December 2
Acts 20:13-21:36
Not only for our lives in general, but we must decide day by day, moment by moment whether we will choose to be led by human logic or the Holy Spirit. If you are not sure which one you are leaning on, evaluate your decisions based on God's written Word. If it aligns then you are acting according to the Spirit, if not, no matter how logical, no matter how well received, then you are grieving the Holy Spirit at the expense of logic. This goes beyond whether or not an individual is a believer or not. Even those indwelt with the Holy Spirit can allow themselves to make wrong decisions. In 2020, how many churches remained closed. How many others, for "being responsible', and for "safety" placed obstacles for believers to assemble together. Some churches required proof of vaccination, etc. Where in God's Word does it state that we should limit the spread of the gospel message, or decide who has the right or not to fellowship based on unbiblical measures? Some churches have aligned their messages to new societal norms, embracing being "woke", the LGBTQ community, and certain movements, such as BLM. Even a superficial approach to these movements according to Scripture will result in the realization that they all stand in opposition to God's Word, the gospel message, and the movement of the Holy Spirit. They might be pushed, even by believers, who embrace human logic at the expense of the Holy Spirit, to increase church attendance, to make messages more popular, to seek being more "relevant". This is why we need to be in His Word constantly. If a messenger from God, a pastor, a priest, etc. states anything contrary to God's Word, that messenger is wrong, plain and simple. That messenger should be confronted with the truth of God's Word.
Paul had been faithful to God's Word at a tremendous human price. He was beginning his procession which would lead to his arrest and eventually his being beheaded for the gospel message. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21 (NKJV), "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." For Paul, it was never about popularity, nor longevity, but purpose. His purpose was to unashamedly and steadfastly bring the only message of salvation to those who did not know the truth and power of Jesus' death and resurrection. We read in Acts 20:26-28, "I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know. “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders." Paul is passing the baton to the elders in the church of Ephesus, and he warns them to stay on guard. He goes on and is very specific, as we read in 20:29-31, "I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. Watch out!...".
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the gospel message has been given to you, and you have received it. What are you doing with it? Are you keeping it all to yourself? For that is clearly against what Scripture dictates in Jesus' Great Commission to the church in Matthew 28:18-20. Are you playing it safe, thinking that representing a little of society's views and some of God's views are a more reasonable approach? For we read in Matthew 10:28, "Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.", and in Luke 9:26, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels." Our situation is not really as unique as we want to make it seem. It comes down to what you will do in the face of conflict and persecution. Will you remain steadfast or will you compromise. We read in James 4:4, " You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God." The Holy Spirit or human logic, you choose which it will be today.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: