A wise and godly professor once told his class: "Boys get all the education you can, just don't let everyone know it." He further said, "if you think you know everything, go to the library and examine every book on every shelf, one by one. Then tell yourselves how much you don't know of that contained in each book." I thought at the time, and still do, that it was good advice.

Secular education can be an asset; it is not wrong within itself. However, if it becomes first in our lives it can cost us our souls. It is sinful when a speaker or hearer is overly impressed by it and develops a superior attitude. It is sinful if it takes our eyes off Christ and shifts our confidence to worldly achievements and educational institutions. It is sinful when it causes hearers to think of a man above that which is written. It is also wrong when some get the idea that just because a man is educated in one field that he has knowledge in all other fields.

I am afraid that some in recent years have made secular education their god. Instead of looking for men who are with Jesus in word and deed, it might be asked of a preacher, "Where did you get your schooling?" "How many degrees do you have?" "What paper are you associated with?" Besides that, they might want a man who tries to preach in an entertaining, all positive way, without offense.

Paul warns against vain imagination, worldly wisdom and glorying in ourselves (Romans 1: 21,22;1 Corinthians 3: 18-21) Issues and division in the Lord's church are not brought about by the common preachers, men who preach the simple gospel. They are brought about by men who think too highly of themselves; preachers and hearers who are impressed with human credentials, worldly wisdom and achievements, and new hermeneutics. There seems to be a demand at the present time for those who are deceived by worldly wisdom and their own importance.

We should be concerned with the character of a man and that which he preaches. Does he emphasize scripture or does he advocate a limiting of scripture in a sermon? Could his sermons be preached and applauded in any denomination today. Does his preaching cause you to think, "What a wonderful preacher," or do you think, "What a wonderful Savior he proclaims"? In other words, does he preach Christ and Him crucified? Or does he preach himself, his philosophy, his wisdom and view of the world?

In violation of, and disrespect for, the word of God, worldly wisdom has taught us some strange things in our day. It has told us that we can fellowship error (unity in diversity). It has told us that a man can teach error and not be a false teacher. It has told us that consistency demands fellowship of a preacher promoting sin (adultery). It has called the church of Christ a sect. It has told us its approach deals with the real world, implying that plain gospel truth does not fit reality. It argues from the standpoint of the weakness of men and not the word of God. It has promoted all positive preaching. It looks down on the common preachers who insist on the authority of Christ. When exposed and pinned down with scripture, it takes refuge in double talk and says it has been misrepresented. It will go to any extent to promote its self-seeking agenda.

Christ did not send men forth with the gospel who were wise in their own wisdom like the liberal Sadducees of His day. He sent men forth with God's power (Romans 1:16). Salvation should never be attributed to the performance of man, but to the gospel of Christ. According the evaluation of the Sadducees (Acts 4: 13), it was preached by the ignorant and unlearned ( Read Acts 3 and 4).

This is not to say that the gospel must be delivered only by the uneducated. There are many good educated preachers today who have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2: 5) and who accept His authority. They stand opposed to those who preach by their own authority and who claim new hermeneutic for the real world. They abhor the teaching of the worldly wise. They stand firm with the preaching of Peter and John. They do not have the attitude of the high and mighty who are among us today. Many have not bowed their knees to Balaam.

Peter and John had healed the lame man at the gate Beautiful and was preaching the resurrection of Christ.

"As they spake unto the people, the priest, and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees, came upon them. Being grieved that they taught the people and preached the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in hold unto the next day for it was now eventide."

The next day Peter and John were called before these self righteous, ungodly and high- minded, religious leaders of the day to give account for their actions.

"And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name have ye done this?"

The apostles did not try to defend themselves, but they preached to them the resurrected Christ. They were preaching to this truly ignorant, unlearned and unbelieving assembly. This had to be humiliating to this self-righteous and high-minded group.

The liberal, high and mighty Sadducees, and those with them, looked down on these lowly Galileans. They considered them ignorant and unlearned, as compared to themselves. Yet, "beholding the man which was healed standing with Peter and John (jws), they could say nothing against it." All they could do, because of the people, was to threaten and charge them not to "speak henceforth to no man in this name." This threat meant little to Peter and John because they had a much higher commission to preach to every creature in all the world (Matthew 28:18, 20; Mark 16: 15, 16). Therefore, they answered and said unto them, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard."

