A New Look At An Old Story

     I have often shared with you the astounding new revelations I receive when re-reading familiar Bible passages.  In my ongoing deep dive of the Bible, I have arrived at John, Chapter 6, and the well-known Scripture concerning Jesus walking on water.  I had already read the version of this same story in Matthew, Chapter 14, and in Mark, Chapter 6.  But I was taken aback at the different tone with which John is rendering the facts.
     The preceding verses had just told us about Jesus feeding the 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee. Then in verse 15, the Bible says, Then Jesus, knowing that they were going to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountainside by Himself.  Wait a minute!  I don't remember anything about the crowds forcing Him to be King in Matthew or Mark!  In fact, Matthew just records that He simply "sent the crowds away", while Mark says only that He "dismissed the crowds".  So what is John trying to tell us about this event?
     What I quickly realized was that I needed to kind of boomerang between all three narrations to get the full picture of what happened that day prior to Jesus walking on the water.  When you look at all three versions of the feeding of the 5,000 you can see that Jesus spent the entire day healing the sick (Matthew 14:14) and teaching them many things (Mark 6:34).  The day was nearly done and evening was coming on when the Disciples asked Jesus to send the people away so they could go find something to eat. But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”  But the Disciples were confused and did not know how to accomplish this task, so Jesus looked up to Heaven, giving thanks to the Father, and proceeded to feed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish.

     So, how do we come to Jesus withdrawing by Himself out of concern that the crowd was going to force Him to become King?  Think about this for a minute ... All day the crowd had been witness to miraculous signs of healing and profound teachings that had come to them as though His words were the voice of God.  Now, they see the crowning miracle of the day with the feeding of the 5,000, and they are convinced they are seeing the Messiah [whom the Prophets had spoken of] come into the world.  Surely, if He can do all they have seen that day, and speaks with such authority, He can rid Judea of the hated Romans and deliver Judah and Jerusalem into the Promised Land the Israelites of old had sought.
     Jesus could feel the hopes of the people rising to a fever pitch. They see Him as a different leader than the Jewish priests and rulers, and they are eager to force Him to become who they believe He is, the Messiah and Deliverer of Judah.  Yet, He appears too modest and does not seem inclined to assume His role as King of the Jews.  Even the Disciples agree with the crowd, hoping that the swelling and popular movement to place Him on the throne would at last entice Him to make His move.
     But Jesus discerns what is happening and understands that to preempt His Father's plan would result in violence and insurrection, and the spiritual work of the Kingdom on earth would be hindered and obstructed.  He must stop this movement in its tracks!  In Mark, Scripture says that Jesus "immediately insisted that His disciples get into the boat and go ahead [of Him] to the other side to Bethsaida, while He was dismissing the crowd. And after He said goodbye to them, He went to the mountain to pray".  The fact that He had to insist they go ahead of Him seems to imply there may have been some protest on the part of the Disciples.  Perhaps they didn't want the crowd's enthusiasm [for Jesus to take the throne] to go to waste, and were reluctant to let this opportunity slip away.  But Jesus spoke with authority [and foreknowledge of how He must play out His assignment] and commanded them to go to the opposite shore.
     So what was Jesus praying about while up on that mountain by Himself?  The Bible doesn't tell us, but I don't think it is wrong to think that He might have prayed for the people to recognize the Divine character of His mission; that they could see beyond the earthly ramifications of a crown and a throne.  And I don't think it's wrong to imagine that He prayed for His disciples, that they might endure their dashed hopes as they witnessed His crucifixion, instead of His placement on the throne of David. Perhaps He prayed that they would be able to resist the temptations of the Enemy to dismiss all that He had taught them, and that they would embrace the truth that His Kingdom was not of this world, and it was to be their calling to share [with the world] all that He had taught and commanded them.
     And we can only imagine the thoughts of the Disciples as the wind was literally let out of their sails, as they rowed across the Sea of Galilee.  I find it interesting to examine the writings of Ellen White in her book, The Desire of the Ages, "They had left Jesus with dissatisfied hearts, more impatient with Him than ever before since acknowledging Him as their Lord. They murmured because they had not been permitted to proclaim Him king. They blamed themselves for yielding so readily to His command. They reasoned that if they had been more persistent they might have accomplished their purpose... They knew that Jesus was hated by the Pharisees, and they were eager to see Him exalted as they thought He should be. To be united with a teacher who could work mighty miracles, and yet to be reviled as deceivers, was a trial they could ill endure. Were they always to be accounted followers of a false prophet? Would Christ never assert His authority as king? Why did not He, who possessed such power, reveal Himself in His true character, and make their way less painful? Why had He not saved John the Baptist from a violent death? Thus the disciples reasoned until they brought upon themselves great spiritual darkness. They questioned, Could Jesus be an impostor, as the Pharisees asserted"?
     So as they ruminated while they rowed the three-plus miles across the lake, a storm snuck up on them and they were unprepared for it.  All their impatience with Jesus was gone, and they found themselves in a fight to keep the boat from sinking.  In fact, they entered the boat at evening, but Mark 6:48 says they were straining at the oars during the fourth watch of the night (from 3 am to 6 am) when they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them, so they fought the waves and wind for quite awhile.

