No Slave to Experts

“But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.” (Ac 27:21 AV)

Paul was not a sailor.  We don’t know how many voyages he took.  Paul was not a weatherman.  We don’t know how familiar he was with pending weather.  But Paul was a discerning Apostle.  He may not have known exactly how to sail a ship, navigate the waters, or how to read weather more than a week out, but what he could do was to read the faces and spirits of the Pilot, shipowner, and Centurion.  He could see they wanted to get to a better place to winter.  They did not wish to remain in a less than luxurious place.  They wanted the jewel of the Mediterranean.  All Paul had to do was to look on the faces of the experts and see a motive that ignored common sense.  He didn’t have to match the experts in their knowledge.  All he had to do was rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit to discern the motive and actions of the experts to see if they could be trusted.  Seeing they had a less than pure motive, even not knowing what that motive might be, he advised them not to follow their hearts.  Rather, he advised them to stay put for the winter.  They did not heed the advice of the man of God and struck sail, wrecking the ship on an island inhabited by savages.

Experts can be intimidating.  Whether in government, the sciences, medicine, the classroom, or even the pulpit, being an expert does not mean one is always honest or right.  There isn’t a year that goes by that the expert medical personnel change treatment or practice because data proved the current protocol as meaningless or harmful.  For decades, when a man went to get a physical, the doctor would perform a physical exam to determine the presence of cancer.  There is a blood test that can tell the same thing.  This physical exam is rather intrusive.  The years I subjected myself to them, I always felt more than uncomfortable.  It got to where I refused the test.  A lawyer friend of mine told me that if I did come down with this cancer and the records showed I refused the test, the insurance company could deny coverage.  Yet, I was steadfast.  I could not allow this test.  When the time came and the topic arose, low and behold, the protocol for this physical exam changed.  The insurance companies and healthcare providers realized the physical test had very little profit and the blood test was far more reliable.  My intuition told me the physical test was not something science should be doing.  I denied it.  Outside of being a hospital chaplain, there is no medical background on my resume.  I am not a doctor.  I am not a biologist.  I am not an insurance underwriter.  I don’t run a hospital.  But what I am is a believer who knows his Bible and was uncomfortable with a test that was questionable.

Paul saw something that told him the plan was a bad one.  Again, he may not have known how to read the weather or sail the ship, but what he did know was the look of pride and defiance in the face of a man.  He could hear the words used in response to his first piece of advice and note the reasoning for their decision was not prudence.  Rather, he could see it on the faces of the decision makers that committing the ship to sea was more about where to spend the winter than about getting there safely.  Experts may have good intentions.  They may also have a secular worldview.  They may think they are genuinely doing good.  But because they are atheistic in their thinking, their conclusions may be wrong.  It has always amazed me how the word of God often works in subtle ways.  We read it from cover to cover, study it, and memorize it.  Much of what we learn is obvious and easily put into practice.  However, there are portions of scripture that escape the mind until much later.  Wisdom comes from above, by the Bible and the Spirit.  We can navigate the ethos of very intelligent people.  We can pray and be led by the Spirit with no need of the IQ of a genius.  This is all possible because God had given us His word, the Spirit, and the gift of discernment.

Motive and Attitude Of The Scholar

“A scorner seeketh wisdom, and [findeth it] not: but knowledge [is] easy unto him that understandeth.” (Pr 14:6 AV)

When we think of someone who mocks, we rarely see him or her seeking wisdom.  However, to understand this proverb is to see the subtlety of the foolish.  Critical thinking is an admirable thing.  But worshipping critical thinking is to elevate the ego.  John Gill uses Acts chapter seventeen as his example.  The Greeks sit atop Mars hill to hear and to tell some new thing.  They sit around and debate for what they think is enlightenment.  The philosophers are seeking knowledge and understanding while mocking the truth.  We live in the same day and age.  Critical thinking becomes an end it itself.  Solomon is sharing that motive and attitude are the key to finding wisdom.  Not the ability to reason alone.

