|
|
||
|
|
|||
I would like to discuss the topics of discernment and humility.
There are two Bible passages that used to be rather troubling to me, because I didn’t understand something about them that I felt was really important.
Here is the first. This takes place right after the dramatic conversion of Saul, a Pharisee who spent much of his time and energy persecuting the early Church. On his way to Damascus, Yahshua appeared to Saul in a flash, a light from Heaven, and completely transformed his life. We then read, “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said, ‘Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this Name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?’” (Acts 9:20, 21) So here we see that Saul was not only converted, but had immediately begun to put to use those gifts that he had received from Yahweh, to teach, to persuade, and to reason spiritually.
But then, a few verses down we read this, “And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Yahshua.” (Acts 9:26, 27)
That is the first of those “curious” sections of Scripture. Here is a second, and then I will discuss why they are similar. Some years later this took place: “And some days after Paul [as he now called himself] said unto Barnabas, ‘Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the Word of Yahweh, and see how they do.’ And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from the other; and so Barnabas took Mark and sailed unto Cyprus, and Paul chose Silas and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.” (Acts 15:36 – 40)
Here is what bothered me about these passages… why didn’t they know? In the very same Book from which we have been reading, just a few chapters before, we read this powerful testimony of Yahshua’s disciples: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-2)
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit,” we read, to the degree that they began to manifest divine gifts, communicating in languages they had never learned before so that they could preach to the multi-cultural crowd that was in Jerusalem. In another place we read this: “For the Word of Yahweh is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12)
So again, I asked myself, “Why didn’t they know?” Why could not these men, who were so recently filled with the Holy Spirit, not recognize one of their own when Saul showed up at their gates? Why did Paul and Barnabas disagree so sharply about the readiness of John, or Mark, for their new journey? Apparently, this disciple had rejected the opportunity to work with them on a previous occasion, and while Barnabas – this same Barnabas who gave Saul a chance early on – thought it was time to try again, Paul did not. But why did they not speak, and pray, and come into agreement on this, when the Word of which they were messengers is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart?”
Here is a third verse: “I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?” (1Cor 6:5) The context of this statement is with regard to disputes in the Church that could potentially lead to lawsuits, disagreements over earthly matters; but how much more should not Yahweh give discernment when it comes to something as important as the conversion of Saul, or the fitness of an evangelist for the ministry? Was there not a wise man among them?
There are three answers, three ideas, that have comforted me on this and a few other, similar passages.
The first is simple enough, perhaps quite obvious, and it is the matter of increasing light, or progressive revelation. After all, it is Paul Himself who would later write those passages we love to quote about unity, about settling disputes in the Church as I quoted from 1 Corinthians 6. Perhaps it is through these very experiences that Paul learned the will of Yah concerning agreement, and to look past the outward appearance when the testimony presented is spiritually discerned to be genuine.
I imagine that today we would do things differently than Paul and Barnabas did; in fact, we do, and over this very issue in some ways. Recently, you will remember, we have been having discussions in the Church about some rather similar principles. When dealing with people, are we cynical, or optimistic? Do we give them the benefit of the doubt, or do we try to see how closely they stick to a pattern of behavior? In this question, some of us are more like Paul, and some more like Barnabas… but our disagreements aren’t that sharp, certainly never to the point of causing any kind of a rift. We all recognize that we are upholding the character of Christ as we best know how, according to our experiences and tendencies, and we are One, One with the Father and Son, and One with each other, even as we recognize these different dispositions and conclusions.
So that is one answer, that in these earliest days of the Church, the principles that we consider vital today were still being learned by Yahshua’s first followers. But that’s not a complete answer; after all, they did not “learn” how to speak with tongues… the knowledge that they needed was a gift, so while I think that “increasing light” explains it partially, it would still have been possible for an angel, or some prophetic vision, to let them know that Saul was a true Christian, or that Mark was ready for his second mission trip.
The second answer, then, is this: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” (1Cor 12:7-11)
The Church has received from Yahweh the gifts that it needs to accomplish His will. But these gifts are not distributed uniformly. Not everyone is as wise, or as skilled at healing. Not everyone has been given a prophetic calling. Not everyone has “discerning of spirits” as a particularly strong talent. Yes, we are all counseled to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves,” (Mat 10:16) but the disciples were not, apparently, able to look at Saul and immediately recognize that he had become a changed man. Barnabas was there, and he had seen enough evidence of Saul’s recent activities to know that his testimony was real, but it seems like it took a bit of persuading for the others to be similarly convinced.
