READING FOR OCTOBER 1, 2025: PROVERBS 30, ACTS 18, PSALM 104:24-35               PROVERBS 30  In this chapter, we hear from Agur. Let’s see if he differs in style from Solomon. Agur expresses himself to three other guys, with names not that common in Indiana.  He claims for himself the Guiness record as the stupidest man alive, but likely this is poetic exaggeration signaling intellectual humility. Compared with the Lord, we are all at this level.  Verse 4 is amazingly suggestive of a prophecy about Jesus. Agur asks, “Who has ascended into heaven and descended?” Who has met with God in heaven and returned with wisdom? In Rom. 10:6, Paul says that’s the wrong question for us living after the cross: ”Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down).”  The question has been answered forever so now, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).  Also, in verse 4 Agur asks, “Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His Son’s name?” This time John replies: “Through him [Jesus] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:3)... We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Agur’s view of Scripture is right on, although not always followed in some churches. He said, “every word is pure.” We often only quote those parts we like. Jesus said, “I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law” (Matt 5:18). Then Agur makes two modest requests of God that are clearly aligned with God’s will: 1) keep him honest; and 2) keep him dependent on God but not destitute.  He advises others not to criticize a person to his supervisor. This happens constantly in organizations today.  (What a blessing to be retired from administration.) Verses 11-15 describes a person who belittles his parents, considers himself great, and exploits the poor. It is hard to know oneself, isn’t it?  Certain people he describes as leeches: parasites having blood suckers on both ends. Yuck.

He lists a series of sets having 3 to 4 items each, the fourth item usually more embellished:

• Never satisfied—Sheol (place of death), barren womb, dry earth, son who mocks his parents.
• Too wonderful to understand—soaring eagle, snake on a rock, ship sailing the sea, young couple.
• Earth-rocking situations—slave becoming king, satisfied fool, unloved wife, maid displacing mistress. 
• Small but wise—hardworking ants, hyraxes who live in rocks, organized locusts, sneaky lizards.
• Impressive bearing—walking lion, strutting rooster, male goat, king leading an army. 

What might all the above mean? Perhaps we should contemplate nature and ways people interact with each other. It might increase our praise to God for His creation and teach us lessons about how we should behave in this world He has created. Turn off those phones.        Finally, for those of us who brag about ourselves or think evil thoughts, let’s stop it before It’s too late. If we don’t, it will only cause lots of problems. Barney’s right. Nip it in the bud!

READING FOR OCTOBER 1, 2025 CONTINUED: ACTS 18, PSALM 104:24-35                                      ACTS 18 Here is an interesting moment when the spreading of the Gospel intersected with the Roman Empire. Paul met Aquila and Priscillia (rolls off the tongue) in Corinth. They were deported from Rome due to an edict from the Emperor Claudius to remove the Jews. Paul, whose practice was to stay with residents while visiting a city, stayed with them due to their common interest in tentmaking. Again, Paul’s approach continued to be going to the synagogue on the Sabbath to persuade them to believe in Jesus. (What approaches do we utilize to reach our friends and family in Yorktown for Jesus?) The text said Paul devoted himself completely to the Word of God. Maybe we should try this first to support our outreach. Then as he ran up against resistance in the synagogue, he simply moved his meetings next door and kept teaching. All of a sudden, many Corinthia- ans believed and were baptized. The Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision to encourage him to keep it up because there were more believers in town than was apparent. Paul obeyed and stayed there for over a year. The be- fuddled Jews then brought Paul before the Roman administrator, repeating the false charge that Paul was undermining the law. Paul didn’t even get to speak before the proconsul said the charge was bogus and to get out of court.

When Paul finally left Corinth, he added Pricillia and Aquila to his traveling team. When most of us get a haircut, it doesn’t warrant a mention in an email let alone scripture. But Paul’s signaled the completion of a Nazarite vow, which we first read about in Number 6. When Paul stopped in Ephesus, he again went to a syna- gogue to reason with the Jews even though he said in Corinth he would now focus on the Gentiles. This time they asked him to stay longer, but he departed, leaving the rest of his team in Ephesus. He would soon return.

In the meantime, Apollos came to Ephesus. He was a great communicator who used that skill to refute unbe- lieving Jews. Despite all his greatness, he had some gaps in his knowledge, which Priscillia and Aquila were able to fill. This a wonderful example of a couple with greater knowledge about the Gospel strengthening a fellow worker in the Gospel who had greater giftedness in presenting the Gospel. All for God’s glory. Apollos built upon the Jews’ already existing belief in a Messiah to point to Jesus. Paul built upon the Athenians’ already existing religiosity and poetry to point to Jesus. What can we build upon to point today’s Yorktown neighbors to Jesus? If you have some ideas, please share them with the Leadership Council.

PSALM 104:24-35 Be honest for a few seconds. No one else need know, except God who already knows. What is the most interesting topic to us? Ourselves. Right? We are interested in how we feel, what we are going to do, and how we are perceived. The Psalmist asks us, for a few verses, to let your mind go places having no direct bearing on us. Picture the middle of the ocean. Visualize whales and dolphins playing and jumping in the sea mist with great ships in the distance. Now see the mighty mountains God sometimes causes to shake and smoke. “One, two, three, snap out of this daydream.” Why did we do this? Because God made these marvels, cares for them, and rejoices in them. Do we feel more like singing praises to God?