Biblical Literacy: The Perfect Antidote to Postmodernism

By Dr. Michael Youssef
Crosswalk.com

I read a story recently about a church who had just received a new young pastor. Intent on visiting every Sunday School class, the eager young man began his first Sunday on the job by visiting a boys' class.

While meeting with them, the young pastor asked the boys, "Would you tell me please, who knocked down the wall of Jericho?" The boys immediately fell silent and began to look at one another, saying, "I didn’t do it! I didn’t do it!"

Shocked and dismayed by their lack of biblical knowledge, the pastor called a parish council meeting the next week to discuss the incident.

After hearing what happened, an elder of the church stood up and said, "Minister, let's just get some money out of the repair and maintenance fund and fix the wall and get on with it!"

Unfortunately, this lack of biblical knowledge is more true than not! Knowledge about the Word of God has decelerated drastically among Christians, especially over the past 100 years.

We go through this life with such speed that it has isolated us from the Word of God like never before.

I will spare you a history lesson, but experts agree that our generation is in a period of time called "postmodernism." And while the term itself is relatively new, the root causes of postmodernism are as old as time itself.

Back in the Garden of Eden, Satan asked a very simple, yet damning question when he asked Adam and Eve, "Did God really say that?" With this one inquiry, Satan cast doubt on God and eventually neutralized what God had said to Adam and Eve in the Garden.

And so it goes today; Satan neutralizes the power of the Word of God by the mantras of postmodern thinking: "Truth is relative." "Morality is obsolete." "Authority as a concept is passé." "Honesty is for fools." "The pursuit of truth is meaningless."

Do any of these sound familiar? Beloved, we are dogged with postmodern thinking… with Satan’s deception… every day. It is endless, from the moment we wake up to the time we go to bed!

It's in the movies we see… the TV shows we watch… the internet we surf… the books we read… the words teachers teach… and (most sadly) even in some of the sermons we hear preached.

There is no way on God's earth that two hours of church one day a week are going to neutralize the impact our postmodern culture has upon you.

Think about it. The Bible makes it clear that Satan bombarded Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with continuous doubt about the words of God. And eventually, Eve got weary, threw in the towel and gave in.

So many in the church react to Satan’s bombardment the same way. And I desperately want you to avoid this same reaction! That’s why I want to challenge you to ingest the truth of the Word of God on a daily basis.

God tells us in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Did you see that? Man's postmodern way of thinking leads only to death.

I want to make you a promise. It's not just a promise based upon my own experience over the course of 30 years, but upon the testimonies of thousands upon thousands of people:

If you make the decision to read, study and obey the Word of God on a daily basis, it will change you. And it will change you for good!

I pray you will make a daily commitment to spend time in God’s Word. Trust me, it will bless you in ways you never thought possible! Your life will be radically changed as you make the truth of God's Word your daily diet.

The Refusal of the Queen

By Patsy Shelton

Now, we are going to take a look at Queen Vashti, as the present day church, and us as individuals. You will recall that Vashti’s name means “beautiful woman.” She was beautiful on the outside, but she had a rebellious spirit, or attitude. I Samuel 15: 23. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…”

Esther 1:9-12, V9,” Also Vashti, the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. 10. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king. 11, To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty; for she was fair to look on. 12, But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlains; therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.”

Vashti was too busy doing her own thing. She had her own plan, and her own program, and when the king called she refused to come. That is the state of the present day church, they are doing their own thing, they have their own agenda, and they have refused to come at the King’s bidding.

She was holding her feast in the “royal house, which belonged to king Ahasuerus.” Vashti, thought it was her own to do in as she pleased, but it belonged to the king. So it is with the church, and so it is with our bodies. Nothing belongs to us, it all belongs to Him.

There were seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus. Chamberlains are eunuchs, and a eunuch, not only means that the male organs have been removed, but also their strength and vigor has been removed. That is precisely where the Lord wants his people today. A people that have no plans, agendas, or answers but that have to look to Our King for everything. Doesn’t the word say that in our weakness He will be strong? If we are strong, we have no need for God, we will do things our own way, and in our own strength.

Also, they “served in the presence of Ahasuerus.” They were his servants, and they did his bidding. He asked them to bring the queen with her royal crown, and they did as he asked. Kings in the bible represent pastors, or those in roles of leadership. In the present day church, much of the leadership sees itself as needing to be served, rather than seeing themselves as servants. Of the many reasons that David was a good king was because he saw himself, first as a servant of God, and secondly, a servant to the people. But, in the present day church, there is a spirit of pride and arrogance, needing to be served rather than serving.

So, in verse 12, it says “therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.”. That is the heart of God at the state of the present day church, and in this season we will see His hand of judgment in His house. Doesn’t the word say that “pride goeth before a fall?” But, if we humble ourselves before Him, He will exalt us in due time. It is the “acceptable year of the Lord and the year of the vengeance of our God.” It’s our choice, we can either have the Glory, or the judgment.

But what about Vashti? V. 13,”Then the king said to the wise men which knew the times, (for so was the king’s manner toward all that knew law and judgment: V14, And the next unto him was Carsehna, Shethar, Admatha, Tarnish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan the servant princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king’s face, and which sat the first in the kingdom:) V15, What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? V16, And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but alls to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. V. 17, For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not. V. 18, Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king’s princes which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.”

