I heard people
in
church say to the pastor "It was a good sermon. I got a message from
the Lord in it." And that's it! Seldom, of the many times do I recall hearing
something to the effect of '...and when I was studying I found
this and I found that and I felt this and God showed me this...etc."
Many pastors are eager for
others to find their own light; finding out just what treasures of knowledge
God has just for them.
Holy Spirit, the 'agency'
God uses to teach; programmed by God, like a particular computer program,
we can extract special information from, only much more than information,
including spiritual strength, once we agree with what it is revealing to
us as we study the word of God, the Bible:
1Corinthians
2:13 ".....the Holy
Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
John
14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father
will send in my name, he.(original
can also be 'it').shall
teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever
I have said unto you."
John
16:13
1John
2:27 "But the anointing which you have received of him abides in you
and you need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teaches
you of all things and is truth and is no lie, and even as it has taught
you, you shall abide in him."
In John
5:24 Jesus talks about hearing His word. Jesus says in John
10:27 that those that are His, follow Him and in 10:4
He says the sheep know His "voice". One cannot be familiar with recognizing
a voice unless it has been heard a while. John
5:38 tells us that His word is to abide (original Greek is 'continue
present') in us. Spend time to study and hear His word.
It is most important that
you study:.Luke
4:4; Romans 10:17; Luke
9:23; Matthew 22:36,37.(to
love Him, you have got to know Him); Hebrews
2:1. And these will be revealed to you:.Matthew
11:27.
Studying the Bible enables
us to examine
ourselves:.2Corinthians
13:5; 6:4,6,7;
1Corinthians
11:31.
Paul
in a letter to the Ephesian church talks about how they learned
Christ (original Greek is 'increased their knowledge
of Christ') Ephesians 4:20-24
and comments on them having heard Christ and been taught by Him
– verse 21 and discusses in verses 23 and 24 about the mind being renewed
and putting on the new man you are in Christ.
It is important to study
as learning about Christ gives you the wisdom and power of God:.1Corinthians
1:18,24. Have any of you desired wisdom?.James
1:5. Become wise, endued
with the knowledge of Christ so you may be imbued
with His power:.James
3:13.
1Corinthians
15:1,2 "Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the
gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received
and wherein you stand;
by which also you are saved, if you keep
in memory....."
It is through study that
God gives us wisdom and discloses truth (original Greek for 'revelation')
to our hearts:.Ephesians
1:17; 5:17; 2Corinthians
4:6. This is a privilege God has given to those who believe:.1Corinthians
1:4,5.
Colossians
2:2,3 ".....In the Father and Christ are hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge."
It is through study that
we learn information that the Holy Spirit
can work with in our minds, revealing deeper
meaning:.John
14:26; again, 16:13; 1Corinthians
2:10; Romans 11:33; Philippians
3:10.
To
love someone totally, you need understanding of him:.Mark
12:33.
Paul tells us to not be children in
understanding:.1Corinthians
14:20.
The Kingdom
Of God is not in words, but in power:.1Corinthians
4:20. We are kept by the power of God through faith:.1Peter
1:5 and Romans 10:17; 1Corinthians
2:4,5. Study helps one to get to
know Him and have the power of the resurrection
in his life:.Philippians
3:10.
Ephesians 6:10,11 tells
us to be strong in the Lord.
Ephesians
6:13-18 tell us how to stand strong.
The degree to which you
love God and others is the degree to which you'll abound in the knowledge
of Christ:.2Peter
1:7,8. If you feel that you need more peace
in your life: If you feel that you need more of a beautiful life in your
experience:.2Peter
1:2. We have our part (2Peter 2:5)
in growing in understanding of the grace and knowledge He has given us:.2Peter
3:18.....continues
