Welcome to Wisdom Today with Bill Kelley. Today we will be going over Proverb 21. I will then key in on verses 2 & 3 - Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts. To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Friends, the bottom line is that we need to live our lives with God in mind. He is the ultimate judge. On today's podcast I will go over the story of the first martyr in the Bible (Stephen) and go over some details of the consequences of identifying yourself as a Christian in a number of countries throughout the world.
[00:00:06] and I'll be your host.
[00:00:42] The King's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water he turns it wherever he wishes. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.
[00:00:58] To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. A hotly look, a proud heart, and a plowing of the wicked are sin. The plans of the diligent leads surely to plethe, but those of every one who is hasty surely to poverty.
[00:01:20] Getting riches by a lying tongue is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death. The violence of the wicked will destroy them because they refuse to do justice. The way of a guilty man is perverse, but as for the pure, his work is right.
[00:01:42] Better to dwell in a corner of a house top than in a house shared with a contentious woman. The soul of the wicked desires evil. His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise.
[00:02:01] But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge. The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness. Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.
[00:02:22] A gift in secret pacifies anger and a bribe behind the back strong wrath. It is a joy for the just to do justice, but destruction will come to the workers of an equity.
[00:02:38] A man who wonders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead. He, who loves pleasure will be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
[00:02:53] The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous and the unfaithful for the upright. Better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and angry woman. There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it.
[00:03:15] He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness and honor. A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the trusted stronghold, whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. A proud and hotly man scoffer is his name.
[00:03:41] He acts with arrogant pride. The desire of the lazy man kills him for his hands refused to labor. He covetes greedily all day long, but the righteous gives and does not spare. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination.
[00:04:01] How much more when he brings it with wicked intent? A false witness shall perish, that the man who hears him will speak endlessly. A wicked man hardens his face, but as for the upright he establishes his way. There is no wisdom for understanding or counsel against the Lord.
[00:04:28] The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord. Friends today I'd like to key in on verses 2 and 3, and proper 21 verses 2 and 3 tell us this. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.
[00:04:53] To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Friends we will take a closer look at those two verses prior to closing today. But what I'd like to do to close out the week today is talk about the implications of actually becoming a Christian.
[00:05:15] A Christian in our world today. Friends, I am currently in a study on the gospel according to Luke and this week we've been in chapter 9. And what I'd like to do is revisit a portion of chapter 9 that we did earlier in the week.
[00:05:35] And this is entitled, Take Up The Cross and Follow Him. We are in chapter 9 of Luke beginning in verse 23.
[00:05:45] Then he said to them all, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me for whoever desires to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
[00:06:07] For what profit is it to a man? If he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost, for whoever is ashamed of me and my words of him, the son of man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory.
[00:06:29] And in his father's and of the holy angels that I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.
[00:06:45] And friends, I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible and I'd like to go over the commentary for verses 24 and 25 in my Bible. It makes no sense to attempt to save our lives on earth only to lose everything when our lives quickly and inevitably pass away.
[00:07:09] The wise course is to invest our earthly resources, our time, talents and wealth in what is eternal. Even if we lose our lives for Jesus' sake, that investment will produce returns for all eternity.
[00:07:31] And friends, Jesus ended up dying on the cross for everyone listening to this podcast today. He felt that he was to come to earth and forgive all of the sins of all mankind for all time.
[00:07:51] And the only way he could do that is to deny himself and to die on that cross in our place. Now Jesus died in the year 30. He was born in 4 BC and he died at 33 years of age, so he died late in the year of AD30.
[00:08:16] But the apostles and his closest associates known also as disciples began the early church. And in the book of Acts chapter 6, we meet a man named Stephen and Stephen was the first martyr besides Jesus who died for his faith.
[00:08:39] So what I'd like to do is I'd like to read a short story about Stephen the martyr. And it says in the book of Acts, the infant church faced opposition from Jew and Gentile alike. But with every successive wave of persecution, the church grew more and more.
[00:09:04] In hardships and trials, Christians depended increasingly on the Lord for strength and guidance. In so doing, they demonstrated their faith to others. Stephen, one of the seven men chosen to minister to the needs of the neglected in the early church, became the first martyr of the Christian faith.
[00:09:31] But he certainly was not the last. Although falsely accused of blaspheming Moses and God, his unfair treatment and violent death would serve as an example to persecuted believers throughout the centuries who would face similar trials for upholding the name of Christ.
[00:09:57] The book of Acts tells us that right after the stoning of Stephen, a zealous young Pharisee named Saul continued the persecution of the new faith by hunting its members down and imprisoning them to face similar charges and similar fates.
[00:10:19] Although Saul was trying to stop the spread of the Christian faith, other eventual persecutors such as the Roman Emperor Nero cared little about the blaspheming of a Jewish deity.
[00:10:35] Nero was merely looking for scapegoats to take the blame for the great fire that destroyed most of Rome in AD64. Later, Christian martyrs would face death at the hands of their so-called fellow believers.
[00:10:55] William Tindale was burned at the stake for heresy because he dared to translate the Bible into the English language, thus making it more accessible to the common person. Others have traveled into remote areas fully aware of the dangers of retribution from pagans.
[00:11:21] In 1956, five American missionaries were murdered in the jungles of Ecuador by headhunters called the Alcaz. This same tribe was eventually converted to Christianity through the persistence of missionaries who emulated the perseverance of the martyrs, missionaries who had gone before them.
