Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
I think what awareness is saying is that our wise discernment needs to be our own, not someone else's. Reading the Bible is not enough to avoid deception. Ultimately one must be able to trust one's own interpretation of what the Bible really means. We should be open to other's ideas, but ultimately we are on the hook for what we decide to do. So our decision must be our own, not something inherited. Certainly this requires prayer and the Holy Spirit. But when push comes to shove the decision just what is truth is ours to make. No way around that.
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My Grandma told me that when she became a new believer, the gospel was spreading so fast that everyone was pretty much a new believer in the church she was meeting in Taipei in 50s. Back then there wasn't as much ministry being passed around and people just had their bibles.
People would read books like Romans or Ephesians and admit they would have no understanding of it. Yet the Holy Spirit still developed in them and my Grandma a hunger to read the word of God regardless of understanding it. They were still "living" on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God like Jesus said we should, despite their lack of "ministry" training.
My Grandma never attended any trainings or FTTAs back then, yet her personal ministry had the power of God no FTTA grad could ever muster (Romans 1:16). Often when she was out preaching the gospel, casting out demons or praying for healing and she wasn't sure what to do, a verse she had read earlier would pop into her mind which she never understood previously and she would instantly have discernment on what to do. Of course after seeing God's word operate in her like this, she would come to know the word of God from experience and not just head knowledge.
God honored her faithfulness in his word by giving her wisdom when she needed it. It wasn't built up by any of her own wisdom, but by the Spirit of God who was guiding her.
But unlike what Witness Lee taught, that's not to say we shouldn't develop our minds when approaching the word of God. I think God had mercy on my Grandma because she was a new believer. We should still come to the full knowledge of the truth, and I agree it's possible to build up our own Godly wisdom by interpreting and digesting the scriptures according to the Spirit of God who gives us understanding and guides us to all truth.