Oct 7, 2008 | Articles
The congregational teacher is a most noble position in the service to the Lord. It is a position of instruction as well as leadership. Typically, as the pulpit goes so goes the congregation.
I receive a number of distressing calls each week from members of various congregations. The number one problem they wish to discuss is the lack of edification in their respective places of worship. Sometimes my heart goes out to them in true pity. Sometimes anger. Sometimes disappointment. Sometimes helplessness.
What is the reason for all of this dissatisfaction? The congregational teacher.
Too often the problem lies with the teacher because he has not given sufficient time to study and prepare. Brethren, even the most seasoned of preachers cannot maintain a solid, vibrant, growing congregation without effort. Though congregations may be small, rural, have only one or two teachers, elderly, etc. there is no excuse for a lack of spiritual edification!
If you are a teacher, obey the scriptures and “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” (2 Tim 4:2) Don’t try to reinvent the gospel wheel, preaching still works. Approach the pulpit with dignity and respect because you are about to utter the words of the Most High. Study your subject thoroughly and not just on Saturday night before you go to bed. If you want to do something “new,” try working on your delivery. Raise and lower your voice to emphasize the meanings of scriptures. Practice preaching at the building before the time comes to give the lesson. Keep your topic focused but notice the details that surround your topic, make the words come alive with love, wisdom and conviction. Notice the body language of your audience, see if they are with you as you speak. Encourage your congregation to ask you questions about your lesson, after all, you have nothing to hide. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” (Rom 1:16-17)
If you are not a teacher, do your part by paying attention. Get plenty of rest before service. Take notes, even if you feel the speaker is dragging on. Consider your body language from the pulpit’s view. Encourage your congregational teacher with suggestions on subjects that need to be taught. Be Christian enough not to pout or become angry when you find yourself guilty of one of those topics. Come to every service and arrive on time. (If you are a Christian man who does not think the teaching at your congregation is sufficient, learn to teach.) Ask the teacher questions after services. Don’t lie to him if you couldn’t understand anything by saying, “That was a good sermon brother.” Speak gently, but let him know that you are needing more than what you are currently receiving. If all else fails and you simply cannot be edified with your speaker, begin at the same scripture that he began with and study for yourself during that time. Use the references in your Bible to lead you on a fact finding journey until you can be appreciative of the time spent. “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” (I Thess. 5:11)
I assure you that if you will apply the effort you will have edification.
Let me alert you to the dangers that may plague your congregation if you don’t seek edification in the Bible pattern. Members will want to try new things with the hope of bringing a better understanding to their group: Bible classes are in vogue now; Lazy leadership encourages the unqualified to be spiritual guides;
Innovations come in, someone suggested that we use recorded sermons instead of the local talent because they were so desperate for teaching; Long-held convictions become like wavering doubts as people “give in” for the necessity to change etc. In a word, DESTRUCTION! “ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Tim 4:3-4)
We can and should have edification if everyone will do his or her part. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Eph 4:11-16)
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Jan 31, 2008 | Articles
Do you get more milk or meat in your diet? “I’ll have a chocolate shake and a cheeseburger, please. ” No, no. Not that kind of diet, I mean your scripture diet. Do you study and challenge yourself to get a little deeper into the Word, or do you just read the easy texts?
When we start out as babies we need lots of milk. As we grow, we begin to develop a need for stronger and more solid foods. If we consumed only milk, we would have major health problems and eventually die from malnutrition. So, as we develop, we need foods other than milk to give our bodies proper nutrition to reach adulthood.
Your spiritual growth is no different than your physical growth. We start as babies in Christ because at our baptism we were born again (John 3:3-6; Romans 6:4). Then we need food. What would the spiritual person need to eat? Things that cause spiritual growth. What gave us a new spirit? The scriptures. Therefore, we need to feed on the scriptures so that our spirit can grow. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.” I Peter 2:2.
As we begin the Christian walk, we will grasp the simpler passages and topics that we read and hear in the assembly. Then comes those adolescent years where we challenge everything we read and hear. Finally, we begin to mature and understand the broader topics that God has revealed in His Word.
We find Jesus, just after His baptism, in the wilderness were He is fasting to bring His mind into subjection so He can begin the great ministry. There Satan comes and tempts Jesus to eat. In this case, the food was bread. Remembering the importance of scripture over fleshly desires, Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:1-4. Jesus reminded Himself and Satan during this strongly difficult time that, the spiritual foods are longer-lasting than the fleshly foods. The Word of God is the keeper of our spiritual life.
In John chapter four, we see Jesus having a discussion with a woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria. There He had asked this foreign woman for a drink. Jesus encourages the woman to ask Him for some water because He had the everlasting water of life. After she departs the disciples come to Jesus and try to get Him to eat something. His reply is simple, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” John 4:34. So there is food and drink for the spiritual being, it is the Word and Will of God. We will not grow by reading or hearing only, but by doing (James 1:22).
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6.
There were a few times that the Lord fed the multitude with some loaves and fishes. After a while, the people followed Jesus only to be fed in this miraculous way, and perhaps for the entertainment of His words and healing. We should always be mindful that the Lord knows our hearts as He knew theirs. “Jesus answered them and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.’” John 6:26-27.
Shortly after this admonition, Jesus makes another profound statement. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” John 6:53. Jesus was explaining to the crowd that He was the embodiment of the Word of God. Without total belief and devotion, no one could be saved. Many people would no longer follow Him, because His words were too hard to understand. He lovingly asks the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” Peter replies, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:67-68.
In our spiritual walk, we need to PRO-gress (forward) not RE-gress (backward). Concerning the young Corinthian church, Paul gave them simple teaching with the encouragement to grow up toward Christian maturity. They didn’t. At first he was “tolerant” as they learned, but when he saw they had not progressed, he became stern and commanded them to pay attention to their undone condition. “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” I Corinthians 3:1-3. These had returned to a worldly standard of living and not achieved the spiritual maturity necessary to survive this side of eternity.
We must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The more we grasp now in our youth, the stronger and more stable we will be in the days ahead. There would be a great loss to the church if we had only “children” trying to tend the flock and none able to tell right from wrong. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those having their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14.
Get involved in your bible Don’t just read, study. The next time you hear someone say, “Do you want fries with that?”, remember to give your spiritual person some food too. –Sean S. McCallister
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