Sorry School House Rock!

When I was a kid, there was a popular educational program called "School House Rock" which used the slogan, "Knowledge is Power!"  School House Rock helped me to memorise the Preamble in my year 8 History class taught by Mr. Kennedy.  I even had a retro School House Rock t-shirt when I was in high school!  But as educational and useful as the program was, after assessing the slogan biblically I must confess the slogan "Knowledge is Power!" is untrue.  Whilst knowledge is beneficial when used wisely, it has no power in itself to accomplish anything.  Education alone does not have the power to cure any ills.  Being able to recite the Preamble in no way supplies power to live in the way the forefathers of the United States intended.

Knowledge is a useful means, but not an end.  God lamented His people perished for a lack of knowledge.  He had the power to save and deliver them, but they continued to ignore His Law and live as was right in their own eyes.  Yet God's people also exposed the pitfalls of knowledge which led to pride and self-righteousness.  The Jews made the knowledge of God's Law and putting it into practice according to tradition the end instead of realising the Law was given so people might have fellowship with God.  Paul wrote in the second part of 1 Corinthians 8:1, "We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."  We have all been given the knowledge of good and evil, but knowledge of good does not supply us the power to always do good.  Knowledge could never make a man be good.

This fact is plainly demonstrated in many aspects of life.  I may be able to read and understand a recipe which tells me the ingredients in measure, the heat of the oven, and the proper order to  mix the batter.  But this knowledge does not mean I will choose to follow it, nor does it mean my best efforts will result in a good outcome!  I may know the rules of baseball, but that does not mean I am physically able to play it.  I might know what shot to play in cricket when a bouncer comes at my head, but that doesn't mean I can execute the shot.  I may know how to read and write and do advanced maths, but it does not mean I will be admitted into my preferred university or obtain the job I desire.  Sorry School House Rock, but knowledge is not power.  Knowledge is incapable to supply the power necessary to accomplish anything or see it properly applied to my life.

The power of knowledge in itself is a mirage, but there is true power in Jesus Christ demonstrated by His resurrection from the dead.  The knowledge that a man has three weeks to live will not prolong his life or change the doctor's diagnosis.  But there is power in the Gospel to save souls and transform hearts and minds.  Knowledge of the Gospel is the path to the power of God received by faith in Jesus.  As it is written in 2 Timothy 1:6-10, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. ⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, ¹⁰ but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,"  Paul reminded Timothy of what he had received through the Gospel:  a spiritual gift and vitality, a spirit of power, love, and of a sound mind.  Jesus has abolished death for all who repent and trust in Him, and has brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel - critical knowledge indeed!

It is God who saves, not knowledge.  Knowledge is very important and involved in salvation, don't get me wrong:  but knowledge in itself has no power to do, save, or redeem.  It is Christ who justifies, not our knowledge of Christ or understanding of the doctrine of justification.  Knowledge of God according to the Bible leads to unending and infinite power through Jesus Christ.

Accept All Things

One of the audio messages which has been a blessing to me lately was one spoken by the late pastor Steve Mays called "Being Content."  He broke down the last chapter of Philippians 4 into three major points:  I accept all things, I can do all things, and I have all things.  Paul had learned in whatever state he was to be content in Christ, and it seems through many trials Steve Mays could say the same.  Often God uses trying circumstances to teach us these invaluable lessons.

The point "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" was the one most often stressed by my teachers during my young life with Christ.  Yet with added clarity looking back, because I could not say "I accept all things" or "I have all things" meant I actually could not do all things!  It is a seldom discussed concept that there are things God allows in our lives we must learn to accept.  In some things we overcome not by their removal from our lives but by our continued perseverance despite them.  Paul was brought to that point of acceptance when God saw fit to allow a messenger from Satan into his life.  God didn't remind Paul that he could "do all things" and therefore labour to remove this perceived hindrance from his life.  What Paul called a thorn God used as a goad to humility and increased usefulness.

Whether concerning personal life or ministry, we are often not content because our identity is not founded solely on Christ.  We think we cannot do all things because we do not have all things.  You see, if we had all things, we could do all things, and then our situation would be acceptable!  What Paul had learned was in Christ he already had all things, therefore he could do all things, and was content in every situation - even when it concerned a messenger of Satan which buffeted him.  There is much speculation and debate about what the thorn was, but Paul already made it plain:  a messenger of Satan.  The details don't really matter, for the lesson is applicable to all seasons and trials of this life.  Acceptance of what God has allowed is not a passive "letting go" or "giving up" but is a intentional act of reliance upon God as we expectantly wait on Him.

It is a glorious day when we joyfully praise God for the trial, not thanking God in spite of it.  A person who accepts all things from the loving hand of God realises through faith the supernatural ability and abundance we have through Jesus Christ.  In Christ we have all things and we are without limitation.  Paul's prayers had been answered, and this poses a question for us:  will we accept all things and be content?

