Being Scriptural Fact-Checkers

Now we enter into a new era in the New Testament story. Acts 9 gives us the testimony of Paul’s becoming a believer in Jesus Christ. I’ve only studied the first 9 verses so far. There were a lot of interesting things in the Scriptures, and I found out that there are some things I believed about Paul’s story that are not accounted for in Scripture.

So, mostly this section of Acts was a fact finding and fact checking experience for me. In this season of elections and debates, we are hearing a lot about fact-checking. People are digging into newspapers, previous video, social media, magazine articles, tax returns, and going to sources directly to verify what statements are true and which are false.

Where as I’m getting tired of it all in regards to the elections, I challenged to never get tired of doing it when it comes to the Scriptures. I need to be as zealous as the election fact-checkers are when it comes to knowing the truth about Jesus and His message. To do this I need to be willing, even eager, to read and study the Scriptures, to look at cross-references, to clarify and verify the things I’ve come to believe. I also have to be open to acknowledging when I’m holding onto incorrect knowledge or beliefs. I need to be willing to change those beliefs to line up with the truths found in Scripture.

I was challenged this week to be more diligent in being a Scriptural Fact-Checker. I need to be careful to know Scripture and share truth from the Scriptures, not just spouting things I believe to be true but don’t know where I learned those things. As I continue to study Acts (and any other book of the Bible after this), I will be eager to observe the truths and check them against my long-held beliefs. I think that’s something every Christian should be doing. I don’t think we do it enough.