     They were terrified, and so they could not discern that He had never taken His eyes off of them.  He knew they were to bring His Light to the world, and was not about to let their stubborn hearts or unholy ambition [regarding Him] swamp that boat.  And when He acts like He is going to pass them by, they cry out for His help, and He identifies Himself [as the I AM] and bids them not to be afraid.  Note that only Matthew records the episode of Peter walking on the water. Only Peter has the courage to question Jesus if it is really Him, and says, "If it is really You, command me to come to you on the water". Jesus says, "Come", and keeping his eyes fixed on Jesus, Peter walks upon the surface of the water! But when he took his eyes off Jesus, and starting looking at the effects of the wind and the waves, he begins to sink, and cries out "Save me"!
     But Jesus immediately reaches out His hand and catches Peter from sinking beneath the waves.  And what does He say to Peter? "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” I believe that question is at the heart of so many unfulfilled Christian lives. So now I ask you, how often have you reacted the same as the Disciples? How many times have you predetermined who you wanted Jesus to be, or how you wanted Him to take action in your life -- and then been disappointed when it didn't turn out how you hoped it would?  And how often, when confronted with a frightening episode in your life, you begin [like Peter] with staying focused on Jesus and His promises, and then the effects of the storm in your life draws your attention away from Him, you take your eyes off Him, and the next thing you know, you are drowning in fear and doubt?  And, finally, how often do you dismiss the supernatural in a life that is in relationship with Jesus -- or are you even willing to accept His healing or His supernatural provision?
     We can learn a lot from this familiar episode in the life of the Disciples and Jesus.  When we keep our focus on Jesus and are willing to receive the Truth of what He did in John 6 on that mountainside near the Sea of Galillee -- His healing, His teachings and His supernatural provision -- then He can do the same great things through us.  When you step out in faith (like Peter did upon the water), you will be able to do things you could never do on your own, and your life will be a living testimony of what the Kingdom life is like on earth.  That's how Jesus intends us to live! Are you willing to trust Him?

Hebrews 10:23   Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word]; 
     

The Importance Of Discernment: Who Do We Believe?

