Knowledge

 

Knowledge

 

2 Peter 1:5 NASB

 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,

 

It’s a frightening thing to realize the extent to which our culture downplays knowledge in favor of emotions. These days people are more likely to ask, “How will it make me feel?” instead of, “Is it true?”

 

Sadly, the church has bought into the spirit of the age. Many people go to church, not to learn the truths of God’s Word, but to get an emotional high. The focus of theological discussion also reflects the contemporary hostility to knowledge. To a shocking extent, truth is no longer the issue; the questions being asked today are, “Will it divide?” or “Will it offend?” To ask if a theological position is biblically correct is considered unloving, and those who take a stand for historic Christian truth are labeled as divisive.

 

But knowledge is inseparable from moral excellence and Christian growth. It should be obvious that people can’t put into practice truths they don’t know; we must first understand the principles of God’s Word before we can live them out.

 

Peter knew well the importance of knowledge in developing a stable Christian walk and the assurance of salvation that accompanies it. He urged his readers to add knowledge to their moral excellence.

 

Knowledge refers to insight, discernment, and proper understanding of truth. Lacking such knowledge, believers become “children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine”

 

Ephesians 4:14 NASB

 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

 

The resulting turmoil is not conducive to spiritual growth or the development of a settled assurance of salvation.

 

The Bible commends child-like trusting, humble faith, but not childish faith. Paul exhorted the Corinthians,

 

1 Corinthians 14:20 NASB

 20 Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.

 

Hosea 6:3 NASB

 3 "So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth."

 

Philippians 1:9-10 NASB

 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,

 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

 

2 Peter 3:18 NASB

 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

 

Philippians 4:8-9 NASB

 8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

 

What we put into our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. Paul tells us to program our minds with thoughts that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.

 

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"to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

 

The GOOD News 

 

 

Counterfeit Christian Confusion

Counterfeit Christian Confusion, Many people today identify themselves as "born-again" Christians, but regularly manifest characteristics that are not Christian. The result is they confuse the world about what Christianity is. One of the main confusions is people who claim to be Christian and believe they will get to heaven based on their good deeds. A true Christian is not in the process of trying to earn his way into heaven because he knows he cannot.

Paul said,

 

Romans 3:20 NASB

 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

 

No one except Christ ever kept or could keep God's law perfectly.

 

There is only one way to heaven, and that is through faith in Christ. The true Christian simply believes in Christ for his salvation. His good works are the results of his faith.

 

Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB

 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 

When someone gives you a gift, do you say, how much do I owe you? No, the appropriate response to a gift is "Thank you." Yet how often Christians, even after they have been given the gift of salvation, feel obligated to try to work their way to God. Because our salvation and even our faith are gifts, we should respond with gratitude, praise, and joy.

 

~

"to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

 

Grove Oak Church

 

  

Meet the Bereans

I am convinced that the most dangerous lie is the almost true one. The regenerate believer can usually see through most Counterfeit Gospels, whether they be online, on TV, or in the pulpit. However, Satan does not always deploy his deceptions through shallow people falsely claiming to have special knowledge or skill, he also carefully cloths them in orthodox Christianity.

More and more false teachers conceal their heresies in the Trojan horse of sound doctrine. Also, like termites ravaging a house, the signs of trouble are evident only after the damage is done.  

We need razor-sharp biblical discernment as our frontline defense against the stealth invasions of theological error. Paul and Silas encountered that type of discernment on their missionary travel when they ministered to the Jews in Berea. Luke reported on their ministry there and described the Berean Jews as “More noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed”.

Acts 17:10-12

(10) The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

(11) Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

(12) Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.

The Berean’s familiarity with the Old Testament Scripture equipped them for embracing the new teaching they were hearing from Paul. They were not gullible, but neither were they incapable of learning something new provided God’s Word could corroborate it.

The Bereans received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether the things preached by Paul were so. They were open to the truth and searched their scrolls for themselves. No wonder Luke describes them as more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica.

The noble Bereans carefully sifted the evidence and concluded that the gospel Paul proclaimed was the truth that fulfilled Old Testament promise. 

Scripture held the highest possible authority among the Bereans. It was the final authority on their evaluation of Paul’s preaching and, as such, they were able to weigh Paul’s words on the scales of their in-depth, detailed biblical analysis.

Scripture was the Bereans’ accurate and effective filter for receiving truth and rejecting error. The fact that they read Scripture “daily” also points to a high degree of biblical literacy. They did not merely dip their toes in the reading of favorite stories and the memorization of “life-verses.” They were fully immersed in God’s Word and studied it as a collective whole, being able to identify the story of Christ woven throughout the Old Testament.

It is also telling that there is no mention of the Bereans consulting with any sources other than Scripture. Their belief in the sufficiency of Scripture is evident by their use of it as the sole, necessary plumb line of truth.

The church in Berea may no longer be in existence but their legacy ought to live on in the church as we carefully examine Scripture in discerning truth from error. Modern wolves now roam among God’s flock in sophisticated sheepskins. The seriousness of such a threat demands that we be present-day Bereans, and develop the necessary discernment to intercept these wolves at the point of entry into our churches. To naively assume that these threats do not apply in your church context is to buy into the lie that the enemy wants to sell you.

Christians are not supposed to be gullible. We are not to turn a blind eye to the danger. We are not to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them.

Ephesians 5:11

(11) Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;

We simply cannot be all-embracing without allowing false teachers to infiltrate and be destructive.

