ISLAND LIFE / PART 2

Monday night, we embarked on the second part of the Islands series, in reference to Gilligan’s Island and the types of people we encounter in our lives. Just as Gilligan had a central authority figure in the role of the Skipper, he also found a source of wisdom and knowledge in the Professor. If you’re the smartest person in your circle, your circle is too small. In order to grow as an individual, you must constantly increase in knowledge.

Now, who can we look at Biblically who had not only wisdom, but knowledge? Solomon had great knowledge and wisdom. Solomon wanted to know everything. The more you understand Creation, the more you understand the Creator. By understanding knowledge, we have an opportunity to help show the magnitude of God to those who might not walk in this knowledge, who haven’t discovered it. In this, God wants us to be educated and yet always be teachable. When you stop learning, when you stop growing, there’s a possibility of spiritually dying.

So, now we know how vital knowledge is, what is knowledge and how can we attain knowledge? In the Greek, knowledge is not just a simple word, but contains two dimensions. The first dimension is the very basic: gnosis. It’s just there, you either know it or you don’t. It doesn’t require any understanding. Those that live in a Gnosis understanding know everything about music or football but have no practical experience or never played. A gnosis-understanding that we can relate to is this: knowing the Word of God, but not walking in the full understanding of it.

The problem with gnosis is that it can either be true or false; it’s always a theory or opinion.

However, our next level of knowledge, epignosis, is always proven. Epignosis is the truest and purest form of understanding. It’s a three dimensional state, where all sides can be evaluated and measured.  Epignosis can only come from experience.

Compared to gnosis, experience always outweighs opinion. In this sense, one dimensional understanding is shallow and has no depth.

Because epignosis is so vital in our Christian walk, how can we cultivate epignosis? Through being a student of the anointing or gifting we desire. The word “teach” is mentioned 390 times in the Bible.  The word “students” is implied along with that because teachers without students aren’t teachers.

Disciples learn by spending time with the teachers. If you wanted to be a carpenter, you didn’t read a manual on how to cut wood and leave it at that; you worked with a carpenter who demonstrated how to make furniture, the proper techniques and eventually you learned by doing. In this sense, application must go with the information.

Paul speaks in Romans 10 about the Israelites’ zeal for God, but their zeal lacked “knowledge”. The Word must become epignosis to us, not gnosis. According to gnosis, the Jewish people had zeal, they followed the list. They checked off what they did do, what they didn’t do. Yet, according to the full understanding of the Gospel, they had no depth to what they believed. They were ignorant of righteousness. Not only for them, but in our Christian walk we lose effectiveness and our witness when we have only a gnosis understanding of God. It’s like we are at “show and tell” and we bring a picture of our favorite toy but not our favorite toy to share with our classmates, to pass it around and for them to discover for themselves why we love it so. We have to walk out the Gospel and a gnosis understanding won’t allow that.

Philippians 1:9 draws us further into God’s desire for us to hold epignosis understanding. “I want your love to increase with knowledge and full understanding” That is epignosis. It’s a love that was meant to be shown, not just said. It’s taking the Word of God and making it real. Jesus became our epignosis of who God is when He became flesh and dwelt among us.

It’s time to move out of a gnosis understanding and into an epignosis realization and be truth to those around us. Will you answer the call?

Island Life  / Part 2

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