Teachers and learning continued...
As I see it the main issue for the Church at the moment is not who is in government. It is not wars or rumors of wars. It is not anything going on in the heavens. It is our departure from the Word of God.
I am the first to encourage anybody to study. But we should use wisdom and understand Gods processes. God has appointed teachers. God has revealed things to those teachers and they have the benefit of studying each other so we can have cumulative understanding that has been tested and conveyed by the Holy Spirit over thousands of years.
Of course like any learning God uses the natural process of simple to more complex. First we realize the simple truth that it is Gods nature to have mercy on us and give to us in goodness. Then Salvation is by grace and not by works for example. Stated clearly and in multiple ways and places. Eventually our doctrine on Salvation starts to form. As a result when we read a passage that says… “save yourself from this untoward generation” ……. We do not begin to question if we are meant to somehow provide for our own Salvation. Hence the Holy Spirit uses a little doctrine to begin to guide us and in this case to understand what is definitely not being stated by the verse. Should someone ask us if the verse means we can save ourselves we can say no, that is not the context.
There are some people who say … don’t look at doctrine ……. Just take a verse and listen to the Spirit. They will most often be telling you this as they explain what they think the verse means in their own “spiritual” understanding. These are people who actually reject the way the Body of Christ works in Gods order. They reject the work of the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ through history, and ironically, they do this in the name of being spiritual. This is madness and great trouble. The fruit of this methodology is that you become the authority. So important is this Golden Rules to understand Scripture ……. A text apart from its context is a pretext. This is just so simple. The Holy Spirit was perfectly capable to say what He meant. He does not need our help or advice. To make Scripture simply mean what we think or want it to mean, is to twist it. This comes from evil.
There are some people who prefer to ignore Gods appointed teachers, as a result they are unlearned in deeper Scriptural context. They don’t like to recognise what God has done with others in the Body of Christ. They think that somehow they are the only one to understand what the Scripture means. The only one who God has shown. Others are all wrong and of no value and not worth listening to. They are self-appointed pioneers. However did the Body of Christ ever exist without their “truth” and insight? They will often tell you how they don’t listen to men or doctrine of theology with great pride. Their mantra is this … just the spirit, just the spirit, just the spirit.
We should be very clear about something we are meant to read the Scriptures ourselves. Meditate on them. Eat them, chew them.
The Holy Spirit will reveal truth and guide us into more. Our relationship with God is personal.
But know that God has sent teachers who have partaken in His instruction thousands of times more than we ever will. God established them and He has told us He will use them to equip us…
Eph 4. …and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.…
We are told by God to take special note of our teachers. We are told to know them. Knowing them is very important. Many people simply like what a “teacher” says and follow them, but this is very dangerous. (2 Tim 4.3-4) We are to know them and at least in part to trust them through proving them and the Holy Spirit confirming them…
2 Tim 3. 13 while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in the things you have learned and firmly believed, since you know from whom you have learned them.
There is a trend these days to listen to untestable teachers on the internet. One good example of this are the short internet clips of catchy claims. Basically they say... Here is an interesting secret about the bible, such a tasty bit of information!. But it is extremely hard to test these many claims unless one is mature. This is not a biblical way to learn. This is an easy way to be fooled.
Scripture encourages us to test what teachers say against scripture.
Acts 17.11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true. As a result, many of them believed,
Now if this was a noble way to check Paul’s teachings how much more so is it required to check the teachings of today. Note the Holy Spirit has already confirmed Paul’s teachings as He has all scripture, through His working though the Body of Christ in history. So we do not have to go back and question what is already confirmed. This is a good example of how the progressive process of the Holy Spirit works.
Consider those who teach worthy of honor. The genuine teaching ministry should be greatly valued and God be thanked for it. Teachers who have devoted their lives to obedience and paid the cost …
Tim 5.17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
We are so clearly instructed to learn from teachers in Gods word. It should be enough to see that we are to learn from teachers, by the very fact that we are warned so strongly against false teachers. The scripture tells us very clearly that we should be able to expose them if we walk in the Spirit.
We are told that we should have the witness of the Holy Spirit in us clearly warning us something is not right about what is being said - at least nudging us if we are paying careful attention! False teachers are the context of this next verse that so many get wrong! ...
