The world we live in is full of mysteries and these mysteries are not understood by mere approaches. Mysteries are only understood by revelation since they may look weird in sight, thought and in the understanding of men. Mysteries therefore are things (knowledge) beyond understanding.
Luke 18:34
[34]But they understood nothing of these things; His words were a mystery and hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was telling them..
These mysteries are information we obtain or gather from things that are around us, the very environments we live in. These are the things we see, hear, feel, smell and taste. In short, mysteries are recognized by our five physical senses and these senses do not even have the proclivity to interpret understanding into these mysteries they obtain or gather.
These information that our five senses gather are built up into what we call “KNOWLEDGE”. Knowledge has so many definitions but from the above point made, I would like to define knowledge to the understanding of the lay man which is to “gather information about a particular thing.” Knowledge is from the word “to know” which can also be termed as “to be informed”. So, that simply tells us that most of the knowledge that we obtain or gather are mysterious which needs grounds for its truth to be exposed.
Ephesians 3:3
[3][And] that the mystery (secret) was made known to me and I was allowed to comprehend it by direct revelation, as I already briefly wrote you.
It is always said and well accepted that “knowledge is power” but the question is;
How is the power of this knowledge obtained?
Do all men with knowledge have this power?
To the best of my understanding, all men in this world have a kind of knowledge they possess in one way or the other, but do all these men have the power the quote above said? It is a big No to me since I can clearly see that most people in this world are powerless and are even in suffering. So where is the power of the knowledge they possess? What is the problem here, indeed if the concept of “knowledge is power’ is true in this raw state or does it mean all these men I see without power are without knowledge? These are some questions I always find myself asking but glory be to God that mysteries are brought to light by our Lord God Almighty.
Colossians 1:26
[26]The mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations [from angels and men], but is now revealed to His holy people (the saints)…
Ephesians 3:5
[5][This mystery] was never disclosed to human beings in past generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles (consecrated messengers) and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit.
Ephesians 1:9
[9]Making known to us the mystery (secret) of His will (of His plan, of His purpose). [And it is this:] In accordance with His good pleasure (His merciful intention) which He had previously purposed and set forth in Him,
Now, let us come to the main agenda as we look at how these knowledge we receive as believers becomes a power to us. As a Christian, I have found myself with so many other believers who claim to have learned a lot (knowledgeable) and can prove to us how they have been able to know and memorize all scriptures, read many books. But the truth is I wonder and pity them as I see these same people lost to even the slightest of a situation, its seems to me that all their knowledge vanished in the face of the situation. I had thought the knowledge would help them overcome the situation. These people are those who had the knowledge of the great book ever which is the Bible (the Word of God). So I ask myself again, where is the power since they have the knowledge? These kind of situations and experiences tends to weaken the faith of other people who find themselves closer to them and I in particular have been a victim. This made me realize that there is something missing in the picture of knowledge which the world and even some Christians have not yet known and that also remain a mystery to them. But light has come to make these mysteries clear in order to reveal the concealed understanding. I pray that by the help of the Holy Spirit I will be able to bring to bare the secrets of this concealment.
From bishop Noel Jones he said,” The devil cannot destroy the gift in you or the giver of the gift, so he afflicts the recipient of the gift so that the gift is not put to use.” The devil knows that when the gift is put to use, he is in trouble so he stops it as quickly as possible. But we are not ignorant of the devils devices.
Let us take a look at this scripture Matthew 16:13-19
[13]Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is?
[14]And they answered, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
[15]He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am?
[16]Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
[17]Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.
[18]And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros–a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra–a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].
[19]I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven. [Isa. 22:22.]
