Chapter 1

Importance of Proverbs for the Edification of the Church

"The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion." (Proverbs 1:1-4)

The Proverbs were written by Solomon out of divine wisdom. It was imparted to him from on high. It was imparted to him because he was the son of David, who was the King of Israel. Though Solomon became a backslider at the very end of his life due to his love towards all the strange women he had known, yet God gave him wisdom just because he was the son of David, to whom God had given wonderful promises. David, who was recognized as the King of Israel, was a man after God’s own heart.

The key word of the Proverbs is “wisdom and instruction." Wisdom is given of God to those who seek it, whereas instruction is learned from the Word. We should not only learn it but also follow it. Solomon had received wisdom and instruction, but did not follow “instruction." Instruction is defined as “chastisements, reproof, warning, rebuke, doctrine, disciple, correction." Wisdom without instruction is very dangerous. In our day, many serve God in His vineyard through wisdom, but seldom abide by instruction. We get wisdom as we seek it from God. We get instruction as we meditate upon the Word. We should know wisdom and instruction. We know wisdom because it is given of God. We know instruction because we learn it out of His word.

We should perceive the words of understanding. Understanding means “knowledge and wisdom." The Word of God contains the words of understanding. Our generation does not take time to meditate on the Scriptures for ourselves, to understand what they are trying to tell us, with the result that we accept any doctrine which is not of the Bible. We just rush through the Word of God in a hurry. We do not understand it. We should understand it and not simply read it.

We should receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity. Instruction on wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity is very essential. We tend to receive instruction from the Word only on love, mercy, and compassion.

Instruction on wisdom: Many of us do not know how to receive wisdom from God. We have to humble ourselves before God and confess that we do not know anything without Him. We have to tell others how they should receive wisdom from God.

Instruction on justice: We do not administer justice in our day-to-day work, either in God’s vineyard or in our vineyard. We have to receive instruction on justice from the Word of God. We should not respect any person while administering justice (James 2:1,9). It has to be only on merits.

Instruction on judgment: As spiritual men, we have to judge all things (I Cor 2:15). We should judge every doctrine being preached from the pulpit, whether it is backed up by the Word of God. Judgment is of God.

Instruction on equity: We have to treat everybody equally without any respect to persons, this means showing the same kindness to a poor person that we show to a rich person. Principles of equity should be applicable to every matter we deal with.

Subtilty to the simple: The children of God have to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16b). We are not wise at all, when compared to the children of the world (Luke 16:8b). We plan and execute many schemes in His Vineyard, but no output is evident. We set out to accomplish something and do not accomplish anything. We find the business leaders of this world are very successful, whereas the Christian leaders are not as successful as these business men.

Christians are known as the simple people. But the simple people need to receive insight. If the simple Christian leaders receive insight, they can do great exploits for the Kingdom of God. I find that many Christian ministries do not have proper goals or visions, whereas the corporate houses formulate their organizational goals and review their organizational goals at regular intervals, with reference to their outputs.

Knowledge and discretion to the young man: The Christian youth have to be imparted knowledge in the Word of God. They need to be taught the right doctrines of the Word of God. They should be taught to discern the truth from the lie. Discretion means "witty invention, a plan (machination), thought". While building the Kingdom of God, our young people have to be aggressive. They should come out with witty inventions. Through the brain-storming session, the young executives in the corporate sector think high, plan great things, and achieve great results. What about the young people who build the Kingdom of God? Many Christian churches organize youth meetings, festive days, or seminars which are not goal-oriented. It is always for some fun, and has nothing to do with attaining results for the kingdom of God. In the corporate house in-house meetings for young executives, these young executives are motivated to produce results towards their organizational goals. Our Christian youth are not motivated to evangelize, but to seek fun. Our Christian youth are not usually motivated to seek God’s power through prayers in a similar manner as when the 120 disciples were gathered together in the Upper Room for prayers. Our Christian youth should be motivated to invent novel ways for evangelism in this electronic age. The youth power should be channeled for work in His vineyard.

Words of the Wise and Their Interpretations

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings." Proverbs 1:5-6

A wise man will hear what the Holy Spirit speaks to him through the Word. On hearing the truth from the Word, he will increase learning. We do not increase learning because we do not hear.

