This lesson begins where all education should: with the value of the student in the light of the cross. The education coming from the church and its departments must penetrate and rise above any cultural trends that are antagonistic to the kingdom of God.
And yet, we live in a web of competing worldviews and cultural currents that are continually bombarding children and adults alike. This clash causes many truth seekers, young and old, to doubt and raise questions. Yet, our local churches should provide opportunity for these questions to be fielded. Whether the church speaks to the confusion, moral darkness, or gnawing despair of the world, if our answers bear the truth we have learned from Jesus, then we will be fulfilling Jesus’ commission to be salt and light in this world (Matt. 5:13–16).
After we are done thinking of all these glorious aspirations to spread the truth of God around the planet, it is important to remember the simple things that can make or break our mission.
Part II: Commentary
Illustration and a Proverb
Saying the word church can conjure up radically different things in different people’s minds. To illustrate this idea, think back to your school days. Do memories of arithmetic, geography, and science flood your head? Probably not; this is ironic, because that is why we were sent to school in the first place. What probably fills our minds are the pictures of friends, enemies, teachers, and the variegated experiences we had with them all.
Church is much like that. Ideally, it is intended to be a place of worship, of listening to and accepting the gospel, studying the Scriptures, organizing our efforts to win souls, and fellowshiping together as brothers and sisters in the family of God. For many, though, it becomes the locus of hurt feelings, petty doctrinal debates, and gossip. The social side of church often overshadows all the other functions that church is supposed to fulfill. Many just stop coming because the complex and hurtful social dynamics (sometimes with only one or two people) make it virtually impossible to worship and enjoy the presence of God undistracted. So, what is the solution?
There are many different approaches that we could take to answer this question, and, of course, the number of books written on “how to do church” are legion. The lesson, however, brings out a very simple idea that is worth its proverbial weight in gold if carried out. The idea basically is this: Of what value or effect is all the doctrinal light we possess as a church if we haven’t learned how to be kind to one another? This is a prerequisite for church really to function as church. It echoes the Indian proverb that says, “There is no point in giving a man a rose to smell after you’ve cut off his nose.” Jesus is the sweetest smelling flower there is, but if our unkindness toward others has hurt them (cut off their noses), it will be very difficult for them to appreciate the Jesus we want to share with them. The lesson uses the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–37) to highlight this principle of kindness, which is requisite and elemental to Christian education. Another story, offered below, underlines this idea from a different vantage point.
Scripture
Let’s look at the story of the woman “possessed with a spirit of divination” (Acts 16:16). Does she spew out a litany of curses and lies? Her message is, “These men [Paul and Silas] are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). Paul finally had enough and cast out the evil spirit. But why stop her if she is endorsing the evangelists and their message? Here’s why: Because the right message with the wrong spirit helps the cause of Satan rather than the cause of God. This is why being kind and gracious to one another at church is more than just banal advice. People often accept or reject the truths of a church’s message based on how they are treated by the members. Of course, we like to think that these members became Seventh-day Adventists because of the impeccable logic of our theology, but the fact is, if someone hadn’t invited them over to lunch after church, they could have just walked out the church doors and never come back.
Someone might protest and say, “What about the Holy Spirit’s role in conversion and member retention? Doesn’t the direction of this discussion deemphasize the Spirit’s role?” The Spirit is readily identified with gifts such as prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, and teaching (1 Cor. 12:8–10, 1 Cor. 12:28)—elements for good Adventist education. These works-oriented endowments are so important within the church, but their influence can become mitigated without the Spirit’s relational gifts, such as helping one another (1 Cor. 12:28), serving one another (Rom. 12:7), showing mercy and encouraging one another (Rom. 12:8), along with the full bevy of the Spirit’s fruits: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Gal. 5:22, 23). Finally, Paul wraps up both lists of spiritual gifts (Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12) with a more “excellent way,” the way of love (1 Cor. 12:31–13:1). Paul elaborates in Romans 12:10, encouraging us to “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.”
To love one another is such a common refrain in Christian circles that at times our demonstration of this principle runs the risk of becoming stale or perfunctory, with members going through the motions of outwardly showing love that does not extend beyond the Sabbath service. But can we really be showing love if kindness is not being shown at the same time? For the church to be a place of learning and growing will not only take competent, Spirit-filled pastors and teachers; it will take the kindness and love of Spirit-filled members.
A Statistic
A certain statistic derived from the Gospels and Acts has the potential to radically change the way we see ourselves in relationship to Christ. That change in relationship is also relevant to the topic of education. First, some definitions: look up the noun “Christian” in any dictionary, and the first definition will be something like, “a person who believes in Jesus and/or His teachings.” The word Christian serves to show religious affiliation. Acts tells us that Christ’s followers were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26), and this appellation most likely wasn’t a self-designation.
