Treasure Hunters

 

Treasure Hunters…

“I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery— Christ. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
Colossians 2: 2-3

 

   BIBLE TEXT:

“As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea. On arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.
But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that God's message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing the crowds.” Acts 17: 10-13 CSB

What's really interesting about this passage is that the writer of Acts points out the Bereans were of more noble in character than their Jewish Brethren in Thessalonica. However, there were in fact, some in Thessalonica that did believe. Paul wrote two letters to the Thessalonians and was said to have visited there many different times. But there is an important take away from this passage about the Bereans, that we ought to apply ourselves. Here's the point...when the apostle Paul came to Berea, preaching the gospel of Christ and expounding scriptures in the synagogue, the Bereans fully examined the scriptures to see if the things he was saying were true and verifiable. They didn't discount or reject his teachings as some of the Thessalonians did as being heretical. Their noble characteristic of open mindedness and diligent study of scriptures is what set these people apart in Luke's mind (the probable writer of the Book of Acts). You could say they were committed to discerning truth from error; fact from fiction. Oh, how we need to be like the Bereans today! They used the Torah to study and so should include OT with NT scripture. Jesus taught and quoted from the Pentateuch, Psalms, Prophets and Proverbs. We shouldn’t discard the Old Testament as irrelevant. Jesus fulfilled all the Law and the Prophets and there is much to glean from the stories and the prophetic admonitions of Yahweh. God’s heart and mind about sin and pagan practices still hold true today.

By the way, it's important to note that John Wycliffe was burned alive at the stake in the 14th century for translating the Bible into everyday languagefrom the Latin  Vulgate to Middle English (the language spoken at the time in England) and was considered to be a heretic. He realized how important it was for non-clerical believers to be able to read the scriptures for themselves. A huge price has been paid for us to be able to have the Bible. Of course, John Wycliffe, was preceded by all of Christ's Apostles who were martyred, except John the beloved. They tried to boil him in oil, but they couldn’t kill him, so he was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he received the Revelation of Christ, the last book of the Bible. Sadly, so many people today don’t own A Holy Bible, and some, if they do, tend to disregard it as not being important enough to read for their own spiritual well-being.

Had the Bereans relied solely on the Torah apart from the Gospel of Christ and The Apostle Paul’s teachings, they would not only have missed Heaven but they would have also missed important and life transforming truths applicable to their daily lives as Christ' followers. The same holds true for us today. Most scholars believe Paul wrote 13 or 14 of the 21 epistles of the New Testament. One can surmise that although Paul's teachings were not found word for word from the Torah, the truth and revelation He received from Christ did not contradict the teachings of the Torah in any way. This is what drove them to search the scriptures for things they had never heard before. Paul warned of a time where there would be false teachers and prophets and people “blown about by every wind of doctrine.” We need solid Bible teaching today. We need to take it upon ourselves to read and study too.

What the Bereans did is an important principle to keep in mind as we study the scriptures and hear different doctrinal teachings. Just because a teaching sounds new to us doesn’t mean that it is false nor does it mean that it is true. If you desire to know more and understand the truths of scripture, you will search things out for yourself. There is a plethora of tools available at our fingertips that didn’t exist twenty years ago. If you question something, search it out like a treasure hunter. You might discover a lump of coal or you may discover a precious gem. Online lexicons, Bible Study guides, early church history documents, commentaries, theological references and study notes are available at no cost. There are truths that had and still have the power to change lives. We can grow as much as we want in knowledge, wisdom and revelation of the written word by the Spirit who breathed scriptures to begin with. Why limit our knowledge to what we hear through a weekly sermon alone? The Bereans didn’t.

All the Apostles were given the authority by Christ to teach His flock, His people, through preaching the gospel and what Christian orthodoxy calls the Apostle’s doctrine. In Acts 2: 42 the early church continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers. The writers of the New Testament, wrote the gospels and epistles as first-hand witnesses while they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. How have these teachings been able to continue 2000 years after Christ Ascension? The answer is He’s given us the Bible along with various ministry gifts and spiritual gifts to accomplish this goal. No one person can exhaustively teach what some call the “whole counsel of God.” Only Jesus Himself possessed all the gifts, knowledge, wisdom and power to do this. He alone is the author and finisher of our faith. However, after He ascended on high, He gave gifts unto men for the perfecting of the saints, for the edification of the church, and for the work of the ministry, until we all come to the unity of the faith and full measure of the stature of Christ. He gave “some” apostles, some prophets, some pastors, some teachers and some evangelists to equip the church. 