There were seven wise men that knew the times, and the law and judgment. The number seven is consistent through this first chapter. In V. 5, the feast to the great and small was held for seven days. There were seven chamberlains, and now seven wise men. You will recall that the number seven means, completion, spiritual perfection with regard to man. So, in the this season, the Holy Spirit is going to complete us, and this will be more evident as we get into the next chapter, which is the preparation of the bride.

Every leader should surround themselves with “wise men that know the times, and the law and judgment. In the present day church this is not necessarily true. Because there is a spirit of pride and arrogance, leadership tends to surround themselves with an entourage of people that are devoted to them. I believe that those that surround leadership should be loyal, but not devoted to the leader. There is a fine line here. I believe that their devotion should be the work that the Lord has called the person too. I, personally, have seen so many people in churches hurt, because they had their eyes on the pastor or leadership, and not on the Lord.

There is real wisdom in Deut. 17, with regard to Pastors (kings), and church leadership (princes). Deut. 17: 14-15, “When thou art come into the land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, “I will se a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; V.15, Thou shall in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord they God choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.”

When you read the discussion that Ahasuerus had with these seven men (verses 13-18), they were knew about their communities, and the people, and how things would effect them.

This was a mandate from God according to Deut. 17 about leadership. The first requirement that we find in this passage is that God set the leadership in place. When God places “whom He chooses” in place, it will be confirmed by the Prophet. I Sam. 10:24 says, “And Samuel said to all the people, “See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen…”

How will we be able to discern if God has installed leadership? The seven spirits of God in Isaiah 11:2-5 will rest upon them. “And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him) the anointing), the spirit of wisdom (that comes from knowing the word of God.), and understanding (that word means compassionate), the spirit of counsel (knowing the one that is the counselor), and might (strong in the Lord), and the spirit of knowledge (not necessarily and educated person but one taught by the Holy Spirit, and life’s experiences) And the fear of the Lord (reverence, honor, and a respect for an all powerful God.)

The second requirement is that leadership be “…one from among the brethren; thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.” Why? Because a stranger is not aware of the customs, needs, desires, tribulations, afflictions, and triumphs of the people.

Moses is a perfect example. He was raised in a palace in royal fashion. Before God could place him in a position of leadership he had to spend 40 years in the desert, so that he could relate to the people that God would place into his charge. He had to live among them, and experience their sufferings.

It was decided that Ahasuerus would have to divorce Vashti, In verses 19-22, “If it please the king, let here go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. 20, And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small. 21, And the saying pleased the king and the princes’ and kind did according to the word of Memucan: 22, For he sent letters into all the king’s provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people.”

Why was the decision made to divorce Vashti? Because the anointing flows from the head down onto the body. Her rebellion would flow down onto the subjects. So, it is with leadership in the church. So, this season, we will see the Lord divorce himself from that, which is not of Him. He will divorce pastors and leaders, and He will raise up a “glorious church without spot or wrinkle.”

The really sad thing is that it was decided that Vashti’s “royal estate” would be given to another. She’s had the opportunity to live in the king’s presence, to be intimate with him, and to have access to all of his kingdom. But he divorced her, but because of her rebellion. In this season the Lord is going to divorce pastors, and leadership.

Who are You on an Ordinary Day?

By Daniel Darling
Crosswalk.com

It wasn’t a special day. It wasn’t a grand occasion. It wasn’t met with great fanfare.

Instead it was an ordinary trip to the well on an ordinary day. But on this particular day, young Rebekah so impressed Abraham’s servant, the man sent by the wealthy patriarch to find a suitable mate for Isaac.

What impresses me about Rebekah—and what likely impressed Abraham’s servant—was Rebekah’s spirit of servanthood. Let’s think about this. Like most young girls, she took at least two trips to the well, one in the morning and one in the evening. It was a routine she’d carried out thousands of times. Lower the bucket deep into the well, bring it back up again, fill up the heavy clay pot, hoist it on her shoulder, and make her back to her home.

On this particular day, she was probably tired from a long day’s work. She probably wasn’t in a very talkative mood. She was probably hoping to get her pot filled and get it home.

But there was something different about Rebekah. Rebekah had the heart of a servant. Her eyes reached beyond her own circumstances and saw the needs of others. With aching arms, she lowered that bucket into the well several times, filled her pot, and fed the thirsty camels of Abraham’s servant.

This is what I wrote in my book, Teen People of the Bible:

Anyone can primp or get to looking mighty fine for a first date. Anyone can put on his or her best behavior for a teacher or coach. Anyone can freshen up for an important interview. But what about those chance encounters when you’re caught off guard? If people saw you on an ordinary day, would they be impressed? Would they see something different about you?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten pretty good at impressing the “important people” in my life. But who am I on an ordinary day at the well? At the office? At home on a weekend? In the car on the interstate?

Does the spirit of Christ shine through me? Can people see something different? Something attractive?

It is in these nitty gritty routines of life where we are most tested. This is where God comes to us with opportunity for growth.

Rebekah was ready. Are you?

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Daniel Darling is the author of Teen People of the Bible. Visit him at danieldarling.com.