1 John 2. 26 I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His TRUE and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.
Teachers are meant to be learned. Godly Scholars are not your enemy! Find them!
2 Peter 3. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
Now notice that Peter himself says scripture can be hard to understand. Are you going to accuse Peter of simply not having the Spirit to teach him? Or would you say to him you should automatically understand Peter, just discern it spiritually? – Do you see the foolishness?
Remember that word, it means something … Unlearned(KJV) / Ignorant
Never forget this principle and beware ……. the ignorant and unstable twist scripture!
The first confirmation the Holy Spirit will use to confirm Scripture is Scripture. For it is His work already completed. If this was not the case it would be impossible to know what Scripture actually means with authority because it would be purely subjective. There is a subtle lie going around that goes like this … “What scripture means is what the majority of a group of believers thinks it means.” This is similar to the way cults operate. It doesn’t matter how many people believe something to be right that is wrong, it is still wrong. Another lie is that it is faith in your perception that counts. This is another self-centered lie. Where this is can be easily seen is in the falsehood … “I must have enough faith to be healed” I call this “faith in faith” as opposed to faith in the Sovereign God of Creation and His will. There is all sorts of false teachings like these that try to attach to scripture. Deception around scripture is the first tactic of our enemy. It is so important that we begin to see this because what is coming at us is a RIVER OF LIES. Great deception. Jesus told us so plainly and most seriously. The enemy has always twisted what God speaks right back to the Garden of Eden … “Did God really say?” The enemy always attacks the context of Gods message to us. You have just witnesses some recently with the claims … “the colour of the moon speaks” … and … “eclipses in conjunction with the locations that the shadows pass over, speaks a message to us from God!” If such things are true His Word is belittled and the pagans have a share in His truth without the Holy Spirit. Now hopefully you can see the subtle lie, because according to the Scripture the heavens do speak indeed but what they speak of, is the Glory of God.
But satan twists that truth and tells us the event speaks another message… but it is a message of confusion so it follows that only a few can interpret. This is most certainly not the way of Gods messages. The false message divides the Church and destroys her witness to the world. If we fall to such superstition then why would the world consider the Gospel we hold is any better? What authority do we speak with?
Another place this twisting is seen so clearly, is in the testing of Jesus in the wilderness. The devil presented a temptation for Jesus to believe a twisted context of Gods Word. Notice in the wilderness, the enemy twisted Gods Word and challenged Jesus to question who He was, and to prove it. And the enemy did all this simply by quoting the Word out of context. The enemy begins … “if you are the Son of God”… He is trying to do this to you right now. He is trying to plant his own twisted context of Salvation/our adoption into our minds. He wants you to question if you are a son of God. He knows if he can get you question the Word God has spoken about your Salvation you too will listen further and fall into the trap of try to prove it other than by simply stating and believing Gods promise. He knows that if you can be talked into trying to prove it, you will definitely fail and become ineffective in this spiritual battle. For the true spiritual warfare is for what you believe and who you listen to. He is subtle he tries to get us to question what God has said just as he did in the garden. The way to take a Believer from the battlefield is to get them to question the work of Jesus on the Cross and the intention of God towards them, and His love. All by sowing confusion and causing us to question … “Did God really say?”… “are you really saved?” You can be sure that the RIVER OF LIES about to flood over the Earth will be in part based on these same sorts of questions. At the core is to challenge the Truth of Gods Word. He does not ask us “Is God True.” Because that question in itself is far too basic. We can say “of course He is” that question is too simple to answer. But if the enemy can make small wounds, and cause us to question in little ways so as to cause confusion, those little wounds will fester. Soon be questioning His Word and what can actually be known about Him and what He has done. We will soon be repeating the question in our minds … Am I saved? Did He make me a new man? Did He give me eternal life? Perhaps he is angry at all my failure. Perhaps I am not good enough. Perhaps I blew my chance. Perhaps I do not count. We then can be blinded to the plain meaning of Scripture.
Brothers and sisters His Word is True, and it is our only Authority by the Power of the Holy Spirit. We are in a battle and at the core of this battle God cries out one thing to us … BELIEVE MY WORD.
