Dodger: Hey there! How was your week? Mine was a little bit hectic. Lots of travel. You would not believe the number of advertisements I saw just getting around. I feel like there's an ad for everything! TV shows, pizza, legal services, insurance, websites, the list goes on and on. It's kind of crazy. Lilly, what about you?
Lilly: After the theme park I actually came down with a cold, so I stayed inside most of the week, but yeah, I know what you mean. We let a lot of advertising into our homes too. I don't think I'd mind, but a lot of it is really fake. I just know that all the promises on those products can't be real, but they can be pretty convincing.
Dodger: Well, those ads are made by professionals in that field. One of my best friends is a communication major in college, and he's been studying how advertising works. They target their audience, which is why some of those messages are so persuasive. They usually tell a story to make their ad really stick. Come to think of it, that's not really all that new.
Lilly: How so?
Dodger: Well, people have always advertised their products. Sometimes, though, the advertising was the product.
Lilly: What?
Dodger: Well, if you read about some of the prophets in the Old Testament, you find out a lot of them were even more fake than our commercials, and God wasn't too happy about it.
Lilly: Fake prophets?
Dodger: Yeah. You see, they'd tell people something they claimed to have heard from God, only it wasn't true.
Lilly: Why would they do that?
Dodger: Same reason advertisers do what they do now. It was lucrative. You could make a lot of money, telling people what they wanted to hear.
Lilly: But, wouldn't that lead people to believe the wrong things about God?
Dodger: It did. In fact, it got really bad. Eventually God's people were living completely sinful lifestyles, but because the prophets insisted that everything was okay, no one felt any need to change.
Lilly: No one was telling the truth?
Dodger: Oh, some were, but not as many people wanted to hear them, and they were often in trouble for speaking the truth.
Lilly: Yikes!
Dodger: Well, it didn't end well. Eventually God's people lost their land, and they had to start all over again because of their sinful lifestyles. It's a sobering reminder to check what we hear against what God actually says. Sometimes we hear nice things that sound like God said them, when He really didn't.
Lilly: Like "The Lord helps those who help themselves?"
Dodger: Right. That's not in the Bible anywhere, but a lot of people will say it is.
Lilly: So, the best bet then is to read the Bible so we actually know what's in it.
Dodger: Right! You can't be fooled by a lie when you know the truth. Don't do what everyone else is doing just because it's popular. Large groups of people have been wrong in the past. Instead, study God's Word so you really know where to stand, and then, when you hear something that is supposedly about or from God, you know where to look.
Lilly: Plus, by knowing the truth yourself, you can share it with others.
Dodger: Right. Paul's letter to Timothy says it well: "When Christ Jesus comes as king, he will be the judge of everyone, whether they are living or dead. So with God and Christ as witnesses, I command you to preach God’s message. Do it willingly, even if it isn’t the popular thing to do. You must correct people and point out their sins. But also cheer them up, and when you instruct them, always be patient. The time is coming when people won’t listen to good teaching. Instead, they will look for teachers who will please them by telling them only what they are itching to hear. They will turn from the truth and eagerly listen to senseless stories. But you must stay calm and be willing to suffer. You must work hard to tell the good news and to do your job well (2 Timothy 4:1-5, CEV)."
Lilly: Whether it's popular or not, when you know the truth, it sets you free.
Dodger: You got it. Well, we better get going. Thanks for joining us today! See you next time, and remember that Jesus loves you, and that's not EVER going to change!
Lilly: Ciao!
(CEV Refers to Contemporary English Version)
Lilly: After the theme park I actually came down with a cold, so I stayed inside most of the week, but yeah, I know what you mean. We let a lot of advertising into our homes too. I don't think I'd mind, but a lot of it is really fake. I just know that all the promises on those products can't be real, but they can be pretty convincing.
Dodger: Well, those ads are made by professionals in that field. One of my best friends is a communication major in college, and he's been studying how advertising works. They target their audience, which is why some of those messages are so persuasive. They usually tell a story to make their ad really stick. Come to think of it, that's not really all that new.
Lilly: How so?
Dodger: Well, people have always advertised their products. Sometimes, though, the advertising was the product.
Lilly: What?
Dodger: Well, if you read about some of the prophets in the Old Testament, you find out a lot of them were even more fake than our commercials, and God wasn't too happy about it.
Lilly: Fake prophets?
Dodger: Yeah. You see, they'd tell people something they claimed to have heard from God, only it wasn't true.
Lilly: Why would they do that?
Dodger: Same reason advertisers do what they do now. It was lucrative. You could make a lot of money, telling people what they wanted to hear.
Lilly: But, wouldn't that lead people to believe the wrong things about God?
Dodger: It did. In fact, it got really bad. Eventually God's people were living completely sinful lifestyles, but because the prophets insisted that everything was okay, no one felt any need to change.
Lilly: No one was telling the truth?
Dodger: Oh, some were, but not as many people wanted to hear them, and they were often in trouble for speaking the truth.
Lilly: Yikes!
Dodger: Well, it didn't end well. Eventually God's people lost their land, and they had to start all over again because of their sinful lifestyles. It's a sobering reminder to check what we hear against what God actually says. Sometimes we hear nice things that sound like God said them, when He really didn't.
Lilly: Like "The Lord helps those who help themselves?"
Dodger: Right. That's not in the Bible anywhere, but a lot of people will say it is.
Lilly: So, the best bet then is to read the Bible so we actually know what's in it.
Dodger: Right! You can't be fooled by a lie when you know the truth. Don't do what everyone else is doing just because it's popular. Large groups of people have been wrong in the past. Instead, study God's Word so you really know where to stand, and then, when you hear something that is supposedly about or from God, you know where to look.
Lilly: Plus, by knowing the truth yourself, you can share it with others.
Dodger: Right. Paul's letter to Timothy says it well: "When Christ Jesus comes as king, he will be the judge of everyone, whether they are living or dead. So with God and Christ as witnesses, I command you to preach God’s message. Do it willingly, even if it isn’t the popular thing to do. You must correct people and point out their sins. But also cheer them up, and when you instruct them, always be patient. The time is coming when people won’t listen to good teaching. Instead, they will look for teachers who will please them by telling them only what they are itching to hear. They will turn from the truth and eagerly listen to senseless stories. But you must stay calm and be willing to suffer. You must work hard to tell the good news and to do your job well (2 Timothy 4:1-5, CEV)."
Lilly: Whether it's popular or not, when you know the truth, it sets you free.
Dodger: You got it. Well, we better get going. Thanks for joining us today! See you next time, and remember that Jesus loves you, and that's not EVER going to change!
Lilly: Ciao!
(CEV Refers to Contemporary English Version)
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