The Misdirection Of Cultural Milieu

[Mr. M]

There is a very strong misdirecting influence among many who appoint themselves to be teachers in Israel. Their position is constantly claiming a better understanding because they have a greater comprehension of context by studying the Milieu in which the narrative takes place.

Consider this scenario, you have just completed reading Revelation chapter two and three. There are what may seem to be obscure references to Jezebel and Nicolaitans, names of cities across Asia Minor, etc...and the carnal mind of worldly wisdom states, "I need to study first century cultures and how they interacted among Jews and Greeks under Roman Rule of Law." This is a perfect example of why converts are designated sheep as a part of God's flock. The tendency of a sheep is to put their head down and eat to the full of a fruitful field until they are lost from the rest of the flock.

If you think that Milieu is to be the basis of comprehending God's Word, you have already missed the mark! The standard for comprehension is given directly from the narrative being used for study, and it is stated in simple Gospel terms 7 times!

"Let those who have ears, hear what the (Voice of) the Spirit is saying to the Ecclesia". In other words, in Christ the Spirit always addresses the Faithful in the language of the Body of Christ, never just an individual's concerns. Peter fully elaborates on hearing the Voice to confirm the Word.

First Peter One:

16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 

17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 

18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 

20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 

21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

There is no better example of individuals who oppose the work of the Spirit than carnal-minded believers who claim a superior comprehension because "they have put in the work". If this is work, then what is it to rest? The work of the Saint is to listen and obey. Shemah.

Ezekiel Three:

10 Moreover He said to me:

“Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears." Selah.

When the Psalmist wrote, "thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee", the confirmation is that we receive God's word into our hearts, and learn to hear "with our Spiritual ears". All scripture is profitable. Little scripture is illiterate to the point of being spiritually blind, deaf, and mute. How difficult it must be to hear the Lord with the limited vocabulary of those who are not devoted to the Word and the Voice.

I will give a simple example from a past experience. My X-wife moved out and I was separated from my children and in a state of turmoil. Papers had been filed for "legal separation" which would lead to permanent divorce after a minimum of six months. Knowing how the Lord feels about divorce made this all the more excruciating.

As I have mentioned before, I spent a season residing with a brother and his wife and 5 children. There was also a young lady from Honduras living with them. One day she was asked to unpack several boxes of books onto shelves in the garage. She was aware of my situation, and to my carnal mind she was just "trying to be helpful" when she came up to me and handed me a booklet and said "the Lord told me to give this to you".

It was a Christian counselling manual something to the effect of "the stages of divorce", and as I thanked her, my mind is saying, "I do not want to read a book about divorce right now" and tossed the paperback towards a bean bag chair in the corner of the room. Before it even arrived at that familiar "squish" of a bag o' beans, the Spirit stated quite clearly "submit to one another in the fear of God". I remembered this was stated by Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians (Eph 5:21, and I always follow with a look-up), never relying solely on memory, even with "the Counsellor's" help, I do not test the Spirit.

I followed that book straight into the bean bag chair, "squished" around until I was comfortable, and read that booklet. I was appalled by the predictability of the carnal mind. The five stages of grief is another example. I was immediately set free from the indulgences of my "pitiable condition", and became completely preoccupied with walking in the Spirit, to be set free from such bondage of the flesh.

I understand that Counselors have best intentions, but there is a reason the Lord Yeshua referred to the Holy Spirit as "the Paraclete". Worldly counsel can only succeed if it is used as a "schoolmaster" to lead us closer and anchor us to Christ. That was 27 years ago, and I have not looked back, at least not in anger. Only to share a testimony, for "the wrath of man does not work the Righteousness of Christ".

James the Insignificant, in the digital milieu