Seeking Wisdom from God: A Quest for Truth

By Thomas H. Walker

Seeking Wisdom from God presents a fresh and unique look at some Biblical topics. Because knowledge increases faster than wisdom, we have an abundance of Biblical knowledge and a shortage of Biblical wisdom. Knowledge has increased, due to our advances in understanding the ancient Hebrew and Greek languages coupled with the dissecting of Scripture using historical, textual, and literary analysis. Tragically, Christianity looks nothing like its inception on the Day of Pentecost.

Why are there over 20,000 different denominations?

Why do I still sin daily?

Have we replaced Divine Illumination with historical, literary and textual analysis?

If Adam had not sinned, the worlds population would have reached 100 billion in 1,836 years. How are we all going to fit on this planet when eternity begins?

Why did God plant a fruit-yielding tree in Eden and then forbid Adam and Eve from eating of its fruit?

This was a very good book by a man of great wisdom Five Stars, LibraryThing Reviewer Its such an eye opener book Five Stars, LibraryThing Reviewer This is an excellent book for Bible study. It brings Biblical truths into a new perspective Five Stars, LibraryThing Reviewer a marvelous fusion of faith and scholarship First Editing

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9781449710224

Thomas H. Walker

Thomas H. Walker is an inspirational speaker, musician, teacher and award-winning author. He received his MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University graduating with honors. Nominated for “Who’s ‘Who Among College Scholars.” Mr. Walker is presently Senior Vice President with a church design/build company. Mr. Walker has consulted and planned over $200 million dollars worth of church building projects. The author has spent eighteen years as a Business and Risk Management Consultant, eleven years as a Church Facilities Growth Consultant, and twenty years as a Marketing Strategist. www.seekingwisdomnow.com From the single, pure, infallible truth of Jesus Christ from which Christianity was born, the religion has since splintered into an overwhelmingly vast number of denominations, each laying claim to the firm truth of its doctrine. This situation can sow confusion for modern-day Christians as they wrestle with complex questions about spirituality and morality. In light of these challenging circumstances, first-time author Thomas Walker draws on his own spiritual wakening as well as a probing knowledge of Scripture to bring some clarity to the confusion and offer a fresh, daring perspective to old questions. This book has the potential to lift the veil and revolutionize the thinking of Christians everywhere. Amidst chaos comes order, and truth from misconception under the humble authority and incisive mind of Thomas Walker.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011, 2012 Thomas H. Walker

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of those being acknowledged. The author is acknowledging some choice people for their help in critiquing both grammar and content, not because they agree with the authors views.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1-[phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotes are taken from King James Bible, New King James Bible, American Standard Version Bible, New International Version Bible, English Standard Version Bible, Bible in Basic English, and The Living Bible.

Photos for the cover and interior of the book taken by Denise Lynn Walker

ISBN: 978-1-4497-1023-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-1024-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-1022-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010942605

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/06/2015

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Preface

Chapter 1: A Daily Foot-Washing

Chapter 2: The Wedding Garment

Chapter 3: Answered Prayers

Chapter 4: Circumcision Of The Heart

Chapter 5: Faith Without Works Is Dead

Chapter 6: Eat My Flesh And Drink My Blood

Chapter 7: A Portrait Of Christ

Chapter 8: A Window To The Unseen

Chapter 9: Greater Miracles

Chapter 10: The Purpose Of Jesus’ Miracles

Chapter 11: Speaking In Tongues

Chapter 12: A Super Race: Let’s Make One!

Chapter 13: Parable Of The Ten Virgins

Chapter 14: Examine, Repent, And Restore

Chapter 15: Master Teacher

Chapter 16: Knowledge Versus Wisdom

Chapter 17: Don’t Be Blind

Chapter 18: Why Must We Suffer?

Chapter 19: For The Letter Kills: Under The Law

Chapter 20: Who Are God’s Elect?

Chapter 21: Hypothetically Speaking

Conclusion

Works Cited

Dedication

I want to dedicate this book to my heavenly Father. His grace and love have been like arms that held on to me through life’s storms. Getting to know Him personally has been the most exciting adventure and the greatest honor for one so undeserving. I pray that this book will do justice to the telling of my journey into the heart and mind of the Almighty God.

I also dedicate this book to my wife, Denise, whose gift for detail brought polish to this literary work. Because my wife understands me like no other person, she helped transcribe my thoughts so that what you read, is what I really meant to say.

