Earlier this year, a Japanese war hero died. His name was Hiroo Onoda, and he was a Japanese imperial soldier who fought in WWII. When the opposing military landed where Onoda was stationed, most of his colleagues were killed or surrendered. Onoda, however, fled with three other soldiers into hiding in the jungle. That was February 28, 1945. He would not emerge from hiding for 29 years.
He continued hiding because he thought the war was still going on, though in reality it ended just months after he had fled into hiding. In October 1945, Hiroo and his companions saw a leaflet announcing that Japan had surrendered, but they ignored it because they thought it was propaganda and not trustworthy. More leaflets were dropped from airplanes toward the end of 1945, but they did not believe these either. So they kept hiding, kept striving, kept fighting.
As the years passed, one of Onoda’s companions left the others to surrender, and two were killed in shootouts with police. For 29 years, Onoda lived on the run, lived as if the battle was still raging. He believed the wrong story and it radically impacted his life.
Many in our churches believe the wrong story. They have an erroneous view of the Lord and of His world. When we believe the wrong story, there are devastating implications. We chase things that don’t matter. We fight battles that are meaningless. Many in our churches even believe the wrong story about the Bible. Even among people who read the Bible every week, who sit in a kid’s ministry, a student ministry, a Sunday school class, or a small group—some fail to see the real story of the Bible. Church leaders are constantly teaching a story, and there are two common, yet inaccurate stories heralded in churches. Read more
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