The verse 14 of this scripture gives us a clear picture of a question which Jesus asked his disciples that “who do men say that he is?” This was an unaware question thrown to the disciples, so there was not enough time for the disciples to think through and this reminds me of a text in 1 Peter 3:15 [15]But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully. [Isa. 8:12, 13.]. So ignorance on the side of the believer is not an excuse. For all these while you’ve been with him and have not known him yet? I believe this question shocked the disciples but they managed to answer in a way. They said;
Verse Matthew 16:14
[14]And they answered, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
The answers that the disciples gave unto Jesus tells us that all the people following Jesus were with different views (knowledge) of what really is the personality of Jesus based on what they have experienced with their five senses. Most of these people following Jesus found themselves comparing Jesus to the prophets of old because to them what they heard and saw Jesus do was the same thing they heard or saw these prophets did. Note that they were neither wrong, nor was it a sin for them to have such thought but they missed an important fact which would have been relevant in their thought, [this factor is what we will be looking at soon]. They followed Jesus with different information, so you can clearly understand from scriptures that, not all who followed Jesus received from him or had their problems solved and that was because they followed blindly. If you follow a man for what he is not actually, you will not be able to receive from what he is actually. Note that in the historical book about Christ, all those who received major miracles from Jesus were those who did not see Jesus as one of the prophets but they saw and believed in him as a different man with a different purpose and qualities. Examples; the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:20…), the Centurion (Matthew 8:5…) Etc.
Note, here in the verse 14, we can understand that, allChristians have different knowledge about God (Christ) but these knowledge we possess about him are not really different in meaning and in purpose but because we are men, we sometimes see differently due to the fact that we fail to trace the knowledge we have directly to him by REVELATION.
Jesus realizing that the people had not yet known who he was, turned the big question to his disciples,
Matthew 16:15 [15]He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am? . It will shock you to know that even the disciples didn’t know who Jesus actually was, after all the time he had been with them in teachings, experience and of all that he had said about himself to them. John 14:9 [9]Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, … The disciples were all quiet until Peter was able to connect the knowledge he had with a focus to think of Jesus being a different man with a different purpose. Peter realized the uniqueness of Jesus and he looked forward to seeing in him something different unlike the rest of the people who only looked back to compare Jesus with the other prophets of old. In life when you always compare what has already happened to current issues without looking forward for new things, you will never be improved.
So with REVELATION, Peter understood who Jesus was. This brings me to the light, the secret, the element that is responsible for the release of power of the knowledge. This is where the spirit of the Lord told me that, most of us (Christians) have gathered enough knowledge but we have missed the revelation of them all. Revelation is what the world and most Christians are missing to obtain the power of the knowledge they are possessing. Know that knowledge in itself does not release power.
From the scripture above in Matthew 16:16 [16]Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.Peter also had a different knowledge concerning Jesus which was also equivalent to that of the rest of the people, but to him,the revelation he had brought out what was the actual personality of the man he had been with all this while, who was Jesus. What I want us to understand is that, we can have all the knowledge we want but when we lack the revelation of the Holy Spirit, it is just an information we are possessing. So let us look at something here, the understanding of the knowledge we possess is brought about through revelation and this revelation will establish us in the power of the knowledge we possess. Jesus is lord! Now, if it is said that knowledge is power, it is not and never the one void of understanding through revelation.
Ephesians 1:17,19
[17][For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,
[19]And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,
The funny thing here is that, there is no revelation without knowledge. My economics lecturer will tell you, “They are complementary goods”.
It is revelation that makes knowledge more relevant and we need this revelation because it is necessary in our Christian journey (life). This brings to light the need for us to study and absorb more knowledge. We need more revelation to survive this journey. In view of that we also need to acquire more knowledge. More knowledge brings about more revelation and more revelation establishes an absolute potential power.
If I tell you that you are a king, it’s just an information I have given to you which has no evidence of power or may have ahidden power due to the fact that the information may be true or not. When you begin to ask yourself questions and do a search about this information, like why, how and what makes you a king, you begin to think (meditate) and this thought bring about your true identity. This revelation will then give you an understanding of your true personality which will establish you in your power as a king. But if you do not find out, the knowledge will continue to be just an information with a hidden power that will not be brought to light.
Understand that, Peter’s answer in the verse 15 was not influenced by the information (knowledge) of the others. When knowledge is connecting to revelation to establish truth and power, it is always silent to outside influence because God is the only revealer of mysteries in light.
Daniel 2:22
[22]He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him! [Job 15:8; Ps. 25:14; Matt. 6:6.].
You don’t always have to walk with the influence of men, you also have access to the Lord. Hebrews 4:16 [16]Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. IfPeter had listened to the others, he would have followed their path and would have lost his revelation. Do not be limited inknowledge by what other people say, rather look beyond, see more than what you even expect and you will discover more mysteries with revelations. God can be your only source of understanding and revelation even without the help of men.
Galatians 1:12
[12]For indeed I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but [it came to me] through a [direct] revelation [given] by Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
Now that we are aware that knowledge is vital in revelation, it should be the earnest desire of every believer to make it a point to increase in the knowledge of the Word of God.
“Who do you say that I (Jesus) am?”
Now we understand that it takes revelation to know him but the revelation is based on knowledge. The word of God now is the embodiment of who Jesus is. John 1:1 [1]IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. [Isa. 9:6.] For this reason, it will be very prudent that we study to know everything therein, then we grasp the understanding ofJesus through the revelation. Any Christian who does not know the scriptures has no access to revelation. For you to know who Jesus is, the only source for you is the Bible, it doesn’t matter the number of other books you read in this life. Make it your daily responsibility to read and study the word.
2 Timothy 2:15
[15]Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.
Now after knowing the scriptures, you then ask yourself questions, like peter, who do you say that he (Jesus) is, what is he to you? Know that your understanding about him is equivalent to the understanding about your own personality. What you know and build about him is exactly what you know and build about yourself. The mistake most of us usually do is that, we think the knowledge and understanding that we build about God is to teach and preach to others but we fail to apply it to our own selves. 2 Timothy 2:15.
Now, another big question is that, what do you say that you are or what do people say that you are? With the knowledge that you have about Christ, you have to identify it with yourself because that is your real nature as well. This builds your understanding of who you are and the authority that you possess in God through Jesus Christ. Having understood now who youare, your living on this earth will be positively affected and you would realize that you’re being a Christian is much more than what you thought of because you will be living in the reality of who you are in God through Christ.
Galatians 2:20
[20]I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Ephesians 2:6
[6]And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Now begin to think of all the wonderful and powerful personality about Jesus and everything concerning him in the word of God and relate all these to yourself, hallelujah. This is one of the mysteries most people have not realized yet and are still walking in fear, pain, confusion, ignorance and in unbelief. Rise, you who is sleeping and walk in the reality of your belief(faith) in Jesus. Isaiah 60:1
[1]ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you–rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! [Zech. 8:23.]
Basically, the idea of this write-up is for all believers to know and understand who they are in Christ Jesus; but knowing this depends on certain key factors which will first lead you to the understanding of Jesus. From this point, you begin to identify yourself with him as the scripture gives us the right to do so. Galatians 2:20. Knowing Jesus is actually knowing who you are. So in answering the big question, “who do you say that I (Jesus) am?” You must be careful to know exactly the truth ofthe revelation that is brought to light in the knowledge of the word of God.
The remaining verses of Matthew 16, that is the verses 18 and 19, shows and explains the power that was made available for peter when after receiving the revelation of the knowledge that he possesses about Jesus.
Unlike peter who knew Jesus face to face, in our dispensation, we don’t have him with us in body to gain knowledge about him through physical experience, but we have him in his word. So we get to know him more and more through the studying of the word. A Christian who does not study the word of God is void of revelation. No matter how much you pray, you will still lack revelation though your prayers may be answered. As a matter of fact, what do you pray when you are without the knowledge of the word of God? It is said that “a prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian” but at least that Christian has life but without power, there is still hope for survival. But I say a wordless Christian is a deadly and a dead Christian, you may pray for power but where is the life to exhibit that power? John 1:4 [4]In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. Effective combination of the two is very vital for you and your journey on earth. Acts 6:4 [4]But we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer and the ministry of the Word.
JESUS IS LORD!!!
Douglas Amoako is a First degree (Bsc. Accounting Education) and the Former President of NUPS-G UEW-K(2017/2018). Currently, he is the YPG President (PCG, Redemption Cong. Jamestown-Accra).
You can also contact Douglas on:
Email: douglasamoako.da@gmail.com
Call: 0540558814/ 0572760955
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