Teach me to teach, part 7

I am one of His people. His church is in fact looked upon as His people. He looks upon us and watches as we pray. Should we pray for His people (Ps 122:6,9), the good will be sought out. And He will bless me, because I have chosen to be one of His people and to be His child. (Ps 125:5,6) And God is a healer, the repairer of broken relationships, the provider of light along whatever path I travel (Is 58:12) And it is He who builds the spiritual building within me, and those who call themselves His.

Biblically, according to Acts 1:15-26, disciples and apostles were teachers of the early church. This later was also distributed to deacons. Disciples were different than apostles. Apostles were in direct contact with Jesus, and disciples knew Jesus and were taught by Him, but the contact was not as close. Paul calls himself the last apostle (1 Cor 4:9) and the least of them in I Corinthian 15. Actually, a disciple just meant a follower, a believer to the point of accepting His teaching and living them out, and Jesus had many of those, many who may have seen Him at a glance but not spoken with Him, many who never saw Him. Apostles on the other hand were special, enjoying a special relationship with Christ. In Acts 6:2-6, there shows the difference, as from the disciples is appointed apostles with the action of the apostles directed by God. Acts 11:22-30 demonstrates the Church’s growth in terms of teaching, giving, and being of good fruit and one accord. This is again shown in Acts 15:1-31. Paul and Barnabas try to show that the church is not about binding things on people, nor forcing others to be just like them. But the church was about allowing for differences in people. Did they lay down guidelines? Surely, they did, and there are four that the church was to follow: not to consume blood, meat from strangled animals, meat in front of idols, or becoming involved in fornication. I think it is interesting that in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he speaks that the only reason not to eat meat sacrificed to an idol is when it causes a brother to stumble. If that brother has a problem with the fact that that idol represents something that replaces God and therefore meat sacrificed to that idol is pledging allegiance to the other god, then don’t eat that meat. On the other hand, if it causes no one any problems, eat the meat, because idols were merely objects in truth.

Teach me to teach...Part VI

A reproof, a rebuke or an exhortation to bigger and more moral things is not necessarily as bad as it seems, at least to the innocent or not so innocent bystander. If these things are done in love, with a velvet boxing glove, then peace and love can be obtained. If one carries a big stick and speaks softly, more results are really attainable. 2 Tim 4:2, Titus 1:13, and Titus 2:15 are brilliant affirmations about the kindness of being tough and doing so in a way that is kind. I am, at the same time, admonished not to follow those who will not follow God. (Titus 3:7, 10,11) Does this mean “Don’t speak to them”? I hardly think so. What it means is that do not be linked to these people. Do not socialize, do not develop an intimate relationship with, and any of the other connotations of this. I am instructed to treat people with kindness, that doesn’t mean I have to be linked to them. I have a friend that has chosen to follow a way that is unacceptable to Christ, the way of legalism. (Gal 2 and 3) She and her husband have chosen this way after many discussions with the elders of the church and have decided that the best way to worship God is to follow Jewish precepts while embracing Christ. So be it. They are happy in this. But I cannot follow them. I cannot be accepting of what they believe, nor can I give them indications that I am willing to believe they are going in the right direction. Either I am for Him and what His son said, or I am against Him. And God exhorts me not to add anything to His word, in Revelations 22:19. At the same time, I am told to be compassionate and kind and holy in Jude 22.

Teach me to teach, that I might teach Part IV

And a teacher can show us how to be in one accord, how to join in with singing with one another songs of praise to God, how I can teach the person standing next to me in church just by sincerely singing and having harmony with my brethren. I sing to my God, and for the purpose of singing to Him as He sang to me before I was even born. I sing so that in my song there is praise, lifting others up, admonishing some, instructing others and above all unity in the Spirit of the body. (Col 3:16) I must allow God’s word to consume me, and a teacher can help me in this regard. By singing in church for the sake of God, I am acknowledging that God loved me enough to send His son in to this world so that I may have eternal life and not perish in my sins. (John3:16) I must be taught to be willing to do whatever it takes to stay family, because that, too, is God’s will. The love I have for my brethren will demonstrate that I am His. Even when I suffer, as in 1 Thess 2:14-15, “For you, brothers, become imitators of God’s churches in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all me.” When I am truly in Him, I share freely with all in His family, I break bread in remembrance of Christ, and I love as He did, putting their needs ahead of mine. I Corinthians 11:22 describes greed and selfishness that strife and individual desires produce. The chapter is a great admonisher because it convicts me of not being serious in my love for God when I refuse to come to the defense and aid of my brethren, or when I allow my sinful desires, lusts, and misinterpretations to harbor and separate me from my brothers. The separateness defiles God’s temple, as spoken of in I Corinthians 3:17, because it leads me to instant gratification and a life of constantly trying to fill a hole with pleasures instead of God. I do not treat God as seriously as I do the cares of this world. And I become lost in my addictions to seeing and doing things that make me feel better and temporarily happy. Teachers can show me that eternal peace is much better than temporary happiness because temporary happiness is just that…temporary. Those desires only last for the moment and may not return. On the other hand, the peace which passes understanding will never leave.

