It is not a boast, but a verifiable fact, that I am fairly well educated. I have also a fair bit of experience of both teaching, and preaching, the Word of God. However, having shared, this morning, on the relevance of the 1st ('Old') Testament to disciples of Jesus, with a group of anglophones, one of the gentlemen spoke with me afterwards.
He reminded me of the record in Mark 4-5 where the Lord Jesus had been teaching a large crowd but, "... when evening had come, He said to [His disciples], "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" And He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?" (Mark 4:35-41)
The record continues: "They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Ger'asenes. And when He had come out of the boat, there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure You by God, do not torment me." For He had said to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many." And he begged Him eagerly not to send them out of the country." (5:1-10).
Many will be familiar with the Lord's agreement to send those demons into a herd of swine, that rushed, headlong, into the sea - much to the chagrin of the herdsmen! I am skipping over a section but pick up the story at v.21, as Mark has recorded it: "And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about Him; and He was beside the sea."
"What," asked my friend," do you take from that?" I looked at him! "I'd want to think about it. What did you take out of it?" "Well," he responded, "I thought of the ninety and nine (Matt.18:12), and that Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilee for that one lost sheep - the demoniac."
Now this is a man whom I have known for a number of years. He has no formal theological education or training. Indeed, it is my understanding that he is still very "young in the faith"! However, what I was reminded was that God is no respecter of persons. God the holy Spirit had given this dear brother an insight that had not been given to this ordained, University and Bible College graduate, with more academic qualifications than he has hot breakfasts in a week (and I always have my bowl of porridge!), who has been preaching the Word for more than fifty years.
It is good to be reminded of this. I am grateful for the education that I have been privileged to receive; for the godly men under whose teaching I sat; and for the opportunities, over the years, to serve in different capacities. But all of that is of neither importance nor help if I am not as open to the prompting of the Spirit as was my brother in the Lord when he was reading that passage.
You, too, may not have a degree in theology, or in anything else! However, if you are a disciple of Jesus, born again of the Spirit, then you have that same Spirit indwelling you - and He will speak to you if you listen to Him.
May that be your experience - for your own good, and that You may be used to bring glory to our Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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