Growing in Favor & Knowledge
2/26/12
This writer has been around a few years, seen a lot of things,
heard a lot of things and have spoken a lot of things and yes, this writer has
actually changed his mind more than a few times over all of those years. It
is true that we are all at different stages of growth, different levels of
knowledge, still learning. My three sons have all grown up and have
left home now as young adults. When they were little babies,
obviously they didn't have the knowledge and understanding that they do
today. And even today, they lack much maturity and thus are still
learning, still growing. At the time of this editorial, I'm
presently over 52 years old and guess what? I'm still learning and
still acquiring knowledge and understanding. I wouldn't doubt that
Noah or Methuselah, when they were about 600 years old probably said the same
thing!
We are to ".......grow
in favor, and in the knowledge of our Master and Saviour
Yahshua Messiah. To Him be honor both now and for ever.
Amen." 2nd Peter 3:18
This is being brought up due to knowing that there are very
sincere individuals who truly have zero intent on doing evil or unrighteousness.....
and yet they do. There are other
individuals who believe differently than myself, and
yet I once believed what they now do of which I now consider as error and even
false doctrine. There was also a time when I just could not accept
much of the things that I now strongly adhere to as Truth. Then
there are those who believe very similar to me presently, and yet there are
details of what we hold as Truth that we may very staunchly disagree
upon.
The dilemma arrives when any one of us eventually comes to the
realization that at one time we were absolutely sure and believed in a Truth
that we now consider as false doctrine. As we continue to grow in
favor and knowledge, what if one day we discover that there is something else
that we presently believe that in the future we would consider as error? Did
that make us sinners and unrighteous heathen before understanding our errorenous ways? Well.......kind of a yes and a
no!
It is all to do with repentance. When TRUE conversion
comes upon a person, they will always have a heart for repentance, always
desiring to do that which is pleasing in the sight of Yahweh and His Son,
Yahshua. The Spirit of Yahweh will guide them into all Truth. ".......when
he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth...."
John 16:13 Didn't say each of us would be guided
into all of the Truth at one great moment in time! Our Elohim
doesn't just open up the top of our heads and pour in all of His knowledge and
understanding and I'm not so sure that our mortal minds could handle it if He
did so! It would most likely be so overwhelming that we would have a
mental melt down, and thus we are given small portions of Truth as He knows
that we are able to bear it. But it was and still is a promise and
Yahweh cannot lie, that He will guide us into all Truth.
We must be patient and have faith to believe that Yahweh will
finish the good thing that He began in those whom He has chosen. ".......I
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which
I have committed unto him against that day." 2nd Timothy 1:12 "Being confident of this very thing, that he
which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Yahshua
Messiah." Phillipians 1:6
We must allow the Ruach (spirit) to be our guide into all
Truth. If we submit unto Yahweh, be willing to repent when error is
revealed, obey the Truth as it is revealed, then we shall grow in favor and
knowledge of and in His ways. We must also be patient with others
who are at a level of understanding where we once were,
knowing how we may have been treated by others who had a level of
understanding greater that we once had or presently have.
We need to be attentive to change when new Truth is manifested
unto us. I believe that Yahweh gives us time to change, for we must
prove all things and then hold tight to what we have proven. (1st
Thessalonians 5:21) So when Truth is revealed, we go through a
period of time proving it, to know whether it is so or not and whether it finds
support within the scriptures.
We here at The Old Paths Restoration Ministry may seem very
steadfast and even quite ridged in what we believe, but we will also publically
admit that we don't yet have all knowledge. In order to grow in
favor and knowledge, one must be readily able to change from what we may have
believed in error previously. There are a number of subjects that we
are not quite 100% sure of, primarily topics of a prophetic nature. Then
there are subjects that we have proven and at the present time cannot ever see
the Elohim changing our minds again of. Topics
such as the 7th day Sabbath or the scriptural diet. These and
other such topics are subjects that we have proven and yet there was a time in
my life when I disregarded the Sabbath and kept the Sun-day and ate unclean
meats. A time came in the which I grew in
the good favor of Yahweh and of His Son Yahshua and obeyed the new Truth that
was revealed unto me and thus I then grew in knowledge.
If we find ourselves not growing in knowledge of the Truth, we
need to examine ourselves. For we will not grow in
knowledge of the Truth without first growing in His favor. Not
growing in His favor then we would be "Ever learning, and never
able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 2nd Timothy 3:7
The Old Paths Restoration Ministry
PO Box 247
Marengo, IN 47140