My People Perish For Lack Of Knowledge

   My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Hosea 3:6

     Although we have used this scripture as a generic term to describe any negative circumstance in the church, the truth of the matter is this: God's people have a definite need for His word that leads to knowledge and wisdom. There is a great void today in the people of God to have truth imparted to them.

     Christianity has become a shallow pool of good intentions, busy about many things but rejecting that which has the power to transform. The word of God has become a strange thing to the people of God, always wanting to have a soft, smooth Message of hope to tickle their ears, but rejecting anything that seems to them negative, that would lead them to repent and be changed by its Message.

     The word of the living God is the only instrument that has the power to cut, convict and transform a person's heart. Like a surgeon's scalpel it cuts away that which is dead and lifeless, like a cancer that would ultimately destroy, the word eradicates sin from our heart so that we may be healed and restored.

     For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

 THE WORD INSPIRED BY GOD

     All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. II Timothy 3:16,17

     The word of God is our handbook, our instruction manual for life, without it to guide us we would surely stray off course. Like navigating through treacherous seas or flying a plane by instruments the Word always leads us in the right direction.

     To traverse the way of eternal life one must have a map that will accurately lead him to his desired destination. To effectively chart one's course he must first establish a plan by studying the word of God and meditating on it to extract the knowledge and wisdom he will need to proceed on his journey.

     Without the divine inspiration of God to guide us and to instruct us in righteousness we would surely perish. To try and find our way through the darkness without the guiding light of Holy Spirit's illumination would be foolish indeed, but to submit to His leading will insure a safe passage through the storms of life.

     Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15

 DOCTRINE

     Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. I Timothy 4:1

     This warning was given two thousand years ago about the times that we are now living in and millions are being deceived by the teaching of false prophets and teachers inspired by demons. The true church has been swarmed by demonized men filled with lies and deceit teaching blatant, blasphemous and down right crazy doctrine.

     False signs and lying wonders have caused the church to go completely off course by these charlatans and has spawned a whole breed of false teachers leading the unsuspecting into darkness. If ever there was a need to have sound biblical teaching it is now! The Word speaks of becoming rooted and grounded so that when the storm comes the tree will still be standing.

     I have never seen such foolishness going on as I have in the past few years when so-called men and women of God ooh and ah over such nonsense and false teaching, never bothering to check these deceivers out and in turn run them out of the church! The world looks at us and shake their heads in unbelief that such a strong and vibrant faith could be reduced to a powerless bunch of silly children.

     Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. II Timothy 4:2-4

 REPROOF

     Turn at My rebuke; surely I will pour out My Spirit on you; I will make My words known to you. Proverbs 1:23

     To be reproved by God is not pleasant but necessary for one to be conformed to His image. Like a loving Father He cares enough about His children to rebuke and reprove us when we stray from the paths of life.

     When your children need reproving you rebuke them, not because you don't love them, but because you want to see the best for them. Life has a tendency to rebuke us through circumstance and trial when we are tested by His divine reproof.

     The cross of Christ comes to all who lay down their life to follow Jesus. It is the supreme instrument of death and reproves us and rebukes us when we are wrong or complacent about His will for us, it kills the flesh and the desires for the world fade under its sentence of death.

     For the Message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. I Corinthians 1:18

 CORRECTION

     Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, and he who hates correction will die. Proverbs 15:10

     God disciplines His sons that they may receive His holiness and that their characters can be formed into His image. Discipline is not punishment as some think, it is training and teaches us to follow in His footsteps.

     I have dealt with hundreds of sons and daughters in the past twenty five years that were addicted to drugs, forced into prostitution, or ended up in prison because they had never received the discipline and correction of a father. Today millions of children grow up unsupervised, left to their own discretion and end up straying into the world, lost and without any direction for their lives.

     America is second only to Russia having the greatest number of people in prison, approximately two million incarcerated and that is not counting state or local jails or juvenile. That is a stark indictment for a country claiming to be one nation under God. An entire generation of young people led by violent video games and extreme peer pressure, they snap like a dry twig when confronted with the pressures of life, all because there was no discipline from a loving father.

     Now no discipline seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

 INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

     That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Ephesians 1:17,18

     The word of God and the illumination of Holy Spirit give us revelation of who we are and to Whom we belong. Knowing who we are in Christ and understanding our position in Him and the power we have been given is the most important teaching one can receive.

     To His disciples He has granted that we may know the "Mysteries of the Kingdom" and the mission of His bride, the church of the living God! We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness and have been made ambassadors sent to earth to reap a harvest of souls destined to become the very family of God.

     It is time for the saints to shake off the bonds of man and receive the liberating power of God to be free to move about the earth and make disciples of all nations. Planting and reaping of the earth's precious produce of souls and expanding His kingdom. For those who have eyes to see, and hears to hear, understand what the Lord has for your destiny, break out of the man-made system of religion that has held you in bondage and be led into victory by the Lord Jesus Christ!

     For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.    Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

Your servant in Christ, Timothy Laughlin
   Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