SHARE YOUR LIFE, NOT MERELY YOUR WORDS. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8.

There is an excellent movie about law school entitled THE PAPER CHASE. The film tells the story of James Hart, a law student at Harvard who is intimidated by one of his teachers, Professor Charles Kingsfield, a relationship made more difficult when Hart falls in love with Professor Kingsfield’s daughter. The movie opens on the first day of class when Kingsfield randomly chooses Hart to answer his questions. The experience is so overwhelming Hart rushes to the bathroom to throw up afterwards. During another class, Kingsfield berates the unprepared student:

“Mr. Hart, here is a dime. Take it, call your mother, and tell her there is serious doubt about you ever becoming a lawyer.”

Everything that happens in Kingsfield’s class is formal, professional, and detached—even the insults.

Perhaps you have known professors like that. It is possible to teach college courses in an impersonal manner. I had professors both in college and in law school who addressed their students as “Mr.” or “Ms.,” though such teachers were unusual. Nevertheless, college and graduate students are usually prepared for an arms-length relationship with teachers. Sometimes the nature of the content may even require a formal tone.

But we are to teach the Bible in a personal manner. This is not a set of irrelevant laws or neutral facts. Even the most obscure Bible content is PERSONAL. God’s Word can be APPLIED to your life and to the lives of those you teach. Not only that, Bible teachers are called to love people, and to love their students particularly:

“We were gentle among you, as a nursing mother nurtures her own children. We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us” 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8.

One of my college majors was Christianity. My fellow students complained when they were exposed to things that caused them to question their faith. The professors defended the curriculum by arguing “this is not Sunday school.” There is some truth to that: if you cannot discuss hard topics in a college setting, where CAN you discuss them?

But one of the best protections against the risk of college Bible students losing their faith is a professor who can speak openly and personally about the strength of his or her own faith.

If you are a pastor, Bible study leader, or Sunday school teacher, are you sharing your life with your students? Do they see how strong your faith is? (And if your faith is not strong, should you really be teaching the Bible?) I believe the scripture should be the focus, occupying the majority of the discussion (your students did not get dressed to come hear you tell random stories, no matter how entertaining). But Bible teachers should share their personal experience of walking by faith. Paul did.

The Apostle Paul writes that he and his fellow teachers shared not only the gospel with the people of Thessalonica, but “also our own lives.” The key to teaching scripture well is to teach the word faithfully while also sharing the story of your own life of faith. Share your life, your struggles, your victories, your testimony of God’s faithfulness. Model a life of faith, so your students can imitate that life, 1 Thessalonians 1:6.

“Be imitators of me as I imitate Christ” 1 Corinthians 11:1.

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HOW TO TEACH. Acts 17:22-28.

Teaching is taking hold of what a student knows and attaching something new to it.

Each time Paul entered a city, he went to the synagogue. “As usual, Paul went to the synagogue… On arrival, they went to the synagogue… So he reasoned in the synagogue” Acts 17:2,10,17. Why? Because God had prepared the Jewish people. They understood law, sin, and blood sacrifice. They were ripe for harvest. In every synagogue God brought many converts into the young church.

But when Paul spoke at the marketplace in Athens, philosophers brought him to Mars Hill also known as the Areopagus to speak about “this new teaching.” How would Paul reach non-Jews? He began by speaking of the city of Athens and things they knew well:

“Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it—He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by human hands…. For in Him we live and move and have our being, and even your own poets have said ‘we are His offspring’” vv.22-28.

Paul uses things from Athens—a shrine, a bit of local poetry—to connect with his audience. Billy Graham did the same: every time he preached, he quoted articles from the newspaper that was published in that city on that day. Similarly, Jesus talked to farmers about farming: about seeds, water, and harvest, about wheat, figs, and grapes, about cattle, sheep, and goats. That’s teaching: taking hold of what a student knows and attaching something new to it.

Good teachers look for COMMON GROUND.

What do your peers know? How can you take hold of what your friends know and attach to it new information about the gospel? Ask God for insight.

Dear God, show us how to share your truth. Show us how to connect to the Gospel those we can influence.

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MARS HILL: PAUL, A JEWISH INTELLECTUAL, FINDS COMMON GROUND WITH GREEKS. Acts 17:22-24.

