Learning About God

You cannot learn your way to truth. You have to pray your way there.

John 6:63-65 NKJV — “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

The flesh profits nothing.  Those who search the Scripture to find life are cast out. 

John 5:38-41 NKJV — “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. “I do not receive honor from men.

You have to come to Jesus.  Most would rather find someone else to tell them what's right.  The flesh likes scholarship more than heart change.  Heart change is the only way to knowledge and authority. 

The flesh loves study, because it mimics holiness without God. It gives knowledge without death of flesh.

If your flesh likes it, the Spirit does not. It's actually very simple.  It's why scholarship only creates division in Yeshua's body, and authority ends division.

Galatians 5:16-24 NKJV — I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Scholarship is good with the right heart. I'm no Bible scholar, but I definitely appreciate those who are.  I love to learn more things to talk to Jesus about.

Scholarship with humility is beautiful to Yeshua. Searching out the heart of God by any means necessary is beautiful.  But scholarship to elevate oneself is evil. Scholarship in Jesus' kingdom to gather a following, get a job, establish a personal reputation... To build this life rather than lose it... is contrary to the very heart of Yeshua. 

Scholarship is no mark of love.  Scholarship does not produce authority in heaven.  You can tell when someone speaks with true authority.  Your flesh will hate it, but the Spirit loves it.  It sounds arrogant to the flesh and it's life to the Spirit.

Think of Yeshua. Look at the way He taught.  Meditate on the simplicity, but accuracy and timelessness, of the way he speaks.  That is authority. He knew the God everyone else thought they knew about.

No one debated Him.  They could only say He was wrong, not why. He debated no one. He never would. That is a mark of authority. He didn't get His authority from mankind. He got it for mankind. Big difference. It cost Him everything of this life. We are supposed to follow Him.

Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV — Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.