The words ignorant and unlearned used in Acts 4:13 were not all that bad. However, an attitude that looks down on others and fancies oneself superior to others is bad. Lenski translates these words uneducated and ordinary. Thayer translates ignorant (kjv), "In the N. T. an unlearned , illiterate, man, opp. to the learned, the educated." He says of unlearned , "unversed in the learning of the Jewish schools."

In other words, Peter and John were common, ordinary men with the most uncommon, powerful and wonderful message . They had no public office, nor had they attended any of the rabbinical schools. They surely were not wealthy, for Peter had said to the lame man, "Silver and gold have I none." Yet, they spoke boldly in defense of the name of Jesus. Their message was (and still is) so amazingly wonderful, and they preached it with all boldness. No wonder "They took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus."

The Sadducees, intended to silence the teaching of Peter and John. Surely these lowly Galileans should not be heard. And yet, these Sadducees could give no answer to that they had seen and heard from these two common men. However, their high and mighty attitude condemned them.

Peter and John had not had the advantage of a formal education. Therefore, from this view point they were ignorant and unlearned. Yet, these common fishermen, along with the other apostles, were given the charge to proclaim the most wonderful message (the gospel) the world will ever know. It would never have occurred to mortal man to send these common fishermen forth with such a incredible and marvelous message. What a contrast in the wisdom of God and the thinking of man (see Isaiah 55:8,9).

"Why did Jesus pick ordinary and uneducated men to carry this amazing message? Though it is not stated in our text (Acts 3 and 4), it is obvious. It increases the fact that the power to save is in the gospel itself (Romans 1: 16).

Therefore, the credentials of the preacher should never be the drawing power. The power is not found in the attainments of men or those proud of their humility. The gospel is God's drawing and saving power. When progress is made in preaching the gospel, let us credit it to God's power, the gospel power, not the credentials or performance of some man. The gospel brings glory to God and not to man.

Though Christ chose common men to carry the gospel, Paul could have been an exception. However, he was not. He did not promote his education as God's power, nor did he teach himself. He unequivocally made this clear in his first letter to the church at Corinth.

He stated: " And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2: 1,2). He further stated, "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (verse 4). His scholarship or expertise was not his authority.

Paul was given a thorn in the flesh. He prayed three times for it to be removed, but it was not. God said His grace was sufficient. He then told Paul that His "strength was made perfect through weakness." Once more making it clear that the power was not in man, but in the Word of God (Romans 1: 16). In the past, the gospel power has turned the world upside down. The power still lives in the gospel today; it has lost none of its power (Hebrews 4: 12). It can, however, be hindered and rejected by worldly wisdom. It will continue to do so unless common men stand firm for God's word and expose the worldly wise. God says, " your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (See 1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

How desperately we need men today who have been with Jesus by learning and abiding by His word. Men who do not use enticing words of man's wisdom but speak as the oracles of God. Men who preach the gospel; not merely giving a sweet and comforting speech that could be given in any denominational church in the land. Neither do we need entertainers in the pulpit who think they are stand up comedians. The world needs the gospel, God's power to save, not performing artist.

We need men who can identify a false teacher by the message he teaches; and those who will take issue with error in defense of the faith ( Titus 3:10; Jude 3). We need men of conviction who are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1: 16). We need men who do not reason from the stand point of human weakness to produce so called unity in diversity. We need men who will contend for the unity and fellowship found only in His word (Acts 2:42; 1 John 1:1-4). We need men who stand with Jesus and proclaim His dear name.

Thanks be to God, there are many common men, educated in universities and in "the school of Hard Knocks" who preach the gospel "in and out of season." They know the gospel is suited for the real world today as it was in the fist century. They know that you don't help a brother who is teaching error by encouraging him in his error. Their "speech and ... preaching is not with enticing words of man's wisdom." They know that unity in diversity springs from the wisdom of men and not God's word.

Many are broken hearted over the condition of the Lord's church today. Many are disappointed in these men who speak by their own authority and not as the oracles of God. Many are appalled at the silence of some who once defended the truth. Many are heart broken over the way the wisdom of men is accepted over the gospel of Christ. What about you? "Does it mean nothing to you...?"

James W. Shear, P. O. Box 1766, Milledgeville, Ga. 31061; e-mail, jwshear@ accucomme.net; phone 912-452-1212. Only edited slightly by Ken Thomas