THERE IS THE STORY OF A GREAT PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY WHO WAS A GREAT HEDONIST. ONE QUESTION BURNED IN HIS MIND SINCE CHILDHOOD: HOW TO BE HAPPY? WHEN TO FIND HAPPINESS? HE TRIED EVERYTHING! FINALLY HE DECIDED THE LAST ATTEMP: TO ACCUMULATE AS MUCH KNOWLEDGE AS POSSIBLE, THUS HE BECAME ONE OF THE GREATES PHILOSOPHERS IN AMERICA. HIS BOOKS WHERE BEST SELLER (ALL SELF-HELP BOOKS: RELY IN YOURSELF, TRUTH IS INSIDE OF YOU). YET, WHEN HE LAID HIS HEAD ON HIS PILLOW AT NIGHT, HE FEELS A DEEP VOID INSIDE. HIS MIND IS RESTLESS, HIS EMOTIONS LIKE A STORMY SEA. HE HIRES MANY PROSTITUTES IN HIS MANSION. HE INDULGED IN ALL THE PLEASURES THAT HE WANTED. ONE DAY, TIRED OF THE INNER EMPTINESS, HE PUTS A GUN IN HIS MOUTH TO KILL HIMSELF! YET YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THIS: THE MAN WAS A THEOLOGY TEACHER! HE CRIES OUT: OH GOD! SHOW ME THE WAY! THEN THROUGH HIS WINDOW HE SEES A COUNTRY MAN FEEDING A BEGGAR. HE COULD SEE THE BRIGHT SMILE IN THE COUNTRY MAN'S FACE! IT WAS A RAY OF HOPE! HE RUN OUT AND ASKED THE COUNTRY MAN, ARE YOU CHRISTIAN? THE MAN SAID: NO, I AM A CHALD OF GOD. THE PHILOSOPHER LAUGHS AND ASK THE COUNTRY MAN IF HE IS ILLITERATE. THE MAN SAYS: YES, BUT MY PASTOR PREACHES THE BIBLE FAITHFULLY. TELL ME OLD MAN, SAYS THE PHILOSOPHER, WHAT IS THE SECRET OF YOUR HAPPINESS? SIMPLE! SAYS THE OLD COUNTRY MAN! TRUST JESUS! LET HIM LIVE HIS LIFE IN YOU! LET HIM BE YOUR ALL! LIVE BY HIM AND OF HIM! (AS MY PASTOR SAYS). ONLY IN GIVING ALL YOUR HEART TO JESUS, CAN YOU FIND HAPPINESS! THE OLD MAN CONTINUES: IT SEEMS THE MORE I LOVE JESUS, THE MORE HAPPY MY SOUL IS! THEN THE PHILOSOPHER HEDONIST SAYS; WELL OLD MAN THEN I AM GOING TO LOVE JESUS, I AM GOING TO PLEASE HIM AND THEN BE HAPPY IN HIM! THEN THE OLD MAN TOLD THE PHILOSPHER: NEVER FORGET CHALD OF GOD, ONLY THE REVELATION OF JESUS WILL QUENCH THAT INNER THIRST FOR HAPPINESS (MY PASTOR SAYS THAT).
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY". WE ARE NOT PHILOSOPHERS, WE ARE SPAWNS OF GOD. HE HAS GIVEN US HIS VERY OWN LIFE. WE ARE A NEW SPECIE IN CHRIST, A NEW CREATIO, ALL THINGS (NOT SOME) ARE NEW! YET OUR MIND MUST BE RENEW TO THIS SPIRITUAL FACTS. MY PEOPLE PERISH FOR LACK OF VISION (REVELATION). WE HAVE TURN CHRISTIANITY INTO A PHILOSOPHY, RATHER THAN AN ORGANIC LIFE. KNOWLEGE IN ITSELF IS NOT BAD, BUT EVEN ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE OF TRUE TRUTH CAN BE SNARE. LET ME EXPLAIN. WHAT IS THE USE OF HAVING A LOT OF KNOWLEGE AND NOT BE HAPPY? WHAT IS THE USE OF KNOWING AND NOT LIVING? WHAT IS THE USE OF HAVING INFORMATION IN MY HEAD, AND NO EXPERIENCE? KNOWLEDGE (UNDERSTANDING) IS IMPORTANT, BUT NOT SUFFICIENT! I NEED MORE THAN KNOWING, I NEED JESUS TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO ME AND SATISFY MY HEART IN BASKING IN HIS PRESENCE AND GLORY! I NEED TO EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE FOR ME AND PASS THAT LOVE TO A NEEDY WORLD! BELOVED, THE AIM OF LIFE IS NOT TO KNOW, BUT TO LOVE.