These days, we do not hear, but are very prompt in speaking. We only wish to hear about the blessings of God, and not the consequences of sin in our lives. We do not hear the Holy Spirit who wants to speak to us through the Word of God. But we want to give “His messages” to the multitudes when He has not given us His messages. Without hearing Him, how can we give His messages? Sadhu Sundar Singh first heard the Holy Spirit and then preached to others. Today, we do not increase learning because we do not hear. Our learning process is static and does not grow. We know only a little on doctrines because we have not heard Him further after learning the little.

We need to attain unto wise counsels to understand a proverb and its interpretation. Proverb means "a hidden thing, maxim, or parable." It needs to be interpreted. It is also to utter "the words of wisdom and their hidden meanings." The words of wisdom need to be interpreted or revealed. The Bible is full of words of wisdom. We cannot understand the same easily unless we become wise by surrendering to God and the Holy Spirit. We can attain unto wise counsels only if we humble ourselves and surrender before God. The Holy Spirit does reveal to us the hidden revelations of the words wisdom when we obey God in everything. We cannot understand the words of wisdom in the Bible because we do not take the trouble to hear the divine Author who inspired the writers of these 66 books of the Bible.

The words of wisdom will remain as hidden sayings as long as we do not understand the same through the Holy Spirit. We need the anointing of the Holy Spirit to understand the words of the wisdom coming from the Bible. The honey remains in the rock and we have to reach to it. These days, many of us do not interpret the words of prophecy or the codes and signs in the book of Revelation because we lack in wisdom. If we humble ourselves before God and obey Him in everything, He gives us wisdom. Through wisdom, we do understand the hidden things of God.

Fear of the Lord

" The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

We need knowledge to know about God. The knowledge of God is hidden in the Word. Prophet Isaiah cried, "My people are gone into captivity because they have no knowledge: and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst." (Isaiah 5:13) Prophet Hosea cried, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." (Hos.4:6)

The knowledge of God has to be desired more than burnt offerings (Hos.6:6). The churches are going into captivity of the devil because they have no knowledge of the truth. They do not know the Bible doctrines--especially the doctrines of Jesus Christ and His apostles. The devil wants to keep us in ignorance of the truth. They are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The priest's lips should keep knowledge (Mal.2:7). But we seldom find knowledge from the lips of the ministers of God these days. Lack of knowledge is attributed to lack of fear of the Lord. Where there is no fear of the Lord, there is no knowledge of God. "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate." (Proverbs 8:13) How many of us have the fear of the Lord? Apart from the knowledge of God, we need knowledge about this universe and the creations of God. If we have the fear of the Lord, we can discover many things in this universe. A born-again Christian scientist can discover any medicine or invent anything in this universe.

The fools despise wisdom and instruction. God has given wisdom as a gift to the Church. Many children of God who have been gifted with this gift, warn us when we preach or do something which is not scriptural. Similarly, many children of God well-versed in the Word of God give us instruction on the sanctity of marriage, holy living, ethical business dealings, obeying laws of the land, etc. These are all found within the pages of the Bible. If we despise the same, the Word of God would call us "fools." Though we may call ourselves apostles or prophets or evangelists, if we despise wisdom and instruction, we are fools in the sight of God. God uses ordinary people or children to teach us wisdom and instruction.

When I was a young preacher, I went to the pulpit of a small church to preach with shoes on. In India, in small churches, we are looked down upon when we enter the churches with chappals, or shoes. We are expected to remove and keep the same outside the church building. After I preached the message, a man approached me asking for my apology. He told me, "Brother, though no outward holiness was expected, you could have removed your shoes while preaching from the pulpit." I immediately accepted his instruction. According to him, a man who preached the message of God stood on a holy ground. It was lawful for me to wear my shoes, because under the New Covenant, there is no holy place. Yet, for the sake of my brethren who have a custom of removing shoes before entering the church building, I should take off my shoes before entering the church building. After this incident, I will never go to any church pulpit with shoes on my feet. Paul says, "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient." (I Cor.6:12). If there is a custom which is not contrary to the Word of God, we should accept it for the sake of the gospel.