Much more deception is coming. Most of us cannot comprehend it right now. If we have found ourselves confused about recent events regarding blood moons and eclipses, we must ask Him for help. Be genuine for this is Gods language. Ask Him to remove any spirit of fear so that we may experience a sound mind. Ask Him to keep you from temptation and to deliver you from evil.
BELIEVE GOD AND BEWARE THE RIVER OF LIES!!!
Remember - Lies by their nature must be easy to swallow. No one is fooled by red dollar bills.
The Holy Spirit uses the Word to confirm the Word. As we mature we might learn more of the Old Testament in which is much confirmation. It was written for us…
1 Cor 10.11 Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
Jesus mentions special scribes (scholars) that understand Old Testament and the New and can give us the links between Old and New. Jesus states these teachings are true treasures…
Matt 13.52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
There are further tools the Holy Spirit uses to teach us. Like the understanding through the historical and cultural context of the times through extra Biblical writings. All these things add to our study and the Holy Spirit uses them. Now ask yourself this, has the Holy Spirit ever revealed to you the historical or cultural context of Scripture? I would say no. But if someone has taught it to you, the Holy Spirit is able to confirm what is true from any source. Of course extra Biblical works are not Scripture so any such understanding might only be helpful but will always be of a lesser authority.
So - Note the Holy Spirit will not only confirm the Word but will also give you discernment into any information you are being fed and potentially insight into the spirit it comes from.
It is vital for you to understand that I am not in any way discouraging anyone from reading the Word. For when you do the power of God is working in you. Seed is being sown and growing. I would never speak against it. If I am speaking against anything I am speaking against a spirit that would twist the Word of God and speak against His teachers claiming ……. you don’t need any man to teach you!
This should encourage you to study more, not discourage in any way.
Of course just reading the Word and relating to God is where most start. Studying the Scripture is similar to anything else. You begin with the simple first and receive some an understanding. You are given Holy Spirit spectacles to peer further into Scripture. Once you have this lens forming you can be confident that the Holy Spirit will always desire to show you the truth through that lens. Truth becomes sharper and sharper, deeper and deeper, more and more connected. Some things will be highlighted and questions raised within you. This is how He works. We must learn to hear the Holy Spirit and notice the promptings. Be ready for correction. Recognizing the difference between Holy Spirit confirmation and self is something you will learn over time. Part of the recognition process is to clearly determine what appetite is being fed. One appetite for example is a desire to change (repent) and obey and serve and love. This appetite is from the Holy Spirit. But another appetite is fleshly. It is a desire to have your ears tickled, get the latest news first, seek the sensational to proudly share. A desire to know secrets. The appetite of the flesh is self-serving lust and addiction. Beware when your pursuits take your focus outside the study of Scripture constantly. Beware if the news of planets and earthquakes and moons becomes sensational and desirable and the focus in your heart. This is idolatry and will result in the pushing of the balanced study of the Word of God from your life. It will weaken you. We must be wary of this because it is our nature to be distracted in this way. It is our nature to eat fast junk food. Just try and fast from these appetites for a month to see the hold they have. Beware of what you let excite you. Beware of what you hunger for. Beware what you see and hear. Media is set to capture you and manipulate you.
We are told to seek after Knowledge. Knowledge is part of the Holy Spirit.
Isa 11. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
But we are also told that we can seek with the wrong motivation. There are dangers. God sees the heart and our reason for wanting anything is most important. The end of the purpose of holding Truth is to love. Love will guide you in Truth and Truth will guide you in Love…
1 Tim 1. 3 As I exhorted thee to tarry at Ephesus, when I was going into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge certain men not to teach a different doctrine, neither to give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questionings, rather than a dispensation of God which is in faith;'so do I now . But the end of the charge is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned: from which things some having swerved have turned aside unto vain talking; desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor whereof they confidently affirm.
Anything can be done for the right or the wrong reasons and eventually judgement will be given by God on all. Including our hearts reason for following Jesus and holding knowledge. Examine your motivation authentically and be genuine before God so that He might guide you and correct you. Humble yourself and listen to the Holy Spirit. Walk humbly. Love God.
