According to Egyptian and Greek myth, the sun was put in a chariot and everyday the god Helios would drive that chariot all across the sky. Phaethon was the son of the god Helios who secretly took the sun chariot out one day in an attempt to drive it all by himself. However, since he was young and inexperienced, he wrecked it. He wrecked the sun. In one version of the story it’s said that he drove the chariot too close to the earth, scorching it, and then too far from it, freezing it. That’s a bad day…or night? It’s not clear— Phaethon wrecked the sun.
Even though the story and the gods in them are fictional, the moral of the story rings true in many ways for us today. When we try to take control from the true God of heaven, we often end up wrecking our own lives. God wants us to willingly let Him lead but some will still attempt to take the reins away. The Bible is full of accounts, parables, and poems that try to get into our (sometimes thick) heads that we have no businesses in the driver seat.
Saul would attempt to “drive the sun chariot” when Samuel told him to wait for him to arrive so that he could lead the Israelites in sacrifice before a battle with the Philistines. However, Saul became afraid that Samuel was taking too long and offered the sacrifice himself. After his arrival, Samuel told Saul that he had acted foolishly and disobeyed God’s command. Samuel said that if Saul had kept God’s wishes, God would have established his kingdom over Israel forever. The outcome? The Lord rejected him as king because of his disobedience. Saul wrecked his future! (1 Samuel 13).
God has developed a perfect and holy hierarchy, and He’s at the top. He’s always been and He always will be at the top— even if we’re blind to that reality. He doesn’t want to push anybody down though, in fact He’s always taking His humble servants and raising them up! We serve an awesome God.
“…Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” – I Peter 5.5
Growing up our parents had a hard time calling us. I’d be in the living room and dad would say, “Gary-Er Dale-I mean Carl!” This would happen almost every time they would call for us. I don’t think this is a problem unique to our family. This is a problem that almost every parent has, and I know that once our daughter is born I’ll get Rich and Amara mixed up.
Similar to our parents calling for us, there’s a phrase used in scripture that sounds almost identical. In various texts throughout scripture you’ll come across the phrase, “call on the name of the Lord.” There’s a lot of confusion surrounding this phrase, so let’s take a few moments to figure out what it means, and what it looks like to call on the name of the Lord.
In Acts 2:21 Peter uses this phrase, but to get a better idea of the context and meaning we need to start in the book of Joel. In this short book there are a few important facts we need to recognize. Not much is said about Joel, but many believe that he ministered to those in Judah. In this prophecy to Israel He speaks of a plague of locusts and tells the people that it represented the coming day of the Lord.
These locust would bring complete and total destruction. The day of the Lord was a time greatly anticipated by Israel because they believed that God would then judge the nations and restore Israel to her former glory. But Joel says that God would punish not only the nations but unfaithful Israel as well. This day of the Lord was going to be like nothing they were expecting. Joel urges everyone to repent, and told of a day when God would “pour out [his] Spirit on all flesh” (2:28). That day arrived on Pentecost (Acts 2:17). In the middle of the book Joel arrives at the peak of his writing and in verse 32 he says this, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Peter uses this exact quote In his sermon on the day of Pentecost. We read the same phrase in Romans 10:13 when Paul says, “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” We now know the origin of this phrase, but what does it mean? How do we call on the name of the Lord? Some believe that in order to be saved all you need to do is literally call out the Lords name. Others say that calling on the name of the Lord means praying a certain prayer in order to be saved.
In Acts 2, we can see an example of what it means to call on the name of the Lord.
It Requires a Proper Attitude. The Israelites thought that the Lord was theirs to control. They thought He would bend to their wills and wishes. They wanted the day of the Lord to be a day that would liberate Israel. And so they spun this phrase to fit their narrative, to the point that their meaning for the day of the Lord was the exact opposite of its true meaning. Joel and Peter clear up the air and explain who God really is. He’s not a gene, he’s not our puppet, He has a will of his own that we are to conform to. Calling on the name of the Lord requires a proper attitude. An attitude of submission to God and His will. An attitude of humility, recognizing our failures, and understanding Gods perfection.
The Israelites had it all wrong, and sadly sometimes we are the same way. We want God to make us happy. To grant every request we bring to him. We go to Him in prayer with everything that is wrong in our lives and say, “Okay God, fix it.” If what we pray for doesn’t happen, we think God didn’t answer. God always answers us, but the answer is sometimes “no.” Jesus in the garden asked God to take away His responsibility of going to the cross, but He was still crucified. Paul asked God to remove the thorn in his flesh, and the answer was no. God knows just what we need, what is best for us in the long term. We should never treat prayer as a gene in a lamp.