So, for one thing we have the idea that the early Church was still figuring things out; and they ought not to be blamed for this, since we are still actively discussing some of these very same things ourselves at the very end of human history. Further, we have these statements that tell us that not everyone will possess discernment, or any other spiritual gift, to the same degree, and we don’t know who, or how many people, were present at either of these incidents in the Book of Acts.
This helps to complete the picture, but it’s still not yet perfect. After all if, as Paul writes, the “least” of the brethren is qualified to judge important matters, just as we will all someday judge the angels, (1Cor 6:3, 4) just how much supernatural discernment was actually needed in either of these cases?
The answer that I thinks completes the picture is this one: Yah is very much “like” us in some ways. We are created in His image, as it is written. It is His character, as revealed by His Son, that we receive when we are redeemed from sin and death. But He is infinitely above us in wisdom, and His purposes are not always apparent to our limited minds. His gifts are His to give, and even those of His servants who accomplished mighty miracles and great works, they did not have these abilities on call, as if they were super powers. The glory is, has always been, and will always be, Yahweh’s.
Should His servants ever appropriate any of that glory for themselves, or think that what they possess is based on their own merits, or subject to their own plans, Satan is immediately given the opportunity to correct their perceptions – sometimes catastrophically. But those who submit to Yah’s will, and rely on His providence, they lay claim to this perfect promise: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Yah, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28)
I do not intend, with that verse, to glorify mistakes, or to excuse mistrust, or a lack of proper resolution to an argument, but Yahweh, in His perfect foreknowledge, makes use of even these eventualities. Paul’s initial attempts to unite with the disciples were resisted, giving Barnabas the opportunity to establish himself as a peace-maker, and setting an example for us centuries later. Paul and Barnabas could not agree on who should accompany them on their evangelistic journey, so they separated – and then there were actually two mission fields that received the benefit of their wisdom. All things worked together for good, and while we do not know what would have happened had things gone a bit more smoothly in these two incidents, we know that the Word of Yahweh was preached, and souls were won.
What we have, then, are these three ideas, that 1) the Church continues to progress in wisdom and knowledge, that 2) the gifts of Yahweh are given to diverse individuals for a variety of reasons, and that 3) Yahweh’s plans and purposes are always for our good, but sometimes difficult to comprehend from our earthly perspective. These three, together, give us an answer that, at least for me, is truly satisfactory… and an answer that is completely and thoroughly humbling.
What comforts me is the knowledge that the Church, as a collective Body, actually did the right thing in both these cases. We could ask, “What would have happened if Barnabas wasn’t there?” But the thing is, Barnabas was there, and he was always going to be there. He was there because of the same God, and His providence, that converted Saul in the first place. It’s a wheel within a wheel, and even the most gifted of us, and the most experienced, can only benefit from faint glimpses of the Mechanism of the Universe. Its fullness is kept from us, withheld from us, on purpose, lest we lose our fitness for service here on earth. The things that make us One with Yahweh are not to cause us pride. We depend upon one another, and the gifts that we have separately received, in order to fulfill perfect righteousness.
The Scriptures don’t tell us who was “right” in the matter of Mark’s evangelistic capabilities. That was never the point. Both Paul and Barnabas went on missionary journeys, and the Gospel was shared with those who needed to hear it. While we don’t know how many people Paul spoke with due to Silas’ help, or whether or not Mark was particularly useful to Barnabas, we do have an account written years later, when Paul was imprisoned one last time before his traditionally described execution. He writes to his student in the Scriptures, Timothy, saying: “Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me, for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.” (2Tim 4:9-11)
When others deserted Paul, Mark was described as being “profitable to me for the ministry.” Later Adventist writings support this understanding, that Paul was later reconciled to this same Mark from the Book of Acts, and so the story ends quite well. Yah’s people do His will. They manifest His character. When they gather together in His Name, they hear His Spirit speaking, even if not all hear it at the same time, or with the same certainty. But they hear it, and the same providence that placed Barnabas in Jerusalem to receive Saul’s appearance, opens up the way for the Church to do righteousness.
