Healthy Skepticism 
Joe Slater
	Ordinarily, skepticism is the opposite of faith; one who rejects the Bible or doesn’t believe in God is a skeptic. However, there is such a thing as healthy skepticism – the opposite of being gullible. Scripture teaches us to be careful about what we believe. We could use a dose of healthy skepticism.
	Not even the apostles were believed without question. In Berea, when Paul and Silas taught the gospel in the synagogue, the Bereans “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Note that they were willing to listen; healthy skepticism is not the same as closed-mindedness. But the Bereans didn’t just blindly accept what they heard. Before deciding whether to believe what Paul and Silas taught, they checked it against the Scriptures. Verse 12 gives the result: “Therefore many of them believed . . .” Their faith was based not on personalities, but on the word of God.
	Believing without checking the Scriptures is entirely too easy, especially if the speaker is dynamic and interesting. But even a polished speaker can be wrong! Apollos was a trained orator; additionally, he was sincere and had a good command of the Scriptures (Acts 18:24, 25). Unfortunately, he knew only part of the story of Jesus. The twelve men Paul taught and baptized in Acts 19:1-7 seem to have been Apollos’ students. We can hardly fault them or Apollos for misunderstanding; they could not tell from the Old Testament that Jesus had already completed His ministry and enacted the New Covenant. We, however, can use both New and Old Testaments to see if someone is teaching the truth. The current fascination with “dynamic speakers” needs to give way to healthy skepticism.
	Paul, in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, warned them to “test all things; hold fast what is good” (5:21, 22). In context, “all things” pertains to doctrines – things that are taught. To “test” a thing means to examine it with the expectation of approving it. Paul is not suggesting a negative or smart-aleck attitude; but wisdom calls for appropriate caution. If a teaching is Biblical, we should hold fast to it; if not, we ought to reject it.
	Let us avoid being either closed-minded or gullible. Between those extremes lies healthy skepticism. We should listen open-mindedly; but before embracing any teaching, let us compare it to the Bible to see if it is true. Let our faith be based upon God’s word, not upon human personalities.
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I Am A Change Agent
	I have never preached a sermon or written an article without intending to change people – change their minds, change their attitude, change their practice. There is no progress, no growth, no repentance, without change.
	I regret, therefore, the choice of “change agent” to describe those who have given up on the restoration plea and who are moving toward fellowship and inclusion with broader Evangelical Christendom. We are properly concerned about changes contrary to Scripture, but it is a mistake to think that all change is bad.
	“All progress is change, but not all change is progress.” Whoever you are, one of those statements likely resonates with you. Whichever it is, consider it carefully and then wholeheartedly adopt the other one. They are both equally true.
	--Cecil May, Jr. ; via Preacher Talk
We Are Light
	Long before Jesus walked on the earth, David asked God to send His light on him (Psalm 4:6). David recognized that God's light is peace and gladness.  Hundreds of years later, Jesus came. God's children no longer had to yearn for the light. Jesus "was the true light, even the light which lights every man" (John 1: 9). Jesus was the effulgence or brightness of God's glory (Hebrews 1:3), and He was Emmanuel, God with us.
	God said, "Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (II Cor. 4:6).  Jesus shows us the glory of God because He Himself reflects that glory.  We can see God in Jesus, and in turn, Jesus passes that light on to us and shines it in our hearts.
	Christians are God's light on this earth.  We must not hide our light.  We must let it shine before men; that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14). As God's children, we are to walk as children of light. "For the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is well-pleasing unto the Lord" (Ephesians 5:9, 10).
	It is that simple. God is Light, and Jesus is the true light that lights every man. Jesus passes that light on to us, and we are to pass it on to others. Like Jesus, we are to be the light that shines out of the darkness of sin and despair. We must show how Jesus delivers out of the kingdom of darkness and help others to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:12, 13). We are God's light in Jesus.
	--Donna Richmond Wittlif (Denver, CO)