Lean Not On Your Own Understanding
Having five earned degrees, including two doctorates, I can say I believe in higher education, but there are subtle risks such as intellectual arrogance and the pride of possessing titles and degrees. There is also the risk of reducing our walk with God down to an intellectual exercise. We could never learn so much that we would no longer need God. The opposite should be true. The more we are liberated by the truth, the more we should know how dependent upon Him we must be. The greatest danger comes when we put our confidence in our own resources, programs and strategies instead of in Him. Leaning on our own understanding instead of acknowledging Him in all our ways (see Prov. 3:5,6) is probably what turned seventeenth and eighteenth-century seminaries into liberal Ivy League schools.
This is certainly not a new problem that has arisen in Western civilization in the latter half of the twentieth century. The apostle Paul was a zealous intellectual, but in his theological correctness he actually opposed the work of God until the Lord struck him down. Moses was no good for God in Pharaoh’s court; Chuck Colson was no good for God in the White House; and I was no good for God as long I attempted to serve God in my own strength while hanging on to my pride and self-confidence.
Jesus did not exactly choose the intellectually elite to be His followers even when they requested it. A scribe came to Jesus and said, “‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head’” (Matt. 8:19,20).Contrast that rejection of a learned scribe to the Lord’s choice of a tax gatherer in Matthew 9. The context is important as always. Chapter 9 begins with Jesus saying to a paralytic, “Take courage, My son, your sins are forgiven” (v. 2). Such a statement only brought charges of blasphemy from the scribes. Jesus responded (vv. 4-8):“Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, and walk’? But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic—“Rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose, and went home. But when the multitudes saw this, they were filled with awe, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.The people were awestruck, but many if not most went home morally the same. The same phenomena can and does happen today. People traveled from around the world to experience the Toronto blessing. Witness what happens when people report appearances of Mary, or when pictures or statues of her supposedly begin to weep. It becomes national news and people flock to the scene.
Signs and wonders will certainly attest the presence of the supernatural, but it does not necessarily mean repentance will follow.
Signs and wonders will certainly attest the presence of the supernatural, but it does not necessarily mean repentance will follow. The deceptive works of false prophets and teachers will also be accompanied by signs and wonders, especially in the last days (see Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9). That is why John warned, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).One person did change, however, and that was Levi, and the Lord invited this tax collector to follow Him (Matt. 9:9-13):And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he rose, and followed Him. And it happened that as He was reclining at the table in the house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners?” But when He heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”Why did the Lord choose Matthew and not the scribe, and why did Jesus dine with sinners? Your answer to those two questions will reveal your heart for ministry. We really do not know why the Lord did not choose the scribe, but we do know that the eye of the Lord is singular and it looks upon the heart. Saying that He had no creaturely comforts or a place to call home revealed something about this scribe. Like the rich young ruler, the scribe’s security was probably in his own possessions, strength and resources. Like the multitudes, he was probably caught up with the results of the Lord’s ministry rather than the cause. We can’t judge the scribe because we really don’t know the condition of his heart, but God knew and did not invite him to come along.
Why did the Lord choose Matthew and not the scribe, and why did Jesus dine with sinners? Your answer to those two questions will reveal your heart for ministry.
We do know, however, that Matthew changed. If he was greedy, he no longer was. If he oppressed the poor, he no longer did. If he added to the burdens of the people, he was ready to leave everything and follow the only One who removed the burdens. If he kept exact accounts of people’s debts, he was now committed to the only One who forgave debts. Matthew changed in the inner man. Jesus saw a repentant heart that was sick of religious hypocrisy and moral decadence. Obviously, his social status and academic achievements were not the qualifiers. What did qualify him to be one of the Twelve? How do we measure readiness for ministry? Who would Jesus choose today?