Instruction of thy Father and Law of thy Mother

"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:""For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck." Proverbs 1:8-9

Who is "thy father"? It does not refer to my physical father. According to the standards of righteousness in the Word of God, there is a spiritual father for you. This does not refer necessarily to your biological father. This refers to an ideal father who has all the attributes of a spiritual father in Christ Jesus. According to the standards of righteousness in the Word of God, there is a father for you. He is a model father after the heart of God. This father does not allow you to live in sin. He is a model father after the heart of God. This father does not allow you to lead a life without any purpose. This father does not allow you to divorce your wife or to forsake your children. This father does not allow you to remarry another spouse after divorce if you have divorced your spouse. This father exhorts you to get yourself reconciled with your vagabond spouse. This father does not allow you to permit your son or your daughter to roam about with his girlfriend or boyfriend, as the case may be. This father does not allow you to permit your son to date some boy or girl. He scolds us and speaks about judgment when we commit a sin. This father does not allow you to spend your precious time before your television or in a movie theater. This father does not allow you to misappropriate the funds of the church or your employer. My father has instruction to give me. He instructs me on how to live in this world, how to behave in the church, how to behave in my office, and how to lead my family life -how to treat my wife and children.

Paul was a spiritual father to Titus whom he called "my own son after the common faith" (Titus 1:4).

Every child of God should have only one spiritual father to nurtur him/her in the Word. A pastor cannot be a father to him/her unless the former has the heart of a father. Similarly, a minister of God like apostle, prophet, evangelist or teacher cannot take the place of a father if he does not have the heart of a father towards the sheep of the Lord . Thesedays, we find a child of God surrounded by all these ministers. Of course, a pastor or a prophet or an apostle can be a spiritual father to some child of God. In other words, a pastor or an apostolic minister who has the heart of a father can definitely be a father to some child of God. Paul was a father to the churches planted by him. An evangelist who preaches the gospel to the multitudes cannot become a father to all of them. An apostolic minister who plants the churches cannot be a father to all the sheep. Like Paul to Titus, he can be a father to some of the sheep only who are mostly his co-workers.

Who is "thy mother"? It does not refer to my physical mother, who is no more today. This refers to a spiritual mother who has all the attributes of a mother in Christ Jesus. According to the standards of righteousness in the Word of God, there is a mother for you. According to the standards of righteousness in the Word of God, there is a mother for me. This refers to a spiritual elder who has the heart of an ideal spiritual mother for me. This mother feeds me with her breast-milk in the Word. She always exhorts me to meditate on the Word of God. She exhorts me to pray always. She has her law for me. Her law does not change. I have to change myself according to her law. If I disobey her law, she weeps for me in her secret places. She weeps for me because she knows that if I forsake her law, I will land in hell. Her law teaches me to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. The law of my father further teaches me about my salvation, the new birth, etc., whereas the instruction of my father takes me to a higher level of righteousness. If I do not follow the instruction of my father after keeping the law of my mother, I may lose my life eternal.

In this verse, we find the instruction of thy father first, and then the law of thy mother. We have to hear the instruction of our father. Our father instructs us to hear the Word of God. We should always hear. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom.10:17). Today many people do not hear the instruction of their father. They do not take pains to hear all of the glorious gospel. They are perishing because they do not hear the instruction of their father. The law of our mother comes after this. People will believe on Jesus Christ only if they hear the instruction of their father for listening to the gospel. That is why the instruction of our father comes first.

The instruction of the father and the law of the mother are an ornament of grace unto our head, and chains about our neck. These are ornaments of grace for our spiritual life. Our spiritual life is adorned by them. Head means knowledge. Our knowledge about God comes through the knowledge about Jesus Christ only. The knowledge about Jesus Christ is revealed in the four gospels of the New Testament. We cannot separate the instruction of the father and the law of the mother from the knowledge about Jesus Christ. These are not merely some written codes of conduct for us. These are in fact graces given by God for our spiritual growth.

Nowadays, people preach that we need not follow any commandment under the New Testament as Jesus has become the end of the law. Though Jesus became the end of the law, we have to follow the instruction of the father and the law of the mother. The people of Israel followed the law of Moses out of compulsion but we have to follow the instruction of the father and the law of the mother with a willing mind and with a heart filled with love for our Father in heaven. We cannot lead the life of grace without the instruction of the Father and the law of the mother.

