Daily Lesson for August 12, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from Acts chapter 5 verses 34 through 39:

34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”

There is a wisdom which comes from experience which teaches that we do not have to be and in fact should not be an avenger fighting everything we think is heresy. That is because 1) heresies come and go, are born for a certain time and place and then they die and may or may not even be remembered by the next generation, and 2) sometimes what we think are heresies are in fact new movements of the spirit of God.

In the book of Acts a new heresy (heresy comes from the Greek word "heresis" which meant "school of thought" or "sect") sprung up amongst the Jews around 33CE. Followers of this sect believed a man named Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah and had been crucified but then raised from the dead by God. The religious elite in Jerusalem rejected this claim and tried to stamp out this new sect or "heresy". But then wisdom spoke brought the age and experience of a great Jewish leader named Gamaliel. He advised the zealous not to persecute these followers of Jesus. He reminded them of how time and time again bold and outlandish movements had risen up claiming yet had failed time and time again. This movement would too fail - if not from God. But, Gamaliel said to the people, "if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”

Movements and sects come and go on religious stage. Usually it's somebody's fanciful notion and not much worth getting to bent out of shape over. Sometimes, however, what we actually have is a genuine and surprising movement of God - God doing a new thing. And therefore we must be very careful not to find ourselves fighting something we think was dreamed up by man, which we will later discover was actually dreamed by God.

It's a lesson in humility, and a lesson in God's ongoing revelation, and a reminder not to join any Grand Inquisitions today.