Post #68 Do You Know About GOD’S Levels?
Posted and E-mailed May 12-14, 2007
We all know GOD uses HIS WORD to teach us. What you may NOT KNOW is that HE has LEVELS of learning. The MORE you UNDERSTAND:
- GOD’S WORD
- HIS HIDDEN MESSAGES
- and HIS REASONS for DOING THINGS
The SECRET to understanding those HIDDEN MESSAGES and HIS REASONS for DOING THINGS is NOT A SECRET at all. The answer is SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND. If you’re NOT willing to STUDY HIS WORD and put HIS WORD into practice, you’ll NEVER find a HIDDEN MESSAGE and you surely WON’T know why HE DOES what HE DOES. In fact you may NOT even know what HE DID.
There are at least THREE (3) MAJOR LEVELS or DIMENSIONS. The BASIC LEVEL is where you attend church and listen to weekly sermons about GOD’S WORD. The SECOND LEVEL is for people that read and study GOD’S WORD on a regular bases in addition to their regular church attendance. Over time they’ll start to find messages that NEVER get discussed in church because their weekly services DON’T have enough time to cover very much of the bible. In fact, their services might be rerunning the SAME or a very SIMILAR set of sermons every year. That’s because people DON’T attend the SAME church every week and new members are joining and leaving churches almost as often. Thus they keep things on a BASIC LEVEL so EVERYONE would understand the message. They COULDN’T get too deep or they'll lose/confuse the new people.
If you DON’T think there could possibly be ANY HIDDEN messages in the bible, you’re in for a BIG SURPRISE. We all know the parable of the SOWER (see Matthew 13:1-9; Mark 4:1-9; and Luke 8:4-8). After giving that message, Christ taught us the HIDDEN MEANING of that parable (see Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; and Luke 8:11-15). Unfortunately, MOST of the parable and/or stories in the bible are NOT explained in the bible. That COULD mean:
- the writers of the bible DIDN'T want to tell us the meanings
- the writers NEVER knew the TRUE Meanings
(Remember even the apostles COULDN'T figure them out. They HAD to ask Christ what they meant. So if you're reading the bible and DON'T understand something, follow the APOSTLES EXAMPLE and ask GOD for an EXPAINATION. You'll be on your way to LEVEL TWO.) - or GOD DIDN'T want the meanings in the bible.
So if you REALLY want the TRUE MEANINGS of the parables and/or stories in the bible you have to SEEK or READ and STUDY the bible. When you get to the SECOND LEVEL, GOD’S SPIRIT working within you will start to help understand the HIDDEN MESSAGES.
For the record, GOD had an EXECELLENT REASON for hiding the true meanings for some of HIS messages. Actually, that gets us back to a newsletter I WROTE (thanks to the SPIRIT in me) in 2003 called THE BIBLE IS A LIVING DOCUMENT.
Click here to view that message
The concept I wrote about in that message was that GOD INTENDED for us to find MODERN DAY MEANINGS to HIS messages because TECHNOLOGY and SOCIETY is going to change over time. The meaning for a parable/story might become OBSOLETE because of changes in society over time but GOD’S SPIRIT will help us understand a NEWER MORE COMPLEX MEANING for that SAME parable/story. Some stories that WEREN’T important to past generations will be SIGNIFICANT to other generations. That just might mean that some of the books that were LEFT OUT OF THE BIBLE might be MORE important to us than the ones we're reading. Their messages might NOT have seemed that important when the bible was assembled because their messages might have been meant for us or some FUTURE generation NOT them. The point is the bible was written so the messages work as appropriate for the CURRENT SOCIETY. Thus the writers of the bible COULD NOT explain the meanings for all the parables. They COULDN’T talk about cars, computers, TV, movies, cloning, genes, pill, x-rays … they would have used terms like stone wall markings, blood stain messages, fire cooking … and other terms that WOULDN'T mean as much to us. Actually, I really DON'T know what they did during their free time 2,000 years ago, just like they DIDN’T know what we’d be doing today. That’s why the messages had to be parables/stories that would need to be studied to be understood. The messages COULDN’T include the real meaning at the time because it WOULDN’T make sense today or in the future.
The THIRD MAJOR LEVEL is for people that study NOT ONLY the bible but all of GOD’S creations. The more you know about everything GOD CREATED from the earth, moon, sun to the plants, animals and man the better you’ll know GOD and how HE thinks. To understand HIS creations you have to SPEND QUIET TIME watching and studying them for long periods of time. Watch and see how a lack of rain effect a bush then see how long it takes to recover after it starts getting rain on regular bases. One or two showers might not have a very big effect.
Now you know why Christ, John The Baptist …. spent so much time alone in the desert. They were WORKING on the THIRD MAJOR LEVEL.
- Getting to know GOD on MORE DIMENSIONS
- Finding out why things work the way they work
- Finding GOD'S REASONS were for allowing X to happen?