God and Oysters

I am amazed and grateful how God is able to redeem flawed people for His glory.  In the fable of Rumpelstiltskin, that conniving imp was able to spin straw into gold but God does infinitely greater still.  Even the most fantastic fantasies cannot measure up to the wisdom and power of God in saving lost sinners and making them children of God.  God's grace and power is revealed in our weakness, even our failings He redeems for practical good and eternal glory.

After preaching yesterday, God spoke to me as I sung songs of worship to Him.  I had concluded the message, but God had more to say to me.  In a lovely way He laid out some additional points I hadn't even considered during study - really good ones.  When Jesus fed the 5,000 to the full there were still leftovers, and it was true concerning the message preached yesterday.  I trust even as God was able to speak to my heart, He spoke to others as well despite my shortcomings.  Over lunch we discussed the sermon as a family and when called out on a point needed to admit I made an error in interpretation.  It was over a minor point, but even making small mistakes hits hard when you aim to do your best.  Praise the LORD, for even with word-fumbling, mis-reading, or poor interpretation, God is able to speak unhindered.  I love that!

It reminds me of an "Our Daily Bread" devotion I read years ago called "The Oyster Man" by Cindy Hess Kasper.  Here is a large portion of the 9 April 2008 entry by Kasper:

In the days of John Wesley, lay preachers with limited education would sometimes conduct the church services. One man used Luke 19:21 as his text: “Lord, I feared Thee, because Thou art an austere man” (KJV). Not knowing the word austere, he thought the text spoke of “an oyster man.”  He explained how a diver must grope in dark, freezing water to retrieve oysters. In his attempt, he cuts his hands on the sharp edges of the shells. After he obtains an oyster, he rises to the surface, clutching it “in his torn and bleeding hands.” The preacher added, “Christ descended from the glory of heaven into . . . sinful human society, in order to retrieve humans and bring them back up with Him to the glory of heaven. His torn and bleeding hands are a sign of the value He has placed on the object of His quest.” Afterward, 12 men received Christ. Later that night someone came to Wesley to complain about unschooled preachers who were too ignorant even to know the meaning of the texts they were preaching on. The Oxford-educated Wesley simply said, “Never mind. The Lord got a dozen oysters tonight.”

Praise the LORD how He can use anyone to be a useful part of His Body, the church.  The best efforts of our flesh fall short, but God is a Redeemer.  Jesus can take a meagre lunch for a boy and in His hands turn it into a feast for thousands!  There is more where that came from!

Choose God's Adventure

In my primary school years I enjoyed the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books.  With plenty of pictures set in exotic locations, reading those books was almost like a game because the reader's decisions affected the outcome of the story.  At the bottom of the pages you could choose an action which directed you to a numbered page to continue to story.  One choice would bring you closer to treasure and the other ended in death as frogmen cut your oxygen supply.  The one thing I didn't like about the books is sometimes no matter what choices you made, the outcome was always a disaster.  I can't count how many times I retraced my steps and changed my decisions along the way, but it seemed there were no happy or victorious endings possible.  If this was the case, it was onto the next book to seek the ever-elusive satisfactory ending.  Besides, the school library had heaps of them.

The life of faith in following Jesus is always and adventure, and has the best ending:  eternal life in God's presence in heaven.  Yet at the same time every day God gives everyone the freedom to make choices which affect our life on earth now and all eternity.  Because God is "in control" we might assume people are no more than pawns or robots which do His divine bidding.  The Bible reveals this is not the case.  God has made His will known through scripture, but He allows people to make choices which are completely opposed to His will.  He permits things to happen we would certainly prevent if we were in charge!  There is a meekness, grace, and patience demonstrated in God's character which is entirely foreign to human beings.  Though He is God over all, He created men with the capacity to freely choose - to live as a god of sorts - not as animals governed by instinct.  When we willingly choose to lay down our will to submit to His own in faith, it demonstrates we actually love and trust God.  Because God allowed man to have a will of his own and freedom to choose, it is very significant in God's eyes when we choose to obey Him.

If God is not threatened by giving men the freedom for real choice, we should respect the freedoms of others to choose as well.  Totalitarian governments and regimes rule by force and fear, but God rules with infinitely greater power through love, grace, acceptance, and righteousness.  To choose to follow Jesus and walk in love allows men to embark on the greatest adventure in the universe, for it is the first step in truly knowing and understanding the almighty God who created and first loved us.  True adventure and satisfaction isn't found by traveling to exotic locations or having all the world has to offer, but in knowing God.  It is written in Jeremiah 9:23-24:  "Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; ²⁴ but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD."

Like there were plenty of "Choose Your Own Adventure" books at my primary school, the world holds forth numerous offerings to attract us.  Consider your own experience for a second:  no matter the promise or how high our expectations, regardless how profound an experience, we are always left hungry and wanting more, bigger, better.  Even before the ride at the amusement park was over we were wanting to ride it again.  During an amazing holiday we thought about how the next one could be better.  Genuine satisfaction and contentment is found through faith in Jesus Christ.  Life as a child of God is amazing.  When He leads you on an adventure, it will be the thrill of your life that never ends.  To know God and to know He loves me!  It doesn't get any better than that.