Be In The Know (Part Two)

BE IN THE KNOW (part two)

To be in the know means to be knowledgeable about something or to have access to information about something; especially if it's exclusive. It means to be aware or well-informed on a topic that's not widely known. The topic of Jesus is widely known but when it comes to really knowing him or even just knowing about him, Christians are in the know because they have the exclusive information about him from the bible and the Holy Spirit. Not that the bible is secretive or only accessible to a certain few, but it is how we become knowledgeable about the things of God. We should want everyone to be in the know.

Last week I talked about how we need to realize how little we actually do know. We might know a lot of information but how much do we know about spiritual things? Knowing about God and the truth about the spiritual realm is of eternal importance. God wants everyone to come to a knowledge of the truth about Jesus. He wants everyone to know that they are a sinner and in need of salvation and that Jesus is the only way that can happen.

If we are to come to a knowledge of the truth we need to repent from holding onto whatever we believed that was contrary to the truth found in God's word. But we need to be humble in order to do that. If we are humble we'll be teachable. Remaining teachable will lead to more and more godliness in our lives. Therefore, we need to grow in our knowledge of Jesus. We'll look at that, along with looking at some things that we'll need along with knowledge.

1) We need to grow in our knowledge of Jesus.

Even though God said his ways and thoughts were higher than mine that doesn't mean we don't strive to know as much as we can; that doesn't mean we don't strive to have the mindset of God. God's thoughts will always be higher than ours because he is a pure and holy, as well as being all knowing. Even though that's true, he does give us the capability to know him.

Peter said in 2 Pet. 3:18, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." We start out knowing some things about God and Jesus, but we are given the Holy Spirit to know him more and more as we mature in our faith.

There are many reasons why it's important to grow in our knowledge of Jesus. The more we know about him and his word the more we will be equipped to defend our faith against false teachings.

The more I grow in my knowledge of Jesus the closer I will be to him since I will come to know how much he loves me and understand how much he has done for me (growing in the grace-Titus 2:11-12). The more I know and understand the more effective I'll be as his servant. I'll be convinced of his love and power and his truth and I'll be more passionate about doing his will.

Apollos was an example of this. Acts 18:24-26, "Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately."

So, here's a guy who had knowledge. Apollos had a thorough understanding of the scriptures but his knowledge only went so far. He needed more knowledge; there were some things he didn't yet understand. Like my quote in the beginning of my sermon last week, 'we will not believe more than we know'. He only had some of the truth. Even though he taught accurately about Jesus, Priscilla and Aquila needed to teach him about baptism in the name of Jesus.

And we know by the verses that follow that Apollos was humble and teachable. Acts 18:27-28, "When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ."

The actions of the brothers shows that Apollos accepted what was taught to him by Priscilla and Aquila, otherwise I don't see him gaining their support. Apollos was willing to accept the fact that he needed to grow in his knowledge of Jesus and became convinced of what was previously unknown to him.