Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

The scene from this window is ablaze with sunlight again. I see no trace of wind. In other words, it’s a gorgeous morning. I’ll take that. I finally hauled our riding lawnmower off to our mechanic yesterday. I figured I didn’t have time to walk through troubleshooting procedures to figure out why the engine is not getting spark. It should be something simple. But the unrestrained growth of the grass out there is my motivation for getting that thing functional. Why don’t we have a grass-eating animal who can eat it all and grow—so that we can eat the grass-eating animal? That makes a lot of sense if you are a grass-eating animal eater—which I am. Hmm. How come we don’t eat horses? Never mind. There’s work to do. First, I’ll take in some unborn baby chicken—perhaps fried in the fat gleaned from bovine mammary glands. We humans are barbaric and gross. And I think that’s the way it’s intended. Do you see what my wife has to put up with?

Be blessed and responsible—as you do anything and eat anything you judge to be right before God.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Here is a good example of non-verbal communication. King Agrippa was saying something quite clear by this simple act of standing up. He was saying, “That’s enough, Paul. I’ve heard all I want to hear. I already have my set of views and beliefs and don’t want you making me uncomfortable.” End of discussion.

I not only like what Paul did in this whole situation, I also like what he didn’t do. He didn’t show disrespect. He didn’t argue. He didn’t try to manipulate. He didn’t speak longer than the appropriate time he was given. Can you imagine Paul trying to press the issue and saying, “Just a minute, King? Sit down, please. I’m not finished yet,” and then carries on with a lengthy sermon on “Justification by Faith?” He would have gained nothing real fast.

Paul understood and respected a fact that we all need to understand and respect. He understood that people most generally believe what they want to believe. He knew that everyone must sort out the data of life and determine truth and belief for themselves. He knew that it was impossible to manipulate people into the Kingdom by reasoning or fear or the intensity of presentation. He knew that the Kingdom of God is essentially an invitation that says, “Whosoever will may come.” He knew that he was not the Lord of the harvest, but only a servant responsible to impart the invitation.

In our performance as ambassadors for Christ, we will always meet people who will be “turned off” by our witness. They will stand up like King Agrippa in disgust or disinterest and walk away. But that’s okay. They did it to Paul. They did it to Jesus. And they’ll do it to you. Just don’t let it discourage you from being a clean and faithful witness. The cause is just too great.