The Words of the Wise

The words of the wise are as goads, nails fastened by the masters of assemblies which are given from one shepherd. Words. The words of the wise. Where can you find these words? As you walk the snowy streets of Helsinki these words can be hard to find. We stop people out in front of the mall in Kamppi we ask, "Have you heard these words?" You can go into the bars or the night clubs, which are so well attended on a saturday night, and ask, "Have you heard these words?" Usually no will be the response to this all important question. Why is it that so many have not heard? It seems to me that truth, the words of truth, are truly "fallen in the street."  

"I have loved you with an everlasting love and with lovingkindness I will draw you."

"We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."

"Therefore there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Precious words. These words should fill our minds and overflow into our conversation.  

We finished our informal young men's Bible study tonight with a good season of fervent prayer. What a blessing it is to find an apartment in Helsinki, Finland that is full of the Spirit and full of young men ready to hear from God. As the Word was being spoken, each phrase seemed to cut through the air, whose "prince" seemed to lose his power in this apartment. Words of faith filled the room. Young men getting their hands on the book, their fingers on the pages, and their minds wrapped around each thought. We are so privileged to have these words fastened into our hearts in such a way. Each one cutting, making it's corrections, and then heading for our hearts to be stored for later use. Can we measure what each word from God does when it has free course in the heart of a man? "The word runneth very swiftly" (Ps. 147:15) and "it will not return unto God void, but it shall accomplish that which He pleases and it shall prosper in the thing whereto He sent it." (Is. 55:11) It's effects are eternal and exponential.  

I love Christ's charge to Peter in Acts 5:20, "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life." This is our life, our vocation (Eph. 4:1). There's nothing like seeing someone receive words of life into their heart for the first time. We are praying that God would give us boldness in preaching like He gave to the apostles in that day. A radical faith and a radical message that goes hard against today's society, that's what this world needs to hear.  

Keep us in prayer here, that the word of God would increase and the number of the disciples would multiply greatly. (Acts 6:7)  

Mathew Laflamme