This Week's Adult Lesson
Come on in and sit for a while. Open your Bible and let’s explore this week’s lesson together.
Week One: Why Faith Comes First
Series Mission Statement
A Month of Sundays — Helping children and adults feel comfortable walking and talking with the Holy Spirit.
Boss Monkey Porch Talk
Out here at the Monkey Ranch we got a simple understanding about things that really matter.
You don’t learn everything first…
and then decide whether you are willing to trust.
Most folks today want it the other way around. They say:
“Explain everything first.”
“Show me exactly what I am getting into.”
“Let me understand it all before I commit.”
In other words: “Knowledge first…then maybe faith.”
But God doesn’t work that way. God’s order is different. God says: Faith first…then understanding.
And the reason is simple. Because faith is what brings the Holy Spirit into your life. And the Holy Spirit is
the one who makes real understanding possible. Spiritual Understanding.
The Order God Uses
Scripture shows us a very clear order:
Faith in Jesus brings Salvation.
Salvation brings the indwelling Holy Spirit.
And the Holy Spirit brings understanding.
Not the other way around.
You don’t study your way into the Holy Spirit. You believe your way into the Holy Spirit. Then He begins teaching you from the inside.
What Scripture Says
1 Corinthians 2:12 tells us:
“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
Notice the order carefully. We receive the Spirit first…so that we may understand.
Understanding is not the entrance. Understanding is the result.
And Paul explains even further: Spiritual things must be understood spiritually.
Which means without the Holy Spirit, a person might learn facts about God…but they cannot truly
understand what he has learned.
The Difference Between Knowing About God and Knowing God
A person without the Holy Spirit can:
Read the Bible
Learn theology
Memorize verses
Study religion
But they cannot gain spiritual clarity the same way someone can who has the Holy Spirit inside them.
Because the Holy Spirit doesn’t just give information. He gives understanding — spiritual understanding.
Monkey Ranch way of saying it:
You can describe honey all day long…but until you actually taste it, you don’t really know it.
The Holy Spirit is what allows you to taste, really tast.
Why Faith Must Come First
God does not require you to understand everything before before you trust Him.
He asks you to trust Him so He can begin showing you things.
Because faith is not the reward of understanding. Faith is the beginning of understanding.
Most people think:
“If I can just understand enough…then I will believe.”
But God says:
“Believe…and I will give you the One who helps you, enables you to understand.”
A Very Important Truth
The Holy Spirit is not the reward for figuring God out/
He is the reason figuring God out becomes possible.
He provides:
Knowledge
Understanding
Wisdom
Spiritual Clarity
Spiritual Discernment
Without Him, a person can collect information. With Him, a person begins to really know.
Monkey Ranch Wisdom
Out here we’d probably say it like this: You don’t get the Holy Spirit because you figured everything out.
You get the Holy Spirit because you trusted Jesus as your Savior.
Then, and only then the Holy Spirit starts enabling or helping you figure things out.”
Or even simpler:
Faith opens the door.
The Holy Spirit moves in.
Understanding begins.
“
The Real Starting Point
If someone tries to gain full understanding before faith in Jesus, they are trying to start in the wrong place.
Because spiritual understanding comes from or out of relationship. And relationship begins with trust.
That is why salvation comes trough faith in Jesus. Because faith brings the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit
becomes our teacher.
Just like Jesus promised:
“The Helper, the Holy Spirit…will teach you all things.”
Week One Truth To Remember
If you remember nothing else this week, remember this:
The Holy Spirit is not the last step of knowing God.
He is the first step of truly knowing God.
Boss Monkey Closing
Let me leave you with something to think about this week.
Most folks think they need to understand everything before they trust God. But the truth is:
You trust God… and that’s when the real learning begins.
Because when you trust Jesus, God places His Spirit inside you. And that’s when things start making sense in a way they never could before.
So maybe the real wisdom is this:
Walk with God while you’re learning… and learn while you’re walking.
Because at the Monkey Ranch we believe:
If something is worth learning… it’s worth learning slow.
And we ain’t in no hurry.