These are chains about our neck. Neck means integrity. It is the neck in our body which holds our head and the body together. Similarly, the integrity of a person holds his knowledge and soul together. The body is likened to our soul. The instruction of the father and the law of the mother are chains about our neck. This means that we cannot uphold our integrity without following the instruction of the father and the law of the mother. These days, many wisemen of this world claim to have integrity. If they have integrity without Jesus Christ, their integrity cannot hold their head (knowledge) and their body (soul) together. In other words, a life of morality without Jesus Christ is good for nothing. Our integrity or our life of morality should be adorned by the instruction of the father and the law of the mother. These days, we have in our midst many scholars or writers or intellectuals who have "head" i.e. knowledge but they do not have "neck" i.e. integrity or that character that holds their head (knowledge) and their body (soul) together.

Enticement by Sinners

"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood." Proverbs 1:10-16

If any people ask you to join hands with them to persecute some innocent person, either in your church, in your society, or in your office, do not join them. According to the Word of God, they are sinners, indeed. They may call themselves "born-again" or "Spirit-filled" Christians. If all of them consent to get rid of an innocent man or woman from their church, do not go with them.

If sinners entice you, you should not consent. If some servant of God sends you an invitation to hatch a conspiracy against an innocent person, you should not give your consent, not to speak of your joining hands with him. In your office or in your society, if some people invite you to implicate an innocent person in a false case of litigation, you should not give your consent.

These days, many popular evangelists entice the innocent people of God with an eye on their money purses in order to support their own various building projects or other ministries. They covet "all precious substance" with a view to filling "our houses with spoil." They exhort the prospective donors to "cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse." They do not tell the donors after receipt of their money as to how they have spent their money. Their establishments are likened to white elephants. Whatever money is received by them cannot be properly accounted for. "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." (John 3:20-21) They spend the sacrificial offerings given by the people of God for purposes which are not meant for evangelism or for ministering to the saints. They spend this money for maintaining their own kingdoms. "My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path." We should not give our precious money to such ministries who have lost the vision of the Cross. Let us not walk in the way with them. We should refrain our foot from their path. Their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. They are not shedding the blood in a literal sense by killing some people. There are many saints who give to these ministries from their pensions. They are many saints who give to these ministries out of penury.

Warning Against Greediness

"Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof." Proverbs 1:17-19

If we are duly warned, as is the bird who sees the snare set for it, and we take heed to the warning, we will not be in danger. The Word of God and true ministers of God warn us so that we may not take part in ministries which are funded from greed. The Lord says, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7: 20) The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, will bear witness in our spirit. "And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth." (I John 5:6b) A friend recently told me in dismay that she had been giving to one of the large, very visible ministries, and that in calling them for the last year's record of giving for tax purposes, she was told that they had no such record on her, but for a couple of months. She was disheartened, but admitted she had learned a very valuable lesson. Since God is just, she realized that there must have been warning signs which she did not heed. One was the offer of an "anointing oil" packet for an offering. Where do we read of Jesus selling His anointing? We don't. My friend had poured into this ministry as well as another large, questionable ministry - money that we determined should have been given to the widows and orphans, at least (James 1:27).

Such ministers with a view to making money lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. The donors who give in the Name of God will not face the wrath of God, but those who receive the same by way of deceptions and manipulations do face His wrath. Ultimately, what happens to every such minister who has become greedy of gain? Until and unless he or she repents, he of she may himself or herself in hell. The money takes him or her to the hell. Let us be very careful in money matters.

A dear sister in Christ from America who was my co-worker in this ministry narrated an incident here.

She read this modern-day parable: “A local couple received an unexpected windfall. Following the pattern for their lives, they thought to themselves, “What should we do, for truly we already have all that we need?’ Then they said, ‘We will do this – we will use this money to support those who are without, both those in our own community and those overseas who lack the basic things that we enjoy, and so often have taken for granted.’ And then we will say to our souls, ‘Souls, you have so much to be thankful for; give hospitality, advocate for others, volunteer, and pray.’ And God said to them, ‘My beloved faithful children, I will share with you my joys, my sorrows, my hopes, my dreams – and one day, when your part is done, I will welcome you home.’ “ This couple chose not to let “the prosperity of fools…destroy them.” (v.3). They heeded the wisdom of the Lord Jesus in the parable of the rich young ruler (Luke :15-21).

Wisdom Crieth

"Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?" Proverbs 1:20-22.

