John 17:18 “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world”
This call goes out to all born-again Christians who have established their worldview on the absolute Truth of God’s Word.
Once you have been firmly established on what God has mandated in His Word, then you have at your fingertips the power associated with His Word.
- The power to walk with God personally.
- The power to walk in the knowledge of Truth.
- The power to discern and understand your circumstances.
- The power to know that no matter what comes against you…you will stand.
The knowledge of Truth is empowering.
Imagine if you knew the exact manner of your death along with the day, hour, and minute when it would occur. The fear of dying prematurely would be gone. Climb a mountain, swim in shark infested waters, or getting cancer or some other disease would not be a concern, at least from a perspective of death that is.
Just because you knew the manner and time of death, this knowledge still wouldn’t take into account the years of suffering you might have endured from falling and breaking your back, or losing a limb to a shark, or having long standing effects from surviving a disease.
Knowledge can only take you so far when it is singularly focused, but when knowledge of Truth becomes the focus of life, the details of some macabre illness or injury has little bearing on where Truth is leading and what it means to you now.
Psalm 139:1-6 “O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.”
Completion of the Puzzle
There are certain things in life that God withholds from us, the knowledge of certain things that we cannot receive or can’t relate to because they would affect us far too deeply.
There are also certain truths that other believers cannot receive because they are not able to receive them, truths that have been revealed to you that are specific to what your going through that the Spirit is working out in you.
I’ve often found that God will reveal something I need to hear that becomes so encouraging to me that I want to share it with others. Often times the Lord will then bring someone to share this knowledge with who needs to hear it. This isn’t because I have some profound depth of understanding that others can’t acquire, certainly anyone can learn and know the Truth of God. When God reveals something specific, it’s like placing the last puzzle piece into a set and witnessing its completion. For others, you may have knowledge gained that ties everything together for someone else.
Sharing your excitement with others concerning a Truth in God’s Word should be opportunities we look forward to, not withholding them but declaring them to God’s glorious praise.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”
Gaining knowledge is not meant to puff up, I’ve learned far too many times the moment I think I know everything is the moment I should start looking around because I’m going to get humbled. Whether it’s the ugliness of pride or some selfish ambition that I think will make me look more spiritual than someone else, the Lord reveals knowledge for a purpose, and He also withholds it.
Knowledge Revealed
John 14:16-17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”
The knowledge of Truth is given by the Holy Spirit and only by the Holy Spirit.
Let me explain…
You can be made aware of Truth without having a knowledge of the Truth.
Take for example the story of the Titanic. This famous account of the maiden voyage of a ship that was considered unsinkable has gone down in history as one of the greatest maritime disasters to ever occur. I can read about the details of what led to this catastrophe, how the fog hindered the ability to see that giant iceberg, the neglect of the captain in heeding the warnings, and the manner by which the ship was outfitted with an inadequate number of emergency dinghies that led to so many people drowning in icy waters.
No matter how much I read a story like the Titanic sinking, I will never have a knowledge of what it was like to be on that ship. Even if I had a first hand knowledge of sinking on another ship, I still can’t relate to the very unique and specific time, circumstances, and conditions that those people endured that fateful day.
In like manner, I can hear or read about the work of the Lord in someone’s life, witness the evidence of the work but still not be able to appreciate all they’ve gone through because I wasn’t in their shoes.
Often, in the midst of a Bible study with other believers, I’ll hear someone quote a verse they hold dear to their heart. A scripture given at the right time can fill a void in a person’s life. What I find interesting is how different people can hold onto the same scripture but that scripture has had a different impact in how it was applied in their life.
This is the beauty of God’s Word, it fills emptiness and answers questions this world has no answer for.
The Impact
1 Corinthians 12:6 “There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”
Whether we are given a perspective that changes our understanding or experience God’s hand working directly in our lives, we must remember the Lord is the one doing the work.
With that work there implies a purpose.
The caution is to remain focused not on our limited understanding but to trust the Lord for the process. He is working for our good. He is leading us in righteousness. The process of growth and spiritual maturity is one that happens by the sanctifying work of the Spirit.
I might share a scripture with someone going through a hardship and it is exactly what they need to hear. I’ve found in the work of ministry that the Lord raises up one person, gives them insight into a Truth, and then provides the opportunity to encourage another.
In everything we do as believers: The Lord is the One doing the work.
God’s people are only servants in His Kingdom. The time will come when you need an encouraging word and the Lord raises up another to come alongside you. Our responsibility is to simply remain faithful and let God do the moving.
If or when we interact with another, remember, if our desire is to honor the Lord, He will be glorified in the encounter. Our goal is to glorify Christ in all that we do and say. We must guard our words carefully and remember we live for a greater purpose.
U.T. 