The number of occurrences of the word Christian in the Bible is three (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1 Pet. 4:16).
But today, that title is virtually the exclusive and universal term to designate an adherent to Christianity. So, what were the “Christians” called back then before the Antiochian designation? The following statistic answers the question and provides the contrast with the first stat:
The number of occurrences of the word disciple in the Bible is 256.
When one self-designates as a Christian, it usually evokes the idea that we adhere to a set of beliefs. But what if we self-designated as disciples? Disciples are students, hands-on learners, and apprentices. Of course, they believe what they were taught, but they are more than believers; they learn the skills of their master so as to repeat them. They make life careers of the same craft that their masters were involved in. And when the master dies, his disciples are the closest thing to an advertisement for the ideals and practices to which their master devoted his life.
Just as most of what we know about Socrates is through his star pupil Plato, the world has the right to draw conclusions about Jesus through beholding the life of His star disciples: you and me. Also, it is a mistake to think that the term “disciple” (in Greek mathetes: learner, pupil) is reserved for the original twelve. When Luke wrote of the mass conversions in his sequel to his Gospel, he spoke of the increasing number of “disciples” (Acts 6:1, Acts 6:7). Ananias, Tabitha, and Timothy are all called disciples (Acts 9:10, Acts 9:36, Acts 16:1). Referring to all these “Christians” as disciples is simply an acknowledgment of their obedience to their Rabbi, who commanded, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19, ESV).
Part III: Life Application
The church has been called a hospital for the spiritually hurting. This is a much more common metaphor than the one that calls the church a university for those perishing in ignorance and spiritual darkness, a university in which we are all called to enroll as lifelong scholars-in-residence, learning from Jesus of Nazareth, the Master Teacher. But the two metaphors, hospital and university, really need to be yoked together in order to give us the fullest understanding of the word church. That is, our spiritual healing should be coupled with a religious education that trains us to be disciples.
Discussion:
We have our devotional life, we have Sabbath Schools, and we have the sermon hour. If we are honest, though, as the years pass by, it seems that everything starts to repeat, and the thrill we had at the beginning of our Adventist experience begins to wane over time. What are ways we can augment our personal Christian education or breathe new life into our normal church learning routine?
When we go to a new church, the first thing we notice is not how good the sermon was or how the potluck tasted. We notice the temperature of the church; was it a cold church or were people friendly? The tricky part is, if it is my church, I may be having a great time with my half dozen friends as we fellowship, study, and laugh together. The church is hot, right? For me, yes, but not for the visitor or the loner who is looking at all this tight-knit camaraderie and feeling like an outsider. Church members need to take a moment to assess their surroundings and seek out those who are withering on the outskirts. What are some strategies that safeguard people against feeling left out of God’s family?
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This lesson begins where all education should: with the value of the student in the light of the cross. The education coming from the church and its departments must penetrate and rise above any cultural trends that are antagonistic to the kingdom of God.
And yet, we live in a web of competing worldviews and cultural currents that are continually bombarding children and adults alike. This clash causes many truth seekers, young and old, to doubt and raise questions. Yet, our local churches should provide opportunity for these questions to be fielded. Whether the church speaks to the confusion, moral darkness, or gnawing despair of the world, if our answers bear the truth we have learned from Jesus, then we will be fulfilling Jesus’ commission to be salt and light in this world (Matt. 5:13–16).
After we are done thinking of all these glorious aspirations to spread the truth of God around the planet, it is important to remember the simple things that can make or break our mission.
Part II: Commentary
Illustration and a Proverb
Saying the word church can conjure up radically different things in different people’s minds. To illustrate this idea, think back to your school days. Do memories of arithmetic, geography, and science flood your head? Probably not; this is ironic, because that is why we were sent to school in the first place. What probably fills our minds are the pictures of friends, enemies, teachers, and the variegated experiences we had with them all.
Church is much like that. Ideally, it is intended to be a place of worship, of listening to and accepting the gospel, studying the Scriptures, organizing our efforts to win souls, and fellowshiping together as brothers and sisters in the family of God. For many, though, it becomes the locus of hurt feelings, petty doctrinal debates, and gossip. The social side of church often overshadows all the other functions that church is supposed to fulfill. Many just stop coming because the complex and hurtful social dynamics (sometimes with only one or two people) make it virtually impossible to worship and enjoy the presence of God undistracted. So, what is the solution?