There was a Singles activity where the students had to find a certain gathering place based on clues given at the start of the contest.  Each set of instructions was different.  They were not difficult to follow.  Go 2.3 miles and turn east.  When you come to the red barn with the figure of a milk carton painted on it, turn left.  Cross over the railroad tracks and count the number of gas stations on the corner.  Go that many miles ahead and turn right.  The contestants won by speed and efficiency.  Knowing how long it would take if the driver obeyed the speed limit, they had to arrive no sooner than it would take.  But after that, it would be the one team to log the best time.  One team, thinking they knew the mind of the singles Pastor, ignored the clues and went straight for what they believed was the finish line.  They sat at a fast food place across from the Pastor’s favorite place to visit.  They figured they would wait until the saw another team coming down the road and then jump in their car, cross the street, and win the contest.  They waited.  And waited.  And waited.  A few hours went by and no one showed.  The invitation said that the meal was starting very shortly.  Yet, no one was coming.  Thirty minutes later, they opened the envelope and read the clues.  At the end of the instructions, the Pastor had written, “If you are sitting at my favorite place to dine, you obviously did not read these instructions.  By the time you return to church, the meal will be over”.  The losing team mocked the contest.  They went off scornfully on their own.  They used their own wisdom and came up empty.

Man was given the ability to reason.  He was given this so that he might learn the truth of God and conform to it.  Mankind was not given the ability to reason that it might think contrary to the truth.  Even our seminaries are guilty of this.  Reason has limits.  These limits are the revealed word of God.  The scorner sees no limits.  If he can ask it, he must be able to know the answer.  He reasons according to his worldview.  His mind is not submitted to the absolute truth of God.  He is not humble.  To scorn is to elevate reason above submission.  It is pride of mind gone amok.  Solomon should understand this more than anyone.  Given all the wisdom needed to rule a kingdom, it is said of him that he was the wisest man that ever lived.  Yet look at how his life ended.  He was foolish in marrying daughters of foreign kings.  His motive was conquest.  He fell to the Gentile custom of amassing wives of other kingdoms to show his dominance over them.  Unfortunately, this resulted in idolatry and the eventual downfall of Israel.  The smartest man in the world was, in the end, a fool.  Why? Because he scorned the truth.  He rejected the ‘one man and one woman for life’ design for marriage.   Critical thinking is necessary.  But critical thinking is not an end to itself.

On Public Prayer

"And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till [we were] out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.” (Ac 21:5 AV)

This impromptu prayer meeting was the result of deep concern for the life of Paul.  Paul was on his way to Jerusalem.  He wished to be a relief to the saints who were there.  The concern was twofold.  First, Paul was not called as an Apostle to the Jews.  His field was the Gentiles.  Second, he had been warned twice that going to Jerusalem meant capture and perhaps death.  God had called him to Rome.  He was on his way there, but desired to stop off at Jerusalem.  The prayer meeting above was in response to this situation.  In reading the account and another similar warning, I was struck with the reality that God never directly told Paul to avoid Jerusalem.  The saints were wise enough to know that if Paul went, he would be bound and sent to Rome to face judgment of death from Caesar.  Regardless of motive or purpose, this had to be a scene to behold.  There on the shore, the family of God all dropped to their knees and held a public and impromptu prayer meeting.  It is about time that the people of God today had the courage to do the same.

The LORD really convicted me about this years ago.  I had been saved for a couple of years, and a bunch of us single adults went to a restaurant to eat.  I had been out to eat before that, and my dinner prayer was usually very brief and almost always silent.  This time was different.  The Spirit convicted me about being public with public prayer.  So, seeing we had a crowd and a soft voice would not do it, I prayed for the meal loud enough for most of the dining room to hear me.  What one expected and what happened were not the same.  When I was done and lifted my head, I expected the room to cast stares or scornful looks at me for doing something sacred in a public place.  The response was actually the opposite.  During my prayer, I thanked the LORD for salvation and gave the plan for it at the same time.  I thanked the LORD for who and what He is.  Then I asked Him to bless the food and fellowship.  Surely there would be a cross look.  There must be a frown or two.  Not so.  Most ignored us.  Those who did not had looks of respect.  Some even appreciated the prayer.  What I discovered is that the saints need not be shy about public prayer.  As long as it is not manipulative and it is sincere, the public does not mind most of the time.  If the saints are praying for themselves or the work of God among them, the lost public doesn’t react the way we would think.

The need of the hour was pressing.  Their beloved Apostle was going into harm's way.  They did all they could do to persuade him to consider a different course of action.  The desperation of the hour moved them to ignore the public’s reaction.  The severity of the next few months was nothing in comparison to the need for prayer at that moment.  They did all they could do.  Now it was time to pray!  We wonder what it would take for the United States and the rest of the world to turn to Jesus Christ.  We are trying everything.  We are hyping programs and events that preach the gospel.  We send out emails, text messages, and Facebook posts.  We are not desperate enough!  What the political world calls ‘woke’ is not ‘woke’ at all. It is unapologetic rebellion against the Creator.  By framing it politically, it becomes less severe.  But thumbing the nose at God only results in the summoning of the wrath of the Creator!  We are not desperate enough.  Our nation, like all others, will be swallowed up by the Messiah.  The King of kings will rule over all nations.  A change of government is coming, and there is nothing anyone can do about it.  What we can do is pray.  Pray for revival before the LORD returns!  Pray that the souls of the lost would turn to the Savior!  Pray that hell becomes a bit less crowded.  Pray!  Pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands.  Pray in public.  Let the world see that we love them and that we care.  Pray! 

It's Not So Hard To Believe Now

“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this [matter].” (Ac 17:32 AV)

I have to admit; the doctrine of the resurrection has puzzled me.  Not that it isn’t possible.  Regeneration of expired flesh in no more miraculous than creating it to begin with.  If God created life from nothing, He can easily regenerate it.  That is not the source of my ignorance.  Rather, I had questioned for the longest time the need for it or the purpose of it.  If our bodies are to be resurrected and we are to be given new ones, why not simply let the old ones rot and give us a new one?  Why the extra step?  I think the above statement sheds much light on it.  If I were to ask the average human being if there is life after death, most would say yes.  They don’t know how they know that, but if there were to meditate upon it, they would probably conclude we would continue in some form forever and ever.  Where did we get that idea?  The Grecians above mocked the doctrine of the resurrection.  They did so because it had never been heard of before.  Other than the three people Christ rose from the dead, there was never, in all of human history, a record of someone coming back to life.  Especially in the manner that Jesus did.  Today, if we spoke of Jesus rising from the dead, many would not dispute this as impossible.  Why?  And for what purpose?

The resurrection is verifiable evidence of life after death.  If Jesus had never risen from the dead and ascended bodily into heaven, there would be no visible proof of life after death.  Even the three who Christ rose from the dead eventually died again.  The little girl, the young man, and Lazarus all met the end of earthly life.  Jesus Christ, on the other hand, rose from the dead and ascended in human form.  The men above reacted as one would expect.  Wouldn’t you?  The fact that life after death and the resurrection are at least a consideration today is a testament to the validity of the gospel.  That twelve men were so affected by the resurrected Christ that they preached a historical fact with conviction is the reason mankind believes in life after death.  The reason we can knock on a door and speak of eternal life without getting mocked today is because two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ rose from the grave, walked among men, and ascended on high.  The reason the vast majority of the western world will celebrate Christmas in a few short months and Easter next year is because God died on a cross, rose again, and now sits on the throne of heaven.  Because twelve men were so affected by the resurrection, they could not keep quiet and forever changed the world.

Had Jesus simply died and ascended to heaven in spirit only, the result would not have been the same.  Some would believe He lived eternally.  Others who were on the fence would have rejected.  Most would have ignored the gospel.  But a dead body resurrecting three days later after being drained of all bodily fluids is hard evidence to ignore.  For us today, the resurrection is proof that there is life after death.  That is why we use the resurrection as the dominant theme at a funeral.  It is the hope of eternal life.  Something our five senses can recognize.  The resurrection, as Paul correctly points out, is the cornerstone of our faith in eternal life.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead, our belief in the afterlife is in vain.  Praise God for the resurrection.  Because Jesus rose from the dead to live eternally in the presence of the Father, so too shall we!

His Delight

“They that are of a froward heart [are] abomination to the LORD: but [such as are] upright in [their] way [are] his delight.” (Pr 11:20 AV)

To be forward means to be just the opposite of being upright.  The word means crooked or perverse.  It is acting in a manner of sound biblical righteousness.  The forward think their values are correct only because it opposes what is right.  What the Spirit wishes for us to consider is the motive for being upright.  Those who seek to conform to the word of God; willing to accept the perfection of it; are the delight of God.  We may not always succeed.  Sin happens.  But if the child of God seeks to strive against sin acknowledging the holiness of the word of God and one’s duty to conform to it, then he or she is a delight.  Inserting the pronoun ‘his’ before the word ‘delight’ rather than the phrase ‘to him’ after the word ‘delight’ suggests the LORD seeks out those who are upright so that He can be delighted.  This suggests more than a mere reaction.  It suggests intent.  This also suggests an intent on the part of the upright.  The intent is to be a delight.

Every child has the innate desire to please his or her father.  All they want to hear from their dad is, “I am so proud of you”.  When I was a child, it was excelling in things that interested my father.  It was scouting or music.  Whether it was earning merit badges or learning how to play the guitar, we were after one thing.  We wanted our father to be proud of us.  With my own children, it was things like memorizing verses or impressing adult leaders in their lives.  We worked together caddying at a private club, and I was always impressed with their strength of testimony.  Now they are grown and have families of their own.  They love the LORD and serve Him faithfully.  They are leading their families in the values I taught them, and I could not be more blessed.

I think this motive is sadly missing among most professing Christians.  If the desire to delight our Father was our highest motive, we wouldn’t struggle so much with sin and faithlessness.  If pleasing God were our highest priority, then pleasing self wouldn’t be a thing.  I know.  It is hard to have the pleasure of God in the forefront of our minds because we cannot see Him.  By faith we reside with Him.  We pray and He speaks.  But we cannot see Him.  We do not audibly hear Him.  There isn’t a constant presence that overshadows our every living moment.  We hear the still, small voice.  The business of our lives often shuts it out.  These are only explanations; not excuses.  God is real.  He sent His Son to be our sacrifice.  We are children of God by the blood of Jesus Christ.  He is our Creator and Redeemer.  We owe Him everything.  He has done so much for us that delighting Him should be our natural response.  If we live to delight the LORD, then our struggle toward the opposite will diminish.  If we are upright, we delight the LORD.  That is the point of our existence.  No longer to please self.  Rather, to be a pleasure to the God who made us.

Blanket Love

“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” (Pr 10:12 AV)

The biblical understanding of hatred is a bit different from the use of the term in today’s English.  When we think of hatred, we mean an adversarial attitude bent on destruction.  When the Bible speaks of hatred, it may not be that adversarial.  When the Bible speaks of hatred, it simply means disassociation and separation with a passion.  My wife, Lisa, hates lima beans.  She will not eat them.  You could try to bribe her with millions of dollars.  She will not eat them.  She hates honey.  She got sick on honey decades ago.  When she sees it, she reacts in repulsion.  However, she does not go to the grocery store and attack the lima bean aisle.  She doesn’t go to the supermarket and smash all the bottles of honey.  Rather, she won’t have anything to do with either.  Solomon teaches us a great principle here.  Strife comes by way of hatred.  Not the other way around.  What is also very important is the phrase “all sins”.  This gives us a clue as to how the Preacher intends this truth to be applied.

