For some time, now, it seems that I've been hearing the message that the stupider you are, the more you can be used by God. Don't study, don't apply yourself, don't make any effort, don't even get educated--'cause God loves idiots and simpletons, and those are the kinds of people He wants and uses in His kingdom.
Maybe I'm overstating the case, but I honestly can't tell you how many teachers I've heard over the past few years talk proudly about how uneducated they are and yet God is using them, anyway. The verse that usually accompanies these accounts of God using the uneducated is Acts 4:13.
I want to state up front that I completely understand where they're coming from and I grasp what they're communicating. However, I wonder if maybe--just maybe--there is a more balanced way to say things. Perhaps the point Luke was trying to convey in Acts 4:13 was not so much that they were uneducated as that they had spent time with the resurrected King Jesus. Take a look at Acts 4:33. The emphasis isn't on education or non-education, it's on the power of the resurrection of Jesus.
Does the Bible say anywhere "thou shalt not be educated"? Does it say anywhere that if you are educated, you should become like the uneducated so God can use you? I'm thinking not. No, we shouldn't boast or take pride in our education or our intelligence because our brains are a gift from God. But if we have been given the privilege and opportunity to learn and to be educated, should we pooh-pooh that because we think God will use us in better ways if our human intelligence doesn't get in the way? I would like to have seen someone tell C.S. Lewis that he should have dumbed down his writing so it would be more accessible to the common man. I would like for someone to have told Paul that he should have acted more like Peter since Peter was uneducated and God's power flowed through him so freely.
I have no problem with people sharing their life story and talking about how God has used them no matter what their circumstances or their level of education and intelligence. I do have a problem, however, when the sharing becomes more of a polemic against education and using that God-given intelligence. God truly does use us all. He uses the uneducated, the educated, the simple, and the intelligent. And that's the whole point--He uses us all. No one is greater than or lesser than in His eyes. You are not greater because of your intelligence, but you are also not greater and more Spirit-led if you have not received formal education (which, by the way, is all that is meant by the Peter and John being "uneducated"; they had no formal rabbinical training according to the Sanhedrin).
Let us all be the kind of people through whom the power of the Holy Spirit flows so that we can do those things God has prepared for us to do.
"This is the explanation: God has made us what we are, God has created us in King Jesus for the good works that [H]e prepared, ahead of time, as the road we must travel." Ephesians 2:10 (Wright translation)
Friday, September 14, 2012
Friday, August 31, 2012
It's Time for a Little Revolution
Revolution. Blood. Death.
New life.
The greatest revolution the world has ever witnessed came about as a result of the death of one man.
"There is one God, and also one mediator between God and humans, King Jesus, Himself a human being. He gave Himself as a ransom for all, and this was testified when the time was right." 1 Timothy 2:5-6
Some of you might be wondering why, if I'm quoting Bible verses, the title of my blog seems so sacrilegious. Well, I'm glad you're wondering. Grab some coffee or tea (or beverage of your choice) and relax while I tell you a little story.
Many years ago, while my husband was away for the day, a friend and I drove to a small Roman Catholic chapel near where we live. What greeted us inside was an almost life-sized crucifix, which was not surprising since it was a Roman Catholic chapel. We looked around for a few minutes, then my friend made the comment that Jesus looked like His knees had rug burn. I looked up at Him, and sure enough, there was Jesus with red spots on His knees. In all fairness, I'm sure that the artist was attempting to depict what might have happened to Jesus' knees when He fell from the weight of the cross. My friend and I couldn't help but think that it looked more like Jesus had...well...skinned His knees. Thus, He was dubbed "Skinned-Knee Jesus." We were honestly not being disrespectful or anything like that, it simply struck us as an incredibly odd artistic choice.
I was trying to think of a name for this new blog, and the more I cogitated, the more I felt drawn to use the name my friend had created for the crucifix depiction of Jesus. And the more I thought about it, the more appropriate it seemed to the purpose of my blog. The name might be a wee bit jarring to some, but the church in the United States needs to be jarred. Something is desperately wrong. Thousands upon thousands of people are slipping through the cracks and very few people seem to know what to do about it. We've gotten so out of balance over the past couple of centuries, and it's time we emerge from the fog. We need to start boldly proclaiming the truth about everything--about God, about Jesus, about life, about people, about relationships, about food, about art, about science, about philosophy, about religion. We need to study the Word of God diligently and declare the full counsel of God (Acts 20:27). We need a little revolution.
But maybe instead of starting a new revolution, we just need to continue the revolution that Jesus began. The truth is, we who claim the name of Jesus are following a God who did, indeed, get His knees skinned. He was human in every way, and that's the glory of it all. The God of Israel emptied Himself and became human so that we could possess the life which is truly life.
So if you're interested in hearing about what it means to be truly alive and not just exist and wait to die so you can go to heaven, then stay tuned. You're in for...a little revolution!
New life.
The greatest revolution the world has ever witnessed came about as a result of the death of one man.
"There is one God, and also one mediator between God and humans, King Jesus, Himself a human being. He gave Himself as a ransom for all, and this was testified when the time was right." 1 Timothy 2:5-6
Some of you might be wondering why, if I'm quoting Bible verses, the title of my blog seems so sacrilegious. Well, I'm glad you're wondering. Grab some coffee or tea (or beverage of your choice) and relax while I tell you a little story.
Many years ago, while my husband was away for the day, a friend and I drove to a small Roman Catholic chapel near where we live. What greeted us inside was an almost life-sized crucifix, which was not surprising since it was a Roman Catholic chapel. We looked around for a few minutes, then my friend made the comment that Jesus looked like His knees had rug burn. I looked up at Him, and sure enough, there was Jesus with red spots on His knees. In all fairness, I'm sure that the artist was attempting to depict what might have happened to Jesus' knees when He fell from the weight of the cross. My friend and I couldn't help but think that it looked more like Jesus had...well...skinned His knees. Thus, He was dubbed "Skinned-Knee Jesus." We were honestly not being disrespectful or anything like that, it simply struck us as an incredibly odd artistic choice.
I was trying to think of a name for this new blog, and the more I cogitated, the more I felt drawn to use the name my friend had created for the crucifix depiction of Jesus. And the more I thought about it, the more appropriate it seemed to the purpose of my blog. The name might be a wee bit jarring to some, but the church in the United States needs to be jarred. Something is desperately wrong. Thousands upon thousands of people are slipping through the cracks and very few people seem to know what to do about it. We've gotten so out of balance over the past couple of centuries, and it's time we emerge from the fog. We need to start boldly proclaiming the truth about everything--about God, about Jesus, about life, about people, about relationships, about food, about art, about science, about philosophy, about religion. We need to study the Word of God diligently and declare the full counsel of God (Acts 20:27). We need a little revolution.
But maybe instead of starting a new revolution, we just need to continue the revolution that Jesus began. The truth is, we who claim the name of Jesus are following a God who did, indeed, get His knees skinned. He was human in every way, and that's the glory of it all. The God of Israel emptied Himself and became human so that we could possess the life which is truly life.
So if you're interested in hearing about what it means to be truly alive and not just exist and wait to die so you can go to heaven, then stay tuned. You're in for...a little revolution!
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