We are told in Romans 1:18-22, that God has clearly shown Himself to all people by His creation, so that anyone who truly wants to know Him, may know Him. The Spirit of God, which "lights" every man who comes into the world (John 1:9), has innately given each person that knowing, or conscience, which is made to seek after God. This passage also says that men have no excuse for not recognizing, glorifying, and thanking God, so their hearts become dark. "God also gave them up" to all sorts of evil (v.24 ff.) because they did not want to think of God and fear Him. Proverbs 8:13 tells us that the fear of God is to hate evil. We do not fear the Lord if we do not hate the things God hates. A "feeling" about the awesomeness of God is certainly appropriate, but that is not what the Word calls the fear of the Lord.

God’s wisdom cries out in the streets. The street is the place where we find all the rich, the poor, the sick, and the afflicted, both the saints and the sinners. God’s wisdom speaks to all these people without discrimination on grounds of race or color. Today the glorious gospel is preached to all these people. But they do not listen to it. These days, the children of God flock to the meetings of popular evangelists or to the church pulpits of megachurches. But wisdom still cries out in the streets. We tend to ignore somebody preaching a message from a corner of a street. We may assume him to be a mentally deranged person.

But wisdom cries out through this man who stands in the corner of the street. There is no pulpit or dais for him. Today we find that a small group of true ministers of God cry out in the streets. There is no place for them either in the popular small churches, or the large mega-churches.

The chief place of concourse is a place where people make a loud sound, or a great commotion.

Normally, in our Indian vegetable or fish or meat markets, the hawkers make a loud noise to sell their merchandise. At times, they offer very good discounts. Still, many buyers would not heed them, thinking that these traders are only fooling them. The same buyers would prefer to spend more money in shops where they are taken for a ride. But wisdom exhorts us to heed the hawkers in the chief place of concourse. Similarly, there are true ministers of God in our midst who make a loud sound about their message. We do not heed them at all.

In the openings of the gates, we find many true ministers of God. But we do not notice them at all.

We rush to go inside the city where we find preachers who give messages to our itching ears, and where we can indulge in sin. The openings of the gates are important places where God set His watchmen to warn us against the deceptions in the city. Ultimately, we find wisdom only cries out only in the streets of the city, the chief place of the concourse, the openings of the gates, and finally in the city. Had we listened to the watchmen in the openings of the gates, we would not have entered the city at all. When wisdom cries out in the street, wisdom follows after them when they enter the city and warns them in unambiguous terms. However, these multitudes did not listen. In the city, wisdom calls these multitudes, "simple ones" who love simplicity; "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?" The multitudes do not heed the truth. Since these simple ones do not heed the truth, they have become scorners who delight in their scorning. They have scorned the true ministers of God who had stood in the streets, in the chief place of concourse, and in the openings of the gates.

Reproof for Our Good

“Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.” Proverbs 1:23

If the Lord has to pour out His Spirit upon you and to make known His words unto you, you should accept His reproof and repent. God reproves through His word and through His servants. All the calamities that we face today are attributed to our not heeding His reproofs. Many people claim to have received the Holy Spirit. They have not received the Holy Spirit, but a spirit of error from the devil. Without repentance, they pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The devil deceives them through a counterfeit spiritual experience. They become very emotional (soulish) and not spiritual. They have not repented after receiving God’s reproof."

A dear sister from USA saw the following dream and had requested me to interpret it during May 2004: "I had a dream that I was in a church, and there was an altar call. I felt as though I needed to go up for prayer, but for some reason, I hesitated. I did go up after a few moments. The minister was a man in my old church who was praying for the people. When he came to me, he told me to go and to fall forward when he laid hands on me. As I did, I fell on the floor and started rolling. All I could see was stars in my mind. When I got up, I felt very dazed as I walked back to my seat”.

I interpreted the above dream as follows:

"Your vision is a prophetic one. The minister whom you saw in your old church is typical of a group of ministers. No doubt, they pray for their sheep, but cause the sheep under their care to go into captivity of the spirit of error, who is of the devil. It is a false revival fire. They experience outward emotional experiences, but their inward men remain unchanged. A false revival fire is poured out on their sheep in that they experience only emotional experiences and make physical movements of their bodies. But in their lives they do not have the spiritual experience of crucifixion with Christ and the dominion of the Holy Spirit. The minister seen by you in the dream asked you to fall down when he laid his hands on you. In a true revival, nobody would ask you to fall down. When the glory of God is revealed, you will fall down and worship Him."

