"Circumstances and Extremes"
Acts
28:4-6, "And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they
said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom though he hath
escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the
beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have
swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while,
and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a
god."
This
morning, we perceive things and make judgments and conclusions based on our
observations. However, our perception and observation is limited at best,
making firm conclusions harder to come by in many things. Due to the rise of
instant communication, people's "snap judgment" levels have increased, even
though the plethora of information has actually diluted much truth rather than
magnified it. One of the biggest pitfalls that well intentioned children of God
can fall into in this regard is judging who is and who is not a child of God.
To avoid allowing circumstances get us into extreme thinking, we need to be
cognizant of our limited perspective. For example, the best that I can say when
seeing good works manifest is, "To my best observation, they have displayed
grace that can only come from God." When I see nothing but evil works, the best
I can muster is, "To my best observation, I really don't know." The dying thief
on the cross is a good example of a lifelong experience of evil, changed at the
11th hour by the Holy Ghost. Esau is a good example of God providentially
blessing His chosen - Jacob - by preventing Esau from an evil purpose, thereby
looking like a good man outwardly.
The
lesson above shows how circumstances can lead to extreme thinking - in both
directions. Paul and his companions were on a boat in Chapter 27 ultimately
headed for Rome when a storm capsized the boat. Paul and the rest of the boat's
passengers all made it safe to an island inhabited by barbarians, though they
were quite cordial barbarians. These very blinded natives observed the above
happen to Paul and showed their ignorance about Paul's position and state. When
things went evil, they assumed that he was an evil man (not cutting him enough
slack), and when things went well, they deified him (giving him too much
credit). There are two popular clichés today that have been around all my life:
1. When things go well, someone says, "You must be living right." and 2. When
things go poorly, "You ain't living right."
What
goads these conclusions? Circumstances do. Circumstances may and do change,
but truth does not. Truth is not dependent upon circumstances as it stands firm
no matter what is going on outwardly. Now, circumstances can lead us into truth
when we observe things for what they really are. Courts have tried and
convicted men by piling enough circumstantial evidence together that the jury
felt compelled that they were really innocent or guilty. Good deeds piled
together can give us a good indication that someone has been touched and
regenerated by God Almighty. Though I do not spend a lot of time wondering who
is and who is not a child of God, I do not have any real concern that those that
I preach to on a week in and week out basis are really God's children. They
have exhibited Christian grace and charity over and over, thereby indicating to
a reasonable conclusion that they are God's own.
When
Paul had bad circumstances go his way, the barbarians assumed the worst in him.
Job's three miserable comforters assumed the same when his bad days were in
season. The heart of their inquiry to him was, "Job, obviously you're guilty of
some secret sin. Why don't you just confess it, get it into the open, and get
it over with?" In Paul and Job's case, they had not done anything wrong to
merit a bad experience, but life is full of circumstances where people suffer
having not done anything wrong. I am always amazed by the disciples' question
to Jesus in the introduction of John 9 when they encountered the man born
blind. They asked who sinned to make him this way: him or his parents? What a
question! How could a man have sinned before his very own birth to get born
that way? Yet, that is the power that circumstances play in warping our mental
patterns.
There is perhaps no more important natural life lesson that parents can teach
their children than this: The world is not fair, and bad things will happen
whether you have merited it or not. People suffer. That is part of life. Not
a pleasant thought, but it is verily the truth. Yes, if we live rotten, wicked
lives, we should expect that we will suffer for it. If we live righteous lives,
we should expect to be persecuted for it. Either way, we will suffer. Peter's
admonition is to suffer as a Christian rather than as a murderer, etc. (I Peter
4:15-16) When bad things happen, we should not automatically assume the worst as
these barbarians did. We should rather seek to know the truth. Maybe the
reason it happened is beyond our ability to determine, but either way, the truth
is what is important. Paul was not a murderer under the curse of some
intangible entity like "vengeance."
On
the other hand, they glorified Paul overmuch when the miraculous happened. God
spared his life by not allowing the poison to kill him, thereby making them
assume he was a god. To different degrees this happens to ministers a lot.
While we do not get bitten by snakes and live, we are blessed with miracles from
God's hand repeatedly when we enter the pulpit. When the man's words become
more than words and the gospel goes forth miraculously in demonstration of the
Spirit and power, there is a tendency to think too much of the messenger. More
credit is given to the man than is deserved. Paul labored to expunge preacher
worship in his opening to Corinth (I Corinthians 1), but sadly that mindset
still plagues people today. If "their guy" really knocked one out of the park,
they crow about what their guy did. Friends, if real preaching is to be had,
the Holy Ghost blessed it, and God alone is glorified in it.
In a
more natural application, we tend to credit people with things beyond their real
scope of influence. I get sadly amused today when people pin successes and
failures in all areas to the president. Now, the president has an important job
function to fulfill, but he is not culpable for every up and down that we see
daily. Just as the preacher is responsible to put forth his effort in study,
meditation, and prayer, the president must labor honorably to execute his office
to the best of his ability. However, the president is not the one who ups and
downs the gas prices or many other things. The pastor is not the source of
credit for new members nor necessarily the cause for dwindling members. Those
things may be beyond his control, yet good circumstances can deify someone and
bad circumstances can vilify him in people's minds.
What
was Paul's position? He was neither a murderer nor a god. What is our
position? Hopefully we are not murderers, but we are definitely not gods. Paul
was dependent on God for all things. So are we. Paul labored to follow the
will of the Lord. So should we. What is the real truth? The real truth is
that man by himself is nothing. God is everything. We can do all things with
His help and strength. We can overcome problems, honorably bear suffering, and
deal with the doubts and dark days of life. He has loved us with an everlasting
love. Because of that love and His work, we will abide with Him where he is.
None of the good or bad circumstances in life will change these truths. When
things go well and we think we can do all right by ourselves, we deceive
ourselves. When things go awry and we think that God has forsaken us, we
deceive ourselves. God does not change; His truth does not change. Therefore
let us not let the sliding and slipping sands of life cause our minds to wander
from the unchanging One and His promises. Let us not ascribe too much credit
where none is warranted, and let us not overly criticize someone/something when
we may not know all that we need to know about the situation.
In
Hope,
Bro
Philip
|