I am in my low 40’s (please notice the heavy emphasis on the word, “low”). Thought you would like that. Anyway, the more I continue along this God-ordered, Jesus-led, Spirit-filled journey, the more I realize and see ever the more that “knowledge really does puff up, and love really does build up.” This is in fact scriptural. Jesus lived it out. Paul made it a central line of his teaching. People spend years and hundreds of thousands of dollars on tuition to obtain more and more knowledge. Total annual U.S. sales of “Christian” products in 2005, which excludes Bible sales (this is the latest data I could find) was $7 billion dollars. In 1969 the total was $4 million. Source: www.businessweek.com
Don’t tell me in the last 25 years we haven’t been predominately on a “resource” binge for more knowledge. But why? If what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 8 and Ephesians 4 is correct and true and reliable, we should be seekers of love above knowledge. After all, who in the world would want to deal with or associate with 1 more “puffed up” person? Don’t we just want to be in on God’s love? Don’t we want to distribute this love to the world? Don’t we want our local churches to be more of a healing and hope center and less of an academic institution?
I am not beating up education and sound instruction. But what I am stating is that at some point, we have to get into the Lab. This faith, this belief, this whole Christian experience has to hit the streets and get running. Otherwise, one could argue and make the strong point that we are just seeking knowledge.
This Sunday, July 22, 2012, we land in Acts 9. A powerful, life-transforming, cataclysmic event happens to 1 man. Yes, a man, a person, just like you and me. But the event results in him seeing the erroneous, misdirected path that he was pursuing at the expense of following the way, the truth, and the life. He was a seeker of knowledge for many years – but on that day, he started on a new path of love. There was a good aspect of the knowledge – it allowed him to never forget who he was, and who, in Christ, he was able to become. The road to Damascus was the crossroad, and it required a monumental, supernatural interruption by God to get his attention. The reality is: God is getting people’s attention even today. Perhaps He is knocking now, or leading now, or knocking you off a horse now…
Join us Sunday @ 10:00 a.m. as we dive into this awesome account in the record of the early church. God is truly seeking those who will build themselves up in love, in His love. But the first thing that must be done is that we acknowledge His presence and Who He is. The first thing Paul said when he was laying on the ground was this: “Who are you, sir” (Acts 9:5, GWT). Question: Do you know Him today? Do you really know The Sir?
See you Sunday…I will be praying that the Holy Spirit directs our hearts as we draw closer to our time together. May He lead us in all truth!
Porter
PastorPG's Blog 
Thank-you