To my sons, Aaron and Brandon—life would not be the same without you. To my mother, who has always been there for me and was the first person to show me unconditional love. And to my brother, John Walker, for his annoying persistence and unwavering efforts to see to it, that I was saved.

To Rick Penix—I will always cherish the past thirty-two years of friendship. Even when years of silence and many miles separated us, our friendship endured.

Acknowledgments

To Pastor DeWayne Davis, thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to study my manuscript. Your advice has greatly enriched its content. To my neighbor, whose analytical and no-nonsense assessment helped contribute to my book’s advancement in reaching its full potential. To Jim Spencer, a master teacher whose insight and understanding of God’s Word gave depth to the content with his challenging and did you consider this? critique. To George and Bishop Maureen Davis, your kind words of encouragement came at a time when I felt my book was a big waste of time.

Introduction

Lay · per · son (lā|pûr|sen), n 1. Ordinary person

God has used different men and movements – not to corner truth but to recover and herald truth to the upbuilding of the entire body of Christ. Every major awakening has centered in a major recovery of a truth necessary to mature and balance other aspects of truth (Fromke, 9).

On a Saturday night back in 1977, my best friend Rick and I were crossing a street in Angola, Indiana, at around 11:00 p.m., heading for a nightclub where my band had performed a month earlier. While we were crossing the street, two young men and two young women approached us. They wanted to know if we knew Jesus Christ. Rick, however, decided to go into the nightclub, leaving me alone with all four. Shortly after Rick left, a young lady came from the nightclub to rescue me from my captors. As she approached, she said, Your friend sent me to get you. These people have been bothering everyone tonight.

As I turned and looked into the faces of the four strangers, their eyes reflected innocence as pure as that of a newborn baby. They didn’t act insulted or mad at the accusation; instead, their faces emanated a love that shone brightly that night. I had been playing in bands for many years, and bars and nightclubs were my second home. However, that night I could not go into the nightclub. I turned to the young lady from the bar and said, Tell Rick that I’m going back to his place, and with that, I turned and started walking. But before I could take another step, one of the four strangers asked if I wanted to receive Jesus. Not at this time, I said. Then one asked if they could pray for me. I said, Sure. We gathered in the entry alcove of a retail store, bowed our heads, and each one of them said a prayer. The next day, Rick didn’t say one word to me about the incident, and that night we went back to the club.

Six years later, I found myself on my knees in my home office praying to God to show me the truth. For many years, I did not believe in organized religion, because it seemed that every denomination was claiming that they knew the truth and everyone else was wrong. My brother John and his denominational affiliation was no exception. Although John had been very zealous in his efforts over the years to get me saved, his efforts were of no avail.

Two hours after my prayer for truth, a knock sounded at my door. When I opened the door, before me stood two men dressed in suits and holding Bibles. I invited them into my house and they told me that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses and wanted to ask me some questions. I knew this had to be of God, and I told them that I had just prayed about finding the truth. It was obvious that they were the answer to my prayer. We then set up a time and day to meet and study the Bible.

I did not believe in organized religion

My brother was a member of a fundamentalist Baptist denomination, and when I called him with the good news, there was dead silence on the phone. I said, John, are you there?

In a very somber voice, he replied, Tom, the Gospel of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is straight from the pit of hell.

This made me angry, so I said, Well, you know what, brother? There hasn’t been a Baptist or Methodist come to my door, and you’re telling me that these people who have taken their time to come to my house are wrong!

The next words out of my brother’s mouth were without question from God. Typically, he would have argued for hours, bombarding me with Bible verses to prove his point. Instead, he was eerily quiet and uncomfortably non-combative. He simply told me to pray before each meeting and ask God to give me wisdom and understanding.

After that, I listened to my brother and prayed before each meeting with the Jehovah’s Witnesses that God would send His Holy Spirit to give me wisdom. After six months of meetings with these two men, I realized that they were not the enemy but were in fact victims of the enemy. God did send these men to my door that day, part of God’s lesson plan to show me that He is the source for truth, not any person. With God’s help, you can know the absolute truth. Whether you understand Greek and Hebrew, regardless of which legitimate version of the Bible you use, God will open your eyes to His Truth. The greatest impediment to finding the truth is having too much confidence in the flesh.

Those experiences, which led me to the altar and to my present understanding that God will only give profound wisdom to those who seek it through Him, form the chrysalis from which this book emerged.

Following that time with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, I never stopped praying for God to give me wisdom to understand His Word. It is important to go beyond just reading and studying about God—we need to understand God in an intimate and personal way, which enables Christians to experience the awesome love of their heavenly Father.

