Greg Locke is the owner of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt Juliet, TN. He has amassed quite a following within the “religious right”. His rise coincided with Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency. He gained followers by serving as an online defender of Trump. He followed the example of other “ranters”, who say what many people are saying, just ALOT louder. It seems that maybe they think the loudness of their voice makes their thought original. It doesn’t. Locke’s schtick is that he thinks he is also a prophet. So in his rants he “drops gospel bombs” as he calls them.
People are attracted to Locke because they think he “tells it like it is”. Actually, he says things that they already agree with. He manipulates the way people see him by making it seem like he is a brave soldier in the fight for truth. All of the rants that I have heard involve reference to “they” and “them”, or, the boogeyman trying to silence him. He makes himself appear as a brave martyr. Unfortunately he is just another charlatan that has a bunch of people hoodwinked.
Locke’s followers exemplify a huge problem in the world. People want affirmation more than they want truth. Locke’s big thing right now is his stance against the covid vaccine. He was recently kicked from twitter for his anti covid vaccination videos. People who are also against the vaccine gravitate to him because of what they already believe. Same with his stance on lockdowns, masks, and the legitimacy of the Biden presidency. The extreme danger of Locke is that he includes a claim of prophecy as if his words come from God. They don’t (1 Cor 13:8).
He may convince a few people by his charisma, but the overwhelming majority of people who listen to this guy already believed the same things, or shared the same anger.
I don’t want to get lost in the details. The purpose of this is not to share my opinion on masks, vaccines, Trump, Biden, or anything else. I just wanted to use this as an example of the wrong way to find truth and maybe protect a few people from falling into a ditch (Matt 15:14).
You never find truth by first feeling a certain way, and then seeking validation for that feeling. The reason being is that you will find validation for any feeling eventually (2 Tim 4:3). Case in point: today, if a boy feels like a girl they will find someone who says they are a girl.
When we are seeking truth, we should not look for people who are saying what we already think. Truth is not something that comes easy. Coming to a knowledge of the truth requires seeking, studying, thinking, and a willingness to change your mind. Sometime truth will require us to make huge changes.
Someone seeking truth will turn to a source. Not all sources are good. A lot of people use their heart as a source for truth. But the Bible says that the heart is deceitful (Jer 17:9). Other’s seek the truth through experiences. It is true that we can learn from experiences, but we won’t find the truth (Acts 14:16). Others seek the truth from their own intellect. But secular philosophers don’t know the truth.
As the Lord stood before Pilate, Christ told him, “To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth…”. Pilate responds to the Lord with a very important question, “what is truth?” (John 18:37-38). There doesn’t seem to be any real care in Pilate towards the answer to the question, but if he did care he stood face to face with it.
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth…”. The Lord should be the avenue that we take to find truth. He also said in John 17:17, that the word of God is truth. The Bible is the source for truth.
While the Bible is the source for truth, it is also something that can be mishandled and used to teach untruth. 2 Timothy 2:15 says that we need to “study to show ourselves approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of Truth”. This means that we can wrongly divide it and not come to a knowledge of the truth. In Acts 17:11 the Bereans set a noble example of studying the scriptures daily to see whether these things are so. Rash, emotional conclusions are no way of coming to a knowledge of the truth. Serious, diligent study is an essential key.
Truth is something that has to “click”. Peyton Manning as a rookie was terrible. He had bust type numbers. But then it “clicked”. That comes through thinking about the truth. Thinking is lost in the world. People aren’t thoughtful toward their beliefs. Again, we look for validation and comfort, and move on with life. If something goes against what we think, we automatically assume we are right and don’t give it much thought.
Finally, the truth requires a willingness to change your mind. Repentance involves a change of action, but it also requires a change in mind. Unless you repent you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:3).
Jesus didn’t go out finding people who agreed with him. He didn’t preach a popular message. He didn’t preach warm fuzzy feel good sermons. He didn’t pander to the pharisees, sadducees, the lawyers, the scribes, the sinners, or even his own disciples. He simply spoke the truth. Those who want to be set free from their sins, listen and abide in it (John 8:31-32).
Don’t seek out people who say what you already believe. Don’t seek out someone who teaches baptist doctrine, because you’re a baptist. Don’t seek out someone who teaches methodist doctrine cause you are a methodist. Don’t seek out someone who is preaching “just what you needed” or “what you have been thinking”. Seek out people who teach only the doctrine of Christ (2 John 1:9). The Lord said those people are his disciples indeed (John 8:31).
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