     I know for a fact that we are not the first Christians who have faced a multitude of different teachings about Jesus, and have struggled with whose teachings to follow.  All we have to do is look at the Early Church and we can see the problems that arose -- problems not unlike those we face today.
     In Scripture, we can see an explosion of faith after the experience at Pentecost in the Book of Acts.  Important Christian doctrines were established, such as the Incarnation of the Son of God (fully Deity and fully man); His death, burial, and resurrection; man's fallen nature and his need of a Savior; and Salvation is by God's grace through our faith in Jesus, just to name a few of the foundational doctrines.  We see the Gospel Message [of the Kingdom] taken to distant lands, as the Apostles carried out their commission from Jesus to heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, and preach that Kingdom Message.
     But we can see that things must have become distorted as the decades and centuries passed, because the Church today doesn't teach that full Gospel; it has been reduced to the "Gospel of Salvation" alone.  A fleeting glance at history shows us some of the problems that began arising in the Church, especially after the deaths of the Apostles and the martyrdom of Paul.
     It isn't hard to imagine the early Christians meeting together for worship, and someone stepping forward to give their oral testimony of how they had heard an Apostle or other eyewitness tell of hearing the Lord say this or that. Or how they had seen the Lord heal the sick and give sight to the blind. Persecution of the new Christian faith soon thinned out these credible eyewitnesses, so that it wasn't long before very few persons remained who could give firsthand testimony regarding the teaching and activities of the Lord.
     Fortunately for us, the Synoptic Gospels were soon written, verifying those oral testimonies and preserving them for posterity.  But before we ascertain that the First Century Church was all sunshine and roses, we can see in Paul's writings and the epistle of James that differences of opinion and various disturbances among groups of Believers were beginning to cause dissension.  Once that first generation of actual eyewitnesses and the second and third generation of those who had known the eyewitnesses were gone, the Church became subject to teachers and theologians who applied their own personal subjectivity to the Bible, and Christians had to decide whose teachings were the most credible and true to the original teachings of Jesus.
     Nothing has changed in all these centuries.  Today we are presented with a wide range of teachings -- all purported to be in alignment with Scripture.  And as in the past centuries, we are presented with various "movements" that may or may not be in strict agreement with the Bible.  Let's face it, the modern Christian has to be serious in their discernment.  And it is not uncommon to agree with parts of a particular ministry, while having difficulty with other parts of its theology because it doesn't exactly align with Scripture.
     There is such a huge number of teachers, Bible scholars, authors, ministers, and internet personalities for us to choose from, that it can be difficult to know how reliable their teachings are.  We are rightfully concerned about being deceived; and any teacher or movement whose foundation is anti-Biblical should be dismissed. But at the same time, I have found that I can oftentimes get a nugget of Truth [from Biblical teachings] that I can apply to my theology, and then discard other parts of the message until I can study them further to see if I agree. As my husband often reminds me, "We can eat the meat and spit out the bones".
     I can understand the hesitancy to accept any part of a teaching that may have questionable doctrine.  But we must remember that even in the early Church there arose various opinions about what constituted "faith" because people misunderstood the teachings of Paul.  For Paul, the word faith meant complete reliance upon Jesus Christ for salvation, and we know that this is correct teaching. But some converts were using the word faith to mean nothing more than they were members of Christian groups, and so on.  So James, the brother of Jesus, and a leader of the Jerusalem Church, wrote his epistle to point out that Paul was speaking of "saving faith".  He wrote to clarify that faith required "doing", not just hearing.  These differing opinions did not mean that groups within the early Church discounted each other. Rather, it called for further study and clarification.
     Also, during this first Century there was a difference in how some of the Jewish Christians regarded the concept of "works".  For some it was the observance of the strict Jewish ceremonial law; while to others, it referenced charitable acts, or the fruits of Christian living.  As you can see, there were differences of opinion that resulted in different theologies, although these disparate groups all proclaimed obedience to Jesus's teachings and Christianity.

