Evangelistic Exaggerations

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"Let your yes be yes, and your no be no; for whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Mt 5:37)

The first petition in the Lord's prayer is, "Hallowed be Your Name!" How often we have dishallowed His Name by exaggerated and twisted reporting! God will judge us for what impression we leave on the readers rather than what information we serve. If 600 people attended our camp, we do not bring glory to God by saying, "About 1000 people attended!" Because it is a lie, we actually honour the devil, who is a liar and the father of lies.

For our people, anything above a few thousands is one lakh! Preachers should not exploit this. If a modern magazine reports the five-loaves-two-fish miracle, it will simply add two more digits to the 5000 and the photographic manipulation will make it appear true! The photographs sent overseas by certain Indian agencies sometimes make the Western friends think that most of the Indians live on the streets, carry bowls begging from house to house and are primitive tribes. They need pictures and we need dollars, and we thus "help" each other! Let's repent of this sin of giving wrong impressions.

Now-a-days so many yearn for the titles to be called "Dr," "Rev" and so on without really meriting them. We should be interested in functioning rather than in titles. One of the greatest Indian apostles of the previous century was just called "Brother" Bakht Singh (1903-2000). Did not Jesus say, "You are all brothers?" (Mt 23:8).

It is sickening to see certain magazines projecting an individual from cover to cover. The evangelist is photographed in all poses like cine stars. After reading a magazine or listening to a message we should be able to exclaim, "What a wonderful Saviour we have!" and not "What a powerful preacher he is!" John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn 3:30). And Jesus told of John, "Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist" (Mt 11:11).

Let us also strive for that one and only true approval of who we are and what we might achieve; as well as the only lasting and glorious commendation that would echo through all eternity, that of our Lord saying—
                            "Well done, good and faithful servant!" 

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