Acts 27:11 But
the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of
the pilot and of the owner of the ship.
One of the biggest frustrations that
pastors experience occurs when their advice is ignored or treated as
unimportant. I’ve had my share of those moments in both Scotland and the USA.
Being part of a voluntary religious organization, it’s becoming increasingly
difficult to tell people that their ideas, philosophies, and understanding
about God, the Bible, or Christ is wrong, or at least off the beaten track.
They often want God to fit in with their own personal choices and shape Christ
into something that He is absolutely not. They don’t want to hear that God’s
ways are not their ways. They don’t want to listen to Christ’s words either. As
long as their lifestyles are tolerated and approved, then everything about God
and the Church is okay. As soon as their choices are challenged, church leaders
are stigmatized as being control freaks, or the Church itself is deemed to be
no longer relevant in their lives.
I wonder if Paul felt a similar
frustration when the centurion, pilot, and owner of the doomed ship ignored his
remarks. He was given incredible insight from God about the proposed voyage. He
told them that the ship would be wrecked and that their lives would be
endangered, but instead of embracing what Paul had to say, they ignored him and
went on making the wrong, disastrous choice.
It’s not easy being a Christian in
today’s world. It’s sometimes not easy being a Christian leader amongst
Christians either. Things in Society and the Church may be heading towards an
almighty collision of faith vs. culture. I guess the only question that we will
all have to answer when this occurs is this: who will I listen to – God or the
World?
Questions for personal reflection
How often do I
bring Christ into the major choices that I make in my life? Do I always listen
to Him?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, keep us from wrecking
our lives with foolish decisions. Guide us each day and help us to make better,
more faithful choices. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville,
Tennessee. If you would like to comment on or ask a question about today’s
message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s ‘Southern Scenes’ series of drawings. It features the
Plantation Road on Pawley’s Island, with Spanish moss hanging from the old oak
trees. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following
link: http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4114/4891285135_f7ee928fc9_b.jpg
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