When the Apostle Paul arrived in Athens he wandered the city, observing its altars. Eventually he saw one with the inscription, “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” Later, when his preaching had excited the Greeks enough that they brought him to address the assembly at Mars Hill, Paul spoke of the unusual altar. He creatively used it as an opportunity to discuss Jesus.

“Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is Lord of Heaven and Earth and does not live in shrines made by hands….” Acts 17:22-24.

Like Paul, we should be looking for common ground with the seekers around us. Look for ways to connect people to Jesus. It is best when such things develop as a natural or organic part of a conversation.

Paul found common ground in something he had seen and that perhaps his listeners had seen many times. Billy Graham would read the local newspaper in each city he preached in and often quoted from that morning’s paper in his sermon each evening.

I find that things people post on social media create common ground to support a conversation about God.

I had one such conversation this morning with my friend Jason. Jason has left “religion,” but insists he remains “spiritual” and believes in a “higher power.” After writing paragraphs back-and-forth (and months of similar discussions between us), I summed up my thoughts on his undefined identity as a “spiritual person” and his belief in an undefined “higher power.” While I do not quote scripture here, I believe there is a logic to these arguments that, while it may not persuade Jason, might persuade someone:

1. If a higher power is out there at all, it cannot be an unnamed, anonymous force, like the “force” in STAR WARS, or some vague sense of divine “positive energy.” To be a higher power, it must have personhood.  That is, if a power is higher than me and you, that power, by definition, must be personal. If there is an omnipresent something, that something MUST be a SOMEONE. If your higher power is not a SENTIENT BEING, then it is not a higher power.

2. If the higher power is a being, a personal God, then He must also be beneficent. He must be a loving God. People look at the evils in the world and doubt God’s goodness. But consider the analogy of light and darkness. Darkness is not so much a “thing” as it is an absence of light. LIGHT is the thing. God created so many amazing things. Sure, we are surrounded by evils of every kind. But creation itself is evidence of a good God, a God of order and light and love. And after all, those who speak of an undefined higher power, always assume that power is GOOD. Sometimes those who blame the Christian God for so many atrocities are happy to attribute only love and goodness to their anonymous god, the vague force of positivity and light. (Do you see the contradiction?)

3. But God is a good God. And by definition, He is personal–a sentient being. And if God is personal, if He can know us and be known, then nothing in your life matters more than knowing Him.

4. Finally, a God who is personal and good would create a path for us to have a relationship with Him. That is the only way. The path to knowing God must originate with God. He has the map, He knows the journey, and He calls us to Himself. Being the Creator of everything, He must be the One to initiate that relationship. (After all, what do we know about it?) It only makes sense that He would draw that map in a book–or series of books–and preserve that map over the centuries. Jason, I have read your previous critiques of the Bible based on the years that have passed. But neither science nor archaeology support such a sweeping dismissal of scripture. The Dead Sea Scrolls, as I’m sure you know, confirm that the Bible we have today is remarkably faithful to the Bible that existed centuries ago.

And after all–God is a personal and good God. God desires a relationship with you. God gave you a map to His front door. It is up to Him to ensure that the map remains true and reliable.

I believe He has done just that.

Dear God, show us how to find common ground so we can build relationships and conversations with the lost world around us. May we be as persuasive as Paul was at Mars Hill.

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POUT. Acts 16:22-26.

Do you ever pout? Feel sorry for yourself? Think what you’re going through is unfair? You don’t deserve this, right? You were doing your best, and then something happened! It’s not fair.

Maybe you feel like Paul and Silas. The two men were serving God, doing their best, when they were arrested and falsely accused:

“Then the mob joined in the attack, and the chief magistrates ordered them beaten with rods. After they had inflicted many blows, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded. Thus, he put them in the dungeon and secured their feet in the stocks” Acts 16:22-24.

Two men serving God, and THIS is how they are treated? Beaten with pipes and thrown in prison, locked in stocks? They probably had broken bones and bruises and pains and sores all over—and they are deep in the bowels of the prison, a disgusting place fit only for rats and roaches: vermin that live on the flesh and waste of humans, living and dead.

