A Call to Mysteries
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. (Proverbs 25:2 KJV)
I believe one of the good traits of church leadership is the turning of its members to have a direct relationship with God. My former Pastor is a man of The Word, the type when he teaches the word, you get several exclamations during the session — the mysteries coming out is huge. Then one day, during the mid-week service, when we thought we were going to hear the usual, he told us to open a part of the scripture and then asked what we understood from that. When it came to my turn I could not see deep into the word but I just read out the exact same scripture. The look on my Pastor’s face was disappointing — all his teachings has been futile. I could not interpret the scriptures like he does, not to even try.
Not wanting to repeat the same mistake and show a proof of my pastor’s diligence; I went home and took it on to fast and pray about the revelation of the Word. I also started to read the bible every day, then one day as I was reading the book of Isaiah, 60th Chapter. A voice within me said ‘That promise is not only to the Country of Israel alone but to all those who have received Christ as their Lord and Savior’. Though I had no clue of Ephesians 2:12–14 then, but there was an instant assertive affirmation in me that the information is true.
I believe one of the good traits of a disciple is Turning Aside.
To Turn Aside means to direct your attention to God in the light of a prevailing mystery.
God is always speaking, all the time. There is no famine of the Word of God but a famine of hearing the Word of God (see Amos 8:11). There is a famine of hearing the Word because the Lord decides to speak in ways unfamiliar to the nature of man — in parables, burning bush. Why? because it is a means to segregate seekers of the Kingdom (disciples) from non-seekers of the Kingdom — The Word of God is available to only those who Turn Aside.
In the text Matthew 13:1–16, the Lord was talking in parables to everyone, the disciples were not exempted. The phrase ‘Why talk to them’ in the question of the disciples was probably due to the arrangement of sitting (they were sitting beside Christ and facing the large congregation) during the teaching. He was talking to EVERYONE; but what separates the disciples from the large congregation was what they value were aligned to the things of God, and so they Turn Aside and inquire the meanings of the parables (see Mark 4:10, Mark 7:17).
Why is there a famine of hearing of the Word? We are just too busy. Our hearts are fused with other things that what we value are not aligned with things of God and We seek bread rather than Christ himself. We forget that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The similitude of Martha who was busy serving tables instead of being Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to the Word. (see Isaiah 29:13, Ezekiel 33:31–32)
It is written We shall all be taught of God (see John 6:45). Having eyes to see but do not perceive, ears to hear but do not understand (see Mark 4:12). Remember that dream you had, but could not interpret. Remember that portion of the Bible that you often come across but has never meant anything to you. Remember that Pastor that you feel he is always condemning you because his preaching always points to your weaknesses.
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today if you hear His voice, 8. do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the time of testing in the wilderness, 9. where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works. 10. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts always go astray, and they have not known My ways.’ 11. So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’”(Hebrews 3:7–11 KJV)
TURN ASIDE!!!