    So, how should we look upon the variety of teachings that are available to us today?  Do we submit them to a stringent test, and require that they be 100% in accordance to Scripture?  Or is it OK to extract the Biblical truth from a teaching, while discarding those ideas that we are skeptical about?  I think we can agree that it is impossible today to find any teacher that meets the standard of Jesus.
     I can only answer for myself, and tell you how I apply discernment.  I try to follow Jesus's example in Mark, Chapter 9, when the Disciples came to Him and said, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.”  And what was Jesus's reply?  “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in My name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For the one who is not against us is for us".  Jesus understood that not everyone would be part of the intimate group of His followers.  But if they did the works that He did, and credited Him [instead of themselves], then they were doing the work of the Father and advancing the Kingdom.  In effect, they were part of God's team and not Satan's -- for them, and not against them.
     And that's what I try to do.  I truly believe that God's character and knowledge are so great that He cannot download it all into one man or woman --- we are simply unable to contain the vastness of Him.  But He can impart a piece of revelation to each of us -- this man might understand repentance at a really high Kingdom level; while this woman might receive God's wisdom regarding seeing in the spirit; and this person has had God's heart revealed in the area of Deliverance in partnership with the Holy Spirit.  See what I'm saying?
      I don't think it is possible to receive all God wants us to know about Him from one person.  Yes, He has revealed Himself in the Bible, and it is up to us to seek Him through His written Word.  But I also believe that He has no problem with us sharing what we have come to know through a heart seeking Truth.  And just as Jesus said of those who were doing mighty works in His Name, we can discern whether today's teachers/scholars/authors/ministers are producing fruit for the Kingdom, and if they are, then it's safe to say they are for us, and not against us.  It is not necessary to discard the sum total of their teachings.  Use your God-given discernment, along with confirming Scripture and prayer. Then keep what has worth, and toss the rest. If you are seeking genuine Truth, the Holy Spirit within you will guide you and counsel you; He will not lead you astray.  Above all else, God isn't interested in limiting what we can know about Him, and I want all the Truth about Him I can get!

Proverbs 2:3-5    "Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God".

Why Is It Wrong To Seek More Of Our God?

     I am becoming increasingly aware of Satan's scheme to divide and separate us from fellow Christians.  As I hinted at in an earlier post, it is far too easy to cast aspersions on other Believers, and throw around the label of "false teacher".  It seems that if you can get 5 or 6 people to agree with you against the theology of another Christian, then you are warranted in calling their interpretation of Scripture "false".

     But today I want to narrow my scope of discussion as to why so many in the Body of Christ find fault with a Christian who desires to seek more knowledge, understanding, and wisdom about God.  In fact, if anyone in the Body attempts to go beyond the accepted level of understanding in the group, then the level of fear increases also -- the fear that any new interpretation or revelation from Scripture might lead the entire group into deception.  So more often than not, the discussion is shut down and the seeker is cautioned to "play it safe" by not bringing up any controversial ideas or -- heaven forbid -- a bigger picture of God and His Nature.  Satan wins as the group's level of knowledge and understanding is kept at the lowest common denominator.

     I can only speak for myself, but I believe that my hunger to know more about God and my desire to seek more of Him comes from the Holy Spirit.  I do not believe my flesh has any instinct to seek God, nor do I think that the devil would be encouraging me to do so, either.  That being said, I am fully aware that whatever new knowledge or understanding I discern must be compared to Scripture and be stamped with the Holy Spirit's seal of approval... something that, if you have developed a relationship with Him, you easily recognize. We should never let our pride think the devil won't try to distort any revelation we might receive from God, but if you know and trust the Lord's presence in your life, there is no reason to fear being deceived.

     But here is what I would like to ask my fellow Christians to consider: in the Bible there is a difference between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.  Proverbs 2 gives us a sound Biblical explanation of these three terms ... My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If YOU SEEK her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.

     I would first like to make the comment that [to me] it appears that we are encouraged to seek wisdom and understanding, for there we will discover the knowledge of God.  That word "discover" implies finding something in the course of a search.  We are to seek and search for knowledge and understanding of who our God is, and when we grow that relationship, He will impart His wisdom to us, instructing us in His ways.

     If I may, here's one way that I think we can discern the differences in all these terms:  

1) KNOWLEDGE is the facts as stated in the Bible; for example, Jesus's statement, "These signs [attesting miracles] will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17-18).  Jesus plainly states the facts that describe those who have believed [and will believe] in Him.

