The Teacher

As an occasional Bible teacher, I must keep reminding myself of certain--what I believe--are important concepts:

All the wisdom and eloquence of a man cannot bring a soul to Christ. Only the Spirit can do that. And Paul warns the teacher that too often the intelligence and eloquence of a man has acted as a poor--dangerous--substitute for the genuine work of the Spirit. Sobering thought. Manipulation is sin.

The truth of God--the Word of God--is foolishness to the natural man who--because He does not have the indwelling presence of the Spirit--cannot begin to understand God's thoughts. Why then, i wonder, do we so often believe the natural man's views on what God's Word says and means--on what it is teaching?

One of the greatest dangers the Bible teacher faces in our post modern world is deciding what Scripture means--what I want it to mean--and then working on ways to prove it rather than simply believing what it says and using that as the basis for teaching what God means and how it applies to my life. Ah, the danger of telling God what He meant to say--what I believe He should have said.

I believe it is more important--most important--that we in our teaching emphasize to our young people why the truth is true--why our assumptions are valid--than to teach them why the lies are not true.

We spend too much of our energy and methods lifting up personalities, institutions, and organizations in an effort to draw men to Christ. And they do flock to those personalities and give their loyalty to those institutions and organizations. But it is when Jesus is lifted up that all men are drawn to Him.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." "Love your neighbor as I have loved you." Genuine discipleship focuses on all of these--heart, soul, mind, and strength--not just on one of them. And on all of them equally.

In other words, I must rely totally on the Spirit not my own abilities if God's work is really going to occur in the hearts of the listeners.
No matter how many degrees an unsaved man has He cannot rightly divide the Word of Truth. Don't be awed by pedigree.
God is the Great Communicator. He says what He means. I am not His editor.
"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." "Sanctify them through Your truth; Your Word is the truth."
Jesus only must be the focus of my teaching.
The command: "Go into all the world and make disciples." To do God's work, I must touch hearts, souls, minds, and strength. I must teach them to love their neighbor as deeply as they are loved by their Savior.

Memorials

Things God memorialized for His people to remember and to teach their children to remember:

There are consequences: In the Valley of Achor: Your choices affect all those you love. Don't try to steal what belongs to God.
Nothing can thwart My will for you. On the other side Jordan: No river, even at flood stage, can stop Me from leading you into the place of promise--the place of rest and victory.
I always keep My promises: On the way out of Egypt: As he told you--Take Joseph's bones with you to the land of promise. What men mean for evil, I will turn into good. The mightiest kings on earth do my bidding.
This is true wisdom: Remember your Creator--He is the foundation for all joy.
Be not afraid: Remember that you are never alone--never deserted. I will never leave you or forsake you.
I AM your Savior--and your coming King. In the church My body was broken for you. My blood was shed for your redemption. Remember My sacrificial love for you until I come again. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice--an act of worship in response to all the mercies I lavished on you at Calvary.

The End

And so it ends. Another "gang" of graduates let loose on the world. All with different gifts, different joys, different hopes, different storms to face, different choices to make, one Lord to glorify--to make visible to the world. Whatever He calls them to will be a sacred calling--an opportunity to make Him known. In every calling His presence is so desperately needed. And we need to remember that just because they have "left us" physically that does not mean that they should be removed from our hearts and from our prayers. The community has not lost any members; we have just spread out a little bit into the rest of the world. They were infused with head knowledge that the Lord can now transform into "real knowledge" through the challenges of the experiences He has planned for them. Growth has not stopped--or even been put on hold--it has been "fertilized" that growth might continue until their journey is complete. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our--your--Lord Jesus Christ. Graduates: continue on the journey to "Well done, good and faithful servant."

The End Is Nigh

The end is nigh. Exams are over tomorrow. The rush of a million grad parties is in full swing. Baccalaureate is tomorrow night. Graduation Sunday. Another group goes out in His name to another place where He is needed. Some will turn away. Sadly. Some, probably, already have. Some will be faithful to whatever He calls them to do, wherever He sends them to minister, for as long as He enables them to do so. As the world grows darker, they will shine brighter. What do old teachers do at such a time? 

