Saturday - November 9, 2013
It’s Saturday. Our seminar finished yesterday and I visited a congregation in the area in the afternoon. Today Pastor Malyi scheduled me to meet with his congregation and lead an “Bible Study” for his congregation. This wasn’t just for adults. It wasn’t just for children. It was for the whole congregation! The church wasn’t full, but I was excited to see how many of the members had come to church on a Saturday afternoon. Especially on a market day!
I decided to teach a lesson on angels. I like to ask a lot of questions when I am here. When we read a passage, I ask, “What do we learn from this passage?” I can tell them what the passage means, but I want them to study it for themselves. I want them to look into the depth of God’s Word and find the riches which are to be found there. Sometimes we make this same mistake in our witnessing to others. When we have the opportunity to witness to others, we can tell them what the Bible teaches, or we can help lead them to find the answer they are seeking on their own. Don’t you think that the second is the better approach in most cases?
Teaching isn’t so much about reciting or referencing a list of facts as it is about giving others the tools to discover the truth on their own. This is one of the greatest problems in education today, both secular and religious. This is part of the reason there is so much debate about what “truth” really is. Everyone has their own version because we aren’t being taught HOW to find the truth; we are just told this is what “truth” is (even if it isn’t truth at all).
The same also applies in our witnessing to others. Witnessing shouldn’t be about reciting or referencing a list of passages that prove a certain Biblical Truth. It should be about giving people the tools they need to read and understand God’s Word. We need to consider our approach with those around us. Paul says that God desires “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). This is the work of God through His Word, not our work. The Holy Spirit leads us to a knowledge of truth though the study of His Word.
In our study of angels, it was amazing to me (once again!) how much we could learn about God, His character, His work, and much more -- just from one small verse! Yet, isn’t that the way God is? He reveals Himself to us slowly, a little bit at a time, just as the details of the promised Savior were revealed little by little throughout the history of the Old Testament, from Adam and Eve forward. Maybe He does this to keep us from being overwhelmed. No matter the reason, we see that there is much to be learned and comprehended in the treasure trove which is God’s precious Word. Even the smallest of gems should not be taken for granted. Even they are of greater value than we can comprehend!
Thanks be to God!
It’s Saturday. Our seminar finished yesterday and I visited a congregation in the area in the afternoon. Today Pastor Malyi scheduled me to meet with his congregation and lead an “Bible Study” for his congregation. This wasn’t just for adults. It wasn’t just for children. It was for the whole congregation! The church wasn’t full, but I was excited to see how many of the members had come to church on a Saturday afternoon. Especially on a market day!
I decided to teach a lesson on angels. I like to ask a lot of questions when I am here. When we read a passage, I ask, “What do we learn from this passage?” I can tell them what the passage means, but I want them to study it for themselves. I want them to look into the depth of God’s Word and find the riches which are to be found there. Sometimes we make this same mistake in our witnessing to others. When we have the opportunity to witness to others, we can tell them what the Bible teaches, or we can help lead them to find the answer they are seeking on their own. Don’t you think that the second is the better approach in most cases?
Pastor Jackson Leoli and his congregation in Marangu which I visited Friday afternoon.
Teaching isn’t so much about reciting or referencing a list of facts as it is about giving others the tools to discover the truth on their own. This is one of the greatest problems in education today, both secular and religious. This is part of the reason there is so much debate about what “truth” really is. Everyone has their own version because we aren’t being taught HOW to find the truth; we are just told this is what “truth” is (even if it isn’t truth at all).
The same also applies in our witnessing to others. Witnessing shouldn’t be about reciting or referencing a list of passages that prove a certain Biblical Truth. It should be about giving people the tools they need to read and understand God’s Word. We need to consider our approach with those around us. Paul says that God desires “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). This is the work of God through His Word, not our work. The Holy Spirit leads us to a knowledge of truth though the study of His Word.
Beautiful Mt. Kilimanjaro rising above the clouds in the distance.
In our study of angels, it was amazing to me (once again!) how much we could learn about God, His character, His work, and much more -- just from one small verse! Yet, isn’t that the way God is? He reveals Himself to us slowly, a little bit at a time, just as the details of the promised Savior were revealed little by little throughout the history of the Old Testament, from Adam and Eve forward. Maybe He does this to keep us from being overwhelmed. No matter the reason, we see that there is much to be learned and comprehended in the treasure trove which is God’s precious Word. Even the smallest of gems should not be taken for granted. Even they are of greater value than we can comprehend!
Thanks be to God!
Jesus said: “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:14-18).
2 comments:
This is so true. When witnessing (or attempting to), I think people tend to get defensive (and overwhelmed) when we recite off passages and explain what they mean. In contrast, with a "what do we learn from..." approach, they are forced to think for themselves, and come up with the correct answer on their own (with the help of the Holy Spirit, of course) and are, at the same time, given the tools to find the truth as only God's inerrant, authoritative Word can do. Thank you for this!
Thanks for the feedback, Phip. Defensiveness is never helpful, and teaching facts will only go so far. All my love to you, Whit, and Zoey!
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