Knowledge & Obedience
If you want mass appeal, attaboys & applause.....tell them...you are a diligent searcher of truth! However...if you really want to see people annoyed, upset, & downright riled up ..... tell them ... you have found it! WHAT... What do you mean you found it ? You can't say that...who do you think you are? YOU...You HAVE found TRUTH? Then ..... only then do you reveal to them that it is the Bible...the innerrant Word of God...that you hold here in your hands, right here in front of them! Then ..... watch them go mad/crazy/berserk right in front of you! You see, to them what is more appalling than your claim to have found truth ... is that you attribute it to GOD!
One of the hardest things to do in this pursuit of truth is when yet another facet of it is revealed and you recognize right away that you know not one person who sees this as you do. Then after much research....& more research, there it is...the Truth of the matter. And you think, "Oh no...what am I going to do?"...because you know this will not be a popular understanding of this doctrine. In the same moment, you know what you must do.
Obedience is sometimes... easier said than done. It's now that time we call the "rubber meets the road time"! It's the time where we have to answer the question what will you dowith this truth? HIS Truth! Of course it's really simple when you get right down to it. When God gives you understanding concerning a teaching/doctrine, you don't then look for what you should do with it & when. It was revealed to you to ...obey...now! Though it might seem like the hardest thing to go straight from believing to immediate obedience.... don't sweat it, for it was in His timing that He showed it to you, and He is faithful to give us of His strength to perform it (Philippians 2:13)
Disobedience to Gods word is sin. So... think about it, if someone says God revealed a truth to them but does not require obedience for 6 days/6 weeks/6months, then ... that would be the equivalent of saying ... 2 things ... that God approves of sin (not an option), and/or that His grace is not enough for you (remember...Paul?) to endure it! When we stop & think about it we understand that God showed/shows us these things for several reasons. The first reason is ... for His glory! When God reveals His truth to us, it is (at the same time) to draw us closer to Him, while also using us to be a part of His revealing it to someone else. Then there is also the modeling of obedience to Him as we submit to His word! In other words, we may teach this to others by spoken word, or by observed obedience!
In some ways it can be a very tough & lonely road to stand on His word. Some will be defensive (when... there's been no attack) and feel indicted by simply being in your presence. Some will be angry, not because you have done anything in particular, but because your obedience reminds them of their lack of it. As you grow stronger in His service, you feel His presence more & more, and only want to serve Him more! When you feel lonely...wrap yourself in His word... the softest, warmest, most comforting blanket I've ever known!
The fact is..... GOD is not silent... He has spoken, and according to scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17) ALL of His word is inspired by Him for doctrine/correction/&instruction in righteousness, so that the man of God be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. None of scripture is to be passed over, wrongly handled, or disobeyed.
In summation ... when the man who has been widely heralded as the greatest evangelist of the 20th century begins to teach that Jesus is NOT the only avenue to the Father, and that their will be people from all kinds of different world religions that will live eternally with God, even if they never so much had heard of Jesus.....what do you do with that?! Well...obviously... you continue to revere him as much as ever.....for that is what has been done with Billy Graham. He has done/said these things on national television in interviews with Dr. Robert Schuler (Hour of Power/Crystal Cathedral) and Larry King (Larry King Live.) Where are the men of God that He has given local or even national platforms to speak from? The word of God says quite clearly that we are to rebuke and reprove such false teaching. In these days that we live in, tolerance is the cry instead of obedience.
I do not want to stand before Him and be asked, "why did you disobey and despise my word? DO YOU ? Now...THAT... IS THE QUESTION! What will your answer be?