- Finding why Y causes Z to happen.
Once you get to the THIRD MAJOR LEVEL, you’ll feel like GOD is teaching you. You’ll be able to wonder about something and KNOW you DON’T have the answer. So you’ll start looking for clues from GOD and/or be able to ask HIM. I’m NOT at a level where HE gives me the answers. I’m NOT sure that level exists.
GOD’S a TEACHER not a book. HE helps you LEARN the answer. HE DOESN’T give it to you. Unfortunately, that leads to a LOT of MISUNDERSTANDINGS. It’s like trying to teach a baby to do something. Since we AREN’T intelligent enough to understand HIS language, HE teaches us just like we teach a baby. So DON’T assume you have the answer if HE sends you a sign. You have to test it out for yourself. You MIGHT have MISUNDERSTOOD the sign HE gave you. Or HE might want to teach you something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than what you were thinking about. Just like you teaching your baby. We have our own train of thought and our own goals and objectives. Unfortunately, most of the time GOD has other ideas that are more important. If we KNEW what HE knew we’d want to learn what HE was trying to teach us. Just like the ideas we try to teach a baby when they think making a mess is a really cool thing to do.
For the record, DON’T feel stupid and bad about MISUNDERSTANDING one of GOD’S hints. I bet Abraham MISUNDERSTOOD GOD when he thought GOD wanted him to KILL Isaac. That would have been AGAINST GOD’S COMMANDMENTS and GOD wouldn’t ask ANYONE to break HIS LAWS. What GOD meant was HE wanted Abraham to DEDICATE Isaac’s life to GOD like Samuel’s mother (Hannah see 1 Samuel 1:10-17,22) gave her baby son Samuel to the temple priests to be raised and to serve GOD. Just like Christ wanted his apostles to give up everything and sacrifice their live to do GOD’S work.
I Believe Christ wanted to be raise in the temple like Samuel. When he was twelve (12), his family visited the temple (See Luke 2:41-51) . Mary and Joseph left Christ behind each thinking he was with the other. When Mary and Joseph discovered he wasn’t with them they went back for him and would NOT let him follow in Samuel's footsteps. Those two passages DEDICATING A CHILD TO GOD seem to indicate that Hannah was as close to GOD if not closer than Mary. Mary COULDN'T/WOULDN'T give her child to GOD when Christ was 12. However, Hannah made the sacrifice when Samuel was only 2 or 3 years old.
The point is SACRIFICING YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER TO GOD can have DIFFERENT MEANINGS so DON’T jump to any conclusions when you THINK you know what GOD’S trying to teach you. You just might have MISUNDERSTOODING HIM just like Abraham. Remember, we’re only babies and babies MISUNDERSTAND their parents ALL the time. We DON’T have the VOCABUALRY and INTELLEGENCE that GOD has. Just remember, HE WOULDN’T ask you to do ANYTHING WRONG. If you THINK HE IS then you’re MISUNDERSTANDING HIM or you’re LISTENING to the DEVIL PRETENDING to be god. So keep thinking and waiting for more clues as to what GOD wants to teach you.
Anyway now we know why Christ talked about faith as small as a mustard seed. We have so much to learn from GOD. What we’ve learned from our parents, teachers and life experiences is NOTHING compared to what GOD knows and can teach us. That’s why the bible says man’s wisdom is FOOLISHNESS. Kind of like a teenager who thinks he or she knows it all. GOD might be trying to teach you something really special but you think watching TV is MORE IMPORTANT. Well, that’s what we all do. We think we know what’s BEST for us. If we REALLY KNEW what was BEST FOR US we’d be driving GOD crazy with questions and following HIM around pulling on HIS pants leg trying to get HIS attention. We WOULDN’T be watching TV.
Now you know how IMPORTANT studying the bible is. You CAN’T get to THIRD LEVEL from the FIRST LEVEL. You have to be in the SECOND LEVEL first. I’m in the THIRD LEVEL so I DON’T know if there’s a FORTH, FIFTH, SIXTH LEVEL … But I still read and study the bible (FIRST LEVEL) looking for hidden messages in the bible (SECOND LEVEL). What I’m saying is I know I DON’T know every important fact in the bible or all the hidden messages in the bible. So I’m still SEEKING the answers. Anyone who thinks they know EVERYTHING in the bible or all the hidden messages ISN’T getting GOD’S help. They’re a know it all teenagers and GOD can’t teach them ANYTHING NEW. They KNOW IT ALL.
So keep reading the bible and thinking about the messages. If a passage DOESN’T make sense, skip it. You may read something later that’ll help you understand the one you didn’t get before. But keep it in the back of your mind anyway. GOD just might put you through a life experience that’ll help you understand the passage you DIDN’T get. That’s the way HE works or should I say teaches.
Hope to see you in GOD’S day care. It’s where the intelligent people hang out.
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