Pray that they remember what they have been taught in word and deed.
Pray that they remember they are loved.
Keep in touch with those who stay in touch.
Rest in His love for them as they face the storms of life guaranteed to all.
Reflect on the opportunities given to touch lives for Him, in His name and through His strength. Hope you didn't mess up too many of them.
Pray that if they only remember one thing you taught them it will be that following and serving Him is all that matters.
Prepare for the next "crop."

A Message

God's message to the broken-hearted:

I AM the Potter; you are the clay. I know the vessel that I need to form to serve Me where I AM sending you.
I was broken for you.
Grace, joy, humility, patience with others, hope, comfort, a sensitivity to those who are hurting--these are the gifts that mature in brokenness.
I cherish your every tear. I have stored them in a bottle so that I can on that eternal day to come wipe them all away.
Broken hearts are needed in a world filled with the broken-hearted.
I have given you a heart like My heart.
Thank you.

The Commandment

The commandment is not "Don't be anxious about anything." The commandment is "Don't be anxious about anything BUT by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God." Don't try to accomplish the impossible--to defeat anxiety through your own human will power. If you could do that, you wouldn't have anxiety to begin with. Give your anxities to the One who already knows how He's going to use the situation for your good and His glory. And then, wait--and watch Him work. Faith prays, waits, and soars on the winds of adversity.

Finish the Course

I am always reminded this time of year of the importance--and the difficulty--of finishing strong. Why do we live--even though we know it's not true--as if God doesn't desire accountability at the end of the journey? How I finish does matter. I demonstrate my love for Him by the way I live every day whether it's the first day or the last day--or any day inbetween. My prayer to Him every day is that He will enable me to finish strong--this day if it is my last, this year of teaching if it is my last, this day of being by His Spirit's enabling Christ-in-the-room to each one that I encounter. May God grant each of us the endurance, selflessness, courage, and joy necessary to "finish the course."

Success

We live in a culture that defines success in terms of materialism and prestige. Perhaps that's one of the reason that we live in a society desperate for meaning. Such temporary things as money, stuff, and the favorable opinions of others are fleeting and illusionary. None of those things provides the least assurance for the soul. God defines success in a completely opposite way. Success in His eyes--excellence might be a better term--is a life focused on spiritual riches and on serving others.
The stuff He gives us--after we meet the genuine needs of our family and our extended family--is to be used to meet the needs of others. Such investments in the eternal are more secure than any currency or material thing that I can clasp with my hands. They are the "gold and precious stones" reserved in the vaults of Heaven--crash proof, thief proof, and fire proof. They are investments in the "well-done." They are the "seeking first the kingdom of God" that casts aside anxiety and that frees me to live this day--the only day I have--to His glory.
The heart of a servant is a heart like His. When I "esteem others better than myself" as He did incomprehensibly when He walked among men, He uses the strength He has given me to be the submissive pillar of encouragement, consolation, tenderheartedness, and loyal love that those He has placed in my life need to become all that He has called them to be. In a miraculous way--yes, the Christian walk is a daily miracle--He allows me to be Christ-in-the-room in the glorious mundane of daily life.
Such a life--a life where my stuff and my strength are surrendered to Him to do good for others--is a life enriched with meaning and purpose and joy. It is the only life that is genuinely--spontaneously--successful. Excellent.

When You Pray

When you pray, do not be afraid to ask for the miracle. Not a miracle. The miracle--Father this is my heart's deepest desire. Our Father is not offended to know that we trust in His power and in His willingness to bless His children. He is able. He is willing.
And when you pray, do not hesitate to pray, "Thy will be done." The Father's heart is touched by your confidence in His wisdom and in His promise to through the answer to your prayer do all things for your good and for the good of the community in which He has placed you, His child--the child of His love.

Such prayers prayed through the groanings of the Spirit for the Father's will and through the intercession of the Son for the Father's glory are simple yet profound prayers of our resonating love for Him and our submissive confidence in His love for us.
And, in His confidence in us that we will embrace His will and rest in His ability to strengthen us to use His answer to our prayer--His will--to bring Him praise and to glorify Him among men.