Do you wonder whether Paul or Silas pouted? If you think their status as preachers makes a difference, think again. Are the preachers you know miraculously full of grit, and immune from self-pity?

So how did Paul and Silas react? Luke reports it as if it were the most normal thing in the world:

“About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose” Acts 16:25-26.

Did you catch that? Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns. That’s amazing. That is how we should react to adversity. Worship should be our first response, not self-pity.

Because worship really is the most normal thing in the world—and WORSHIP WHILE SUFFERING IS THE TRUEST WORSHIP POSSIBLE.

God, give us courage and faith to worship you in ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. Make us Jesus-centered, not self-centered.

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Your Witness is More Important than Your Freedom Because Your Witness is Your Purpose. Acts 1:8.

Life in a fallen world is tough. God could spare us a lot of pain if He were to snatch us up to heaven the minute we give our souls to Jesus. But He allows us to remain in a difficult world so we can tell others about Him. We are here to provide a witness, a testimony about Jesus.

Your witness is your purpose. “And you shall be My witnesses, in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and in the most remote places on earth” Acts 1:8.

By making us witnesses, God has given us the gift of purpose. He has also given us many other gifts: family, friends, celebrations, and sumptuous meals among them. Christians today enjoy a FREEDOM IN CHRIST that those living under the law never knew.

However, your witness is more important than your freedom in Christ.

In Acts chapter 15, Peter, Paul, James, and other Christian leaders had to address former Jews who were arguing that new believers must (1) be circumcised and (2) follow the whole law of Moses, Acts 15:5. Paul and the others could have simply said “no way, we live in an age of grace and will never put a new believer under the law.” But they did not. Nor did they go to the other extreme and agree to require circumcision and obedience to the whole law of Moses. Instead, they came up with a compromise, requiring young Christians to avoid three types of food and all sexual immorality.

Knowing new Christians were under no law, why did the leaders decide to place four requirements on them? Why the compromise? For the sake of their Christian witness. By avoiding several behaviors, the new Christians would be more likely to gain a hearing from their Jewish neighbors. And again—your witness is more important than your freedom in Christ.

Don’t believe me? Or maybe you think this only applied in the first century? Consider what happened in the very next chapter:

“Paul wanted Timothy to go with him [on a mission trip], so Paul took Timothy and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek” Acts 16:3.

Imagine signing up for that mission trip! Considering the lack of anesthesia and the long days of healing involved, Timothy made a huge sacrifice. Did Timothy have freedom in Christ to NOT be circumcised? Absolutely. Did Timothy give up some of his freedom for the sake of his witness? Absolutely.

Christians enjoy extraordinary freedom in Christ. We are not under the law. Paul literally writes that all things are lawful:

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify” 1 Corinthians 10:23. 

Not all things edify. In other words, there are choices you have the freedom to make, but those choices may not edify. To edify means to build your faith or the faith of others. Will your choices edify?

You have freedom. Use your freedom to make choices that improve your witness for Christ.

You have freedom—use it to make choices that bear fruit.

All things are lawful for you. But do things that improve your witness to others—after all, your witness is your purpose.

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P.S. This is not intended as a commentary on Christians who drink. In the United States, the question of whether a Christian drinks alcohol may forever be a relevant discussion. We DO enjoy freedom in Christ. But we also should walk in love and make choices that will not cause new Christians to stumble or cause the lost to no longer listen to our words.

The point is, there are many issues to consider, areas in which Christians DO enjoy freedom in Christ, yet might choose to forego that freedom for the sake of their Christian witness. Like drinking, these decisions will vary from person to person. I am not taking sides on any of these. But some of the topics that have been debated during that last hundred years include: long hair on men, makeup on women, short dresses, swimwear, and revealing clothing, tattoos, earrings on men, what music you listen to or movies you attend, smoking and other forms of tobacco use, owning guns or motorcycles, and more. The list must be endless.

All I can say is, enjoy your freedom in Christ. But be sensitive to the opinions of others, particularly new Christians and those who are not yet Christians. Avoid doing things that will offend them and cause them not to listen to your witness. Remember that your witness is more important than your freedom.

Finally, ask Jesus to lead you.

