Use Discretion; ‘Trust but Verify’ Christian Messages & Messengers

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(15) <Jesus said,>“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (16) By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? (17) Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. (19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”’ (Matthew 7:15-20)

A few years ago, we decided to replace the windows we had in our home. The original windows were the single-pane, aluminum ‘builders-grade’ type with a plastic grid pattern on the inside. About ten years after the house was built, however, the plastic borders holding those grids in became brittle (thanks to the Florida sun and heat), and they began to loosen and the grids were beginning to fall out.

Now without grids, the windows stayed in for another fifteen years until after Hurricane Ian hit. Though none were damaged, my fear was despite having wood shutters covering the windows, the single-pane glass and the brittle plastic borders would offer little protection or resistance in the case of an object hitting the window at a high speed. So, the intellectual part of me overruled the cheap frugal part of me and we called several window companies to come and provide their sales pitch to us.

The first company sent their man, and he was rather pushy, and their products came in specific sizes. Their window sizes were static, and our window openings needing ‘resizing’ to make their windows fit. This of course would be at a great cost considering the reframing and then the repair of the outside stucco and the indoor drywall. The windows themselves were similar to our original windows in terms of the plastic borders, though these were triple-pane.

These were not great options, so I told the gentleman we would not be signing the contract with him, and his demeanor turned sour, telling my spouse and I we were making a big mistake, the prices would go up if we didn’t sign today, etc. This tactic only firmed up my negativity, though I was still pleasant with him. I told him we would not be signing with his company, but politely asked him if we could pray with him. He said God didn’t answer his prayer for a sale that day, that we wasted his time, so we showed him the door so he (and we) could salvage the rest of the afternoon.

The next two gentlemen came over to give their pitch; they were both professional and pleasant. These were guys who I didn’t want to throw out of the house.  The second person came the next week; we told him that we were receiving other estimates and he completely understood, and he accepted our prayers. The third gentleman came the week after that, and he also accepted our prayers and understood our process.

Both companies had custom-fit windows (so no added cost to modify the window openings), thick aluminum framing, insulated and composite fiber borders, double-pane with shatter-resistant film. Both were very open and gave honest answers; (a wait time of several months for an install timeframe, a window in the back needs a modification for install, etc.) and no pressure. Oh, and no grids to worry about.

We went with the windows of the third salesman. While we did not go with the second salesman’s company, it wasn’t because of him or his sales pitch. When I called him to let him know our decision, he talked very highly of the company we went with. He seems to be a good fruit borne from a good tree (and his windows were good, but not best for us). 

As there are good window companies and salesmen, some window bubbas (like the first one) are also nefarious. There are also ‘Christian’ organizations and preachers that are not of a good tree.   They claim to be for Christ but are not.   We who are Christians want to support those who are also Christian and support the cause of Christ in what they do, but how can we do this if the ‘Christian’ in their name is a disguise?

Jesus gives us the answer here in Matthew 7; we have to be diligent in looking at what they produce, and vigilant in examining that which they are really about.  We can look at a couple of local organizations close up, namely MBC and Jesus-Loves-You Ministry, and look at first, what do they both say? 

We can look at MBC’s Constitution, listen to one of the many sermons recorded on the MBC website, ask members of the congregation, examine the outreach.  For JLY, we look at what they do; the feedings, the shower trailers, the thrift store, and the provision of the Word (including the bus ride to MBC to hear the Word each Sunday), all to help the homeless community in our area.

You can look at the financial statements, see how open each are to disclosing information, who they accept and who they turn away.  Pray and use discernment to determine how they follow the principles and instructions given to us by God in the Bible.    

Each organization bears good ‘fruit’ in following and providing the Truth of the Lord to others.  One may not always like ‘how’ the Truth is provided but I don’t believe one can dispute the Truth is being provided. 

Conversely, we can look at other ‘Christian service organizations’ in their open LGBTQ adoption guidelines, or any politician claiming to be Christian but who supports the Equality Act (resistance to LGBTQ is illegal and discriminatory) or their doctrine of ‘abortion as a right’.  Does God love those who are LGBTQ?  Yes, certainly.  Does he support their LGBTQ actions?  Certainly not. 

We can love the sinner, but we cannot condone their sin.  To be Christian is for many things to have the binary choice, yes or no.  There are not many things we can be grey about in our Christian stances, and when one is in the grey zone, it’s usually with a comment like, ‘Well, although God says X, I think Y because <bleh bleh bleh>.’  This thinking is tainted and ungodly, like an apple tree that produces nothing but sour, rotten apples.  It looks like an apple tree, says its an apple tree, and may produce apples but they are not edible apples. 

Be wary of those who provide Christian commentary, and I would even say if you are reading this blog, don’t just take my word for anything I write about. Examine it with the Word; look at the context of the verse, and review and compare other Biblical references. This blog should be a gateway to exploring the Bible on your own, and not a replacement of your own Bible study or reading. As Ronald Reagan stated, ‘Trust but verify.’ I pray the product I provide is good, and that my ‘salesmanship’ reflects the goodness of the product.

Many say things that sound pleasant, but can turn quickly if you disagree. I welcome your disagreement, and pray that you do your research to prove me wrong. Please let me know if I am wrong so I can also know the Truth (and provide a correction), or you may find I’m right, which reinforces the Truth is being told. The Truth is not from me, but always from God.

Always, with anything you do – examine the content before you buy windows or any product; or decide to donate, support, or attend any ‘Christian’ organization.   Make sure their ‘fruit’ will taste as good as it looks.