1 Cor 8. … Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the one who loves God is known by God.
Bask in the magnificence of being known by God!
I have been checked many times by the Holy Spirit in my life as to my motivations. I have been wrong many times. Repented many times. This will never stop. I want invite examination by the Holy Spirit always. I invite checking and challenge by the Body of Christ always. I invite discussion around anything I have said in order to be corrected or clarify and build together. Feel free to comment or question anything I write.
Greek is such an expressive language. We can miss out on deeper understanding if we ignore it. It might not be necessary while drinking the milk of the Word but it can add so much later.
If you want to study one word at a time from concordances for example, you can get insight from the works of number of good Greek or Hebrew scholars. Of course they will bring different aspects and some right and some wrong. If we are able to understand what they are saying we still have to rely on the Holy Spirit for confirmation. But we might only get a little more understanding on one word. Then we have to look at the sentence. Then the paragraph, then the book. Then all the books together as it is an intertwined message of the whole council of God. From a combined and wider understanding we start to form doctrine. Now remember this process can take many lifetimes hence teachers are such a practical blessing from God to maximize our understanding.
It is worth noting that concordances are the work of Scholars. As are bible translations. If you want to run from them you would have to read in the original languages and find some of your own Scripture fragments to make your own bible. Then you would have to ask the Lord to bless you with understanding despite the fact you had decided to ignore thousands of years of His work preserving His Word the way He willed it done. Good luck with that.
The gentiles do not get to read in the original language full stop. So in a sense we are at a disadvantage. I know some hate to recognise this but again I say just read Acts 15 humbly. Consider what it means to be grafted in to the tree. (Rom 11) And then decide how you want to approach the potential issues we face as Gentiles wanting growth in understanding the full council of Gods Word. Don’t just throw your toys out of the cot and cry “He can teach me anyway” Yes of course He can but that in no way makes it automatic. Especially when He tells us to ask, seek and knock. What is good for the Jew is also good for us…
Prov 2. 2 if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding, if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure, then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.
So as gentiles we miss out on a lot. Understanding the original Culture of the Scriptures, the original language of the Scriptures, and even the simple knowledge of the Old Testament and its context.
There was a problem when the Gentiles were first converted so a meeting was called by the Jewish Church leaders to address the Gentiles lack of foundational knowledge. (Even though they were spirit baptized) Basically the Church had a debate as to the status of the Gentiles and the instruction they needed. You can read it in Acts 15… it is full of amazing insights into Gentile believers in relation to Biblical understanding available. It is quite humbling. I would be interested to know what stands out to you in this chapter.
So much division could be solved in Church history if the Greek and the Culture was better known and appreciated. For example - One of the great divisions in the Gentile church was over Baptism and what it means. The Greek word means Immersion and all they had to do was ask a learned Jew as to how it was performed.
You can approach this truth of Gentile disadvantage (Rom 3.1-2) with humility or with offence, even bitterness, jealousy and rebellion. Of course the Lord will give you what you need and He does. Salvation for example and many other things. There are many wonderful things for which we must be childlike to receive. But God tells you to dig deep and you will be rewarded. He tells us to be mature in our understanding. (1 Cor 14.20)
At the very least a good teacher will recognise this disadvantage and be aware of the value of the original languages and culture to some extent.
Now if there are no teachers accessible, the Lord may well work differently. Scripture covers this sort of scenario likewise if His word is inaccessible.
But if we have Scripture and teachers, so if our attitude is to ignore them, and hence disobey His word, we should not expect Him to reveal more to us. If you think about it, the more we know and disobey, the guiltier we become. Not to mention the worse our witness and the greater our hypocrisy. I believe the Scripture teaches us that this behavior can see God cut our lives short. The Christian walk is a sober one. If we disregard His precious Word and Doctrine we will miss out and become less useful. If we do not grow in knowing what God is like, we will always be growing more prone to living in greater ignorance and error. And potentially spreading that error like gangrene in the Body of Christ. (2 Tim 2.17) If we then mix pride into this ignorance we get the great arrogance that we generally observe today in the divided “Church” so devoid of love.