LEGENDARY ASSEMBLIES OF MEN. Acts 15.

The U.S. Founding Fathers hold the Continental Congress, drafting a Declaration that will plunge them deep into war. Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin meet in Yalta and decide to charge Nazi leaders with war crimes. The Roman Senate declares Julius Caesar an Enemy of the State. The Algonquin Round Table meets daily for lunch at New York’s Algonquin Hotel famously discussing everything happening in the 1920s. In April, 1054, a Papal delegation arrives in Constantinople to address divisions in the church, things get heated, the delegation abruptly leaves, each side excommunicates the other—and the Great Schism results, splitting Christianity into the Western Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Routine meetings can be boring. BUT—not all meetings are routine!

Acts reports on an august assembly of church leaders: Peter, Paul, James, Barnabas, and Silas were there. Apostles, elders, and converted Pharisees were there. Everyone was there. It was a Who’s-Who of influential Christians.

And they had a debate to settle.

“Believers from the … Pharisees stood up and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise [Gentile converts] and command them to keep the law of Moses!’… There was much debate…. Paul said, ‘Why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?’… Finally James responded: ‘We should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God, but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood’” Acts 15:5-20.

This may sound dull, but it was a HUGE CONTROVERSY! And the solution was NOT black-and-white, either-or. They did not reject the entire law, but they did not keep the entire law. Instead, James offered a seemingly un-Biblical compromise. And everyone agreed to it.

But why the compromise? Because a complete disregard for the appearance of the law might cause some to never follow Christ. Believers should NOT indulge their full freedom in Christ if doing so might cause non-believers or new believers to stumble. For example, a middle school Bible teacher should not let her students see her drinking alcohol.

Does she have freedom in Christ? Yes. Does love require her to limit her freedom? Yes.

What are other freedoms should Christians hold in check for the good of their witness?

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YOUR FREEDOM IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS YOUR WITNESS. Acts 15:28-29; Romans 14:20-21.

The church faced a struggle when it witnessed to the Jewish people. The Jews had over 600 laws from the Old Testament. And when Jews saw followers of Jesus breaking critical rules, such as eating meat from an animal that had been sacrificed to an idol, they stumbled, rejecting Christ. So the Church called an assembly of Founding Fathers, including Paul, Barnabas, Peter, James, Luke, and many more, and a letter was written to Gentile brothers with a compromise:

“For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—to put no greater burden on you than these things: that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. Farewell” Acts 15:28-29.

They reduced 600 laws to four! Three things you must not eat, and then the blanket statement “abstain from sexual immorality.” This lifted a huge burden from the new Christians who were Gentiles—and had never learned the Jewish law. It’s also important to remember that even these four things are not “law” in the way the Old Testament was law. Believers are not under law, but under grace. But to please God and be a light to the lost, we must live holy lives and avoid giving offense.

Remember, YOUR FREEDOM IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS YOUR WITNESS.

“Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall” Romans 14:20-21.

How often do you consider your witness? They say your life is the only Bible some people will ever read. What will people learn from reading you? Does your life reflect the truth, the holiness, and the hope of Christ? Nothing is more important than your witness. It is the only reason you are still here instead of already being in heaven.

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*The above image generated with AI. I gave the instruction “eating and drinking.”

IT’S A DOG FIGHT.

The Oklahoma preacher bumped into an old Cherokee gentleman who had recently become a believer:

“How’s your Christian faith?”

“It’s a battle. There are two dogs inside me fighting all the time.”

“Which dog is winning?”

“Depends on who I feed the most.”

Isn’t that great? You can ‘FEED’ the natures inside you: You can fill your mind with bad things and your life will be corrupted, or you can fill your mind with God’s word and your life will be purified.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. He who sows to his own flesh shall, from the flesh, reap corruption. But he who sows to the spirit shall, from the spirit, reap eternal life. Therefore, do not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap, if we do not grow weary” Galatians 6:7-9.

Dog fights are brutal and bloody. What about the battles inside a Christian? Paul said every Christian may feed the flesh and reap corruption, or he may feed the spirit and reap eternal life.

