A SURE FOUNDATION
Some of you may remember the song we sang about the Wise man in Sunday School when we were children. The words went like this:
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rains came tumbling down!
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
And the house on the rock stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the rains came tumbling down!
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
And the house on the sand went SPLAT!
As I look back on the words to this simple child's Sunday School worship song, I realize that nothing could be so true. This little song comes from the scripture found in:
Matthew 7:
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.The definition of knowledge is as determine by Webster: (1) : the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association (2) : acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique b (1) : the fact or condition of being aware of something (2) : the range of one's information or understanding
Where does the lack of knowledge come from? We read over and over in scripture that knowledge is given so freely and willingly by God, to all those who have the desire for it. The lack of knowledge or the lack of desire for it comes from not asking and receiving it, as well as to the ignorance of not knowing it is available to us as believers. This comes from a lack of foundational belief's that are of the utmost importance to the Christian walk.
The lack of a solid foundation in faith can be caused by many different situations. One of the most prevalent in today's church is the focus on the manifestation of the gifts of the spirit. A new believer can be come so overwhelmed in desiring such gifts that they do not begin with the milk of the word and attempt to chew on a hearty steak. The scripture gives us instruction as to what our "diet" should be as we grow,
1 Peter 2:2
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.All of us should begin with milk and as we grow we become stronger and our appetites increase thus desiring the meat of the word. However, when one attempt's to eat meat from the beginning then several things can take place. We will either choke on it {misunderstand}, or have a great distaste for it {reject the truth}. Both become dangerous to the babe in Christ. There is absolutely nothing wrong with desiring each and every gift God assures us as believers. But we must follow the Biblical guidelines for growth.
1 Corinthians 3:2
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.Other stumbling blocks for us developing a solid foundation in Christ, is our own lack of study and prayer. In a "give it to me now" society we have a tendency to be in a big rush and lean on other "quick fixes" in our relationship with God. However, anything worth having is worth the effort we put into it. We tend to "listen" to devotions on the radio, rather than open the word and read it for ourselves, we will sleep in on Sundays and catch a TV preacher on Sunday afternoon, rather than making a commitment to a local body. We purchase and read "paraphrased" bibles rather than taking the time to learn the scriptures and the solid meanings behind them. Rather than praying for God to grant us wisdom and knowledge into His word we tend to lean on Bible handbooks and commentaries. There isn't anything wrong with using Bible study helps. However it can become a hindrance when we depend on those more than the Written, Inspired Word of God. Knowledge is something God offers in a loving abundance, it's yours for the asking.
Luke 1:77
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,1 Corinthians 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.One issue I want to have clarity on is I am not just speaking of the head knowledge that we can gain, but just as importantly of the heart knowledge we maintain. As Christians we must first define the difference in religion and relationship. Why must we differentiate? Because one can have "religion" and have additional "head knowledge" of who God is without having a one on one relationship with Him. Head Knowledge is good to have. i.e. Knowing the attributes of God, The promises of God etc.
Ponder This:
Am I depending on too many "modern technologies for my Spiritual growth, Has using my online Bible caused me to loose the desire for my printed Bible?
Am I desiring true knowledge and wisdom, or am I depending on mans teachings and writings for complete truth and understanding?
Do I research, read and pray for full understanding?
Do I take the time and confirm the teachings that I hear/watch/read?
Are my convictions built on a biblical foundation or on what someone has told me is the "right thing"?
NLŠ Word in Context Publishing