Jesus did not come to earth to set up another religious denomination, but to put an end to religion. Christ wanted to re-establish the personal relationship that humanity had with God back when the first couple walked and communed daily with their heavenly Father in the Garden of Eden.

Jesus did not come to set up another religious denomination, but to put an end to religion

It is my sincere prayer that this book greatly blesses every reader as I share fresh and unique viewpoints on long-discussed Biblical topics. I think of my views not as new doctrine but rather as undiscovered truths that God wove into the fabric of His creation. Even though nothing is new under the sun, there is still an inexhaustible supply of truth to be unveiled. And God will reveal this truth—in its time—through those servants who have sought wisdom from Him. As a child of God, we will never stop learning about our heavenly Father even after we have entered eternity. The Bible is an introduction to God. One book could not hold all there is to know about our Father, His Son, and the Holy Ghost. However, for now the only ordained book containing God’s Word is the Bible. We must read, study, and memorize these Scriptures, for they provide the foundation for our advanced learning experience when we reign and rule alongside Jesus in the new kingdom.

It is also my desire to help the layperson realize his or her importance when it comes time for God to reveal His truth to the world—truth that escaped scholars and religious rulers of yesterday and today. Any believer seeking wisdom from God—regardless of their educational background, social status, or position in the church—can learn greater depths of Biblical truth. All through the Bible, one can read how God used all types of people to reveal the understanding of His spiritual kingdom. These ordinary people understood truths long before those considered as the authority over the Scriptures did (the spiritual rulers and theological scholars). I am not trying to denigrate scholars, for they have added greatly to Biblical knowledge. My concern is with the mindset that places all authority over spiritual discernment in the hands of men and women with great intellect.

Author Tim LaHaye describes more eloquently the point I am making in his book, The Merciful God of Prophecy. Mr. LaHaye addresses a time in the lives of Charles Finney and Charles Spurgeon—acknowledged as two of the greatest spiritual leaders the world has ever known—when they were seeking understanding. According to Tim LaHaye, Charles Finney knew the gospel intellectually, but it had never made much of a difference in his life (15). Charles Spurgeon walked into a small church one Sunday morning seeking the answer to the question, How might I be saved? Due to the weather, the regular preacher was unable to make the service. The one who spoke that morning was a man Spurgeon described as a very thin-looking man, a shoemaker, or tailor, or something of that sort … really stupid. At the end of this layman’s message, Charles Spurgeon saw the way of salvation (18). God doesn’t need your intellect or oratory skills to reveal His truth.

My aspiration is that pastors and teachers will build upon the thoughts expressed in this book with their own knowledge and personal experiences. I am not talking about producing a private interpretation but about bringing a mature understanding to the table so that the meat of God’s Word is served instead of the milk: For every one that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:13–14, KJV). One may recall what certain Bible verses meant to them when they were new to the faith, feeding on the milk of the Word. Years later, these same verses seem remarkably clearer as they reveal a deeper understanding. It does not necessarily mean that what one used to believe was wrong. The earlier and later meanings can both be correct; it is how the precious fruit of truth ripens: Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain (James 5:7, ASV). The rains of experience will mature the earlier meaning resulting in the latter (fuller) meaning, which is how God’s people come to a full age. There is no expiration date on truth, for God’s Word is eternally true and inexhaustible.

God does not need your intellect or oratory skills to reveal His truth

As you navigate through this dangerously deceptive world, you will need clearer insight into and better understanding of God’s Word: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive (Ephesians 4:14, KJV). For His Word will illuminate your path: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105, KJV).

This book was not written with the eloquence and erudition of a scholar, but by a common man with a thirsty heart and mind for the truth. Where my skills as a writer, theologian, and scholar of Hebrew and Greek may be lacking, I make up for with a deep love for God’s Word and an unwavering pursuit for wisdom from its spiritual source. Standing confidently on God’s promise to give wisdom to any person who asks, I present this literary work.

I concur with the apostle Paul that the authority by which one writes or preaches concerning spiritual truth does not come from their own intellect, nor does one’s oratory or writing skills validate such authority. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:4–5, KJV).

Lastly, but most importantly, I pray that Christians will diligently seek a personal relationship with the God of the universe. The heavenly Father gave His Son and Christ gave His life so that people can walk with the heavenly Father in communion again during the cool of the morning in a garden paradise.

