I attended a cell group once and during the group discussion of a book I happened to make a statement something like, “It depends on whether you’re seeking what’s true or whether you’re seeking the truth.”
This confused almost everyone in the group. They seemed to think I was playing some kind of word game so one of the members asked me to clarify my comment and expand on it a bit.
“Last year at this time,” I said, “I was a year younger. I could state that age as my age and it was true. However, this year I’m a year older so what was true last year is no longer true.” They nodded and affirmed my understanding of the age and truth scenario.
I continue, “This is quite different from stating that Jesus is God. Scripture says he’s the same yesterday, today and forever. This is truth. It’s eternal. It never changes.”
They considered these two different positions regarding true and truth and then one of the ladies who had been raised in the church leaned forward and said the most astounding thing I’d ever heard. “Wow, that’s deep. Can we get back to the bible study now?”
Since nobody else seemed keen to discuss this difference and since nobody seemed to recognize the significance of it as it applied to the discussion I made no further comment and the discussion continued without me.
I was saddened. I’d been in similar situations many times during my Christian life. People who seemed to be educated, caring Christians who really were more interested in superficial discussions that fueled their desire for entertainment rather than the deep truth of God’s kingdom.
Unfortunately the world is starving for answers. Where did I come from? Why am I here? What was I put on this earth for?
Though the Word of God contains all those answers it seems that the very people to whom these secrets were entrusted have no desire to share them! They’re more concerned with building their secret club, not unlike some secrets organizations that we’ve all probably heard about.
Secrets are shared with those people who join the secret society and who, through a series of statements or accomplishments, prove their loyalty to know and hold onto the secrets. In the early church this was called Gnosticism and openly opposed and soundly rejected as heresy. Yet it’s become the common practice of the modern church.
(Matthew 28:18-20 NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. {19} Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus taught us to share the truth. All of the truth. In fact, when those who were ‘somebody’ in the church began to practice exclusiveness Jesus immediately corrected them.
(Matthew 19:13-14 NIV) Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. {14} Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
He was very much so against those who prevented others from knowing the truth about God.
(Matthew 23:13 NASB) “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. { Read all of Matthew Chapter 23 to see just how strongly he was against those who did this sort of thing! }
How the church has fallen from grace! It has gorged itself on pride and position and called others to worship the traditions of men rather than the truth of God. It’s been reduced to producing dedicated church goers who whine to escape the deep truth of God in favor of entertainment.
Tim on 
Roy Proctor on 
Rhoda Edwards on 
Oh yeah! I’ve heard that one before!
“Wow, that’s deep. Can we get back to the bible study now?”
I remember during a few Sunday School studies when I was a young Christian I had the privilege of someone . . . anyone saying “Wow that’s deep!” and the whole class would dive in DEEPER into the word and experience an awesome revelation of some kind from that momentous adventure. That is the moment of courage and hunger that Christians naturally should experience while learning, developing and growing in the Word of our Lord.
I will say complacency and fear and pride keeps those from diving deeper. They are afraid that they are not knowledgeable enough to take the open road that the Holy Spirit has brought forth. They would rather people in the group consider them already brilliant in the Bible already and not ignorant. We should feel limitless on what we can get out of God and his Word right? We should feel limitless, boundless, and there is no perfect scenario that has to be in your surroundings for the Word to speak to you on that day on that scripture what God wants you to know and that can be in a group or in a club, or in your home, or in a Starbucks . . . .Just Dive ; don’t retreat! Good Job my friend!
I am glad that I am not the only person that is troubled by the way the “so called”church of today is carry on the business of preparing saints. Ephesians 4:11-15 give us some insight why we have Pastors, teachers, Prophets, Evangelists etc., these gifts to the church was for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…. yet we are seeing otherwise. It is not that men aren’t preaching or teaching – the problem is what are they teaching and is it enough for people to live a wholesome Christian life today. The cults on the streets seems to know and be able to explain what they believe -even though it is but rubbish, more than some believers know the Word. This is because the teaching is one-sided, most of it centres around man rather than God and His Word. Hence the weakness and dependency. I love your articles and hope you will continue to edify the saints for the glory of God. Thank you.