Additionally, 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 list more of the spiritual gifts some of which are given to every believer according to the measure of grace the Holy Spirit portions according to our faith (Romans 12: 6). When you received Christ, He gave you a spiritual gift(s) as the Holy Spirit willed. The joy of maturing and growing in Christ is discovering your unique giftings within the context of the local church that believes and practices the Apostle’s teachings or doctrines. Here is what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 concerning the Body of Christ and how we were baptized into one body to function together under the headship of Christ…

“Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”

The more excellent way is love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. The canon of scripture has been closed, but the Holy Spirit is still moving and breathing upon these pages of scripture (logos)to illuminate and instruct us as we continue to study and learn more about our Lord and his Holy Spirit’s activity in the Earth today.

He has given us the ability through different ministry and spiritual gifts, along with the closed Canon of Scripture to discover important truths and put them into practice. We need to learn to test all things for ourselves. We must in this day and time with every wind of doctrine blowing around the airwaves. I had a part time job years ago as a teller in a local bank. The first thing they taught us was how to discern between government issued dollars and counterfeit ones. They taught us every particular marking of the real dollar bill, from the paper, to the ink to the border markings, the serial numbers, photo of the President etc. Every detail was examined. Then they gave us a counterfeit dollar bill and examine it for ourselves. We were then given the opportunity to explain what we saw wrong with the counterfeit money.

Some of the things I missed my coworkers/ trainees saw vice versa. It was a group effort. Hence, the value and importance of good Bible study with other believers where you can question, disagree, discuss and then search for the truth together. This is a great way to discern truth from error, plus we all need accountability. This method is sadly lacking in churches today. We tend to rely on one pastor or teacher to expound without being able to engage in questions, input, insights or even push back. Sadly, it seems we are all too busy to engage in or sacrifice the time needed to do it. Maybe we think we already know enough as it is but do we really? My husband enjoys new dishes I prepare from recipes I come across on the internet or cookbooks. I don’t know about you, but eating the same things over and over is monotonous. Neither did we remain in grade school forever. We moved on to Middle School, High School and some on to University. Much of what we learned was reviewing what was taught previously. It was good for reinforcement and refreshing our memories. But as we graduated on to higher learning new things were introduced. We needed to study to understand what was being taught. Sometimes, our personal study led us to reject some of the philosophies introduced with the subject matter. That is what a good student does.

Studying God’s word is not meant to be monotonous. There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1: 9)but we may read or hear some teachings or statements made that may be new to o, ur way of seeing things and thinking. Some of us grew up in various denominations. For this reason, what we were taught, may or may not have been limited just to that particular denomination’s way of interpreting scriptures. From my own experience, many things I was taught in my denomination were scriptural and sound but other teachings were not.  Also, some things they didn’t touch on at all, like spiritual gifts listed in Ephesians, Corinthians and Romans were lacking.  I did not discover this until I began reading the Bible for myself and using study tools and other Bible Teachers as resources for this informative study.

God began to open my eyes and teach me many wonderful things that were new to me but not under the "Son." I committed myself to be a lifelong learner and student of the word of God when I got saved in 1976. As such, I never tire of reading the scripture and gaining new insights from different sources. The more you learn the easier it becomes to discern truth from error as well as receive new insights into passages you’ve read and are familiar with. A finished cut diamond has many facets. As it is held to the light different colors and brilliance are refracted from the facets in the most remarkable way. I love stopping by a jewelry counter when window shopping and looking at the bling these diamonds give off in the light. The Word of God is like many brilliant diamonds waiting to be discovered and refracted by the light of the Holy Spirit’s illumination on our understanding. Look at what the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians that bears this out….

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,…Ephesians 1: 17-20 KJV

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ,Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his  glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 4: 14-19 KJV

It’s a beautiful, rewarding and awesome adventure to do what I like to call biblical “treasure hunting.” There is so much more in God’s Word than meets the natural eye to enrich our lives and teach us more about Jesus, the Father’s Heart and the Holy Spirit’s purpose and function in our lives.

 

Blessings and peace,

Sis Mary Ann Wray 🌺

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One[you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit],and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds,and guards us from error].” 1 John 2: 20 AMP