Preface

A jigsaw puzzle has many pieces, and the objective is to connect all the pieces together correctly. The reward for this painstaking task is the unveiling of the beautiful picture so proudly displayed on the box’s cover. Many times during the assembly process, a piece of the puzzle will appear to connect, but its image will reveal that it is out of place. Both the image and shape of the piece to be connected have to line up with all of the other assembled pieces. If incorrectly connected, the ending results will yield a distorted picture with many spare pieces.

Think of God’s Word as a divine jigsaw puzzle. His truths, which are available in His Word, are the pieces to the puzzle. God’s truths (the pieces), if fitted together correctly, will yield a beautiful portrait of God’s love—Jesus Christ. In addition, as one truth connects to another, and then another, passages that were once confusing become clear, questions finally have answers that make sense, difficult issues seem remarkably simple, and solutions to life’s problems are easily identified. Truth answers all questions.

DUE TO OUR SEASONS WE CAN GATHER FRUIT; AND DUE

TO THE SEASONS OF OUR LIVES CAN WE GATHER THE

PRECIOUS FRUIT OF WISDOM.

SPRING

SPRING_.tif

CHAPTER 1

A DAILY FOOT-WASHING

Does Sin Have a Purpose?

My journey with the Lord began long before my acceptance of Christ and baptism in April of 1983. God had been pulling on my heartstrings for years, but after I became His child, my life really started to get exciting—although in the beginning, my Christian walk was not what I expected. As a matter of fact, it was confusing, frustrating, and at times I questioned my salvation. The reason for my mixed feelings was that I thought that salvation would make me sin-proof. Didn’t I read somewhere that my sins were crucified with Christ on the cross? I confessed my sins; the Blood of the Lamb washed me clean, and Christ now dwells in my heart. So why was I still struggling daily with sin?

TIME TO DOUBT

The church I attended was having a weeklong revival. Scheduled to preach for the week, starting Monday evening and ending on Sunday morning, was a husband-and-wife evangelistic team. The response to the first three evening altar calls had been disappointing to the preacher. On the fourth night of the revival, the preacher announced that at the last church where he preached, the pastor came forward and got saved. This was disturbing to me in that I was already struggling with doubts about my salvation. The questions in my mind were, How is it possible, after spiritually leading a congregation for years, for an ordained man of God to come to a sudden realization that he wasn’t saved? If a man who had been serving as a spiritual leader for years was wrong about his salvation, who then can know for certain? Looking back, I question whether this pastor’s response didn’t come more from a lack of understanding of his sins than a sudden awareness that he was not saved. Pastors have unrealistic expectations placed on them, both by their congregations and themselves. They are expected to be perfect. Trying to live up to this expectation will cause a pastor to burn out. Living with years of this kind of pressure can cause unhealthy behavior or lead to a wrong conclusion about oneself.

Some denominations say that a sinless life is required. Christians must strive to live sinless lives—and if we do sin, we can lose our salvation. In this case, we must be saved again. Others argue that we will sin daily. So who is right?

You don’t understand now why I am doing it, some day you will

Jesus gave us the answer when he knelt down and washed the feet of His disciples. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded (John 13:4–5, KJV). None of Jesus’ disciples said anything until Jesus came to Peter: Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet (John 13:8, KJV). Jesus’ next statement revealed that there was a deeper spiritual implication to His actions that they would later come to understand: You don’t understand now why I am doing it; some day you will (John 13:7, TLB). Peter’s response toward Jesus washing his feet was out of reverence for Him, but Jesus answered him, if I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me (John 13:8, KJV). Simon Peter, disturbed by Jesus’ response, said, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head (John 13:9, KJV). Peter’s lack of understanding toward Jesus’ humble actions moved Jesus to explain that he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all (John 13:10, KJV). These words from Jesus are the clue to the hidden spiritual implication that the disciples would learn another day. Jesus was trying to explain

Reviews for Seeking Wisdom from God

[eheinlen_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a great book. It was easy-to-read and straightforward. The author clearly explains Christian and biblical messages without being too preachy. This is definitely a must read for anyone who needs to reaffirm his or her faith or anyone looking to become a Christian for the first time, but needs more information and advice.

[av0415 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's such an eye opener book. The accounts of the author tickle the spirituality within me and motivates me to remember to offer everything to the Lord because He loves us all. The way Thomas Walker wrote the entire book was so simple but because of it, it was easier for me to relate to his stories. It is an interesting read for those who lost their paths and for those who want to straighten what they started.

