Teaching - part 1

Acts 2.42 They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching...

What does it mean to teach?

The very word implies a change from not-knowing to knowing. Of sharing. Of helping move forward

When we teach - when we truly teach - we share wisdom in a way that transforms a person.

Teaching has both content (the "what") and the delivery (the "how"). The process of sharing wisdom relies on both - real truth ('sound doctrine') shared in a way that is loving and sparks change in the person who is learning.

Jesus was of course the master teacher. His disciples had 3.5 years of fellowship and learning with him. They then taught others - and the church devoted themselves to their teaching.

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We need teaching because we are so far from who God is.

Our ignorance and our sinful nature need to be ever more fashioned into the nature of Christ. So much of who we are is a summary of the book of Judges: every man did what was right in his own eyes.

Thomas Daniel taught us last week how much we need to become holy. God has saved us. He has paid the price for all the rotten things we have done against Him. And now He desires that we become more and more like him. Jesus said: "Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mat. 5.48).

This process of change is not easy - and certainly not instantaneous. I was really struck when I came across this: Paul writing to the Galatian church says that he is "in the pains of childbirth again, until Christ is formed in you" (Gal. 4.19). Paul was not talking to people outside of the faith. But he is highlighting the challenging process of having Christ formed in us. Something that teaching helps us with immensely.

Scripture has a high view of teaching. Over and over the Psalmist yearns for instruction. "Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end" (Ps. 119.33) says the Paslmist. He strongly desires not only to know what, but also how.

Moses, just about to hand over the leadership to Joshua and depart from the scene tells the assembled Israelites: "See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it " (Deut. 4.5) and goes on to remind them not only to follow these decrees but also to make sure their children, and their children's children are taught to follow them (Deut. 4.9).

The true test of learning something? When you are able to teach it to someone else.

When the early church devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching - you can be sure that this was more than just listening. It was listening-practice-sharing - the whole teaching cycle. And that is one of the reasons we are blessed with the good news about Jesus today!

Church on Fire

The first expression of the Church was an astonishing one.

On the day of Pentecost - when the Holy Spirit publicly manifested Himself with power on the 120 believers who were waiting and praying in the upper room (Acts 2.1-13) - we see the radical and dramatic transformation that takes place.

There is a hullabaloo as Jewish people from all over the Roman empire - present in Jerusalem for the festival prayers - hear the believers speaking in their own languages.

Peter - a new Peter - stands up and makes a dramatic proclamation of the risen Christ Jesus - and calls people to repentance (Acts 2.14-36).

The Holy Spirit touches and convicts the hearts of the listeners - and around 3000 are added to the infant church on that day alone (2.37-41).

Then we come to perhaps the most dramatic transformation of a group of people as ever recorded. We see a church on fire. Not like the illustration above - where a building is burning - but rather a people who are aflame.

Acts 2.42-47 is about a radical a description as you will get of a transformed community. This is no manifesto - this is no pie-in-the-sky plan. This is the factual account of what took place and the community that was born that amazing day.

As a Church at Samata Nagar - we are about to explore what the church did - and how this impacts us as followers of Jesus today.

We see clearly that the believers devoted themselves to 4 main practices:

1. The apostles' teaching
2. To the fellowship
3. To the breaking of bread
4. To prayer

What struck me strongly was the fact that the believers devoted themselves. This speaks of choice. This speaks of consistency - of stick-to-itevness - of being there for the long haul. Meditating on the word brought out another common use - devotion - something that we use with spiritual overtones.

Now take a look at the outcomes of this devotion! (vs. 43-47)

a. Everyone was filled with awe. The actions of the church resulted in people being God-aware and in the proper awe-filled sense. Something that mirrors Jesus' work - where people praised God because of what He did.

b. There were signs and wonders and miracles. The church did not devote themselves to signs and wonders - but signs and wonders followed them. For those who are serving the mighty universe-creating God - surely we should have experience with signs of His power in our midst?

c. They were all together and had everything in common. The biggest, biggest miracle of all. Put 3 Christians in a room and you have at least 2 factions - add 2 more and usually we see a denomination born...

Contrast this with the amazingly radical Jesus-following actions that flowed out of this church - they sold their possessions and gave to those in need. Can we even dare to dream this in an utopian sense - but here we are reading history rather than fantasy.

d. They met together publically in the Temple - and broke bread in their homes. This resulted in an outpouring of praise to God. And a radically joyful group of people.

e. Daily people were added to their group. Good news cannot remain hidden. People were being changed. People wanted to become Believers. The greatest miracle of the Holy Spirit - the conviction of our stubborn rebellious human hearts - was taking place - daily!

Whew!

Does any of this sound familiar to us in our church experience today?

It should!

This is what the power and love of the Holy Spirit can do - and must do.

The key is the pattern found in Acts 2.42 - the believers devoted themselves. When God's people act - God brings the results. Both at the level of more loving actions by His people - as well as vital signs of His presence.

We are still serving the same God today! What a wonderful opportunity we have too to devote ourselves as a community to our Lord. The first church shows us the way forward. Let us follow their example - and expect great things from God!

We will be exploring each of the four main areas where God requires us to be devoted to him in the next 4 weeks, starting with this week's meditation on "They devoted themselves to the Apostles Teaching" which will be our next posting. Thanks for coming along - please feel free to comment and help us all move forward in what God wants of us.

Shepherd Boy

This note was also posted at Chai Chats with the Eichers...

Our home-bible study on Friday night is looking at the life of David.

Even today Palestine sees shepherds and soldiers - as the shot above shows - and sometimes the identities are shared and blurred.

But with David we see two remarkable things in 1 Sam 18.

Firstly he develops this deep soul relationship with Jonathan. A beautiful love and unity between kindred hearts. Who are our deepest friends? Are they people of noble character - who spur us on to deeper and more beautiful things? Or are they outwardly smart and successful but insecure, bitter and angry people like King Saul. Those whom we are intimate with are most likely to shape our future.

Secondly, despite his victories, David goes back to playing soothing music during King Saul's episodes of spiritual oppression. Not only that - he is around - twice - when Saul hurls the spear at him in his anger and jealousy. What are we like. Do we feel threatened by the success of others. Is our hope in our own achievements and victories? Have we reached our limits - only to see someone else - who may be younger / more gifted - pushing the envelope back some more?

Or is our hope and reputation safe in our Father's hands. David the shepherd boy - and David the King-in-waiting - and David the Regal Majesty all share in common a faithfulness to God and his heart. He was successful not because he set out to be successful - but because God was with him. His heart was God-ward - and the other things are a natural outcome of a God-pleasing life.

May God grant us the hunger to be ever more shaped and fashioned into His character. Let us be faithful at our shepherding - and ready to dream big - and act boldly when our heavenly shepherd commands us to.

Reference Rainbow

From Christianity Today: Reference Rainbow

When Christoph Römhild, a Lutheran pastor in Hamburg, Germany, sent Carnegie Mellon Ph.D. student Chris Harrison a list of 63,779 cross-references between the Bible's 1,189 chapters, the two became enthralled with elegantly showing the interconnected nature of Scripture. Each bar along the horizontal axis represents a chapter, with the length determined by the number of verses. (Books alternate in color between white and light gray.) Colors represent the distance between references. Graphic by Chris Harrison, Carnegie Mellon University.