Thank you for taking the time to read the Weekend Sermon this week. I hope that everyone is having a great week.
This has been a very good couple of weeks in my writing work. I am thankful for the work that He has allowed to come my way.
I am also thankful for an answer to prayer. A financial problem that was really depressing me seems to be resolved at this point. I am doing OK right now, and I am thankful to the Lord for allowing me to have the work, health and opportunities that I have right now.
In prayer this week, please pray about the situation in Hawaii. My understanding is that the volcano there may erupt in a major way. Please pray that people there will be safe.
Let us also continue to pray for those who need help in Puerto Rico. I heard that over 90 percent of the people now have their power restored. Let us pray that all those in need will receive that which they need.
Continue to pray for those in Papua New Guinea who are recovering from the earthquake. I haven't heard any new reports from there in some time.
Please pray for peace. Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan and Libya all need our prayers at this time.
For our prayer focus countries this week, please pray for those in the nations of Sierra Leone and Brunei. Pray that many will hear of the love and forgiveness of Jesus.
For the past several weeks, we have been in a series of messages focusing on passages in the Bible that are often misinterpreted, taken out of context or entirely misquoted. I have enjoyed posting the sermons on this series. With our message today, we will conclude this series.
Today's passage that we will consider is not a passage that is widely misinterpreted, but it was definitely used against me in my academic pursuits, and that is why I wanted to discuss it for our final message in the series today.
The passage in question comes from Colossians 2:8 which states, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."
There are some very conservative Christians such as the ones I grew up among who will use this verse to discredit many forms of higher education. They will also use this verse to discourage anyone from taking up the formal study of philosophy and the philosophic disciplines.
In the churches in which I grew up, there was a definite lack of respect for academia and the arts. Someone like me who was a writer or interested in the study of various academic disciplines was looked on as someone to be suspicious of as if that person wasn't a true Christian.
Their attitude was that people in higher education and the arts had set themselves to the task of destroying the Christian faith. Certain things weren't to be studied lest it lead you away from the faith. Philosophy, sociology, psychology, world religion and world literature were subjects we were to avoid. Supposedly, these subjects would lead you astray, and Colossians 2:8 was the verse used to support this.
In my life, I first started to study philosophy when I came across a series of philosophy lectures on tape at the library. I listened to them all, and I found the entire subject fascinating. I wanted to major in the subject after I graduated from Bible college, but I wasn't in a position to go to a college that was outside of driving distance. I minored in philosophy, religion and political science with a major in history instead. I immensely enjoyed studying it all.
The church that my parents attended did not like that I was studying these things, and that was the final break in my attending those type of churches. They made it clear that I was not welcome. At that point, I worshiped the Lord at home with my dog Toby each Sunday.
Now, let's explore what this verse is actually saying. First of all, the Bible is not against learning and education. The apostle Paul who wrote this verse was a very learned man. He was well versed in Greek and Latin philosophy, and he makes reference to Greek poets in the Bible. He was not advocating not knowing something or not learning something.
What Paul is telling us in this verse is to not let ourselves be deceived by those who would use the wisdom of this world for deceitful purposes. I actually think that Paul is most specifically speaking about those who were presenting a different way of faith and were trying to present their unorthodox beliefs in philosophical language in order to be more persuasive.
Paul is telling us that in all that we do, Jesus Christ should be the one to whom we look. I've stated that in these sermons on the blog time and time again. Jesus is our example. He is the one who has the ultimate answers. Everything that we learn should be compared to the life and teachings of Jesus. Jesus is truth.
Some people in my parents church told me that I shouldn't study philosophy or world religions because that would make me turn away from Jesus. Nothing could have been more wrong. It has been through the study of these subjects that I've drawn closer to Jesus because the study of other ideas makes me understand what I believe more deeply. It makes me really examine the legitimacy of what I claim to believe.
What I tell people is learn as much as you can. If you have the opportunity to go to college, graduate school or professional school take the opportunity. While there, study about a broad range of things. Compare everything to the teachings of Jesus, and always look to Him as the source of ultimate truth. If you feel challenged in your beliefs, good. Study and find the answer that meets the challenge. That way, you will really know what you believe and why you believe it.
I wish that I would have had more opportunities to go to school. I am thankful that I have my Bible college and seminary education. I am thankful that I have my degree in history. I try to take every opportunity to learn more through reading, taking online courses and listening to lectures.
The Lord made a wonderful world. Never stop learning about all that God has made and what has happened during the course of human history. I believe that it will truly be a rewarding endeavor.
Next week, we will begin a new series of message on the subject of who is Jesus. On Monday, I will post the verses. On Wednesday, I will post a review of a great dog movie I watched this week. May God bless you all. Amen.
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