WE HAVE SO MANY STUDENTS IN OUR BIBLE COLLEGES, YET SO LITTLE RESULTS! THIS REVEALS THAT THE ANSWER IS NOT INTELLECTUAL! THE ANSWER TO THE HUMAN DILEMA IS A PERSON: JESUS: TO KNOW HIM, TO LOVE HIM, TO ENJOY HIM! I USE TO GET SATISFIED WITH JUST KNOWING ABOUT JESUS, UNTIL DEPRESSION HIT MY HEART! I SAW THAT I NEED TO KNOW BY REVELATION THIS DIVINE JESUS. I GOT TIRED OF JUST KNOWING ABOUT JESUS, I WANTED TO EAT JESUS, TO DRINK JESUS, TO LIVE JESUS! I GOT TIRED OF TRYING TO IMITATE JESUS, INSTEAD OF EXPERIENCING JESUS! THE WORLD WITH ALL IT'S SCIENCE HAS BROUGHT NO LASTING ANSWER TO HUMAN BEING. WE STILL EATING OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE, INTEAD OF SEEKING TO ENJOY JESUS WHO IS THE TREE OF LIFE. KNOWLEDGE CAUSES PEOPEL TO BE PROUD (I CORINTHIAN 8:1). BUT THIS IS KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT EXPERIENCE. THIS IS SUPERFICIAL KNOWLEDGE. LISTEN CHRISTIAN TEACHERS. WE ARE NOT TEACHERS LIKE THE WORLD'S TEACHERS. THEY TEACH FROM THE HEAD, WE TEACH OUT OF EXPERIENCE, AND ONLY WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS MADE PART OF OUR LIFE IS LIFE TO OTHERS. TO BE A BIG HEAD ONLY LEAD US TO HATE OTHERS, TO DESTROY THEM, RATHER THAN LOVING THEM. WE MUST BE A "CHILD-HEAD", THAT IS ALWAYS AWE AT THE PERSON OF JESUS, ALWAYS DEPENDANT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES TO TEACH US. I WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE TITLE TEACHER, I AM JUST A STUDENT AND LEARNER OF JESUS. WE MUST NOT DEPEND ON OUR INTELLECT TO INTERPRET THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM. WE MUST NOT DEPEND ON HOMILITICS TO PENETRATE THE REALITIES OF THE WORD OF GOD. BUT EVEN IF WE HAVE THE REVELATIONS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, WE MUST BE AWARE OF PAUL'S DANGER TO FALL INTO NASTY PRIDE! BELOVED, MANY OF THE CHURCH FATHERS WHERE INFLUENCED DEEPLY BY THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE GREEKS AND THE ROMANS. THEY TRIED TO APPLY THE INTERPRETIVE METHODS OF THE GREEKS AND THEY DEPEND ON THEIR MINDS TO INTERPRET THE BIBLE. THE RESULT? THE DARK AGES. LET US NOT TRUST OUR MIND TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE. LET US HUMBLY ASK GOD TO TEACH US. TODAY, WE ARE COMBATING NEW AGE, SECULAR HUMANISM, AND ATHEISM. THE NEW AGE SEEMS VERY LOVING, THE HUMANISM SEEMS VERY PHILANTROPIST, AND ATHEISM VERY HARMLESS. BUT THEY ARE NOT HAPPY. THE NEW AGER KISSES SIN CALLING IT GOOD AND ENJOYS THE PLEASURE, BUT REMAINS EMPTY INSIDE. THE HUMANIST EXALTS THE SELF AND LOOSES THE GOOD SELF (GOD). THE ATHEIST MAKES UP HIS OWN PURSPOSE, BUT REMAINS RESTLESS AND PEACE-LESS. NOW, ARE WE, CHILDREN OF GOD, GOING TO BE PHILOSOPHERS LIKE THEM? THE PHILOSOPHER ONLY HAS SPECULATIONS! WE, THE REPRODUCTIONS OF GOD ON EARTH, MUST HAVE CONVICTIONS, NOT EMPTY NOTIONS! AND BELOVED THE ATHEIST IS RIGHT: YOU CAN'T PROVE GOD BY SCIENCE! IT TAKES REVELATION TO ACCEPT THE REALITY OF GOD AND REVELATION COMES OUT OF FAITH, AND FAITH IS SUPERNATURAL. OR BETTER SAID: FAITH COMES OUT OF REVELATION. I DON'T WANT NOTIONS OR SPECULATIONS, I NEED TO KNOW (TO KNOW HOW GOD HIMSELF KNOWS!) THE TRUTH (REALITY) HOW GOD KNOWS IT. IN HIS LIGHT, WE SHALL KNOW THE LIGHT (REALITY). BELOVED, ONLY CHRIST REVEALED TO YOUR SPIRIT AND UNDERSTANDING WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY, NOT PHILOSOPHY. AMEN.
