The Blind See, The Seeing Are Blind
The Word of God is a wondrous adventure. We are called to explore, yet most leave the exploring to others. The vast majority of people avoid exploration in the Word only to focus their lives on work, family, friends, and entertainment. And now to the hard-hitting reality, the entertainment category of their lives is where faith is fostered.
What is entertainment? Entertainment is: 1 The act of entertaining. 2 The art or field of entertaining. 3 Something that amuses, pleases, or diverts, especially a performance or show.
Has Sunday church become entertainment? Sunday church is where one goes to be “pleased” in the words spoken and songs sung. It is where one goes to be “diverted” from the daily grind of life and feel that we are closer to God, if for just that moment. And just like entertainment in the traditional sense, once the show is over we go back to the primary focus of daily life. God will be put on the back-burner until the next Sunday. And this is for those who attend a service weekly (studies show about one-third attend weekly).
The Bible in itself is entertaining, being filled with exploits of courage, success and failures. It could be argued to be the most entertaining book ever written. It should be filed under the “Mystery” section of the library. How can this claim be made? Simply because the Bible tells us about the mysteries, many of which are still hidden to the masses. Yet, these same mysteries are there to be solved by those whom the Father chooses to reveal.
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:26-27 (emphasis mine)
And the only way to get these revelations of the mysteries is to read Scripture.
2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
Ephesians 3:2-6 (emphasis mine)
When Paul tells us, “by which, when you read”, he means with understanding. Also notice, Paul does not say “by which, when you receive through entertainment”! You must put in your time pouring over the Word to have the mysteries revealed. No read, no revelation. Are you willing to hand over your eternal destination to the words and teaching of the entertainer (pastor, minister, priest)? If so, pray you got lucky and chose the right one!
Not one of us should put our relationship with the Lord, or our eternal destination, in the hands of another. If your “faith” is based on your “religion” you have, in fact, turned your eternal future over to someone else. Christ is our leader (head) and the Bible (Scripture) is the way He leads us.
3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
1 Corinthians 11:3
We know from Solomon’s writings in Ecclesiastes (1:9) that there is nothing new under the sun. Events and miracles written about in Scripture replay themselves in our lives today. There is no greater story and surrounding events that explain how the revelation of mysteries has enveloped Unlock The Word than Jesus, the blind man, Pharisee (“church”) leadership and the family told in John 9.
13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath. “Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” 18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.” 25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”
28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” 30 The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
34 They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.
39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” 40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
Reading this you might ask yourself; how does this pertain to Unlock The Word today?
Being that nothing is new and looking back on our journeys, it is evident that we were the blind man in this story. God put clay on our eyes and told us to wash, so we did. Light that we had never seen before broke through, simply because we now study Scripture. Previously, our lives were lived focusing on work, family, friends, and entertainment. During our earlier years, every Sunday we too would head to the entertainment center for an hour for what was called “mass” (and quite honestly, that entertainment was BORING!) and in other cases called service. The priests and ministers of the churches we attended were equivalent to the Pharisees in the story above.
The Pharisees were trained by the “religious” system and dogmas from that time, being taught by the elders what the Word said. The writings then are what the Jews call the Torah which held the mystery of the arrival of Jesus Christ. But because the leadership of the synagogues (churches) did not want to “rock the boat” and wanted instead to maintain standing (read Mathew 23), they remained blind. They were unwilling to step out in the truth of Scripture, thus remained in their sin.
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
John 9:41
Today, many who stand in front of modern-day churches simply rely on the teachings of the current day elders. Many were trained in colleges and universities which teach different views and understandings. The process to the handing down of doctrines and dogmas is no different from denomination to denomination. Rarely does one who heads up the Sunday entertainment stray from previous teachings of their chosen denomination. Just as in the time of Christ when He made Himself known to the leaders of the synagogues, they closed the book on His truth. Pharisaical leadership was not open to what Scripture laid out instead wanting to hold on to their POSITION and livelihood.
The other characters and surrounding events in this story focus on the parents and the Jews. The parents of the story are our parents (family members and friends) today. The Jews were the members of their “church” at that time, no different than today’s believers. The blind man in the story (along with us today) proclaim Jesus. He did it though personal physical contact with Jesus. Today, we do it through personal spiritual contact through the STUDY of HIS Word. Our parents (family members and friends) are concerned about what their church and family members (Pharisees and Jews) think. Most people we know want to hold on to the memories of and continue in the entertainment that fills their lives. Now being able to see and knowing those that we love prefer to remain blind, is the most difficult challenge that we at Unlock The Word face from day to day. This blindness has potential negative eternal consequences and this graves us deeply!
God, knowing the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end, made clear the times we currently live;
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (emphasis mine)
To turn away means to not follow, it does not mean to leave alone. Unlock the Word will proclaim His glory, His revelations, and His Word. Unlock the Word will share clay for your eyes and it will be asked of you to wash. You must make the conscience decision to participate in developing your personal relationship with your Father and Jesus Christ. Unlock The Word will share with you His truths which are not shared in most modern-day churches. Unlock The Word will support you when your parents, family and friends won’t and give you the strength to be unbending in Him when your fellow church members mock you for not following taught dogmas.
Unlock the Word has made the choice regarding who we will follow. We will help you Unlock your Bible, so you can Unlock your Faith and in doing so, Unlock your Spirit!
All verses are from NKJV.