There are many different approaches that we could take to answer this question, and, of course, the number of books written on “how to do church” are legion. The lesson, however, brings out a very simple idea that is worth its proverbial weight in gold if carried out. The idea basically is this: Of what value or effect is all the doctrinal light we possess as a church if we haven’t learned how to be kind to one another? This is a prerequisite for church really to function as church. It echoes the Indian proverb that says, “There is no point in giving a man a rose to smell after you’ve cut off his nose.” Jesus is the sweetest smelling flower there is, but if our unkindness toward others has hurt them (cut off their noses), it will be very difficult for them to appreciate the Jesus we want to share with them. The lesson uses the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–37) to highlight this principle of kindness, which is requisite and elemental to Christian education. Another story, offered below, underlines this idea from a different vantage point.
Scripture
Let’s look at the story of the woman “possessed with a spirit of divination” (Acts 16:16). Does she spew out a litany of curses and lies? Her message is, “These men [Paul and Silas] are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). Paul finally had enough and cast out the evil spirit. But why stop her if she is endorsing the evangelists and their message? Here’s why: Because the right message with the wrong spirit helps the cause of Satan rather than the cause of God. This is why being kind and gracious to one another at church is more than just banal advice. People often accept or reject the truths of a church’s message based on how they are treated by the members. Of course, we like to think that these members became Seventh-day Adventists because of the impeccable logic of our theology, but the fact is, if someone hadn’t invited them over to lunch after church, they could have just walked out the church doors and never come back.
Someone might protest and say, “What about the Holy Spirit’s role in conversion and member retention? Doesn’t the direction of this discussion deemphasize the Spirit’s role?” The Spirit is readily identified with gifts such as prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, and teaching (1 Cor. 12:8–10, 1 Cor. 12:28)—elements for good Adventist education. These works-oriented endowments are so important within the church, but their influence can become mitigated without the Spirit’s relational gifts, such as helping one another (1 Cor. 12:28), serving one another (Rom. 12:7), showing mercy and encouraging one another (Rom. 12:8), along with the full bevy of the Spirit’s fruits: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Gal. 5:22, 23). Finally, Paul wraps up both lists of spiritual gifts (Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12) with a more “excellent way,” the way of love (1 Cor. 12:31–13:1). Paul elaborates in Romans 12:10, encouraging us to “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.”
To love one another is such a common refrain in Christian circles that at times our demonstration of this principle runs the risk of becoming stale or perfunctory, with members going through the motions of outwardly showing love that does not extend beyond the Sabbath service. But can we really be showing love if kindness is not being shown at the same time? For the church to be a place of learning and growing will not only take competent, Spirit-filled pastors and teachers; it will take the kindness and love of Spirit-filled members.
A Statistic
A certain statistic derived from the Gospels and Acts has the potential to radically change the way we see ourselves in relationship to Christ. That change in relationship is also relevant to the topic of education. First, some definitions: look up the noun “Christian” in any dictionary, and the first definition will be something like, “a person who believes in Jesus and/or His teachings.” The word Christian serves to show religious affiliation. Acts tells us that Christ’s followers were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26), and this appellation most likely wasn’t a self-designation.
The number of occurrences of the word Christian in the Bible is three (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1 Pet. 4:16).
But today, that title is virtually the exclusive and universal term to designate an adherent to Christianity. So, what were the “Christians” called back then before the Antiochian designation? The following statistic answers the question and provides the contrast with the first stat:
The number of occurrences of the word disciple in the Bible is 256.
When one self-designates as a Christian, it usually evokes the idea that we adhere to a set of beliefs. But what if we self-designated as disciples? Disciples are students, hands-on learners, and apprentices. Of course, they believe what they were taught, but they are more than believers; they learn the skills of their master so as to repeat them. They make life careers of the same craft that their masters were involved in. And when the master dies, his disciples are the closest thing to an advertisement for the ideals and practices to which their master devoted his life.
Just as most of what we know about Socrates is through his star pupil Plato, the world has the right to draw conclusions about Jesus through beholding the life of His star disciples: you and me. Also, it is a mistake to think that the term “disciple” (in Greek mathetes: learner, pupil) is reserved for the original twelve. When Luke wrote of the mass conversions in his sequel to his Gospel, he spoke of the increasing number of “disciples” (Acts 6:1, Acts 6:7). Ananias, Tabitha, and Timothy are all called disciples (Acts 9:10, Acts 9:36, Acts 16:1). Referring to all these “Christians” as disciples is simply an acknowledgment of their obedience to their Rabbi, who commanded, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19, ESV).
Part III: Life Application
The church has been called a hospital for the spiritually hurting. This is a much more common metaphor than the one that calls the church a university for those perishing in ignorance and spiritual darkness, a university in which we are all called to enroll as lifelong scholars-in-residence, learning from Jesus of Nazareth, the Master Teacher. But the two metaphors, hospital and university, really need to be yoked together in order to give us the fullest understanding of the word church. That is, our spiritual healing should be coupled with a religious education that trains us to be disciples.
Discussion: