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The Digital Age and the Explosion of Information · 5-Minutes of Good News

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, Christians.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is Dallas Beacham.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Stand by for good news.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Today we are talking about the digital age.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: And let's be honest, it is fast and loud, and it is crowded.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: There is always something ringing, buzzing, flashing, or calling for our attention.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: We wake up and there's news.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: We sit down, there are messages.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: We open our phones and there are opinions, videos, warnings, advertisements, sermons, jokes, arguments, and updates.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it feels like the whole world is talking at the same time.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Not very long ago, life moved at a much slower pace.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: We waited for letters.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: People used landline phones.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Children had to actually look things up in the encyclopedia.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: If you wanted to know something, you might go to a library.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: You might ask a teacher.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: You might call somebody who knew more than you did.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: And most of the time you had to wait.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Waiting was part of the learning.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Now answers are in our hands.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: One small phone can open books, maps, lessons, news, music, and conversations from around the world.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: That can be a wonderful blessing.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: A person can listen to the Bible while driving to work in a car.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: A family can hear preaching in their living room and a shut-in can be encouraged over the telephone.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: A young person can study scripture.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: A church can send out truth far beyond the walls of their building.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Matthew 5 and 16 says, Let your light so shine before men.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: And in this age that light can shine farther than many of us ever imagined.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: But there is another side to it.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Not everything online is true.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Not everything shared is helpful.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Not everything popular is right.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: A message can sound spiritual and still be wrong.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: A headline can sound urgent and still be misleading.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: A voice can sound confident and still lead people.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: That is why Christians have to slow down.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: We do not have to chase every rumor.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: We do not have to answer every argument.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: We do not have to be carried away by every wind of doctrine.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: 1 Thessalonians 5.21 says, Prove all things.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Hold fast that which is good.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: In plain words, test it, examine it.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Do not believe everything just because it appears on a screen.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Ask, does this agree with the Word of God?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Is this honest?
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Is this loving?
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Will this help someone or will it only stir up fear?
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Philippians 4 and 8 tells us to think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, loving, and of good report.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: That is a good filter for this digital age.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Daniel said knowledge would increase.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Information is moving like a flood.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: But Christians must not be swept away by the flood.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: We must stand on the rock.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus said in Matthew seven that the wise man built his house upon a rock.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: The rain came, the floods came, the winds blew, but the house stood, because it was founded upon a rock.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: That is what we need, a life founded on Christ, a mind anchored in the scripture, a heart guarded by prayer.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: So before you share it, test it.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Pause.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Think about it.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Before you believe it, compare it with the scripture.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Before you repeat it, ask if it builds up or tears down.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Use technology wisely.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Use knowledge humbly.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Let your phone be a tool, not a master.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Let your mind be renewed, not overloaded.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let your words be seasoned with grace.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Colossians 3 and 2 says, Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: That includes our thoughts, our attention.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: That includes what we allow into our hearts every day.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: The digital age is here, but the word of God is still older, wiser, and stronger, and surer than anything on a screen.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: So with all the information floating around, let's put scripture where it belongs.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: First, above everything.