Teach me that I might teach

Even though a child is cruel, God chooses to give them His blessing. And as instruments of His blessings, He instructs the elder ones, such as Jacob, Moses, Joseph (Deut 33:1-29; Gen 49:1-33; Gen 47:7-10) to dedicate and bless His people and to remind them of the Father in God. And God does something really interesting in the blessing. It appears that the younger and lesser has always gotten the better part of His blessings or the first blessings. (Gen 48:8-22; Gen 28:1-4; Gen 27:23-31) Could this be to demonstrate that the law of primogenitor is incorrect, that man’s ways are not God’s ways? Could it be? I’m not certain. But I do know that God considers the least shall be first, the last shall precede and so forth. That is part of His role as the protective Father, looking after those who would otherwise perish in the cruelty of mankind, cruelty that was learned from childhood and somehow not discouraged.

And I need to look to my teachers in the church to teach us the truth. That I am part of the fold and that all we are is sheep in need of a shepherd. My teachers need to show me that we have a Shepherd that will lead us to heaven and the peace that passes understanding. (Acts 20:28) And my teachers show me that I can make a contribution, as Paul writes about in Ephesians 4:15, 16, no matter where I come from, no matter what my background is or how different it is from everyone else, no matter if I am rich or poor or what my race is or educational background. I am part of the whole and with me the “we” is a well-oiled machine and without me the “we” misses something. God created all of us for the purposes of growing in Him, for the sole purposes of demonstrating His power, and the more elements in the “we” the stronger His body is. And the whole key issue that teachers need to emphasize to me, is how I can better serve, not just what I can get involved in, but in making my heart conjoined to His heart, not just how and what I can learn about Him, but what I allow to absorb into my being. How quick am I to say, “Not my will…” to Him? My teachers can demonstrate how I can effect a change in attitude. In eastern religions the importance of a teacher ranked with how one understood their higher power. It is the same with God. A teacher, a good teacher, explains and exhorts his or her students to not only know of God, but how to become part of God and to experience the spiritual relationship with Him. For that to happen, a teacher must show that I can only lift up with a teaching and not with a talent. Talent can only carry me so far, teaching will show me how best to use that talent for the purposes of being one of God’s children. (1 Cor 4:4)

Teach me so that I may teach...part III

Children are cruel. They are raw, they are loud, they are mean. These are gross stereotypes, but for good parents, those who are not raw, loud, and mean would soon follow their peers. I was not born good. Nor was I born bad. I was just born. Left to my own devices and without the guidance of my parents I would not know manners, I would not know right from wrong, and I would not believe in God. Parents are gifts to their children from God, and they are emissaries of God to teach morals and wisdom and to guide along the straight and narrow. They are also givers of love. For the most part. Those who aren’t like this make God truly upset, because they are not being what He intended His children to have. When a parent abuses a child, God cries and is angry and makes Him repent of making that parent a parent.

Teach me...Part III

Above all God desires me to be His child. And to be His child, He wants me to play nice with other children, and not to forsake other children. (Heb 10:25) He wants me to get along with others, to be as a family together. He wants me to learn from my elders and parents (Joshua 8:35; 2 Chronicles 20:13; 2 Chronicles 31:11; Ezra 8:21; Neh 8:2,3; Neh 12:43) He wants my parents to be an example to me. He wants to be an example to me. He wants me to at least be learning as His older children (my parents in the Lord) are learning. More importantly, He wants me to learn to worship Him and that example comes from my parents. And this applies literally to when I was a physical child as well. As a young one must be taught how to do things the way God wants them. That was the purpose of the Sedar at Passover, to pass on knowledge of what God did and why, and that is the purpose for bringing my child or children, if I ever have children, to church with me. Knowledge and wisdom of why and how God wants me to worship Him. Does this mean there can be no “children’s church” as some congregations have? That is up to each man’s conscience and really there is nothing biblically to stop either way. If one is to take the bible literally, then children are brought into the assembly, and so should I. Jesus himself went into the temple and was learning along with the scribes and teachers of the Word. That was at age 12. But I believe that as long as the principles of the how and why are taught in child’s church and that it is a replica of what is going on in the adult worship then there is no harm done. The problem arises when children’s churches become free-for-all and no lessons are really taught. Then can I honestly say that I am not going according to His Word, and am doing a disservice my child or children, should I be blessed by God with them.

Teach me that I may teach

God is just. And inclusive in that, God is the judge. And in His view He cannot look upon evil or sin. He cannot look upon my sin anymore than He could any other person from Moses’ time, or David’s time, or even Jesus’ time. But there are people to plead my case before Him, much as there is at other times: Moses (Exodus 1;) Jeremiah (Jer 14:21)and of Jesus as a helper (I John 2:1 –I now have an advocate). All of these men have taught me to say the same thing, “Please, God, for Holy Name’s glory, don’t punish.” And the one thing that God shows me that keeps me on the straight and narrow that Jesus will go the extra mile for me, but if I continually let him down (Jer 18:20,21) he has no other recourse than to let God render judgment upon me. If I do not heed Jesus’ teaching, I have only myself to blame. As does anyone else. Especially my spiritual leaders. They must do God’s will, for the sole demonstration of God’s Almighty power. (Joel 2:7) so that the unbeliever may understand God is God.