Let us read the account of revival in Wales: "After you fell on the floor, you could see some stars in a vision. Seeing stars in a dream does not mean getting a revelation of God. You have seen only the stars created by God. You have merely gotten a revelation of the creatures of God and not of the Creator God. It is a deception only. The end-result is that you felt very dazed. All such emotional experiences (soulish) did not result in a revelation of God. When you get a revelation of God, you will feel your unworthiness; you will experience His love, and you will be filled with His love towards the Body of Christ. You will never feel dazed."

In the above vision, we find that the pastor concerned did not give any message of repentance. He merely asked the sister concerned to fall down when he placed his hands on her.

God pours out His Spirit upon those who repent on His reproof. God reproves the people through the glorious gospel. God reproves His own people for edification through His word. If we do not heed His reproof, we will never get the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He will never make His words known to us if we do not accept His reproof and turn from our own ways. Many servants of God claim to have received His revelations and visions. But they have not accepted His reproofs. The messages they preach from the pulpits are not His messages because God has not make known His words to them. They preach merely out of their head-knowledge of the Bible.

No Man Regardeth

"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:" Proverbs 1:24-25

God calls every human being through the gospel. There are still millions who have not yet heard His call. But for those who have heard His gospel and refused to accept the same, there is no excuse. Only His eternal judgment awaits them. Similarly, God calls a child of God who is in error to the truth of His word. If she or he refuses to accept the truth, he or she may not inherit the great blessings that are in store for him or her.

God is still stretching out His hand to the people, unsaved or saved. It is a pity that "no man regarded." Wisdom cries out in the streets, in the chief place of concourse, and in the openings of the gates. But no man regards it. How long will God stretch out His hand?

Today we find our Lord weeping in our midst. He is stretching out His Hand to a people who do not regard Him. What will He do further? He has sent out His servants to preach the truth to them, but they have not accepted the truth. What will He do except weep? Jesus weeps today. Jesus Christ of Nazareth weeps today! There is "another Jesus" in our midst. In America, they worship Him according to their own understanding. But wisdom cries out and exhorts them to worship Him according to the truth. Nobody regards Him. In India and in many other countries, the people of God have made out "another Jesus" who heals and performs miracles, but who does not reprove them for their sin. Still, wisdom cries out and exhorts them to worship Him according to the truth. Nobody regards Him.

Many people who bear His Name have set at naught all His counsel. His counsels are found in the Word, from Genesis to Revelation. We have His Word in our hands. There are still millions who do not have His Word in their own languages. We question His doctrines. The people in the West who have been abundantly blessed by God with all material resources are shooting films questioning the very life of Jesus Christ. They are questioning the doctrines of creation. Their governments are banning reading of Scriptures in schools and public offices. They are justifying adulterous marriage covenants.

Reproof is very essential for our spiritual growth. Pruning helps a tree to yield more fruit. One way we are pruned is by another's correction. If we are reproved by some one, our ego is hurt. We want others to flatter us, and not to reprove us. The death of a great ministry is attributed to not taking heed His reproof.

When God Will Not Answer

" I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: " Proverbs 1:26-28

If we do not accept His reproof and repent of our evil ways, His judgment will befall us. The Holy Spirit says, "I also will laugh at your calamity". Today we find that many people of God face calamities in their lives. We do receive many prayer requests asking us to pray for deliverance from diverse diseases or from the hands of evil spirits. Though we pray for their deliverance in the Name of Jesus Christ, many of these afflicted people do not get deliverance because they have turned their hearts away from His reproof. When they were reproved by others, they did not accept the same. The Holy Spirit says, "I will mock when your fear cometh." When their fear comes, the Lord mocks them. Proverbs 9:8 says, "Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee." When we rebuke a wise man, he will love us. Open rebuke is better than secret love (Prov.27:5 ). There are many servants of God who are being used by God mightily through signs and wonders. If a believer, after hearing their messages, reproves one of these servants of God, will the latter accept the reproof of the former? If a pastor is reproved by a believer, will the former accept the reproof of the latter? This is the million dollar question.

You will become wiser if somebody reproves you for your mistake. At times, our fear comes as desolation and our destruction comes as a whirlwind; and distress and anguish comes upon us, despite our prayers coupled with fasting, or despite the prayers of intercession by others. The Holy Spirit says, "Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer." If any of our prayers still remains unanswered by God, we should examine our life very carefully to see whether we had rejected at any point of time any word of reproof from others. The last part of this verse makes me tremble. The Holy Spirit says, "They shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me." (Prov. 1:28) What a pity! The Bible says that if you seek, you shall find, and if you knock, it shall be opened (Matt.7:7).

