Acts 27:11 But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul.
Paul had been directed by God that He wanted Paul go to Rome to witness. Paul was obedient to God’s call. But the circum-stances were much different than we’d like to imagine we’d have as a result of obedience to God! Paul had been imprisoned for over two years and was at last, going to Rome, as a prisoner, to stand trial. On the sea voyage there Paul had told the centurion that they should not continue right away because of danger. The centurion consulted the pilot and ship captain (the experts) and they saw nothing to worry about. Who was the centurion to believe? The experts or the prisoner? The word of the experts carried the day and the result? The entire ship was lost and all aboard were left swimming to shore at Malta.
We are daily faced with similar choices. We have any number of decisions that will have long-term consequences and we rightly seek for advice. But where to go for the best advice? Should we listen to what the experts say? Or a first-century tentmaker, tax collector, doctor, fisherman? Or a Galilean carpenter? At some level it’s a no-brainer! Paul? Matthew? Luke? Peter? Jesus? They lived a long time ago! Not to mention David or Moses! Those guys can’t really have any idea what it’s like to live in modern society! They don’t know the challenges we face!
Yet, the words of Scripture are not just the words of men. They are God’s Word. And we would do well to listen. The Bible speaks of obedience to God; following His command-ments; trusting Him as the ultimate Source of wisdom and promises reward for those who do and warns of danger for those who don’t. The experts demand we trust them. It’s Science! They know best. We don’t want to be on the wrong side of history!
I fear that the ‘ship’ of our society is rapidly headed for the rocks that will produce terrible results without a course change. The waters are getting more turbulent by the day. We can already see signs of real damage. God tells us through His Word that it’s high time for a real change in direction. The experts say ‘everything’s fine. Things are different now. We’re way past needing the Bible!’ The question is: “Will we be more persuaded by ‘the pilot and the captain of the ship’ than by what is being said by Paul (and Matthew, and Luke, and Peter, and Matthew, and Jesus)??
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
