IGNORANCE.....
THE DEADLY REFUGE
PART ONEThe
folly of choosing Ignorance as a Refuge
in the 21st Century
By Steve Van Nattan
PART
ONE: FIRST THOUGHTS
What
can we say about people who know they don't know and don't want to know? You
may have heard a self-made hick burp preacher say, "I am just a dumb old
country boy, and I don't worry about high thoughts and big questions." Self-imposed
ignorance is not noble. In fact, we are encouraged to live otherwise: What
does God think of a man who is proud to be as dumb as box of rocks? Isaiah
56:10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they
cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. So,
what does a young man need to be useful to God? Proverbs
1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
2 To know wisdom
and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3 To receive the
instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4 To give subtilty
to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. I
have noticed that preachers, and many Christians in general, who make no effort
to increase their knowledge also lack all the rest.... that is, wisdom, instruction,
understanding, justice, sound judgment, equity, and subtilty. In fact, when I
do see these attributes in a man, I assume he has much knowledge in many areas
of life, history, the Word of God, and in survival skills. Does
knowledge guarantee that a man will be godly and that his thoughts will be safe
for human consumption? Probably, but not always. There are men with loads of knowledge,
to include a Ph.D., who are deadly. There is a prerequisite we must also find
in the Proverbs 1 man above. Proverbs
1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom
and instruction. If
a man does not fear God, and he has not confessed his total dependence on Christ
to organize his knowledge, he is a fool. Oh yes, he is still a Ph.D., but a fool
one at that. The hick preacher who just wants to be a simple minded believer in
Jesus Christ as his Savior is off to the the right start. But, to stop there,
and diligently keep himself stuck on stupid, is worse than a shame. It makes him
totally worthless to the saints he is supposed to shepherd and disciple. Ben
Lily was a scout for he US Military back in the early 1800s in the Southwest.
He grew up learning the ways of the woods and the bayous of Louisiana, and when
he moved to Texas, his wood craft skills, and his ability to track man and animals
was second to none. He ended his life being paid by ranchers in New Mexico to
hunt and kill bears and lions that were killing range stock. His skill did not
come suddenly. It was a life long discipline. Any Christian man who wants to be
of use to his home and church must start when he is a young man and learn to read
the signs of our adversary the devil in defense of his home and church. 2
Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant
of his devices. We
meet people, all too often, who profess that they have chosen not to know about
certain areas of life that irritate them. They let us know that they have chosen
this route to the future. Ignorance is an excuse when we cannot access the information,
but ignorance, when we have a choice to make ourselves aware, is dangerous. So,
are there any areas of knowledge where we actually should pursue ignorance? Stay
with me please. I think you will see what is happening here. Before
we look at the exceptions to the rule, let us look at the rule. God clearly insists
that we seek knowledge.
YOU
ARE UNDER ORDERS TO FIND KNOWLEDGE Proverbs
18:15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh
knowledge. Getting
knowledge is a discipline of the heart and the ear. You will always be a dumb
cluck if you never ask questions, shut your mouth, and listen. Are
you prudent and wise? If so, it is because you went after knowledge and found
if. The Word of God is the first source, but you will have gone after the issues
of life also. Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life. God created us to want to know more
about life and the world. Ecclesiastes
3:11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world
in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the
beginning to the end. Don't
tell me you do not need to know about the world out there. God created beauty,
and David proved it in many of his Psalms. Psalms 19:1 The
heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Nothing
is sadder than a man who never looks up at the stars and cannot tell me where
Orion's belt is. Furthermore, there is nothing unmanly about smelling the roses.
The man I admire can read signs of wild animals in the forest..... a man who talks
to the wild animals. Now, when a man tells me the wild animals talk back to him,
well, that is a caution and a bit more knowledge than I can deal with. Jeremiah
3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you:
and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to
Zion:
15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall
feed you with knowledge and understanding. If
your pastor is not giving you more than the Gospel and hunting stories, that man
is not getting knowledge from God. He is not going on to the deeper things of
the Word of God. You need to find another pastor. Then again, if your pastor plows
deep and forces you to meditate about the things of God, that is a pastor after
God's own heart. A
faithful pastor is a great source of knowledge and understanding. And, he will
know about life in general because he is regularly informing himself in things
that could affect the lives of the people of God. A faithful pastor is frequently
warning the Good Shepherd's sheep, and he will be pointing out (mark them) who
offends God. A
man of knowledge will never be done learning. Leonard Verduin, a Reformed Theologian,
was 94, and he was busy writing a book about Calvin, Luther, and Zwingli in which
he was telling both their accomplishments and their faults. It was so volatile,
that a Reformed seminary convinced his heirs that they wanted to publish it, and
once they got possession of it, they threw it away. Philippians
4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. You
cannot let your moderation be known unless you can tell your Christian friends
the reason for your moderation. Tell me, "I don't drink." That sounds
good to me. Now, tell me why. If you don't have an answer, you are a dry hole
as to Bible based moderation. 1
Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear: When
was the last time you told someone about your hope as a Christian? If you cannot,
or will not, talk about your hope in the future in Christ, you are one dumb bunny.....
lacking knowledge. Psalms
119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are
my meditation. The
greatest source of knowledge is the Word of God. Do you read it every day? If
not, you are ignorant and unable to give knowledge to the people you are responsible
for.
CLICK
FOR PART TWO LINKS: HERE
IS THE END OF YOUR LIFE IF YOU KEEP HUGGING IGNORANCE TED
TALKS- I strongly suggest that, if you want online time to add knowledge to your
hard drive, search Ted Talks. Some of their topics are disgusting, but they are
famous for finding people to talk about things they have done themselves or researched
seriously. HOW
TO TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE AND MIND FROM SMARTPHONE AND SOCIAL MEDIA THOROUGHLY
CONSCIOUS IGNORANCE
Stuart Firestein talks about identifying what you are
ignorant of with a view to finding knowledge to eliminate that ignorance. Pastors
should watch this. Sir, what are you doing when you teach the Bible to the people?
Are you giving them loads of facts which you expect them to remember? Or, are
you lighting a fire in them to hunger and thirst after righteousness and find
if themselves? If you want a church full of robots, keep loading on the facts.
If you want noble Bereans, who search "to see if these things be true,"
then you must draw them into the fact gathering process. In other words, you must
stop trying to be the center of attention and the brain boss.
SEND
MAIL
BACK
TO THE WAR ROOM BLESSED
QUIETNESS JOURNAL ENTRY PAGE ge
| 