Monday, January 2, 2017

Exhortations For The Church: Vol. 1


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Vol. 1 ... #25 
The ignorant


In reading through Bible, a verse of scripture caught my attention where God spoke of "the ignorant." Heb. 5:2

I recall also Paul used the word "ignorant" in the following verse. 

I Thess. 4 ... 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

ignorant means: lack of knowledge

I come across people all the time who have lack of knowledge concerning Bible ... and often I share Bible with them ... (often these are church people)

They are "ignorant" of the Word of God, going in the ways that the world considers wise. 

Most people know little or nothing about what God says in the Bible. 

II Tim. 3 ... 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

We do not read by the letter of the law but by the Spirit: We will be reading Bible and a word or verse will stand out to us that day. We stop and look into the definition of that word or we take that verse and consider what God is saying to us by that verse because we believe the Bible is the Word of God.

After considering that verse, often we are reminded of something we have done. That Word might confirm to us what we did is the way of God. Or we might see that we need to make changes in order to bring our way in line with that Word. (This is part of being led by the Spirit of God. Romans 8)

As we well know, the world does not consider the Bible at all. They are "ignorant" of the Bible.

When confronted with this, I often speak the truth of Bible on the subject to that person and frequently after speaking, I will copy the scripture on that subject and send the scripture to that person giving that person opportunity to be stopped in the way of this world and agree with the word of God on the matter at hand, "if God gives the person a mind to repent."

I give the person a chance to come out of darkness into light, to leave "ignorance" of their worldly wisdom and to go in the way of God in the issue of this life. (Very often these are church going people.) 

10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; 11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. Titus 3

Heretick is one who will not conform to the power of God. 

So Paul says, after the first and second admonition, reject that person if he will not adjust to the word of God.

We have to learn to just walk away from such and leave that person alone. No need to fret ourselves over that person.

There is a woman who was like a daughter to me. But she was a Catholic. At one point I went to Barnes & Noble bookstore and looked in the Catholic Bible to see if the following verse was there. 

Mt. 23 ... 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 

She was out of town at the time I did this so I sent this to her by email. I didn't hear from her for about 3 weeks. Then she sent email saying, "Thank you for the message." But her words were false for had she heeded the message she would have left the Catholic church.

By "thanking me" she was just trying to hold onto my flesh, my association with her.

Later, when she kept trying to get me to go to lunch with her, I gave her another message about the evils in the Catholic church. That ended the association as she firmly declared herself to be Catholic. 

But I could have walked away after she rejected the first message. I wanted to walk away and even tried to disassociate from her at that time. She was extremely scornful, thinking herself to be above other people. God said to me two words over this woman: "self-righteous" 

I didn't want to keep going to lunch with her because she was so scornful against other people, exalting herself as she said, "Can you believe they would have done that?" (or have said "that") thinking herself wise. 

I needed to get away from her and even had to get away from her. When I spoke truth a second time to her, she wanted no more to do with me so I was freed. 

Sometimes we have to leave them and sometimes they will leave us because of that word we speak to them.

Either way, we are freed.