I remember from childhood the numerous jigsaw puzzles that crossed my path. Most homes in those days were guilty of sporting at least one chopped up piece of scenery in various states of reconstruction. The rickety card table in my parents’ home became unavailable for weeks or months at a time depending on the scope of the project. There were those who prized the completed puzzle so much, they would apply a film of Elmer’s glue to the reverse side and hang it on the wall like a fine work of art. Only in a postmodern America could something like a jigsaw puzzle have any hope of becoming a popular leisure time activity. Fortunately for me, the appeal of reassembling a picture that was already visible on the front of the box was absent.
I prefer to work on a far more worthy puzzle. This puzzle has one Creator, one truth, no box, and the completed picture is yet to be seen by man. The scope of the project is immense but eternally rewarding. Like any puzzle, it requires considerable time and effort to complete.
The puzzle pieces are everywhere to be found, (read Rom 1:20) however; they are thoroughly shuffled with pieces belonging to counterfeit pictures. The manual for completing the puzzle (Holy Bible) has become partially corrupted over many centuries by biased men painting contrary pictures. Translated and re-translated to the point of confusion, the Bible is now used as evidence to deny the very existence of the Creator who gave us his word for our own benefit. Hebrew and Greek scholars debate endlessly, with little agreement, how the scriptures are to be interpreted. How does the student make a decision when the teachers can’t reach a consensus? Except for the truly determined, the word of God has become intentionally complicated to make the masses dependent upon clergy and various other religious leaders.
This should not discourage bible study, but rather challenge you to be one of the truly determined. There is no valid excuse to avoid bible study. The Author of scripture, after all, is still available along with his divine inspiration.
Many claim to have completed the puzzle. One can sit in a different church every week and hear a variety of different versions of the truth. In fact there are thousands of Churches, all over the world, full of career preachers offering the doctrines they absorbed from seminary in exchange for a paycheck and a false sense of security. How much freedom of thought or true instruction comes from a pulpit where ordination and continued employment is dependent on strict adherence to an established creed or denomination? A minister, pastor, or evangelist who serves God solely out of a conviction of service and not monetary support is indeed rare. In this modern era, those who support their family and their ministry are truly above reproach. It is the “concept” of a full time pastor that enables the congregation to feel justified in their complacency. After all, are we not paying someone else to do the work for us? Of course I have heard the biblical arguments concerning the support given to the apostles during their ministries. I just don’t recall any of the apostles accepting support to fund and maintain a three bedroom, two bath house with 2 cars in the driveway and a 401K retirement plan. If the “Head” becomes the only worker producing fruit, the rest of the body will atrophy and become useless.
( Matt 23: 9 – 12 And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. "Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.)
How many modern preachers and church leaders appear to be acting as servants? How much humility is there in the clergy?
Don’t trust someone else with the most important and necessary discovery of your life? The Bible clearly states that reward comes through the diligent seeking of the individual.
(Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. )
The destination cannot be reached without making the journey. How can you verify the truth of another’s work if you don’t work yourself?
(2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.)
Over a span of two thousand years, the church has morphed, with very few exceptions, from a body of active disciples, each filling an equally important role, to an entertainment seeking mass of sheep. They are totally reliant on career pastors and elected officials to satisfy their spiritual needs, which are significant due to the absence of individual bible study, and prayer. The sheep are not always to blame however, they being victims of the wolves in sheep’s clothing that lord over them.
(Romans 10 :17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.)
Hearing the word implies that there is someone out there teaching the word of God and of course there is. You, however, won’t be able to recognize him as preaching the truth if you aren’t fundamentally familiar with God’s word and able discern it. The only way to accomplish this is through diligent seeking. It’s not that the things of God are complicated; it’s that they can only be understood through the spirit which is a gift from God, given as he sees your faithfulness and willingness to seek him.
(1 Corinthians 2: 12-14 Now, we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we can understand the things that were freely given to us by God. 13 We don’t speak about these things with words taught us by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, as we explain spiritual things to spiritual people. 14 A person who isn’t spiritual doesn’t accept the things of God’s Spirit, for they are nonsense to him. He can’t understand them because they are spiritually evaluated.
( Matt. 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you)
( 2 Timothy 2:5 And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.)
Simple principles in regards to seeking God:
- Study/read his word
- Pray for understanding
- Believe with confidence he will give you understanding.
- Keep at it - Diligently
Luke 11:10 –13 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
So then, what is the status of my puzzle? Well, ongoing of course. The more you learn, the more you realize there is to know. How much God may reveal to me along my path of exploration is yet to be seen. I would say this however; the amount of knowledge I gain in this life is not as important as the desire I have to search, how I conduct myself during the search, and how willing I am to share the findings with others. God never commanded us to learn all things; he only desires us to seek him so he can give us all things.
(1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect)
God Bless
B Wachtel