How might we feed the flesh? By committing all the sins flesh enjoys, from gluttony to laziness to lust to “feasting our eyes” on harmful images, negative stories, music, and more.

Someone wrote that “TV makes so much money at its worst, it has no motivation to become its best.” The internet is the same way—it will never achieve its amazing potential, not when it is a billion-dollar porn factory, polluting minds and getting rich as fast as possible.

How can we “sow to the spirit”? By reading, studying, and memorizing the word.

God promises His word will “not return void,” but will ALWAYS pay off. Worship, fellowship, service, prayer, praise, and thanksgiving are also excellent ways to “invest” in your spirit.

God, set off alarms in our minds when we sow to our flesh and corrupt ourselves. Make us more aware of the evil influences all around us. Teach us to sow good things!

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IMMORALITY BRINGS WRATH. Revelation 14:19-18:24.

Society mocks morals. A recent broadcast of the Grammy Awards featured lyrics so immoral you would be embarrassed if I discussed it. There are thousands more examples. The music and stories of our culture would argue sex has nothing to do with marriage, children, or the God who created it to illustrate oneness with His people. Instead, sex is considered meaning-less and consequence-free. Many artists promoting the immoral are also strongly pro-choice. Why? Because easy-access to abortion goes hand-in-hand with the all-too-common belief that sex does not involve family or God and is simply harmless and meaningless fun: it’s recreation, not procreation.

The Bible contradicts the notion of recreational sex outside of marriage.

Twice Revelation states clearly that “SEXUAL IMMORALITY BRINGS WRATH” 14:8,18:3. Don’t tolerate this sin in your life. GOD WON’T.

Instead, God will POUR OUT judgment on immorality, particularly in the End Times, comparing it to both Babylon the Great and a prostitute:

“Babylon the Great has fallen, who made the nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath…. Grapes will be thrown into the winepress of God’s wrath and blood will flow as deep as the horses’ bridles for 180 miles… Hailstones weighing 100 pounds will fall from the sky… The kings became drunk on the prostitute’s immorality… and she became drunk on the blood of the saints [that’s us!]… The beast will make the prostitute desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire… Babylon the Great is fallen! … Her sins are piled to heaven… Her plagues will come in one day, … In a single hour her fabulous wealth will be destroyed…. All this will happen because … the nations were deceived by her sorcery, and the blood of prophets and saints was found in her” Revelation 14:19-18:24.

Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” You harvest what you plant. PLANT GOOD THINGS IN YOUR LIFE.

Revelation 14 praises the pure: “These are the ones not defiled with women, for they have kept their virginity… They are blameless” vv.4-5.

I want God to call me ‘blameless,’ don’t you?

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ARE YOU A SLAVE OR A SON? Galatians 4:3-7.

DOWNTON ABBEY is an English estate: 5,000 acres run by a village of tenant farmers, 40 servants who run the home, and a “nobly born” family of five who live like kings. It’s an insightful story of a class system that was once nearly universal. Then Tom, the chauffeur, marries the family’s youngest daughter. Suddenly a servant has become an heir. It is scandalous! The family is shocked to think an Irishman with grease under his nails is moving upstairs, wearing tweed, and must be treated as family. But the servants are even more shocked, angry they must bow before this man who was once their equal.

We who are not Jewish were born slaves to the law, condemned. We were born outsiders, Gentiles. We were not “children of the promise.” We were not heirs. We were slaves to our addictions.

“We were enslaved. But God sent His Son, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons…. So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir” Galatians 4:3-7.

You were an outsider and a slave, BUT GOD ADOPTED YOU!

Unfortunately, some adopted children struggle to leave the past behind; they keep going back to the old ways. We do too. We are heirs of God, “fellow heirs with Christ,” yet we slip back into lives of slavery. We enslave ourselves to addictions, to bad habits, to things that hurt us. We choose slavery and squander our inheritance.

“In the past, when you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that are not gods. But now… how can you turn back again? Do you want to be enslaved all over again?” Galatians 4:8-11.

“It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, therefore—DO NOT SUBMIT again to the yoke of slavery” Galatians 5:1.

You have choices. See yourself as a child of God and heir to His kingdom—turn your back on the addictions: “do NOT submit again to the yoke of slavery.”

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