This is not what calling on the name of the Lord means. The Greek word for call is Kaleo, in this context it is the act of calling upon deity. The reason we call upon deity is because we understand our own imperfection. We need help seeing God’s will. Not our own like Israel did.
Calling on the name of the Lord requires a proper attitude, one of humility and understanding. And now more than ever we need to call on the Lord in order to find salvation.
“But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.”
1 Samuel 12.24
When this passage is taken out of the events unfolding in this chapter, it seems like a great verse to remind us to be grateful for God’s blessings. While that application could certainly be made, here’s the context.
God’s desire for His people is rejected. Unlike the surrounding ancient cultures and nations, Israel had no king. Instead, they were to have men chosen by God to serve as their judge. The temptation to establish an earthly king became so great among the Israelites that they gave in and decided to oppose the Lord’s leadership strategy.
Samuel is in the final stretch of his life and guided by God’s direction, he allows the people to have what they wanted— but not what they needed.
Samuel replies to the people’s cry for a king and here’s our verse in context.
“You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”
Samuel wasn’t merely encouraging the people to be grateful for what they have as it might seem on the surface. He was reminding them to not reject the King of Kings after their earthly king fails them. When we make poor decisions and are forced to pay the consequences, the worst possible move would be a move away from God. Taking ownership of the trouble we bring into our lives is vital to future faithfulness. Difficult lessons are, by definition, not a joyful experience. Things could always be worse, but things could always be better. At the end of the day it comes down to which king we decide to serve.
“My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke…”
What is submission? There are many who hear this word and think of weakness. They believe that if you are submissive, you’re at the bottom of the food chain. Is this really the case?
The Bible uses this word in several different passages, and we will take a look at these verses in depth and figure out the true definition of submission.
The original word comes from the Greek, hypotasso, which can be used several different ways depending on the context in which it is used. The first definition is “to cause to be in a submissive relationship” and the second is “to become subject, subject oneself” (BDAG). With these definitions in mind, let’s notice how scripture uses this word.
James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Who must submit? Everyone. Who are we submitting to? God. What is the outcome? The Devil will flee. In this text, submission is the act of putting God in charge of our lives. In doing so we no longer chase after sin and Satan will flee from us.
Col. 3:18: “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Who must submit? Wives. Who are they submitting to? The husband. For what reason? God has commanded. In this text, submission is what the wife must do in her marriage in order to be approved of God. A submissive wife is fitting in the Lord.
Eph. 5:21: “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Who must submit? The Christian. Who are we submitting to? Other Christians. Why are we submitting? Out of reverence (deep respect and awe) for Christ. If we say that we revere Christ, we must submit to each other and place our brothers and sisters above self.
Eph. 5:24: “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” Who is submitting? The church, as well as the wives in the same way we (as a church body) submit to Christ. A submissive church looks to Christ for every spiritual decision. They do this because they are no longer in control. A wife submits to her husband by looking at the example of the church or “the bride of Christ.”
Titus 2:5, 9; 3:1: “to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative. Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.” Who is submitting? Wives, bondservants, and those who have experienced Christ (2:14). Who are they submitting to? Husbands, masters, rulers and authorities. Why are they submitting? So the Word of God won’t be criticized or abused, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God (10), and because we aren’t who we used to be (3).
1 Peter 2:18; 3:22; 5:5: “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.” Servants are called to submit to their masters. Why? “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly” (19). In chapter 3:1, wives are to submit to their husbands so that they may win their husband by their actions. In 3:22 the angels, authorities, and powers have been placed under Christ. In 5:5, the young are to submit to the elders.
Romans 13:1: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Who is supposed to submit here? Every person. To whom? The governing authorities. Why? Only God can give authority, those that are in place have been instituted by God. If we refuse to submit (break their laws), “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”
Submission is the action of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person. In scripture several groups are commanded to have this attitude:
Christians
Wives
Servants
Every person
Submission is not weakness. It takes strength to make this choice. We aren’t forced into submission, but it is a choice each one of us must make.
Have you made that choice? If you have, understand that there will be times where you fail. Thankfully God is willing to forgive those who have sinned.
Submission means we give up what we want, and act the way God wants us to act.
