Title: Grace and Experience
Grace and Experience 2005-10-05
Apollos was very good at the Bible and had the ability to explain God's word to people in detail. He had an open eye that escaped from the legalistic view of the Bible that Jews at that time did not know how to see Jesus Christ. It can be inferred that he must have been an outstanding preacher that was difficult to find at the time.
But when Priscilla and Aquila saw what he lacked, they called him and explained the Bible.
So, what did Apollos lack? Priscilla and Aquila were incomparably lacking in learning, but they experienced the Holy Spirit deeply. What Apollos learned and realized because of them was the wonderful grace of the Holy Spirit that they experienced. The proof is the phrase “by grace”. This changed Apollos' ministry of the Word. As the experience of the Holy Spirit was added to the academic knowledge, my eyes were opened to understand the Bible more. It is impossible for us to express what we experience in our inner world through language so that the listener has the same experience. But how wonderful is the power of the Holy Spirit to communicate between them!
The Bible was written by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the final authority of the written Bible rests with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if you experience the Holy Spirit deeply, you will come to understand the amazing Word of God within the limits of your own reason. Everyone climbs the mountain in the same way, but suddenly, when no one walks along the road, they experience a more beautiful natural scenery. In this way, the Holy Spirit leads us into the depths of the Bible and gives enlightenment as a gift to those who seek the truth more and more. In order to know the truth of the Bible written in writing, you must have an experience with the original author, so that you can know the heart of God abundantly in the Bible itself.
This is because many believers who say that they do not have the experience of elevating their souls or being filled with grace even if they devote themselves to daily Bible reading do not know this principle. The reason why I do not understand and understand the Word and do not pray is because my life as it is is not pleasing to the Lord. If God is pleased with my heart and my life, when I open the Bible, the intellect discovers new truths and opens the Bible as a way to meet God. One's own life, heart, prayer, understanding the words of the Bible, serving... These do not work individually, but work together.
If there is no grace to understand from the words of the Bible in worship, what will you fight against the powers of this world? Our warfare is the principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world, so the Lord commanded, “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” Ephesians 6:17. The Holy Spirit gives grace through the Word of God we have in our hearts. We must keep the word of God in our hearts and be prepared to be sharpened like a sword at any time.
You have to learn and study the Word of God to receive grace, but those who are not interested in the Word and seek grace are likely to become a plaything for the demons who have the power of the world. When God communicates with us, He speaks to our intellect. The intellect is the bridge between God and us. Thus, the more you realize the principles God gives you, the deeper you go into the heart of God. That is the mystery. What he shows through dreams and visions is God's consideration for those who lack the intellect to understand through the Word. Religion has spiritual and emotional needs, and when these are satisfied, the mind becomes more comfortable. In the latter case, if the way of realizing God's love is set in mystical experience, you fall into the wrong path of heresy.
Apollos deeply understood the Word of God and was able to teach it to the congregation “by grace.” Through Priscilla and Aquila, they entered the deep world of the Holy Spirit and saw the true nature of the Word. Then he was able to “conquer the words of the Jews by force in public.” Now that I have experienced the grace of the Holy Spirit, my ability to argue the Bible has grown in my ability to explain the wonderful truths of the Bible that could not be grasped only by worldly science and intellect.
If you want to praise and see the Lord with all your heart, you must love the Bible. The reason why it feels difficult to hear a sermon during worship is because you cannot know the experience of the preacher through your own experience. If we want the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts, we must focus our hearts on God and repent of our sins. We need to reflect on and repent of our idle thoughts and hearts that have been habitually dealing with the Word. And when our lives are moved according to the Word, the Holy Spirit is also moved.
If you first try to change into a life that the Holy Spirit approves of, and the life that the Holy Spirit agrees to move with, the Holy Spirit will come through the Word of God and through the intellect. So you meet God. 2005-10-05