When the Bible speaks of hatred, it does not always mean total hatred.  Rather, hatred is spoken of in degrees.  Sort of like our use of the word dislike.  I may be served a plate full of food.  There may be things on that plate that I don’t like.  I will eat what I like and avoid what I don’t like.  There are certain foods that taste just fine, but the texture is what turns me off.  I like peanut butter.  In certain ways.  My grandfather loved peanut butter and would have bathed in it if he could.  When I cook, I am very light on the seasonings.  My wife goes crazy with seasonings.  When the Bible above uses the word hatred, it is not speaking of total hatred to the point there is nothing neutral or admirable about that person or thing.  This is why the word ‘all’ is used.  Hatred does not need to be total.  Hatred can be incremental.  Otherwise, the word all would not have been used.  We are willing to cover some sins.  Others, not so much.  When we hate, we amplify those faults that we find impermissible.  We simply do not wish for them.  Other faults are just fine.  We may not like a person’s personality, but their intelligence is exemplary. 

Solomon says that love, versus hatred, will ignore or seek to look beyond faults.  He is also suggesting that hatred will make a point of a sin and cause strife because of it.  It is suggested that if I don’t like tapioca pudding (which I detest) I will point it out everywhere I go and make others who enjoy it feel uncomfortable.  Gummy bears are nothing more than stale jello!  They should be banned.  The Gummy Bear warehouse is not too far from where I live, and I don’t go and picket the building.  In fact, as much as I dislike gummy bears, I will still buy them for the grandkids.  The point here is simple.  When we elevate the faults of others to the point, we will disassociate ourselves because of them, then we are causing strife where strife did not exist.  If we love others, we will relate to them as we would hope they would do likewise.  People are people.  We all have horrible faults.  Love says that I am not perfect.  Love says my faults may be worse than those whom I avoid.  Love bridges the gap and understands we are all in this boat of existence together.  Love will seek to build a relationship, regardless.  That relationship should be founded on the love of Christ.  As the LORD came to this earth to die for us, we should be willing to do the same for others.

Laying Low is Lame

“As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed [them] to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” (Ac 8:3-4 AV)

Does the term ‘lay low’ mean anything?  The first use of the word dates back to the early 1700s.  It means what one would think.  At the invention of the modern firearm, lying low meant one did not become an easy target for another to shoot at.  Some attribute it to standing against the sun.  Silhouetted against the sun, the victim would be prey to an accomplished marksman.  Therefore, being aware of pending danger, one would lay low to avoid being shot.  You would do anything to avoid drawing attention to oneself.  When I think of the disciples fleeing Jerusalem, they did not lay low.  Instead, to where they went, they preached Jesus.  That would draw attention.  This attention would invite more threats from those who hated Christ.  The proper response to persecution is not to lay low.  It is to seek safer opportunities to continue sharing the gospel.  Fleeing was not retreating.  Fleeing was looking for new opportunities with less resistance.

Paul speaks of doors.  “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and [there are] many adversaries.” (1Co 16:9 AV) “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:” (Col 4:3 AV)  But Paul also spake of doors being closed.  “But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.” (Ac 19:9 AV)  Paul was keenly aware that ministry is partly determined by the response to it.  He did not stay in one place regardless of his effectiveness.  He knew that there came a point that attempts at new ministry would be fruitless.  What Paul didn’t do was to flee to a safe space and lay low.  He didn’t cease to do what God called him to do.  He kept preaching until resistance became more of an influence than his ministry.  It was time to move on.

Our inclination is that when we experience pain, we do what it takes to avoid experiencing it again.  If we burn our hand while reaching for a hot plate, we are apt to wear gloves every time thereafter.  If we get sick on a plate full of duck (we will save that for another time) we never order it again.  If we are bullied at school, we avoid bumping into the bully no matter how inconvenient.  Most of us would flee to another city and never mention Christ again.  The last time it cost us our homes.  It cost us our families.  The cost to share Christ was great.  Therefore, fleeing to a new city means starting over and never making the same mistake again.  Not so with the believer who loves Jesus.  He is not fleeing out of fear.  He is fleeing because of opportunity.  As the door closes in one place, it is time to look for another.  They may have scattered because of Paul’s persecution.  But if they ran out of fear, they would have remained quiet once they arrived.  Rather, the proper response to persecution is publication, not silence!