When you complete this lesson, you will…
- Recognize paradigms you have used in the past to discover truth.
- Understand what it means that Truth is not detached information but is found in a Person.
- Embrace the desert experience as an essential part of the Spirit’s guiding you into Truth.
- State the biblical goal of “knowing.”
Before you begin…
This lesson may begin to challenge beliefs you have held all your life. As people raised and trained in Western culture and education, we tend to see knowledge and truth as objective academic pursuits. But Jesus was not a Westerner. He declared that He IS Truth; Truth is a Who, not a What. We know Truth by having an intimate relationship with Him, not by applying our minds to facts and figures. This can be very difficult for many of us to understand and embrace. But we don’t want you to simply take our word for anything we say. Remember, Holy Spirit is your Teacher for this module. Ask Him to reveal what He wants you to know. Before you read a sentence or listen to a word of what we have to say, lay your hand upon your heart and pray the following aloud and from your heart:
Lord, I draw near with a sincere heart, repentant and washed by the blood of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I set aside my thoughts, my reasoning, my theology, my fears and my pride. I relax, cease my own strivings, and tune to your flow within. Holy Spirit, I open my heart and mind to you. I ask that You anoint the eyes of my heart and enlighten my understanding. I ask that You grant me God’s thoughts, God’s pictures, God’s emotions and God’s creativity. Thank you for what you reveal, in Jesus’ name, Amen. (Ps. 46:10; Ps. 62:5; Heb. 10:22; Eph. 1:17,18; Jer. 29:13; Isa. 1:18; Jn. 7:37-39; Acts 2:25)
Assignments for Lesson One:
u Listen to or watch teaching Session One. It would be wise to take notes as you do.
u Complete Chapter One of the LEARN How Do You Know? Notebook. Answer all questions, write out all verses and complete all the two-way journaling.
u Stop by the forum for people taking this module and see what others are talking about. Leave a comment to encourage someone else. Ask any questions you have. Mark Virkler will be by to respond, as well as the other students.
u Prepare for Quiz One. Don’t just draw on your own ability to remember what you’ve learned. Holy Spirit is your Teacher and He lives inside of you. Before you begin your quiz, pray from the heart:
Holy Spirit, I quiet myself before You, and I ask that You remind me of the things I have learned. You have promised to bring things to my remembrance. I ask You to do that now. Thank you!
Taking it deeper:
u The full How Do YOU Know? Workbook is an in-depth examination of what the Bible teaches about “how one knows.” Mark Virkler meditated on 5,500 verses in preparation for writing the book, and he will guide you through a few thousand of them to see what approaches the Bible says we are to use in discovering Truth. The video sessions and LEARN that are required in the module are a distillation and practical explanation of the revelation he received. The full book is designed for you to allow the Spirit to give you revelation for yourself so that you may fully own it. It is Scripture-heavy and requires you to give the Spirit time to speak to you, so it is not a requirement. However, if this is a subject you want to truly master for yourself, if you want know, we encourage you to complete all the exercises, meditations and journaling as assigned.
This main workbook does not follow the order of the video sessions and LEARN chapters. Therefore, there will not be a direct correlation between the two parts of the course. However, they complement and build on each other so that by the end of the course, you will have a strong, solid foundation in biblical epistemology.
So, Read the Preface and Introduction of the How Do YOU Know? workbook, and complete Chapters One and Two according to the instructions in the text.
u Memorize John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