[00:11:47] Since Stephen's death, countless Christians have died for their witness to the truth of the gospel. They set their eyes on Jesus instead of on this world. They did not value the approval of people over the approval of their Savior.
[00:12:09] Therefore they refused to disown Jesus for their courage to stand up for the truth. Jesus promises to acknowledge them before his father in heaven. And friends, that is found in Matthew 10 verses 32 and 33. And I'd like to read those two verses and it's entitled Confess Christ before men.
[00:12:39] It says therefore, whoever confesses me before men. Him, I will also confess before my father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men. Him, I will also deny before my father who is in heaven.
[00:13:02] Now what I'd like to do prior to closing today is talk about Christianity and our world today. And what I'd like to do is go over a list of countries where Christianity is illegal in the year 2024.
[00:13:21] Now this article written by Chandler Peterson in persecution trends to watch was just recently predicted this actually is from an article dated May 28th of this year. In various parts of the world, practicing Christianity is severely restricted or outright illegal.
[00:13:49] Though in some countries the law does not explicitly ban the Christian faith. The reality on the ground can be starkly different. This article explores the extreme persecution and challenges faced by Christians in countries where they are targeted either by the law or by social practices. illegal or persecuted.
[00:14:19] In the discourse of religious freedom distinguishing between what is officially illegal versus what results in persecution is crucial. Many countries such as North Korea profess to uphold freedom of religion in their constitutions. However, in practice these assurances are hollow as Christianity is effectively banned.
[00:14:50] This dissimence highlights a grim reality. Legal recognition does not always protect against Christian persecution. Thus while some countries might not explicitly declare Christianity illegal. Oppressive measures including verbal threats in carceration and violence against Christians lead to a ban in practice.
[00:15:22] This pattern is evident in numerous nations where the discrepancy between the law and its enforcement underscores the plight of those practicing their faith. Recognizing these nuances is essential to understanding the full scope of challenges faced in countries where Christianity is banned or Christians are persecuted.
[00:15:51] And these are a list of countries where Christianity is illegal or suppressed. The first one is Afghanistan. In Afghanistan converting to Christianity can result in severe punishments including death due to the country's Islamic laws.
[00:16:15] The small number of Christians who must practice their faith in utmost secrecy face dire consequences if discovered. This extreme persecution comes not just from the Taliban-led central government but also from local communities and even family members.
[00:16:42] Let's look at North Korea. North Korea is perhaps the most dangerous place in the world for Christians. The government used religion as a threat to the leadership's ideology. Being found practicing Christianity or possessing a Bible can lead to imprisonment in labor camps where conditions are notoriously brutal.
[00:17:10] Reports suggest that many Christians are detained without a trial with their families often punished as well. Let's look at Somalia. In Somalia, the Christian community is timing and under constant threat. The country does not recognize any religion other than Islam and converting to Christianity can be lethal.
[00:17:41] Christian converts face the risk of execution by Islamist militant groups who actively target Christians to eradicate the faith from the country. Libya, since the fall of the political leader Gaddafi, Libya has lacked a stable central government leading to a rise in Islamic extremism.
[00:18:10] Christians, particularly those from immigrant communities face violence and abduction. Churches were attacked and gatherings are often targeted making it perilous for Christians to practice their faith openly. I'm going to close with Yemen. In Yemen, ongoing conflicts have led to a lawless environment where extremist groups thrive.
[00:18:41] Christians are banned from practicing their faith openly and those who convert from Islam face the threat of death. The Christian community lives under constant surveillance and threat from rebel groups and experiences societal pressures.
[00:19:04] So, friends, I am thankful that we live in the United States and I would like for everyone to consider praying for the countries outside of the United States where Christians are being attacked simply for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:19:27] Before we close today, I'd like to go back to our proverb of the day, proverb 21, and let's take a look at verse 2. Verse 2 said, every way of a man is right in his own eyes but the Lord weighs the hearts.
[00:19:44] Friends, the commentary for that verse says, a person's own defense of his life, manner or way may convince himself but the final evaluation belongs to God. Now, let's look at verse 3. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
[00:20:10] Listen to the commentary for this verse. The proverb occasionally touch on the subject of worship. This proverb affirms as do Psalms 40 and Micah chapter 6, and numerous other passages in the Bible that righteousness living is more important than sacrifice.
[00:20:37] Friends, my call to action today is for you to be in prayer over this weekend and pray for these countries like North Korea, like Libya, like Somalia.
[00:20:51] These people who are persecuting Christians right and left, where people have to hide and actually go into underground churches, just for holding a Bible and reading a Bible and witnessing to people who want to become Christians. You are in fear of actually losing your life.
[00:21:16] Friends, I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If there is anyone listening today and you've never taken that step, I invite you to repeat a simple prayer after me today.
[00:21:33] Jesus, thank you for coming to earth and dying on a cross for me. By doing that I believe that all of my sins have been forgiven. And yet I ask that you come into my heart, I ask that you lead me and guide me from this point forward.
[00:21:51] I make you my Lord and Savior. Now, may the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make us stay shined upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord liftoff his countenance upon you and give you peace.
[00:22:09] Friends, this is the weekend. Go out with your spouse. Take your kids along with you. Have a wonderful family time. Let them know how much God loves them and how much you love them. And I will see you back on Monday as we further explore wisdom today.