Day 335 "Knowing What You Believe"

 

Passage: Acts 20:29

 

"I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock."

 

Devotion:

 

Previously Paul had instructed the elders of the church in Ephesus to "be shepherds", now he warns them that when he leaves, "savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock". Paul knew that without strong leadership the church would wander in its beliefs and therefore become more susceptible to the influence of "savage wolves".?

 

A few years ago the pastor of the church I attend did a sermon series entitled, "The Tenets of Our Beliefs", in other words what we as a church fundamentally believe. At first I thought it might be a little boring as I considered myself pretty well-versed on this subject. Much to my surprise it has become perhaps one of the most popular and memorable sermon series of all time (still discussed to this day).

 

Like Paul, the pastor of our church clearly knew his flock and felt we needed some clarity on what we as a body (Christ followers, American Baptists, and South Shores specifically) hold to as absolute truths. For example, the authority of the Bible as the inspired Word of God, the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), the virgin birth of Jesus, to name just a few. I think it's easy to become prey to "savage wolves" if you don't know for certain what you believe in and why.

 

Questions to Ponder:

 

It isn't that easy for wolves to ravage us if we are in close proximity to our shepherd--but that requires us to know what we believe while keeping the Lord in sight as our ultimate guide. Have some alternative ideas been gaining a foothold in your mind recently that don't reconcile well with the Bible's teaching? Have you been tempted to stray? Wolves attack the isolated--are you allowing yourself to go it alone? Perhaps it's time to reconnect with the body of Christ--His church.