But here, it says that even if we seek Him early, we will not find Him. Let us note that the Proverbs are equally applicable to the people of God under the New Covenant. Let us not say that since we are under the dispensation of grace, God always hears our prayers in the Name of Jesus Christ. For everything, there is a time. The Spirit of God will not strive with us for long. The Holy Spirit who knocks at the door of your heart for a very long time will depart from the door of your heart one day (Song of Solomon 3:1-2 and 5:6, & Rev. 3:20 ). Because you have rejected His reproof and His counsels, which were for your good. "I sought Him but I could not find Him: I called Him, but He gave me no answer." (Song of Solomon 5:6)

Because They Hated Knowledge

" For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." Proverbs 1:29-31

They hated knowledge. Knowledge means knowing God through the word of the truth. These days, we find many people who want to know about God. They find a plethora of religious books to know about God, but they do not want to know God personally through His only begotten Son. The so-called "born-again Christians" do not want to know God more and more through the word of the truth. They are just content with their initial experience of salvation and want to be in their stagnant pool of knowledge. When we preach the truth to them, they just do not accept it. They just want to be content with what they learn from their pastors. They thus hate knowledge.

They did not choose the fear of the Lord. They take the Name of God in vain. They utter the Name of Jesus Christ umpteen times. But they have no fear of the Lord because they live in abominable sins today. I did preach the truth concerning marriage and divorce to many people in the west. Some of them rejected it, saying that their pastors had the right doctrines in this regard. They did not want to search the Scriptures to know the truth. They do not choose the fear of the Lord. Instead, they choose the preachers who allow the sin of adultery.

The Holy Spirit bemoans today, "They would none of my counsel: they despised all My reproof." (vs.30) God has given us His counsels and words of reproof in His word. But we choose only His promises of blessings for us and reject His counsels and reproof. On our walls of churches or homes, we find only the Bible verses of blessings. Why cannot we have His words of warning depicted on our walls?

If we despise His reproof, we will definitely eat of the fruit of our own way, and be filled with our own devices. Whatever a man sows, he reaps (Gal.6:7). If we sow His wrath by rejecting His reproof or by hating knowledge, we will reap His wrath only. Wisdom cries out in the streets today! But we do not listen to Him. If the wisdom cries out from the synagogues, we will definitely listen to Him. But wisdom has chosen only the streets, the chief place of the concourse and the openings of the gates. In these last days of great deception, we cannot hear the Wisdom from our church pulpits or from our evangelical dais.

We are filled with our own devices. Our own devices are our own tools, or our own ways for evangelism or for His work. We do not get His ideas for preaching the gospel. When I was in Malaysia, a nation where you cannot preach the gospel openly to the Muslims, I exhorted some people of God there to collect the email addresses of their Muslim friends and to send the gospel message to them through email/Internet. I even offered my help to them. But they did not take my words very seriously. They despised my counsels. Today we have wonderful and beautiful churches in Malaysia but cannot preach the gospel to the Muslims through these churches. The Holy Spirit would give us His counsels only if we are in a position to listen Him. The Holy Spirit will definitely give us novel ways for evangelism which have not yet been discovered.

Slain or Safe?

"For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." Proverbs 1:32-33

When the simple who do hate knowledge and despise His counsels do not turn away from their evil ways, they will be slain spiritually. Similarly, the material prosperity of "fools," i.e. those who hate knowledge and despise His counsels, will destroy them spiritually. There is a progressive spiritual death taking place in the life of a child of God who hates knowledge and who despises His counsels. It does not take place in a single day. It takes place over a period of long time.

"But whoso hearkens unto Me [Wisdom] shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." (v.33) In this particular time in our world, when evil is rampant, aren't we comforted to know that God has promised to keep us safe and not anxious or fearful, because we heed to His Word? Our part is to pay heed to His Wisdom, and His part is to keep us quiet from fear. God has not left us without a wonderful promise when we listen and obey Him! His promise can be appropriated by us if we do not hate knowledge and do not despise His counsels. The great lie of the deceiver is that there is a "better" way, and that God is not telling us the truth. This has been his lie since he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, and it continues to be his calling card today. Oh that God will open our eyes to His Truth and to the deception of the enemy!

Next......Chapter 2