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Academic Quandaries
It is no small matter that most who are a part of the church, even spirit filled members of the church, do not understand their doctrine and have a very difficult time reading and understanding the Bible. We live in a very complicated time that is inundated with technology, information and complex systems all around us. In order to make a decent living to feed and take care of a family one must have a decent skill or higher education that makes them in demand.
One of the greatest challenges of our day as it relates to the church is our living in the information age and yet having very little information concerning God, Christ, the Church and anything else that pertains to the destiny and future of the body of Christ. In spite of living in an information and technological age those who are a part of the Kingdom of God have not grown in their fundamental knowledge concerning the things of God.
We are told to pursue understanding has we amass those provisions of life (Poverbs 4:7). The text is quite simplistic in meaning:
"Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding."
The term wisdom is rendered chokmah and refers to "skillful wisdom" . This term is taken from the Hebrew root "Chakam" which refers to:
1. Being wise in mind or actions
2. Exceeding taught or to teach exceeding well
3. Make oneself wise or show wisdom
4. To make wiser
This proverb reveals that we are to seek after those things that will make us exceedingly wiser and capable of utilizing skillful thought processes or conducting our lives in such a manner that we act with extreme wisdom. Wisdom is considered to be the "principle thing" (reshiyth). It is the first in importance and the chiefest of all pursuits that can be made. Wisdom is obtained in several manners:
1. Through continual learning and assimilating into the knowledge that has been garnered
2. Through experience that give one discretion and understanding of situations and life
3. Through the gifting of God Almighty
In the procurement of wisdom we are told to with every ounce of wisdom get understanding also. Here the writer tells us that wisdom, in order to be impactful it must also have with it "Biynah" (Knowledge, understanding). It is clear that one must have knowledge in order to gain understanding and only with this understanding can one know what to do to act wisely. Knowledge fuels wisdom and wisdom is the correct use of knowledge.
Paul gives this advise to Timothy, "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." It is the scripture that is able to make one wise in operating in the deliverance that Christ has brought to every believer. It is here that we must rationally come to the conclusion that a greater level of knowledge of the scriptures will give a greater level of wisdom in the confines of salvation. This is the need for academic learning and teaching of the scriptures.
The very principles that will enrich the skills and abilities of the believer to function is the very principles that the body of Christ has not cherished in this latter day. It is not spiritually normal for those who have been filled with the Spirit of God and not have a burning desire to read and know the Word of God in a greater way. With the power of the Holy Ghost the believer should be on fire for God especially in this last day and time and yet their is a lethargy concerning the Word of God in the land today. In a time that demands greater knowledge the church is at an all time low in knowledge and wisdom concerning spiritual things and the very Kingdom of God.
Only prayer can prompt the believers to fall back in love with the Word of God and desire it in such a manner that they hunger and thirst for those things of God. This is the problem of the day for the modern day pastor. To cause the people of God to fall back in love with the Word of God and to pursue their studies at a higher degree is the only hope for the church's survival. Without it there will be many casualties amongst the ranks of the spirit-filled born again believer.
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