Lies, Deceptions, and Half-Truths (Part 1)

By John-Michael Wong

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue” summarizes the power of words (Pr 18:21, LSB). The power of the tongue first brought death when Adam and Eve lis­tened to Satan’s deceitful words, introducing sin and death (Ge 3:13; Jn 8:44). In today’s world of internet media and online content, negative words can ruin both lives and churches. Life is also in the power of the tongue, as words can heal and nourish when used for righteous purposes, and even eternal life can be delivered through the truth of the gospel message.

Church leaders have the vital responsibility of upholding truth when lies are promoted against two targets: God’s Word and His people. Many deceivers have gone out into the world (2Jn 7), and we are called to contend earnestly for the faith and guard against false teachers and their destruction (Jude 4). Within the church setting, dangerous deception often comes from within when “savage wolves” (Ac 20:29-30) stir dissen­sion by leveraging their recognized position of authority to make their victims more susceptible to believing lies. Faithful church leaders may find themselves caught in the confusion of being labeled a deceiver, like the experience of Paul, as he was accused of being a deceiver and yet was true (2Co 6:8). If our Lord Jesus was labeled a deceiver during His earthly ministry, His ser­vants should expect to be like Him (Mt 27:63).

This article addresses the context where lies are spread about a local church and its leaders to undermine their gospel ministry efforts. When such attacks question the motives and character of the church’s shepherds, they further suppress their evangelism and equipping efforts. This article encourages those who have experienced such situations to persevere in several ways.

Do not add fuel to the fire.

First, be careful that you do not contribute to the problem. Deceit or the act of deception can be defined as “the intentional misleading or beguiling of another”¹ and is often carried out through the delivery of lies and half-truths. A lie is a statement that is false or inaccurate, usu­ally with the intent to deceive, but it could also be something false that is believed to be true by someone who is deceived. Telling a half-truth means that the other half is filled with lies. This is different than merely withholding an answer or keeping sensitive matters appropriately pri­vate. This distinction is important because it is sometimes necessary and wise to conceal details from those who are uninvolved and who do not need to know.

When Samuel went to Bethlehem, God gave him appropriate wisdom to keep hidden the sensitive information about his mission to anoint King Saul’s replacement, while also being hon­est about his actions (1Sa 16:1-5). Once lies surface about situations in the church, church leaders may be called into question for not disclosing everything they know about a prob­lem in order to set the record straight. Leaders can be falsely accused of a cover-up or telling “half-truths” when, in reality, there is no lie or deceit in their responses. These accusations may come from people who feel they have a right to know or have pridefully taken on the role of a judge when, in fact, all they are doing is stirring up further division and strife. Your refusal to answer the fool according to his folly (Pr 26:4) will prevent adding fuel to the fire.

As a church leader, you may be privy to specific details about others as you pray, coun­sel, correct, and encourage them through life—including those who may have betrayed you with lies or become infect­ed by the deceit of others. It would be improper to spread rumors or gossip about others, even if exposing personal details exonerate the truth and perhaps yourself. We must remember that our teaching of the truth must always come with a clean conscience before God and others (2Co 4:2; 1Th 2:3-4) and not with any spirit of self-preservation or personal revenge (Ro 12:17-21).

Stay focused.

Second, keep doing what you’re sup­posed to, preach the word, and be ready in and out of season (2Ti 4:2). Truth and light are the only ways to displace darkness and lies. But it takes time. Do not let the enemy hold you back because of a tarnished reputation. Take extra courage to stay the course, regardless of how men perceive things.

Paul didn’t stop when his ministry was tarnished, instead, he kept right on going. In Iconium, Paul began with con­siderable successes in evangelism and discipleship when a “large number of peo­ple believed, both of Jews and of Greeks” (Ac 14:1). But, right after that the unbelievers launched a campaign against the gos­pel and “embittered the minds” of people against the church (v. 2). And yet, even during such pressure his conclusion was simply to spend “a long time there speak­ing boldly with reliance upon the Lord” (v. 3). Even after being physically beaten in Lystra, he kept at it and strengthened the disciples encouraging them to con­tinue and showed them the reality that “through many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of God” (v. 22). God is at work when His Word is proclaimed, and we should not worry or be anxious about other people and their reactions.

Paul saw the state of the Corinthian church after they started listening to false teachers. Paul’s good work of preaching was completely evident in the reality of their reception of the gospel message and the very existence of the church. And yet, the Corinthians lis­tened to the accusations from the false teachers, and their minds were corrupted away from their devotion to Christ and their relationship with Paul. Such men were “deceitful workers” doing Satan’s work to stir division, all the while “disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2Co 11:13). Even as he tried to give them instructions and build them up in recognizing error and keeping truth, he was aware that the lies instigated against him had already poisoned their percep­tion of his motives. However, the risk of being misunderstood did not stop Paul from teaching; instead, he was embold­ened to do it anyway because the truth is always greatly needed. Even if they thought he was defending himself, he kept doing everything for God and their building up (2Co 12:19).

Read Part 2.