Wicked Men of the Rabble

Acts 17:3-9

When reading or studying your Bible, do you ever wonder if we as a people have learned anything in six thousand years of living on planet earth, are we enlightened to the ways of God?  Are we more tolerant of those who live in proximity to us; family, neighbors, people with different political views, and what about those who hate us because we refuse to bow our knee to a worldview that keeps changing, one that says good is evil and evil is good?  This is a philosophy that does not agree with the teaching of the Bible, and those who agree with it would find great pleasure in removing the Bible’s influence from our schools, government, families, and even the church.

How did Paul and Silas get into so much trouble?  They proclaimed Christ who suffered on the cross to make the payment for sin, and he arose from the grave and is seated at the right hand of His Father in heaven.  Who would oppose such a teaching, and the answer is the same today as it was in the time of Paul and Silas, the religious folks and the world system that is harmed when people become followers of Jesus, when they live life as if Jesus tells the truth, in fact they look to Jesus as the source of all truth.

First, look at the religious leaders, they had no problem with the messenger, how can we say this because Paul spoke on three Sabbath days, that is, until people began to believe in the message that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah.  Doctor Luke gives this account: “And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. (Acts 17:4-5 ESV)

Now, shall we visit the ones who got the crowd (the world system) stirred, it has its roots in religious people who joined with what Dr. Luke calls wicked men of the rabble (unruly crowd) and they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring out Paul and Silas, to the crowd.  Dr. Luke gives this report of what happened; “And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (Acts 17:6-7)

When you stand on the authority of Scripture, not on what your church teaches, or what some great Christian Speaker has said, but on what the Holy Spirit has said in the Scriptures, the Bible, God’s written word, you have become an enemy of this evil generation, whose god is their belly; and what they desire, is no moral authority over them.  Let me give you some current examples:  Cardinal Dolan prayed at the conclusion of the DNC convention, making references to welcoming those waiting to be born and religious freedom.  Is that the message that the DNC promotes, no it is for taking the life of a baby up to birth, and calling that choice, and Cardinal Dolan’s stand for religious freedom also was not popular at the DNC?   For you see they had removed God from their Convention, and on a voice vote God was rejected three times, but the leaders knew that would turn some of the DNC and the public against them, so they ignored the voice vote and put the name of God back, but God is far from the hearts of such people.

What happens to anyone who dare to stand against the group that calls evil good, and good evil, ask Mark Regnerus?  The Regnerus study has been the target of vitriolic attacks since its release on June 10 by the peer-reviewed journal Social Science Research. The study found some negative outcome for children of parents who had same-sex relationships when compared to those in intact biological families. These findings contradict the “no differences” claim that has helped propel judicial activism on the issue of marriage.”  Beyond labeling the study “dangerous propaganda” and “appalling and irresponsible,” opponents have sought to discredit the author himself.  An assistant editor at The New Republic called Regnerus a “retrograde researcher” and suggested that this study should “mark the beginning of the end of Mark Regnerus’s credibility with respectable news outlets.”  The source of this document: Case Closed at UT Austin: Regnerus Exonerated by Jennifer Marshall.

The game has not changed, just the players, and many in the church fit well in the religious groups that say; Jesus does not tell the truth.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice