Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… The more I read and study the Bible, the more it substantiates its own truth. But for those who dabble in the Bible, I can also understand why some things might sound vague, or even contradictory. After all, the Bible is written in prose, poetry, metaphor, allegory, and parable, so not everything is intended to be digested “literally”. But having said that, I believe that everything in the Bible is supposed to be there because it is part of a principle, a story, or a truth that is being revealed for our benefit. Let’s take Jesus’ teaching as an example. He lived in an agrarian society, so many times He taught in parables, which are earthly stories with a heavenly meaning. In other words, when He talked about sheep, planting seeds and reaping a harvest, He wasn’t literally talking about sheep, or seeds, but He was using them to simplify heavenly principles so His audience would understand.
The Bible is a book unlike any other book. It is made up of 66 separate writings that span a time of about 1500 years; there were forty plus contributors (I say forty plus because some writers made more than one contribution), and they lived on three different continents. This Book is referred to as the Word of God, because this is how He chose to reveal Himself to His proudest creation (us). Since He is God – and since He is all-knowing – He knows a thing or two about relationships. (Hum? That may be the understatement of the millennium!) Therefore, He knew that before we could choose to enter into that all-important relationship for which we were created, we would have to come to know Him: what He thinks, what He thinks about us, what His plans are for us, what His standards are, what His promises are, and how we can achieve these promises. All of that wonderful information is revealed in this amazing book.
2 Peter 1:20-21 shares this truth with us: “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.” 2 Timothy continues the same narrative: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing He wants us to do.” Based on these two Scriptures, it becomes clear that even though there were multiple contributors, there was only ONE author! (And as a final tag, I want to point out that as a book of prophecy, the Bible doesn’t even have a close second. Hundreds of prophecies were fulfilled with the coming of Jesus, and still others point to Jesus’ second coming.)
The Bible is a treasure trove of knowledge, meaning it contains data such as facts, figures, information, and principles. The more time we spend immersing ourselves in these building blocks, the more understanding we derive from our effort. Now we’re seeing a bigger picture, perhaps we’re even starting to connect the dots. But the ultimate transforming quality we’re striving for is wisdom, and Merriam/Webster provides this definition: “Insight, the ability to discern inner or subtle qualities and relationships; judgement, good sense, the ability to understand things most people can’t understand.” When we achieve this level of enlightenment in our spiritual journey, this is when the “light-bulbs” in our minds start popping on.
No doubt there is worldly wisdom as well as spiritual wisdom, and just to make life more interesting, they don’t match up. Apostle Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 2:12,14: “God has actually given us His Spirit (the Holy Spirit), not the world’s spirit, so we can know the wonderful things He has freely given us. People who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit is saying.”
Now, if you are thinking to yourself, “I thought God was a loving God. Why is He shutting anyone out?” Let me remind you, YOU can connect with God anytime YOU want to! In fact, it’s easy! All anyone has to do is seek Him. Jeremiah 13: 29 offers this invitation: “If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.” Romans 10:13 offers the same: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How’s that for simplicity? Nothing hard about that. Right? It’s open to anyone. Right? So what’s the holdup?
Well, to be very blunt…it takes humility! Pride and arrogance (the opposite of humility) are the stumbling blocks. And where do those qualities come from? The ruler of the dark domain…satan. Apostle Paul addresses this issue specifically. “Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shinning upon them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) He continues, “I know how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction.(The arrogant; those who think they have it all figured out; those who think they don’t need a Savior) But we who are being saved (the humble; we who recognize our own insufficiency) recognize this same message as the very power of God! Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never find Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish message to save all who choose to believe.” (1Corinthians 1:18,21)
When Jesus read from the Torah in the Synagogue in Nazareth, He read prophecies from the Book of Isaiah that pointed to Him: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; He has anointed Me to preach the gospel (of the Kingdom) to the poor…This day this Scripture is fulfilled before your very eyes.” (Luke 4: 18,21) I wanted to point this out because Jesus came to preach the gospel of the Kingdom, and the reason it was/is so difficult for people to grasp is because it is 180 degrees different from the gospel of this world. When Jesus said, “This day this Scripture is fulfilled before your very eyes”, it was, in essence, the first time He said, “The Kingdom is at hand”, or “The Kingdom has come”, when referring to Himself. He represented the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, and His teachings were intended to point out that difference…for instance, the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit; they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven”. (Hum?) Blessed are the meek; they will inherit the earth. (What??) or Forgive those who have wronged you, or Love your enemies…. (Are you kidding me??)
So, to recap the question I presented in the title line, the wisdom referenced there is super- natural revelation from the Holy Spirit as He leads us into all truth. This is a gift from God; the Holy Spirit is part of our inheritance when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. If one is a non-believer, one does not have access to this gift. But to reiterate, this gift is available to anyone who is willing to be saved. God is but one plea away. This is where we find our peace and serenity, our comfort in the time of need, our courage, our strength and our joy. This is where we begin experiencing Kingdom living right here, right now.
Next week I want to write about what Jesus meant when He said, “The Kingdom has come!”
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May God Bless you abundantly,
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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