Owl #3 Series

<The Tootsie roll owl commercial launches the message>

Did you know that that commercial is almost 50 years old? It’s memorable. It points to a question, provides a practical experiment and even an answer. However, the wise old owl is only validating his own personal knowledge and experience so is that wisdom?

Some claim google is wisdom personified. I wouldn't claim this. Google, Wikipedia, YouTube videos are all purveyors of knowledge. But knowledge is not the same as wisdom.

Do a Google search for the word ‘wisdom’ and find 447 million posts?

Ask a friend what wisdom is and they may tell you it's the insight you gain just after you do the wrong thing.

Dictionary.com defines wisdom as: the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight.

However, by this definition there can be several sources of wisdom and while these aspects of gaining knowledge are good and right, only God provides us wisdom that stands the test of time. Hence the reason Jesus' life, death and resurrection confound people and why God’s Spiritual direction often gets confused with human brilliance.

Last week, we began unpacking four verses of one proverb to help us all come to see the depth of God’s truth. The scripture we will unpack is the one you heard at the beginning of service -Proverbs 30. Last week we learned God uses small movements to make big changes as a way to ensure we recognize his role in our lives. This week we move to verse 25 but let me give you a little background.

The full name of Proverbs in Hebrew is the Proverbs of Solomon. However, this fact is debated. Some say Solomon wrote under pen names and others believe there are few written by later scribes. Whatever the truth is, today’s scripture is written by Agur. They are more than just “wisdom sayings” but an oracle. An oracle is a word from God - a direct revelation versus an observation like the other proverbs. The first verses point to the never ending knowledge, power and everlasting nature of God. As it reaches our verses, the reminders of the Son of man bringing God’s kingdom to humankind in the last days and the future hope when the messiah returns. It focuses on directing the reader’s attention beyond the everyday consequences of one’s action to the future when God holds everyone accountable for their deeds. Let's begin today with a single verse from Proverbs 30:25

Ants are creatures of little strength,

yet they store up their food in the summer;

An ant can lift 20 times its own body weight. If a second grader was as strong as an ant, she would be able to pick up a car!

Ants don’t have ears. Ants "hear" by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet.

When ants fight, it is usually to the death!

When foraging, ants leave a pheromone trail so that they know where they’ve been.

Queen ants have wings, which they shed when they start a new nest.

Ants don’t have lungs. Oxygen enters through tiny holes all over the body and carbon dioxide leaves through the same holes.

Although ants are frustrating when they get into your home or when you’re having a picnic, ants do help the environment.

They are social insects, which means they live in colonies or groups.

Christians thrive best in colonies as well. Hence, the reason we want to discuss the idea of ekklesia. The greek word most translated to church. Ecclesia, Greek Ekklesia, (“gathering of those summoned or called”), in ancient Greece, assembly of citizens in a city-state.

It is used within scripture as people called out of the darkness and into the light of Christ.

The original ecclesia was a gatheringing who would gather every 10 days to vote on various everyday items or rules for society before they became law.

With this being said, I want us to translate it even more correctly to either small gatherings or coracles of people fully surrendered to God in word and deed to offer unconditional friendship and love to those in the places we live, work and play so as witness to and provide a glimpse of heaven on earth. An organization completely anti-cultural not thinking of itself but existing for those who might benefit from the relationship. Let’s face the truth, authentic relationships happen when we get one on one. It can happen in slightly larger groups but diminishes the more people who are added.

What if this is God’s design and He prefers small over large?

<Story of serving a small healthy church and being restored after serving in a large corporate church>.

The story always reminds me of two scriptures. The first in Zechariah 4:10 and the second is Matthew 18:10