If you’re reading this right now, it means you have access to electricity and internet. If you have access to those, you’re already familiar with the subject of this article. This specifically applies to Christians living in the United States, but I encourage those who don’t consider themselves religious to think about the following as well. There’s no other way to address this, so I apologize for having to write it.
“Let’s go Brandon” is everywhere: gas pumps, sporting events, social media posts, bumper stickers, etc. I thought it would die out by now, but it’s everywhere. I see it almost every day on gaming platforms, with many adopting some form of it as a username/handle. It’s become colloquial, used to “thank” the president for any less-than-ideal circumstance.
I am not a fan of our current president. If you drive, you know how much gas is right now. Afghanistan. The Russian ammo ban (and other anti-freedom measures). If you eat food, you’re already familiar with inflation’s impact on groceries. We could go on for a week, but this is a long-winded disclaimer and I need to get to the point.
No Christian should ever adopt the mentality behind the phrase at the beginning of the second paragraph. Besides the crass and hateful language it represents, it’s a sinful way to view our president. Christians are supposed to respect their government leaders (I Pt 2.17). In that passage it’s not a suggestion, it’s an order. The word τιμᾶτε (timate) is an imperative. It means “to show high regard for” someone (BDAG, τιμάω).
Paul wrote, “You should pray for rulers and for everyone who has authority. Pray for these leaders so we can lead a quiet and peaceful life…” (I Tim 2.2). Paul was under an emperor similar to our own president. God’s expectations for Christian behavior don’t change when the president is bad. We don’t have to like him, but we certainly have to respect him and pray for him.
We should not expect to live with God forever if we talk about the president the way so many others do. I get it – it’s hard. Politicization of the medical field under his administration has had a direct impact on my own quality of life. Praying for/respecting the president is not easy at all. But it wouldn’t have been easy for Christians under any of the Roman emperors in the first century, either. If they could do it, so can we. Please think about the serious impact our words have on where we spend eternity. Our first allegiance is to God. If He’s really our King, we’ll have respect for our president.
We all know the story of the Tower Of Babel. It’s the event that gave us all the diverse languages of the world. That account is not just for our entertainment or education, but there are many spiritual applications that can be pulled from the event. Here are just six from Genesis 11:1-9.
What we are building will only be successful if God designed the blue prints. What are we building? Where do we choose to place our time and effort? Making a name for ourself? Making the most money? Getting the most pleasure out of life? If this is the life we’re building, like the foolish man that’s a life built on sand.
We are free to do as we want, but for every bad decision there are consequences.
There is a truth to what God said about our ability to accomplish much as a unified people. There’s also a positive side to this not so positive account. When the church body is unified there is no limit to what we can accomplish. When there’s dissension we are weaker.
Ignorance does not mean a blissful existence. It was ignorant to think that a closer relationship with God involved building a stairway into the sky that in their minds would allow God to have the ability to descend to earth. The opposite is true. God built us a way to go to Him.
Be mindful of the presence you keep and the vision you share. It seemed that most if not all mankind at this time was unified under one vision. “To make a name for themselves,” they worked together. They planned, schemed, spent resources and time to build something that would change the world forever— but it wasn’t God’s vision. The presence you keep and the shared vision matters. What are we building?
Accounts in the Bible that seem unrealistic or mythical should not weaken our faith but strengthen it when we do our due diligence in digging into His word. God is capable of great things, and that hasn’t changed. We serve a powerful God who has big plans for the world. Are we willing to side with Him?
We’re going through I Peter in the college class at Lehman Avenue and we most recently studied part of chapter three. This chapter further discusses the theme of submission (giving up our power willingly to another) frequently appearing throughout the book. Christians are essentially told, “It’s not about me,” that we should get rid of certain behaviors, and an explanation for why we give up certain behaviors or power is given.
For example, we should get rid of hatred, taking advantage of others, hypocrisy, jealousy, and character assassination (2.1), because we know that God has shown us mercy (2.9, 10). That’s hard. We should listen to our government, even when we disagree with them (as long as it doesn’t violate God’s word), because God uses them to maintain some semblance of law and order (2.13-17). That’s hard. We should be good employees, even when our bosses aren’t fair, because Christ suffered, too, and God looks at us favorably when we suffer for doing the right thing (2.18ff). That’s hard.
In the same way – that is, keeping with the theme of surrendering our own power and doing something difficult for the sake of goodness – Peter addresses women and men specifically in chapter three.
