Knowledge Without Intimacy With Christ Leads To Emptiness

Knowledge Without Intimacy With Christ Leads to Emptiness

(Acts 18:24-28)

1. Why do you suppose that many knowledgeable people lack an eternal sense of meaning?

Illustration:On ingenious teenager, tired of reading bedtime stories to his little sister, decided to record several of her favorite stories on tape. He told her, "now you can hear your stories anytime you want. Isn’t that great?" She looked at the machine for a moment and then replied, "No. It hasn’t got a lap."

Source Unknown.

We have all known many highly educated people who seem to lack an eternal sense of power, purpose or perspective.

Apollos was an example of a man who knew a great deal about Alexandrian culture, teaching and allegorical interpretations of the Old Testament, yet he did not know Christ as Savior. He could teach about Jesus from an intellectual perspective, but he lacked an intimate relationship with the only one who gives eternal life.

It takes more than knowledge or intellectual prowess to succeed. Ask the Lord to help you use Apollos’conversion as an example of how one intellectual found the keys to eternal truth, power and perspective.

2. Apollos was sincere and fervent but he did not embrace the whole truth. Neither fervency nor sincerity can make up for a lack of truth. Good intentions without complete understanding of the truth will lead one to hell.

The vast majority of teachers fall short in their tasks to teach the whole truth. Only through an intimate relationship and knowledge of Christ can we discover the whole truth.

Trust the Lord to help you to demonstrate how people can embrace the whole truth through an intimate knowledge, relationship and ministry centered on Jesus Christ –

“In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col. 2:3)

3. Aquila and Priscilla did not become intimidated by Apollos’ intellectual eloquence. Instead, the couple showed us how to teach truth to someone who may be more knowledgeable and formally educated than ourselves. Contrastingly, we can also learn from anyone who has an intimate relationship with Jesus.

Trust the Lord to help you to not be shy about telling anyone about the truth of Jesus Christ.

4. Apollos listened and believed the truth as the Spirit opened His spiritual eyes. No egocentric impulse or pride kept him from believing in the truth. Many formally educated people are blinded to God’s truth by their pride, ego and self-sufficient perspectives.

The natural man cannot discern the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him since they are spiritually discerned. (I Cor. 2:14-16)

Ask the Lord to use His Spirit to open the eyes of the people around you so that they can be enlightened with spiritual wisdom and truth.

5. Apollos continued to grow in Christ throughout the rest of His life as he became very fruitful. Few intellectuals tend to grow in all aspects into Christ since they enjoy focusing on academics – not so with Apollos. Paul wrote, “I planted and Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.” (I Cor. 3:6)

Ask the Lord to help you to show people how to continue to grow in all dimensions of Christ so they can bear much fruit.

We cannot have a meaningful knowledge without a powerful practice of what we believe.

Conclusion:Some years ago, Dr. Karl Menninger, noted doctor and psychologist, was seeking the cause of many of his patients’ ills. One day he called in his clinical staff and proceeded to unfold a plan for developing, in his clinic, an atmosphere of creative love. All patients were to be given large quantities of love; no unloving attitudes were to be displayed in the presence of the patients, and all nurses and doctors were to go about their work in and out of the various rooms with a loving attitude. At the end of six months, the time spent by patients in the institution was cut in half.

Source Unknown.