Revelation vs Education

There are some people who think I am against education. Having run a school for nearly ten years and being a huge fan of home schooling should prove otherwise. I personally take online courses, not for credits, but to keep my mind active and, I pray, expanding. I am also a avid reader, desiring to gain knowledge because I believe the Lord wants us to be knowledgeable. However, I believe we need to be wise, selective and need to keep education in its proper perspective. Revelation is far more important than education.

There are many people who read, study and educate themselves on the Word of God. They learn everything that present day scholars teach. They have a real thirst for learning from theologians but you don't have to be a believer to be called a theologian. A theologian is simply someone who studies religious things. Theology is simply the study and analysis of divine things and religious truth (dictionary.com). This makes you no more a Christian than studying fish makes you a trout. Yet, in the pursuit of knowledge, Christians hang on the words of people who have no relationship with Jesus, who have never received any kind of revelation concerning the things they study. They teach from the same perspective as a history teacher: one who has studied the facts, analysed them and feeds them to students. A history teacher has not experienced the history he teaches.

Tell me, how did Peter come to confess that Jesus was the Son of God? Some mistakenly think that it was simply by observation and coming to a conclusion after much analysis. We forget, Peter was a fisherman not a theologian. Isn't it interesting that Jesus surrounded himself with the common man and not the scholars of his day. Could it be that he needed to have men who were open to the divine inspiration of Yahweh instead of steeped in the opinions and thoughts of man? This was Jesus' response to Peter's declaration:

Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 16:17)

Simon did not gain this knowledge from books, scholars or anyone else's opinion. Simon Peter gained this knowledge directly from Father. We call it revelation. It continues to happen today.

There is a difference in attitude in approach to Bible study when we study to simply gain facts compared to seeking revelation. One is nothing more than gaining information that we could use in trivial games; how many books are in the Bible, who was Peter's father, was Jesus crucified on the Wednesday or Friday? This can fill our head with a lot of knowledge facts but leave our heart empty of any relationship, and it is always about relationship. However, when we study to see more of Jesus and to understand better the Father's heart; when we want to know how to live to bless Father and what his promises are to us, we are putting ourselves in a position to receive revelation. Revelation is simply something revealed that had been hidden from us. Much of the depth of the Word can only be understood by revelation.

When we open the Word of God it is a healthy approach to believe that Yahweh wants to teach us. It is healthy because it is the truth. Jesus told us:

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26)

Paul the apostle testified to this fact:

These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:13)

So we have this problem in the Body of Christ: Most people do not read their Bibles and those who do read do it from the perspective of gaining knowledge not revelation. It means we have a lot of brothers and sisters running around who are immature in their understanding of the Trinity, the Church and the Kingdom. They base their actions and decisions on what they are told and taught, with very few receiving direct revelation from the Spirit. It means that as the winds change so does the mind. Those who base their understanding on the teaching of man will change as man's opinion changes but the Word is solid and unchanging. It is a dangerous situation in the Church as the curtain continues to be drawn.

If you are one who has no direct revelation of Jesus Christ you have the ability to change it. Change your expectations. Expect to receive instructions and understanding from the Spirit. Allow him to become your teacher and guide. Also approach the Word with the prayer of the psalmist:

Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day. (Psalm 25:4-5)

May we all seek fresh revelation in the Word every day and may we serve our Lord Jesus to the very end of the age.