This is an interesting study because it sheds light on a controversial topic: wives being submissive to their husbands. Let’s look at the text:
Γυναίκες (wives/women): Submit to ιδιοις (your own) husbands. Not all men, just husbands. Peter is not saying that women are inferior and should submit for that reason.
Ινα (in order that): For the purpose of cultivating godliness and influencing a fallen husband. It’s not for the purpose of manifesting inferiority, but to influence a lost husband! This involves a difficult task – as in 2.18 – which demonstrates the power of the word.
Δια (through/by): γυναικών αναστροφής (womanly or “wifely” conduct). Through her submission to her husband and through an emphasis on timeless inner beauty, she can save his soul. “Men and women have different ways of expressing godliness. Peter is showing how women can powerfully influence their husbands, which is by submitting to them” (Edwin Jones).
This sensitive topic is nonetheless a powerful one. Wives are not told to submit because it’s “just what women should do,” or because of a belief that women are somehow inferior, but are told to submit because it can save souls. Men are told to assign value to their wives and to be respectful and considerate with them if they want to be right with God (3.7), followed by a general set of commands for all Christians to act a certain way for the sake of godliness (3.8ff).
We submit and suffer as Christians to save souls and to remember that, “It’s not about me.”
(Gary teaching 1 Peter in the college class at Lehman Avenue)
—And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery (Mat. 19:9).
—Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
—For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error (Rom. 1:26-27).
—And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all…There is one body (Eph.1:22-23; 4:4).
—And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord (Eph. 5:18-19).
—A woman is not allowed to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet (1 Tim. 2:11-14).
Passages like these are hotly debated, denied, and derided by those who either cast them against other Scripture or subjugate them to current cultural expectations. Those who desire to accept verses like those above as simple truth are often thought to be ignorant or, worse, dangerous.
The same book reveals the person and sacrifice of Jesus. It reveals the nature and attributes of God. It tells us where we came from and where we are going. It speaks of grace and faith. We accept these truths at face value. But when we come to passages that go against the grain of popular opinion (in or out of religion), cultural mores, or religious orthodoxy, we somehow attempt to say they do not say what they say they say. Jehoiakim’s scribe’s knife and his brazier fire did not eliminate truth (Jer. 36:23). It actually intensified the message against him (36:29ff). The number of academic degrees, religious followers, or oratorical skill will not change the truth of Scripture. It is what it is. Our role is to humbly submit to it or forever beat ourselves against it. May we love and revere God enough to always do the former.
I have pondered lately about why there is such a growing tendency to overlook the plainly revealed will and mind of God in favor of what either lacks authority or violates His Word. It would be impossible to be exhaustive, lacking the ability to read the mind, judge the motives, and know the heart. However, in a general way, here are a few observations.
Feelings have taken priority over reason. Personal preference and one’s inner voice becomes the guiding star for one’s behavior and concepts, and truth gets dethroned. Hearts are hardened against revealed truth and decisions are made based on personal sentiment. In an attempt to avoid hurting feelings, escape ostracism, preserve an image with the world, and have its good will, individuals become their own judges, juries, and pardoners.
We have witnessed people of influence “get away with it.” For years, our national heroes and leaders, athletes, politicians, and celebrities, have “gotten away with it” (see both presidential candidates). If society’s elite and influential can do wrong and get away with it, why shouldn’t everyone else?
God does not practice instant retribution in the Christian Age. God does not execute immediate punishment upon the wicked or wrongdoer today. “He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness…” (Acts 17:31). The fact that some do not get “caught” in sin in this life does not mean God won’t exact justice upon the impenitent ultimately, but because He does not immediately execute sentence against an evil work we can conclude He will not at all (cf. Ecc. 8:11).
Man has developed an insatiable hunger for instant gratification. Pleasure and passion, for many, have become stronger determining influences than eternity and judgment. When the flesh is in control, spiritual things are crowded out of the mind. Jesus says that one can only submit to one master, never two (Mat. 6:24). Flesh and spirit are warring parties (Rom. 8:4-8). Gratifying the flesh can kill concern over the consequence of misdeeds.
We cannot do it alone, without God. The fact is, we must totally surrender to Him. His guidance must be embraced. His will must rule. His strength must be accepted. Truly making Him Lord means making His Word the governing influence of our hearts and lives. Such a humble, honest, and heartfelt submission will help us defeat a mindset set on minding our thoughts and ways over His (see Isa. 55:8-9).
My grandpas’ Bibles (Mom’s Dad’s on the left, Dad’s Dad’s on the right).
The Preacher Pollard Blog 