Pursuing Wisdom Wisely

Inside Cleveland Church

If, as Peter Enns says, the purpose of the Bible is to invite us to pursue wisdom, then can we see evidence of that in the Bible itself?  Did the later writers recognize that the scripture they had was ancient, ambiguous and diverse?

If you read his book, How the Bible Actually Works, then I think you will find that the Bible there are several examples of how biblical writers practiced wisdom in what they wrote.  They saw that the work they were reading, even in their time, was not a history book, but a story of truth. 

For example, compare the books of Kings to the books of Chronicles.  Same story - same time period.  Very different telling.

Look at Paul.  He quotes prophets when he writes his letters, but he pulls sentences out of context to apply to Jesus. They weren't written to speak of Jesus, but in them, Paul sees Jesus, so he writes of them.  I don't think that gives us permission to pull scripture out of context, but I do think it releases us from the idea that scripture can't be used to speak to today.

Means of Grace

According to the United Methodist Church website, the means of grace could be divided into Works of Piety and works of Mercy.

Works of Piety are practices that lead us to holiness of living.  We can do them as individuals or as communal practices.  Individuals practices include reading, meditating, and studying scripture, prayer, fasting, regularly attending worship, healthy living, and sharing out faith with others.  Communal acts of piety include sharing the sacraments, Christian conversation and accountability, and Bible study.

Can you see how these practices can lead to wisdom?  Reading, study, Christian Conversation, and Bible Study open our minds to seek God through the Bible  and through others.  Meditation, prayer and fasting, and worship open our minds to the work of the holy spirit to whisper wisdom from God to us.

What about Works of Mercy?  Individuals works include good works, visiting the sick, and those in prison, feeding the hungry, and generosity.  Communal practices include seeking justice, ending oppression and discrimination, and addressing the needs of the poor.  I think all of us would agree that putting feet on the words of Jesus to love each other, when we do it though acts of mercy, not only benefit the ones who need the help, but also open us up to wisdom.  Help other people, and you will find you are the one who needed mercy.

In our quest to find wisdom, I think Wesley's list of the means of grace are an excellent starting point.

Wisdom

I taught Sunday school a Sunday or two ago.  I focused the lesson on the beginning of Peter Enns' book, How the Bible Works.  His thesis is that the Bible is designed by God to invite us on a quest for wisdom.  

Let's talk about wisdom for a little bit:

1. Wisdom was present before creation à Proverbs 3:19-20 says, “The Lord by wisdom  founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the  deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.  Paul speaks of how Jesus and  wisdom are intertwined in 1 Corinthians 1:30 “He (God) is the source of your life in  Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and  sanctification and redemption…”
2. “At least some ancient Jews ascribed to wisdom something approaching divine status to  act as a mediator between God and humanity, to make God accessible to us here and  now.”  (Enns) We can understand that wisdom is a characteristic of God.
3. I think wisdom is one of the ways God employs sanctifying grace to help us to grown  more into God’s own image.  

Wisdom makes God more accessible to us.  Wisdom is what the Holy Spirit whispers to us.  Wisdom  was present with God when Jesus was, at the beginning.  

And the Bible invites us to pursue it.  

How do we do that?  I think there are lots of ways, but I think back to Wesley, and the means of grace.  If Wisdom is a characteristic of God that leads us closer the image of God, then I think it is a kind of sanctifying grace.  If it's grace, then what about Wesley's means of grace?  Could these be tools to help us to seek wisdom?

Tomorrow, let's talk about the Means of Grace.  

Fear of God

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.   (Proverbs 9:10)

The devotional in our office meeting this week was based on a passage from Proverbs.  Sally talked about fear - what does it mean to fear God?

I think when we hear the word fear, certain connotations come to mind.  A God we are afraid of is hard to imagine as a loving God, as a God who desires a relationship with us.  A feared God would be a difficult God to approach in prayer, and yet we are called to bring everything to God in prayer.  So what does it mean to fear God?

Sally's definition from the devotion she was reading was that fear of God is awesome reverence.  A God we revere, we will obey.  I don't think that obedience is out of fear, but instead springs forth from humble respect - from a knowledge of who we are and who God is.  In that obedience, we will come closer to God.  We will begin to see the world from a "changed perspective," as Sally put it.  We will begin to see the world as God sees the world.  From that changed perspective, comes wisdom.

Knowing God better, obeying God more, will result in insight.

Growth

We visited with a potential donor couple today who would like to start a scholarship.  She told us that it was God's money and that she prayed for the wisdom to do with it what God wanted done.  She said if he wanted it to grow, it would grow.

I've thought about that.  I hope that if she placed it at the Foundation, it will grow in value.  If they create a trust to fund a scholarship, then the scholarships will help the recipients to grow in knowledge and wisdom.

If we are a church, and we pray for wisdom for what to do, and act in obedience, then if God wants the church to grow, it will grow.  The people we reach will grow.  We will make disciples for Jesus Christ.

Our gifts and talents belong to God.  We pray for wisdom to use them.  If God wants our ministry to grow, it will grow.