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.
As a Christian we have the capability to not only know God, but to grow in our knowledge of him. And not only that, but we'll have the ability to know ourselves on a deeper level as well as being able to understand the spiritual world around us. When we grow in our knowledge and understanding we can be a more effective witness and defender of the faith.
It's not only good to know what we believe, but to also know how to explain why we believe what we believe; we need to know how to defend our faith against those who believe something else. It doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian there will always be something more to know. We just need to make sure we stay humble so that we can stay teachable and grow in our knowledge of Jesus.
Col. 2:2-4, "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments."
Paul considered it his purpose to have the Colossian church be encouraged in their hearts to continue what was started in them. He wanted them to be unified in their love for God. In doing so they would be open to having the full riches of a complete understanding of Christ and see that in him are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
If you read chapter one, you'll see that Jesus being the mystery of God is referring to him being the Savior and the gentiles' inclusion in the gospel. The phrase, complete understanding here refers to having a full assurance of who they are and what they have in Christ. Now that they are in Christ they have opened to them the way to discover the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
When we see Paul using words like full, complete and all, that puts things in perspective. Through the Holy Spirit we have access to everything we'll ever need to know and understand God and spirituality. It's interesting that encouragement and love opens the door for that to happen. 'Encouraged in heart and united in love so that they may have...'. We may be able to gain information and possess knowledge but until I'm more confident about who I am in Christ and rooted in love I will be limited in what I can obtain.
So, I am encouraged to go further, dig deeper and know him more. In love I want to be more knowledgeable about all the ways I can serve God and minister to others. So, I go treasure hunting-I search and look for the things that are hidden from the surface view. The deeper things of Christ are a treasure worth pursuing.
And these treasures are hidden, not to keep us from finding them; but so we'll be determined to look for them-and find them. I think that's one of the reasons Jesus spoke in parables. It wasn't so people wouldn't be able to understand what he was saying, it was to see who would seek him out to understand what he was saying and thus end up discovering those hidden treasures.
And when we conclude that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus we won't be deceived by any other theory or proposal; no matter how good it sounds. We won't be swayed by any argument that appeals to our emotions or desires when we hold them up to the knowledge and wisdom of the holy scriptures. Many things sound smart, sensible or worthwhile but when they are compared to biblical principles they are seen in a different light. We need to grow in knowledge so we don't get deceived by fine-sounding arguments.
Eph. 4:11-14, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."
Part of my job is to help prepare you for service so the church body can be unified and growing. Here again we see the importance of unity. It's a collective effort. We grow individually but together we are also to help each other grow. As we stay connected and committed we continue to grow in our knowledge of Jesus; becoming mature, reaching the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Again we see Paul's extreme language when he says whole and fullness. This doesn't mean we can completely know everything there is to know, but we continue to strive for a fuller understanding of spiritual things. This will keep us from getting off track by listening to the devil's lies and entertaining false teaching. The more mature ones need to help the ones who are less mature stay grounded; so the whole body can function effectively.
2) Working well together. Here are some essential things that knowledge works well with.
Knowledge and wisdom work well together.
When Solomon was taking over as King after his Father David, God told him to pray for whatever he wanted. Solomon chose wisdom and knowledge. 2 Chr. 1:10, "Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
If you read on you see that God was pleased with his request and gave him what he asked for; along with other blessings he didn't ask for. Solomon was wise to ask for wisdom to go along with knowledge. These two things work well together. Knowledge is information but in wisdom we know what to do with it and how to apply it. We need both in order to function well.
Some people have a lot of knowledge but it doesn't transfer into action. And some people have knowledge but they use it for the wrong purpose. You've heard of the term, evil genius. Some people are highly intelligent and skilled yet they are using knowledge inappropriately to enact vendettas or to achieve unrighteous gain.
The psalmist prayed in Ps 119:66, "Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands." We need to have knowledge but that knowledge needs to result in having good judgment, which stems from wisdom, which will lead to making right decisions. Knowledge is key because we can't correctly act on what we don't know.
But if we're going to be able to take appropriate action then we need to have wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom need to go hand in hand in making decisions. Notice I said that knowledge is key in correctly acting on something. Incorrectly acting on something happens when we don't know what we're doing.
When we try to do something without possessing the knowledge or skills to do so we end up making things worse. Or, if we react without having proper knowledge about something or someone we'll have to dig ourselves out of a messy situation. Knowledge, wisdom and good judgment work well together.
Knowledge and understanding work well together.
Col. 1:9-10, "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God."
Paul had heard about the Colossians' faith and love for the church. So, he prayed that they would become filled with the knowledge of God's will, through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Paul saw that their faith and love was the foundation for them to be filled with knowledge, wisdom and understanding.
Faith and love are the basis for being filled with the knowledge of God's will. My faith in God and my love for God and others will be imperative to knowing what God wants from me as his servant. It's not just important that I know what God's will is, I need to add wisdom and understanding to that in order to correctly appropriate it.
Knowing God's will is the first step but if I also understand God's will I will be more apt to follow it. Having understanding allows me to know the how, when and where to apply God's good, pleasing and perfect will.
Paul said he prayed this so they would live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. The importance of knowing and understanding God's will is so we would show ourselves to be worthy of carrying the name of Christ. We show ourselves to be worthy to receive the blessings and responsibilities that come with living according to wisdom in carrying out the commands of God.
Jesus said in John 15:8 that we are to bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be his disciples. This all stems from having a relationship with Jesus. Being close with Christ allows us to understand more about him and his ways. We develop a mindset that is conducive with his and in so doing obtain a deeper understanding about Jesus, his will as well as understanding more about ourselves so that we can deal with the reasons why we resist his will.
In Psalm 139 David asked God to search him and show him if there were any offensive ways in him and to lead him in the right way. He wanted God to show him what he didn't know about himself.
Along with that we seek to know and understand the devil's tactics and lies so we can be wise to how he operates. The closer we are with Christ the further we'll be from Satan. Knowing Christ and understanding and following his will enables us to bear fruit in every good work.
Knowledge and love work well together.
Phil 1:9-11, "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."
When we're growing in love we will be growing in knowledge and insight and that will result in becoming pure and blameless. This is how love works. Last week I shared Rom. 10 where Paul talked about those who had zeal without knowledge. In John 16 Jesus talked to his disciples about persecution and how they would be put out of the synagogue. He said a time would come when anyone who killed them would think they were offering a service to God.
Paul started out this way. Phil. 3:5-8, "circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."
Paul thought he loved God but that love was not based in knowledge and depth of insight. There are people today who go about killing in the name of God. They would say they love God but that love is not based in proper knowledge. There are people who call themselves Christians but are filled with hatred towards certain people and have no problem promoting it; all with the misguided belief that they are in line with and doing God's will.
They have passion but it's all misguided. They are not doing the will of God and they aren't truly seeking to know God. Their love, if you can call it that, is not based on knowledge, understanding, wisdom and discernment.
True love needs to be coupled with all these things if we are going to be pleasing to God and producing good fruit. Our love of Christ needs to thrive more and more so we will want to know more, want to understand more, want to have a deeper insight into the things of the Spirit.
Our love for representing God correctly causes us to desire wisdom and discernment to not only know what is good, but what is best. Something may be good, but it may not be the best thing, the thing we should be focused on in that moment.
We need our love for God to increase and be based in knowledge, insight, understanding, wisdom and discernment so that we can bear the fruit of righteousness for the glory of God. Knowledge and love work very well together.