This must be kept in mind: just as a messenger of Yah must never become proud of the gifts that our Father has given Him, so the Church should not “take for granted” the knowledge that it will do righteousness. It’s a bit like the victory message… Yahshua has given us victory. Thus, we do not commit sin. Those who reject our testimony misunderstand what we say, and conclude that this means we believe we have thrown off our need for Christ since we don’t do anything (they misunderstand) that needs forgiveness. Their own love for sin has closed their eyes to the statements of the witnesses. It is only because Christ is always with us that we have ceased from sin and, should any ignorant sin be found, we call on Him for both forgiveness and cleansing. It is only because He abides with us that this is possible. Similarly, the promise that the Church will, as a faithful Bride, obey Her Husband, must never lead to neglect, carelessness or complacency. It is only because the Church abides with Her Husband, and is therefore not neglectful, or careless, or complacent, that she ends up doing His will.
The assumption that the bishops and priests could do no wrong was the very thing that led to the wickedness that was openly practiced in the early Church, leading to its decline into the misinterpretations and ritualistic apostasy of Roman Catholicism. The assumption that since Christ was returning soon, that meant we had little more to learn, led to the stagnation of many of the Churches of Protestantism, which never progressed into a recognition of the true value of Yahweh’s Law. Thus, today the Fourth Commandment continues to be overlooked by those who claim to be disciples of the Lord of the Sabbath. (Mat 12:8) Seventh-day Adventists are not innocent of this either. They have said, “Oh, those warnings of Ellen White about Church-state unions… they are a relic of the past. They have nothing to do with these lawsuits we’re bringing against Bible-believing, Commandment-keeping Christians today. We’re doing the right thing, no need to question our wisdom or character here.”
The prophet Zephaniah had a warning for those who would rely on their gifts, and their past blessings, to prove their current righteousness: “And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees, that say in their heart, ‘Yahweh will not do good, neither will He do evil.’” (Zeph 1:12)
This is a warning to those who have forgotten how to be humble, and who think that their judgment is automatically right. This applies to both individuals, and churches, whose discernment has failed them utterly, due to their pride. That is not the lesson that Yah is teaching us from His Word. He is trying to teach us true discernment, which is always withheld from the prideful.
The people of Yah must know when to speak, and when to listen… when (as we were discussing last week) to be an “instigator,” and when to be a “responder” to emergencies, controversies, and questions. This wisdom, this discernment, can only come with humility. And remember this: as the gifts of Yah are poured out upon us more and more powerfully as the end approaches, the need for this humility – as well as the temptation to surrender it – becomes all the more urgent. But we know our prophesied destiny. We will not repeat the mistakes of Paul and Barnabas. We will know, as the 144,000, whose testimony is genuine, and who is falsely claiming the grace of our Savior. We will know when to speak, as Yahshua spoke, and when to remain silent, as Yahshua remained silent. We have the discernment of Christ, since we have the humility of Christ… because we have His Mind. (1Cor 2:16)
The Scriptures says this, and it is the passage from where this study gets its name: “A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!” (Proverbs 15:23)
This phrase, “in due season” appears numerous times in both the Old and New Testament. It is about timing. The providence of Yah is often revealed by the right person, saying the right thing, at just the right time. We read this, and it is a verse to take to heart for all those who are called to speak the Gospel: “And Yahshua said, ‘Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?’” (Luke 12:42)
This is a part of the divine nature, the character of Christ. It is an attribute of those whom He has called to reign with Him, and to prepare the willing hearers for His soon return. To know when to give “meat in due season,” to know when to share “a word spoken in due season,” this comes with spiritual discernment, and that in turn requires an open, humble heart. It requires a willingness to see one’s self in another’s situation, so that we might fulfill the “golden rule,” to treat others as we would ourselves like to be treated. It is a Heavenly skill, to know when not to give long answers to short questions, or short answers to long questions. It is a work of divine grace, to know when to reply to that Facebook message you just read, and what to say, or even if there is anything worth saying.
But above all, the Church is coming to that balanced point, of being confident that we will always do those things that please our Father, for that is the Testimony of Yahshua, (cf. John 8:29) and of being diligent to watch and pray, (Mark 13:33) lest we accidentally fall into some foolish error. These are not separate principles in conflict. The confidence gives us the grace to watch and pray, excepting success, while the watching and praying ensures that the confidence is not misplaced, but is instead a certain fulfillment of our Father’s promises. These are spiritual things, these interconnections, this interplay of free will and divine providence. They are spiritually discerned, and the part that we play, with our words and our testimonies, is also spiritually discerned. But we are called to discern these things. It is the right season for this Word, so I know that the Church will be blessed in hearing it, and more perfectly equipped than before, “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.” (Eph 4:12)
David.