4 Ways To Frame Your Knowledge In Today's World

by Rev. Dr. Jon Berquist, President of DSF -

1. Knowledge has its greatest power when it's given, not when it's saved.

The Church is not an organization to hoard knowledge; we give the good news away. In Acts 20:35, Jesus says, "You're far happier giving than getting." Jesus is not just speaking about an abstraction; he is speaking about timing - now is the time to give, the moment to give. He must have been speaking about many ways to give, but I think knowledge is one of them.

2. Time to listen to what you don't know.

There are times to speak and times to listen. Today, it is time to listen: to the cries for justice. When one tear hits the ground, God hears it. And God begins to act on displacing that oppression with justice. Listening is not just hearing the words of someone's hardship; it is the deep understanding of the other. Allow yourself to be uncomfortable and lean into that discomfort. In those moments of suffering, there is a deep humanity and persistent presence of the Divine.

3. There is a time to learn what is right, but now is a time to do what is right.

The Bible never tells us to know about justice… it tells us to do justice. Knowledge is worthless if it isn't acted upon. Think about 1 Corinthians 8:1-3: "We know that 'We all possess knowledge.' But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God."

4. Time to live your truth.

Living your own truth isn't selfish. If your truth is tied to your faith, its power is not for you alone. Fighting for the freedom of others will set you free. We spend a lot of time fighting for own justice, but it's time to fight for others' justice. Justice, like knowledge, is not something to keep for yourself.