August 4
2 Chron 35:1-36:23 | PS 27:1-6 | Prov 20:20-21 | 1 Cor 1:1-17
People yearn to be part of the majority, for it seems safe if others feel the same way that you do. Growing up, my children would frequently frame their argument to me with, "But everyone else is doing it", or, "Everyone else is able to go". Interestingly, years later, my daughter, Diana, told me that though it was annoying that my wife and I rarely ever fell for that line of reasoning and maintained a unified stance with one another, it was those rare times when we acquiesced and gave in to majority opinion when we made our mistakes. The same carries through into adulthood. We hear "there is strength in numbers", and the "majority rules". But history proves over and over again that the majority is often wrong, especially when the majority is running in the opposite direction of the counsel of God as written in the Bible. In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus formulated the theory of heliocentrism, that placed the sun at the center, rather than the earth at the center of our universe. But it was not until decades later, in the early 1600's when this theory was written in a book and popularized by Galileo, that there was a reaction. This view was contrary to the majority thought. It was deemed heretical to claim the sun to be the center, and that the planets revolve around the sun. Despite the mathematical theory of Copernicus, and the observations made by Galileo with the new telescope, the majority, though wrong, acted in strength. Ultimately, Galileo's book was banned, he was deemed a heretic, and after a seventeen year trial, he was found guilty and placed under house arrest until his death in 1642. The Christian must understand that we were not meant to swim with the majority, but we have been called out, separated unto God. As saints, or "set apart ones" we will often be misunderstood, mischaracterized, etc. But we should not seek the majority, but the counsel of God, even if, and especially when, His counsel differs from the majority.
In Paul's introduction, we read in 1 Corinthians 1:2, "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:," A "saint" is one who is consecrated to God, holy, sacred, separated unto God. Saints are not an elite group of Christians who have achieved recognition due to extraordinary behavior, but is a designation used for every believer who has made the decision to believe unto Jesus Christ. As such, we are different. Our views will often run counter to the culture and opinions of the times. We read in 1:20-25, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."
We are literally bombarded daily with more numerous voices than in generations past. Through the explosion of social media, the 24 hour news cycle, launched by Ted Turner in 1980 in the form of CNN, the majority has a continuous presence. But, just as in the past, the majority is often proven wrong. So, what do we do in these seemingly unprecedented times? We need to do our best to tune out those other voices and tune into the counsel of God. The Bible is available, and its counsel is just as true today, as when it was first written. Rather than seeking validation from the worldly majority, we need to seek fellowship with our fellow saints. Even if we find ourselves swimming against the stream of society, we can take comfort in swimming in the direction that our Lord is leading us. Confusion often results from not being able to remove ourselves from the cacophony of voices. God is calling us, but unless we learn to listen to His voice, we will find ourselves distraught and confused. May we remember who we are. We are separated unto God. We are called out to be different.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: