Secrets Made Known (May 20th-26th)

There are many reasons why I have decided to start a personal weekly online Bible study.

First of all, I enjoy writing and need a way to practice. Most of the time I can’t sit down and write just anything; I need inspiration.

A second reason why I am posting my thoughts online is because I need a motivation to really study scripture. I’m not talking about just reading a verse everyday and crossing it off my “read the Bible in a year� list. I want to actually dig into scripture because there are many hidden truths to be found. Some have been known throughout the ages but have been lost or forgotten…and others I believe have been locked up until the proper time of revelation. That’s right; there are secrets in scripture that the Spirit of God could reveal to you or me at any given moment: ancient truths He’s longing to entrust to someone. So who knows, maybe I’ll come across some of them…maybe not, but I’ll never know unless I put myself to the Word and really dig in.

There is a third reason that I am starting this blog and I believe this initial entry will provide it.

I must admit that I struggle with reading scripture. I’ve often commented that I suffer from scriptural bulimia: always binging and purging on the Word of God. I’ll go weeks and weeks without even opening my Bible until my spirit is wasting away to nothing…then I gorge. I have come to realize that this practice is just as dangerous for your spiritual life as it is for your physical one.

When we attempt to consume massive amounts of scripture we tend to get indigestion. Okay, maybe the metaphor can only go so far but I did realize that when I binged on scripture I wasn’t really digesting it. It was just information – dead words instead of the life-giving substance it was intended to be.

So I’ve begun to slow down and take smaller bites. Everyday I try to find something in scripture to think about; something that will change the way I think and therefore act. I look for God’s truth and try to understand it a little bit more. I may not always be successful but at least now I’m trying.

It’s quite fitting that the first thing God showed me was so directly related to both my study of scripture and the development of this new blog.

Searching through the book of Luke the other day I came across the following verse:

“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” ~Luke 8:16-18The part that first stood out to me was the line about secret things coming to light. This verse has always brought with it a bit of fear. Probably because my interpretation of it had to do with airing dirty laundry; after all, every person who used this verse seemed to add a “your sins will find you outâ€? sort of spin. You know, those dark corners of your mind will be revealed one day…or those things you do in the cover of night at your weakest moments will be exposed to all!

I guess I never really thought about how this interpretation doesn’t really fit with the testimony of who Jesus is found throughout the rest of scripture. He doesn’t shame us. In fact, love covers a multitude of sins…it doesn’t expose them.

As I was thinking about all these things another line jumped out at me:

“Take care then how you hear…�

How you hear? What on earth does that mean? Is there more than one way to hear and what does all this have to do with secrets being revealed and things being taken away from me?

I noticed there was a cross-reference and figured it was probably a good place to start my search for understanding. It brought me to:

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.” ~Luke 12:1b-4All right, now we’re getting somewhere! Here Jesus is warning His disciples to beware of the Pharisees and not to fear those who may physically oppose them. We also get more insight into what secrets are being exposed. Jesus is saying the hidden things that are to be revealed are the words of His followers. Secrets they have been whispering, perhaps out of fear, will be proclaimed from the rooftops. But this still begs the question, “what is it they are whispering?â€?

Jesus states once more concerning those who oppose us:

“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ” ~Matthew 10:26-28Once again the beauty of the Gospels is revealed. Only by searching through multiple accounts do we receive a complete understanding of what the Lord is telling us. The hidden things that are going to be exposed are not our sins or misdeeds but it is the instruction and counsel of the Lord Himself!

For some reason He hid His message in parables that only His disciples would understand, but it was never meant to end there. For surely, “nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known�. He meant for us to reveal the light of His truth for all to see.

Instead of this verse being used to insight fear and shame in us we should be rejoicing! His Message, His ultimate Truth will be proclaimed for all to hear. It will be shouted from the very rooftops. No secret of God will remain hidden to man…if we are willing to hear, it will be spoken clearly.

Now, with a clearer interpretation of this verse I can understand what Jesus meant when He warned us to “take care how we hear�. Taking all these verses into consideration He must have been talking about what He speaks to us: those secrets He reveals to us in the dark and whispers in our ears.

We are responsible to share with others that which the Lord has shared with us and if we don’t He has told us what our fate will be:

“…for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Based on the context of this verse Jesus is not talking about material goods, gifts or talents. He’s talking about truth.

In a nutshell He’s telling us, “if you listen to the secrets I whisper in your ear and fearlessly proclaim them from the rooftops then I will tell you more. But if you don’t, then the little truth you do have will be taken away from you�.

This can’t be reduced to proclaiming the simple statement that salvation is through Jesus Christ, although that may be part of it. At the time Jesus spoke these words it was spoken to two sets of Jews: His disciples and the Pharisees/Sadducees/etc – both of which followed and served the one true God. His intention was that the children of God proclaim the truth that Jesus teaches to other (albeit misguided) children of God.

So, perhaps now you can understand why I have started this new blog. It isn’t to say that I have got it right where others have got it wrong or that I am trying to enlighten misguided children of God; I am merely sharing the truth He has given me because I want more!

Even if no one reads these words and it basically becomes an online journal I will still do my best to “proclaim from the rooftops� the truth that Jesus continues to whisper in my ear.