Do You Know?

"The error is not in our not knowing but knowing and still being deceived!!  If you know the Word of God then why are yea still deceived?"  That was a fb post today from one of my fb friends.  Specifically, it was probably referring to the claims that the world will be coming to an end this Saturday, 5-21-11.  Ha!

The statement is great and the question really hit home with me, as I've been tied up for months about deception.  As for knowing the Word of God, you can't know that until you dig in and read it for yourself.  You can not only depend on others to teach you if you really want to KNOW the Word of God.  You open it up and read it and the Holy Spirit will teach you and guide you into all truth.  If you don't want to read, all you have to do is ask God for a hunger and thirst for His Word.  He'll give it to you.  A friend prayed that over me and let me tell you, it worked!  I haven't gotten tired of reading yet and it's been 5 years.  I've learned and grown a lot in those years!  God's Word believed (to believe means to act on it) produces amazing results.

Thank God the error is not in our not knowing.  As for knowing and still being deceived though...  Wow.  Pause and think about that.

A prayer group that I had been with for a few years decided to read a book about grace.  It was not fun for me - at all.  I had no idea how bound up I had been by religion and legalism.  For months, I was totally frustrated.  I spent a lot of time in the bible, making sure the material wasn't false.  It wasn't - but, that didn't really help my frustration much.  There was a lot of teaching that had to come undone - wrong mindsets had to change.  When summer break came, I was so glad to put that book on the highest shelf I had.  When our group picked back up in the fall, we continued with the same book.  As I read on, I would wonder, 'have I read this before?'  Answering, I would think, 'no, it's been on the shelf all summer!'  One night, I was reading and couldn't stop - it was the middle of the night and I was wide awake, feeling so alive.  I had come to a chapter on the holy communion.  When I finished it, I went out to my kitchen and took communion - just me and the Lord at 3AM.  : )  I came to the conclusion that over the summer, the Holy Spirit had taught me some things - the only feasible explanation as to why the material seemed so familiar - and at the least, God had softened my heart so that I was able to receive the good news of His amazing grace - without frustrating it.  This came after I had been sitting under grace teaching for more than 10 years.  One important thing I have learned is that you can not mix grace with law. 

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.  Phillipians 3:8-9 NLT

Our salvation is by grace, through faith - as is our righteousness.  They are God's gifts to us - as is our faith!  Knowing that without faith, you can not please God, it is very encouraging to know that faith is a gift.  No other version says it quite like the NIV:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.  Romans 12:1-3

 

God's will is good, pleasing, and perfect!!!  To know this, it helps to know God's Word - as His Word is His will.  Also, though faith is a gift that God has distributed to each of us, it can grow up!  Have you ever heard that it only takes faith like a mustard seed to move a mountain?  In response to a question from His disciples, Jesus answered:

“Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  Matthew 17:20

*Jesus said WE can say to the mountain 'Move' and it will move - and nothing will be impossible for us!

Jesus likened the mustard seed to the Kingdom of God:

Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it?  It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”  Luke 13:18-19 NLT

Last, but not least, for others to hear the good news, we must share it...and to share it, we must know it!

“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim:  If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  ...  Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.  Romans 10:8-13,17

Faith comes by hearing the word about Christ.  Our salvation, righteousness, and faith are all gifts from God.  When we know God's Word, we know His will - His good, pleasing, and perfect will.  When we know the Word of God, we know Jesus - as He is the Word.  When we know Jesus, we know His Father and ours - and oh, how He loves us. 

Can you imagine ONLY being able to hear...and not being able to hold God's Word in your hands...to read it at your convenience and learn and grow?  There are many believers in other parts of the world who do not have a bible of their own.  God has laid it on my heart to help with the supply in Africa.  If you would like to help as well, please leave a comment with your contact info.  Thanks and God bless you.