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Paul

Dumb Christianity Is Okay?

I was listening to a sermon tonight and realized that I am tired of, in my opinion, a misunderstanding of a verse. This verse is Acts 4:13, "When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and knew that they had been with Jesus."

I almost always hear the emphasis on the fact that the apostles were "uneducated and untrained men." First, the emphasis here is on the boldness of the apostles because of the work of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, the men were perceived as uneducated and untrained by the Sanhedrin. The were uneducated and untrained in their culture and worldview. Instead, in God's eyes they were educated and trained for the past three years BY JESUS CHRIST!  That was the most intense education and training ever! 

So please, to whom it may concern, please stop using this verse to confirm your decision not to go to seminary or pursue a deeper knowledge of God. If so, you are basically calling the authors of the New Testament morons. That they were not. No, they were not trained in a Rabinical school, but they were trained in Christ Seminary. This gave them boldness - a boldness that the other leaders did not have. This impressed them and intrigued them.  

People are not impressed with our knowledge, but with the God who lives inside of us. This verse is not, however, an excuse to ignore education and training.  We must be trained and educated, but most of all have boldness!