  Grove Oak Church 

The Lord is still working

The Lord is still working to save those who are lost. God will provide The opportunity, the increase, and the reward. Are we willing to be "Fellow Workers with God" today...?

 Grove Oak Church 

You’re Not Alone

Never think that because something is invisible it is unimportant or weak. You may be surprised to know that the Bible talks a lot about air. The Old Testament calls it (Ruach). The New Testament calls it (Pneuma). The English Bible, however, does not translate either one as (air). Usually, it’s (breath). “God-breathed into man the breath of life.” Or it is called (wind). “Like a mighty wind.” Or it is translated (spirit) as in the “spirit of man” or “the Holy Spirit.”

Several words are used for Spirit words like helper, advocate, comforter, convicter, restrainer, exhorter, and reprover. He is portrayed by symbols, too, such as a dove, fire, wind, even water.

There are some things the Spirit of God is not. Let me point out three or four ideas that many people have about the Holy Spirit. When people return to their roots and attempt to explain their beliefs, they are often most confused about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. I have often heard Him called an “it” . . . so let us start there.

The Spirit Is Not an “It,” but a Distinct Personality

The Holy Spirit is a distinct person. He is a “Him,” a “He.” Jesus once said:

John 14:16-17

(16) "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

(17) that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

What a helpful revelation! When Jesus left the earth and sent another Helper ("another Helper" of the same kind, interestingly), like Himself, the Helper came and became a part of their lives deep within. No longer near them, but in them. That is a mind-staggering truth.

The Spirit does not just lay back and watch, but He is Active and Involved

Read very carefully, what Jesus taught:

John 16:8

(8) "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

John 16:13-14

(13) "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

(14) "He will glorify me, for He will take of mine and will disclose it to you.

Never doubt that the Spirit of God is constantly on the move. As with air, we cannot see Him; nevertheless, He is hard at work convicting, guiding, instructing, disclosing, and glorifying. Just a few of His activities!

The Holy Spirit Is Not Imaginary, but Real and Relevant

Just before Jesus’ ascension back into heaven, He met with a group of His followers. They had questions. He had answers. He also had some crucial news regarding the Spirit who would soon come to take His place.

Acts 1:6-8

(6) So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

(7) He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;

(8) but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

The Spirit is no imaginary or uncertain hope; that is a promise from our Savior.

The Holy Spirit Is Not a Substitute for God, but He Is Deity

This should increase our respect for the Holy Spirit’s work if nothing else will. Tucked away in the book of Acts is a seldom-mentioned story about a couple who paid the ultimate price for their hypocrisy. Woven into their brief biography is a statement of the Spirit’s deity.

Acts 5:1-4

(1) But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,

(2) and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet.

(3) But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?

(4) "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."

When they lied “to the Holy Spirit” (5:3), they “lied . . . to God” (5:4).

Imagine what it means to have the presence of the living God within you. Pause and ponder this, the third member of the Godhead, the invisible, yet the all-powerful representation of deity is living inside your being. His limitless capabilities are resident within you since He indwells you.

You think you cannot handle what life throws at you. You think you cannot stand firm or, when necessary, stand-alone in your life.

You think you cannot handle the lure of life’s temptations. Well, you certainly could not if you were all alone. You alone cannot do that anymore than I can fly alone. However, with the right kind of power put into operation, the very power and presence of God, you can handle it. You can do it. All the pressure will be shifted and the weight transferred from you to Him. It is a radically different way to live. Also, because He is God He can handle it.

Grove Oak Church 

Ministry of Death versus Ministry of Life

The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious . . . how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 

2 Corinthians 3:6-8

(6) who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

(7) But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was,

(8) how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?

These verses contain another contrasting choice that results in people either living by bankrupt human resources, or by bountiful heavenly ones. This contrast is "the ministry of death versus the ministry of life." These terms come from correlating four phrases: "the letter kills . . . the Spirit gives life . . . the ministry of death . . . the ministry of the Spirit." Of course, the old covenant of law is the "ministry of death," and the new covenant of grace is the "ministry of life" ("ministry of the Spirit . . . the Spirit gives life").

When people attempt to minister by the law, spiritual deadness results. Since the law sets forth a perfect standard but offers no assistance, it "kills" those who try to live by it. Only those who minister by grace can hold forth life to people because grace alone can provide the life that God intends for humankind to experience. Ministry is to be engaged in by individuals, families, and churches. Every ministry will be characterized as either a “ministry of death” or a "ministry of life." Either contact with ministries brings spiritual deadness to people, or it brings spiritual vitality.

What would people encounter if an individual, family, or church were a "ministry of death" (that is, a law-based ministry that left people relying upon their own sufficiency)? They might encounter judgmentalism or fleshly striving. They might find self-righteousness or self-confidence. They might discover hypocrisy or frustration. They might detect harshness or coldness.

Conversely, what would people encounter if an individual, family, or church were a "ministry of . . . life" (that is, a grace-oriented ministry that encouraged people to rely upon God's sufficiency)? Instead of judgmentalism and fleshly striving, they would encounter love and peace. Instead of self-righteousness and self-confidence, they would find humility and confidence in God. Instead of hypocrisy and frustration, they would discover genuineness and fulfillment. Instead of harshness and coldness, they would detect gentleness and warmth.

Our God is a God of life. God's loving plan of salvation was that the Son would die to bring us life.

John 3:16-21

(16) "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

(17) "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

(18) "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

(19) "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

(20) "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

(21) "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

The Lord has life for us, and He wants us to minister life to others.

Grove Oak Church