Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Why the church must teach today? Part 1

Matt 28:19 and 20 says "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

The Great Commission gives us the command to “make disciples” and to “teach to all nations” and we should take this command seriously. What kind of commitment do you think it takes to be able to teach like this? It takes a constant effort and deep commitment to be the teacher God has commanded us to be.

The church of Jesus Christ is a teacher, instructing men and women in Christian faith and discipleship. The faith which the church proclaims must be strengthened by the teaching of the gospel. Paul reminded the early Christians that one of the offices of the church was the pastor/teacher who worked “to equip God’s people for work in his service, for the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12 REB).

I want to take the next few blogs and talk about the church’s teaching ministry which has numerous dimensions:
DIMENSION #1: The church teaches about Jesus. The church presents the basic details of Jesus’ life and ministry: His death, burial, and resurrection. It helps members understand the meaning of these events for all times. In the early church, learners were those given instruction in Christian faith prior to receiving baptism and full membership in the community of faith. Later church leaders such as Martin Luther and John Calvin wrote catechisms, books for instructing persons in faith and doctrine. The church is called to retell the story of Jesus in every generation.

In most Bible Study settings, unless we are studying the gospels, we study Jesus during Easter and Christmas which is such a shame. Jesus is the head of the church and we rarely teach this truth. I have often heard from church members throughout the years, "This is my church..." or "At our church..." claiming ownership over something Jesus Christ, our Savior, died for and He is the head of. We need to be passionate about teaching Jesus and how we grow as Christians because of our relationship with Him and also whom we surrendered our life to and what that means. Maybe this is why so many new Christians arent successful with spiritual growth because they are not getting teaching about their Savior who called them unto Himself to be saved.

Ask yourself, how much do you really know about Jesus? & How has the church helped in teaching you about Jesus? Chime in your thoughts and stay tuned for the next DIMENSION.......Brian