are my new clothes?”

And then, as I started to drift in my faith a bit and hang around some college friends who weren’t in my “Christian crowd,” I also learned that sin was actually kind of fun, that non-Christians were good, caring people and that when you didn’t do the Christian rules just so . . . nothing bad actually happened.

Then one day it all broke down. I heard a naïve prayer about the weather (as though God really cares about our picnic weather!) and said to myself, “That’s it. I’m done.” I took off the cross I was wearing around my neck. The one that had been there for a decade or more.

I decided to test God. I applied for a master’s degree in business and did not pray about it – and I got in! Proof, it seemed to me, that all this religious stuff was bogus.

Here is the deal though. This new life of freedom from religious obligation and legalistic simplicity didn’t cut it either. Very quickly, in hours really, I figured out that this so called life of freedom had no moral answers, no profound purpose – nothing but self-satisfaction and precious little of that. I found myself in tears, not jumping for joy.

Quite fearfully I went home and told my mom I was struggling with my faith and that I was experiencing deep doubt. I thought I would get from her an earful of guilt or spiritual platitudes that offered no comfort or direction. Instead, she quite calmly and lovingly said, “Lots of people have doubts. I have had doubts and fears too.”

That simple statement by my mom started me back on my journey towards Jesus. Not towards religion, but to Jesus. Not a transactional relationship, but a transformational relationship. I decided that I would enter into God’s Kingdom rather than trying to squeeze him into mine. And my life has not been the same.

I started studying the Bible in earnest, not just to learn about God, but to understand Him and His purposes. I began to actually fall in love with Jesus. I’m hardly perfect in my faith. I still have doubts and there are things in my life and for those around me that I deeply wish were different. But I can honestly say that my relationship with Jesus is deeper, wider, and fuller than it has ever been, and I am at peace.”

Here at One Hundred-Fold Ministries we challenge Christians to lay hold of all that has been promised to them in the saving power and love of Jesus Christ. The good news of God’s divine Kingdom and our opportunity to delight in His rule and reign is a largely untapped stream of peace and joy.

This is Dave Scherrer and let me know if you see yourself in this conversation at dave@100foldministries.org. Peace to you!

^{1 https://depree.org/jesus-and-the-kingdom-of-god-what-you-need-to-know/}