[winnemucca · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My knowledge of the Bible is very limited so I will neither attempt to agree nor disagree with Thomas Walker's interpretations of scriptures. I was lucky enough to receive this book as part of The Library Thing Member Giveaway. My hope in entering for a copy of the book was to reach a better understanding of the Bible. Many scriptures leave me in a state of muddled confusion. I appreciated the opportunity to have passages interpreted. The book exceeded my expectations because Bible quotations and references were used to explain broad areas of religion and faith.The following is a quote from the book's dust jacket. "As the rings found inside a large tree that start from the outer parameter and progress inward toward the heart of the tree, so likewise in the Bible are God's truths layered like the rings in a tree-starting at the verses and progressing inward toward the heart and mind of God. Applying this parallelism, Christendom's progress in understanding God's truths would be analogous to having only removed the bark."This is a very worthwhile read.

[twlite_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I won this book from a LibraryThing giveawayThis is a great book. It takes you on a journey of spiritual growth. It brings up many issues and The Bibles answer to them. You won't be disappointed when you read this book.

[strogan_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Seeking Wisdom from God was an interesting read and Mr. Walker presents a well-rounded, albeit somewhat contradictory, argument for his viewpoint.While I cannot honestly say that I agree with his presentation, or limited focus, I do see why he would do so based on what he has written.I do not consider myself any sort of authority on faith, but Mr. Walker's opinions look to be strong from his point of view and will certainly open up a discussion among his readers.Received via LibraryThing giveaway.

[treepalka · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book started off well, with a story about his journey to God. It caught my attention and immediately drew me into the book and excited me about continuing to read I enjoyed his story and found it very relatable. Beyond the initial chapter my interest in the book waivered and I struggled through several parts. The author explained his point of view very clearly and did not state any of his opinions in a way as to make it fell like he was trying to force them on the reader. Though the book was well written, the inconsistency between the author's theories and the Bible made it difficult for me to follow. I did find some of his theories interesting and was especially inspired by Chapter 7, The Portrait of Christ. I like how the author points out that Christ can often be seen in the most unlikely people, I found it to be a very important reminder about how judgmental we can be at times. For me, reading this book was more about sorting the good from the not so good than it was being enlightened about a revolutionary insight into the scriptures.

[vivian4vilmin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was interesting to read. It made me think about my thoughts and feelings on a few issues. Some of it I thought was nice in theory, but I can never see myself believing it even though I am a Christian. And, parts of the book I could totally relate to because I have had similar experiences. It is a book that is worth reading because it is well thought out and enjoyable. I would have definitely picked this book to read if it was at a library because it's artsy cover would have drawn me to it and I like to read books where I learn something. This book will teach you something if you let it.

[bemislibrary · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

One man’s journey illustrates how his own personal interpretation of Scripture, myths, and historical facts could lead readers to spiritual growth and support his philosophy of life and faith. Although this non-academic work is expected to open the hearts of readers to a Christian way of life, it is defeated by the many contradictions. For example, the author speaks of racism and “hatred [as] a seed sown by the evil one into the hearts of men” (Chapter 12) only to turn around and state that the Holocaust was God’s punishment and retaliation against the Jewish people for the death of Jesus (Chapter 19). Walker appears to support higher learning, yet comes across as anti-intellectual, at least where one would criticize the Bible and Scripture. This book also contains a list of citations.

[ageekatheart · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thomas H. Walker’s book uses the idea that God’s message is like a jigsaw puzzle; all the pieces will fit together to form God’s love. In a logical way he goes through a series of scriptural concepts to show his point.I do not believe that this was necessarily an easy to understand book, despite the short length of it. I found myself only able to read a few pages at a time without getting bored; I was never really drawn in. While I believe that his basic message was good I felt as though he kind of jumped around and I didn’t always understand the point that he was trying to make. There were chapters that I enjoyed and found well written. I liked chapter 7 where he talks about Christ being seen in the most unlikely people because that is a constant reminder that I need to stop judging others.As I came to the end of the book I read the chapter in which Walker tries to explain the Holocaust. I suppose it is an interesting theory, but I don’t think that I necessarily agree with it. He says that because the Jewish people rejected Jesus they remain under the law. “And because of the pledge spoken at the trial, God was obligated by law to avenge His Son’s blood.” (page 142)So when I read this book I saw some good in it as well as bad. Once I sorted through what I believed and didn’t believe I found some good pieces throughout the book.I received this book for free from LibraryThing Member Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.