2 Corinthians 11. The Apostle Paul begins this chapter with “bear with me”; a plea for the recipients of this second letter to humor him as he spends the better part of three chapters defending his ministry, his resume, his training, and his credentials as a true apostle of Jesus Christ. This might seem a bit odd to you to read Paul’s defense of himself and his ministry, but ask yourself this question:

How do I evaluate the news I hear?

As you scroll through social media and other apps on your phone, you probably encounter a wide variety of statements from an even wider variety of people! There are news headlines – shouting the latest in what is happening in our world. There are video clips and reels – offering dietary advice, dermatology advice, parenting advice, fashion advice, and so much more… The digital algorithms know what you have clicked on and how long you watched it, and they will send you an increasing number of articles and videos on the same topic. My feed is full of cat videos, physical therapy exercises, wrinkle creams, and boating bloopers (The Qualified Captain for the win!).

We are bombarded with information. But how do you know if what you are reading is true? And who interprets the significance of events?

I hope (and pray) that you investigate your news sources with a critical eye! An event happens – but the way the headlines are written and how the event is interpreted varies quite widely depending on the bias of the news source. Fox News is going in a completely different direction than the New York Times. Some “news” is just plain false advertising. Other news has truth in it; but is interpreted through a particular lens.

We all need to be evaluating the news we absorb! Who is speaking? What makes them a credible source? How does what they are saying mesh with what I know to be true in real life?

When we think of it that way, Paul’s defense of his ministry credentials in 2 Corinthians 10-12 does not seem so strange after all. Paul is saying I have the academic background and the training, and my work elsewhere has borne the good fruit of the gospel. Paul even lists out all his sufferings as a way of saying – this is really important and I love you all so much, or I would have given up on it long ago.

Paul was competing with many other voices and his warning is still valid for us today. There are many things that sound wonderful, that are pleasing to our ears (2 Timothy 4:3) but are not true. There are voices in the mix – in Paul’s day and in ours – that are false apostles, deceitful and disguised as apostles of Christ and angels of light (11:13-14). Yet portions of what they speak is deceptive and a lie! Paul was concerned that followers of Christ might be deceived by cunning voices and led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ (11:3).

How carefully do you evaluate what you read and hear? Not just from a news perspective, but also from a gospel perspective? We are all vulnerable to deception. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and discernment – to evaluate what you hear and who is speaking. Ask Him to reveal deception, and to protect you from believing lies. Don’t share news or content without validating the source first. Let us be aware of the many ways we can be deceived.