A new Christian is different to a mature one. Different diet and depth of work of the Holy Spirit. Beware of wanting to have authority in the Body of Christ as a new Christian…
1 Tim 3.6 and He must not be a new convert, so that he will not [behave stupidly and] become conceited [by appointment to this high office] and fall into the [same] condemnation incurred by the devil [for his arrogance and pride].
Especially be careful of assuming the role of a teacher! Be humble and grow in grace and love. First learn to examine yourself in truth. Learn to listen and repent (Change). Desire and be led into the Lords work prepared for you in His Body. (Eph 2.10) Of course this does not mean don’t share. Always be quick to share how the Lord is growing you. Let the light of the Lords good work in you shine to all. Do not be afraid to confess your sins to one another and pray for one another. (James 5.16) Don’t pretend. Be authentic. It helps to keep us realistic and humble.
As you are transformed (over time) you are able to test and approve of teaching …
Rom 12. 1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another. We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Though we should all be apt to teach there is also a gift of teaching which is not for everyone. And in fact we are warned…
James 3.1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
Ask the Lord to help you be realistic, sober and authentic in your examination of yourself…
Rom 12.3 For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service]. (Amp)
It is very important to remember that it is only by grace that we can seek and learn of God. Were it not for grace we could know nothing but justly deserved wrath for our fallen state. Simply put we are full of sin and fault but God is merciful and in grace He works with us anyway and is giving and kind. But this is no excuse to stop learning. We are instructed to press on always. (Phil 3.14)
(That said I think it is important to note that spiritually we are washed and cleansed and acceptable to God. We in fact have the righteousness of God imputed to us through what Jesus has done (2 Cor 5.21) But the purpose of this communication is to talk to the practical subject of teaching and learning from the Holy Spirit and not our position in Christ.)
Finally we are told to guard what we have learned. This is because it will be attacked and we are also a forgetful people who require constant stirring. If we do not actively move forward we will slide backwards. We must rely on and walk in the Holy Spirit always and cleave to His Word and teaching.
1 Tim 1. 13 Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching you have heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
Don’t be quick to listen to or accept any teacher. This is foolish and unscriptural. We are told to be patient and to test/prove all things…
Prov 18.7 The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.
1 Thes 5.21 prove all things; hold fast that which is good;
I have made a list (not in any order) of some things that I believe the Holy Spirit warns us of-
Please feel welcome to add to this list…
BEWARE OF TEACHERS WHO…
Are continuously vague.
Over use mystical concepts and sources when teaching
Tell you doctrinal understanding is not important … just the Spirit
Take a long time to explain a simple thing
Continually sidetrack questions
Warn against the understanding of original languages. Tell you don’t need it and shouldn’t desire it.
Say things that are not witnessed to in multiple places in scripture
Seem bizarre and unusual
Use sensationalism
Teach in depth from parables
Over emphasize the way you feel
Lack joy
Teach understanding of Scripture from the news or privy information
Have not studied but are keen for you to listen anyway
Add to scripture or take away
Avoid revealing context
Do not refer to wider context
Take any scripture out of context
Apply modern concepts to ancient teaching with certainty
Over emphasize particular English words as meaning more than usual and giving them more weight than the original language
Avoid revealing sources
Draw bad reports
Angry or loud or combatant
Twist Scripture (2 Pet 3.16 There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures
Do not want to be challenged
Are not testable
Are not knowable
Are unclear
Are confusing
Use numerology or gnostic persuasion
Overly speak about their experience as proof of concept
Use fear of losing your salvation as motivation.
Try to teach from the News but have limited Doctrinal understanding of Prophecy.
Use sensationalism in substance or tone.
Who says do not check me as checking against scripture is somehow wrong or an evil debate.
Who claim themselves as the source
Ask you to have faith in them
Who keep saying you must understand spiritually
Use the Scriptures to make merchandise of you 2 Pet 2.3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false arguments and twisted doctrine. (Amp)
Major on minors and minor on majors.
Focus on myths and untestable claims
Focus overly on genealogies
Constantly call you to speculation
Are addictive but not satisfying
Embellish
Remove peace
Do not practice scriptural commands
To finish …
2 Pet 1. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Pet 3. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 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.
May God bless you for His Glory