2)  UNDERSTANDING is the ability to translate meaning from the facts.  Now consider that after Jesus had risen, He exhorts His Disciples, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” After studying and comparing Scripture, I am able to understand that we, as disciples of Christ, are to observe [and do] all that He commanded we would do as Believers -- cast out demons, speak with new tongues, heal the sick, etc. Furthermore, we need not be afraid of the Enemy -- even if we drank deadly poison, the power of God can protect us. And ALL Believers can hold on to this promise, because that power will be with us until He returns at the end of the age.

3) WISDOM is knowing what to do next, given an understanding of the facts and circumstances.  Acts 5:16 is a perfect example of the wisdom of the Apostles after Jesus's ascension.  They were performing those "signs" that Jesus said would accompany those who believed and followed Him: "Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed". They knew what to do next after receiving Jesus's commandment and understanding its implications for the Kingdom of God.  And since God doesn't change (neither His Principles, Nature, or Character), we should be continuing these "signs" as Believers.

     But here is what I have seen and experienced amongst the Body of Christ ... there are many in the Church who can recite facts and quote Scripture.  But, it is possible to have knowledge, and lack understanding and wisdom. Someone might have the facts, but not know what they mean, be able to connect the dots, or know what to do next.  And I honestly think there are far too many Christians who don't trust their relationship with God and are unable to move from Knowledge to Understanding.  They are so afraid of being deceived that they need a Chapter and Verse, word-for-word declaration of God's concepts and principles, or they are unable to discern His Truth.

     I tend to agree with Charles Spurgeon, who once wrote, "Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not [necessarily] to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom".  Even the Bible says, A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding (Proverbs 14:6).  To move from Knowledge to Understanding greatly expands a Christian's Faith.  Then to discern and trust this Understanding to be the Truth of God, will cause Him to impart His Wisdom. 

     I guess I just find it discouraging when fellow Christians -- whether it be pastors, teachers, or a person who sits in a Bible study class -- tell me that I am not to seek "hidden knowledge" because the "Canon has been closed" and there is no new knowledge to be found.  I will agree that God has not inspired any men in the 21st Century to write additional Books of the Bible, and we should neither add nor take away from what has been written.  But, nowhere in the Bible do I see God telling me that I am to no longer seek new understanding of Him. Like Paul's letter to the Colossians, I wish for our hearts to be encouraged, being knit together in love, [so that we can] reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We are to REACH the "full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery", which tells me we aren't there yet. We are to stretch out and extend ourselves toward that wisdom and knowledge, out of a hunger and desire to receive the full measure of Christ.

     Indeed, Paul expresses this same concept in his letter to the Ephesians:  And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

     But what are we to do when the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and the teachers are not equipping us to do the work Jesus commanded us to do?  What are we to do when they discourage our hunger "to attain the knowledge of the Son of God"?  The Scripture says UNTIL ... telling me that it is a process that we are to pursue until we reach maturity and grow up IN EVERY WAY into Christ. 

     And, yes, we are not to be "tossed to and fro" by every kind of doctrine, by human deception and misunderstanding, or by deceitful schemes or methods.  But notice that this caution is given to people described as "children" in their understanding.  We are "to grow into mature manhood"... and how do you do that?  By increasing your knowledge and understanding!  By seeking to know more of our God!

     It is my sincere prayer that the Body of Christ will throw off the fear that our Enemy is more powerful to deceive us than our God is faithful to reveal Himself if we seek Him.  And I also pray that we quit attacking each other because our levels of understanding and wisdom may be different.  Why can't we celebrate that there are those among us who are seeking Him and wish to share Him with the Body? Until we begin to move from childhood to maturity in our knowledge and understanding, the Enemy has us right where he wants us .... alienated from a fuller life with God.  With our whole hearts, let us seek Him!

Psalm 53:2    "God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks after God".