Kissin’ don’t last, cookin’ do.

Steve Brown:
Kissin’ don’t last, cookin’ do. Let’s talk, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
Being adopted into the family of God is not about doing more or trying harder. It’s about being welcomed by God because of his radical grace, free from the penalties of sin and never alone in your suffering, that grace is what Key Life is all about.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. I hope you guys had a great Christmas. We had our family here, grandchildren and children, and it was a delightful time. And that’s a big deal for me to say that cause generally I’m a scrooge at Christmas, but if I had a good Christmas, you could have an even better Christmas. And I hope you did. We’re back to work in the Book of Acts and we’re up to the 19th chapter of Acts and the first few verses in that chapter. We’re going to be talking this week and probably into the next week about the importance of Biblical doctrine or Biblical theology. And you say, no, man, you’ve got to be kidding. I’m having marriage problems. I’m lonely. I’ve been marginalized. I lost my job. I can’t pay the mortgage. My pastor is mad at me. And you’re going to talk about Biblical theology. What’s with that? Listen, trust me, this is very, very important because that’s the anchor that makes the difference, when all of those other things begin to happen. In the Third Reich it was not the politicians who stood against Hitler, it was not the people from academia who stood against Hitler, it was not the psychologist who stood against Hitler, and it wasn’t the Biblical, liberal theologians that stood against Hitler. Those who believed and understood the anchor, a Biblical doctrine, those are the ones who stood. And so, this is important, don’t turn off the dial and stay with me for the next few days as we look at these first few verses of the 19th chapter of Acts. Before we do that, it’s our practice to pray before we study. Let’s do that. Father, as we come into your presence, we are aware of who you are because you have revealed that to us. You are sovereign, you’re big, you’re in charge, you’re the Ruler and the Sustainer and the Creator of everything, and you are our Father, and we praise you for that. You know everybody who’s listening to this broadcast, you know the hard places and the soft ones, you know when we laugh a lot and when we cry a lot. And when we cry, you put our tears in a bottle. You listen to the sound of our tears and taste the salt of the same, and we praise you and we thank you. Father, as we study your word, as always, we pray for the one who teaches, forgive him his sins, they call him reverend, and he’s not. We would see Jesus and Him only, and we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. This is what Dr. Luke writes in the 19th chapter of Acts. And if you’re just joining us, we are in the study of this wonderful beginning book of what happened when everything started. Jesus has risen from the dead. The disciples lives have been changed. They have courage, and the church is growing. And Dr. Luke recorded all the stories and he says In this 19th chapter.

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who wants to come after him, that is Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve of them in all.

Okay. What we’re going to do is we’re going to see some of the problems that happen with bad theology and bad doctrine. Kissin’ don’t last, but cookin’ do. Now, that is very sexist and I know it. Don’t send me letters, but it has some wisdom to it. The emotion of coming to know Christ, the joy of being forgiven, the wonder of being loved, those are big and important things, but if you don’t put steel in that, that would be doctrine, belief in what is true and what isn’t, what the Bible reveals and what it doesn’t, what God has said is true and what isn’t. If you don’t begin to do something there, then that joy, the initial joy won’t last. The only thing that does last is doctrine, and that’s why Biblical doctrine is so important. And you can find that in this text. This recently on our talk show, Steve Brown Etc, and if you haven’t discovered that, you might want to check it out. You can go to our YouTube channel. Lots of folks subscribe there and we’re on about 250 radio stations every week-end. And we talk to people who share their view, their message, their book on doctrine, the Doctrines of grace. And recently we interviewed Trevin Wax and he’s written a book called The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith. And it’s a great book and we liked him a lot. And the point that he makes is that if you don’t check out the realities of the historic, apostolic, Christian faith, you’re going to get bored with the joy and the songs and the dancing because it is at the heart of the Christian faith and it is exciting and it is important. And he spends a whole book talking to you about why it is important. Get the book and read it, it’s good. Let me show you two or three things that are really important. First, you ought to notice that the preaching of bad doctrine on the part of Apollos, and you assume that Apollos had caused these problems. He was a good man. He loved Jesus. His conversion was true, but he got things wrong, and we saw that in the 18th chapter of the book of Acts. So, as a result of the preaching, a bad doctrine on the part of Apollos caused a knowledge problem and a knowledge problem is at the heart of most other problems, Acts 19:2.

And Paul said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said, “No, we’ve never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Some Saint will say, oh, I don’t see as how knowledge or the lack of it makes a whole lot of difference. If we know that Jesus is enough, enough is enough. Don’t you understand that ignorance is bliss? No, actually ignorance is not bliss. Let me give you some Scripture, Hosea 4:6.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Acts 17:30

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has fixed the day on which he will judge the world.

Romans 10:14

But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher slash teacher?

I Corinthians 13:12, Paul looks to the future and one of the assets of the future is knowledge.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; that then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.

And then in Luke 1:76 through 77, Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, in the moment of his son’s birth, spoke these words.

And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord and prepare the way, to give knowledge of salvation to his people.

And so, knowledge is important, but not just knowledge about anything, about truth. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thanks Steve. That was Steve Brown leading us back into the Book of Acts. Today, setting the table by exploring Acts 19:1 through 7. Of course, we’ll dig deeper into that passage all this week, so hope you’ll join us again tomorrow. Say, have you ever gotten a Christmas gift after Christmas? Maybe it was delayed in the mail, or maybe it’s from a neighbor or a relative who had been out of town. In any case, hey, bonus gift, right? Well, in that spirit, we have just one more Christmas gift for you. It’s a free booklet called Christmas Meditations a newly reprinted collection of Steve’s writings on the real meaning of Christmas, the Incarnation of God in Christ. The booklet also includes Scripture and devotional questions to help you focus and reflect on the impact of Christ coming. Get it now by calling 1-800-KEY-LIFE. That’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that booklet. And if you’d like to send your request by mail, go to key life.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the U.S. And Canada. Just ask for the booklet called Christmas Meditations. Oh, and before you go, would you prayerfully consider partnering in the work of Key Life through your giving? You can charge gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or doing the growing number of folks who give safely and securely simply by texting Key Life to 28950 and then following the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And as always, we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.