Acts 19: 32 Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward and told him to explain the situation. He motioned for silence and tried to speak. 34 But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it up for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak. “Citizens of Ephesus,” he said. “Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven. 36 Since this is an undeniable fact, you should stay calm and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.
When those who make their money from idols get upset that money drives them to do radical things. Confusion and hatred are the result. We see direct proof that the love of money is the true root of all evil and that evil drives normal people into abnormal attitudes. As the above scripture says "Everything was in confusion." Confusion (def) - lack of understanding; uncertainty. Are you certain of what God wants you to believe? Are you certain of what God is calling you to do? Are you certain of God's Will? If not, your confusion is a major problem in your life right now. When Paul writes the following words to the church in Corinth all of this comes into focus. 1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. To follow the law brings confusion because it allows our "opinions" to enter into the mix and anything that comes from human understanding is going to divert from the truth of God's Word. So much of the "faith" of today is more about our opinions about what God means when He says something. When we think in a very humanistic way the end result is confusion and lack of pure truth. We like to say "Do not depart from God's Word" and then we hedge our bets on it by adding our human opinion which can vary according to our circumstances. DANGEROUS!.
In the above verses, we see the result of following what we think is right and how our following idols can pollute the pure truth of God's Word. A few years back I began this pilgrimage to let God's Word speak to me and learn the truth of it as led by the Holy Spirit, not some man. The only problem with doing this is I am faced every day with those who do not study or follow God's Word, but follow a man's impression of what the Bible says. You can quickly say "Well David. Do you want me to follow your impression of what the Bible says?" To which I would say, no. I hope this blog causes you to seek out your own thinking about the Word of God as led by the Holy Spirit in your life. C'mon! You can do it with God's help! Oh, I like to read commentaries and I like to hear preachers preach on what the Bible says, but then I have to come to my own conclusion about what is said to me. I am no longer enamored with the glowing rhetoric that is presented by those from the "learned" crowd.
I want to spend time with the Word Himself, Jesus. He will guide me as His child in the truth and show me the mysteries of God. The Psalmist said it this way in Psalm 25:4 Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. You may notice a lot of "mes" in this Psalm and that is because of the individual appeal by the one who has a "personal" walk with God. We are the me, by the way. Jesus died for the sins of the world and in that world, Jesus died for "my" sins as well. Get to know your personal savior through His Word and He will speak to "you."
The confusion and the fighting in the above verses could have been prevented had the church leaders of the day had a "personal" walk with God. Too much religion and not enough relationship. Sound familiar? In today's world, too many believers have not pursued God in a relationship and we have followed man's impressions about God and thus, we have confusion! God wants to break the fog of apathy and mediocrity and call us to a more honorable calling and life. I hope there will be some who will stop following the ways of the world and follow God's Word and thus be a world changer for Jesus. Paul did it and so can we, but we must know who we are living for and give our all to live for Him. His name is Jesus! Maybe this will help us all get to a better place in our walk as Paul wrote to the church at Phillipi. Philippians 2:15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
Always remember Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
The Pilgrimage Continues
David Warren
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