Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33
Aristotle’s Spider
As everyone knows, Aristotle was a very famous Greek philosopher with many educational credentials. Back in about 350 BC, Aristotle stated that “the spider has six legs”. No one doubted what this great man of philosophy said, so for many centuries people accepted his statement as fact. Then a common uneducated man by the name of James Lamarck came on the scene. He was very curious about the intricacies of insects, and in particular, the common spider. Lamarck decided to count the legs on the spider, and guess what he found? There were eight legs! He discovered it because he took the time and trouble to check it out for himself. For hundreds of years, millions of people had been misled because of their unquestioning trust in one man. For thousands of years Aristotle was wrong, and yet not one person had the where-withall to actually pick up a spider, look at it closely, and declare that it had eight legs.
This describes much of proclaimed Christianity today. We as believers have not been studying the Good Book. We have been trusting in others to read and interpret it for us. Many of our well-meaning spiritual leaders, like Aristotle of old, have misled us in teaching man-made doctrine that is not supported by the Bible. Many may have not knowingly preached error, but perhaps they have embraced it without thorough study and have themselves accepted without question what they were taught without rightly dividing the word of truth or by misinterpretation of Scripture rather than letting Scripture interpret itself. It’s time for all of us to count the legs on the spider for ourselves!
“Being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you.” I Peter 3:15
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV)
The Laodicean Condition
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich, and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness, and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:14-22)