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 "One of the Basic Purposes of a Church:
Educate
"
Emphasis for September 2011
One of our basic reasons to exist as a church is to
educate. The teaching-learning process has been at the heart
of God¡¦s purpose from the beginning of time. God was teaching
Adam and Eve the difference between right and wrong when He
told them of the tree from which there sere not to eat. They
learned that they should obey God even when the conditions
indicated the advantages of disobedience.
Time passed and the nation of Israel was ready to
enter the Promised Land. Moses was still their leader. God was
using this extraordinary man to prepare the people to enter.
God had been showing the people how to obey Him. He told them
what they should do, showed them what they were to do, and
then He was going to give every one of them, regardless of
their age, profession, or gender. Here are God¡¦s instructions:
¡§9 Just make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch
over yourselves. Don't forget anything of what you've seen.
Don't let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you
live. Teach what you've seen and heard to your children and
grandchildren. 10 That day when you stood before
God, your God, at Horeb, God said to me, ¡¥Assemble the people
in my presence to listen to my words so that they will learn
to fear me in holy fear for as long as they live on the land,
and then they will teach these same words to their children.¡¦¡¨
(Deut 4:9-10, THE
MESSAGE)
Of course, we look to the Great Commission from
Jesus. He told us to make disciples. A disciple is a learner
that follows the teacher. When we teach others,
based on this mandate, telling others is not enough. We are to
teach so people will obey Him. This is how The Message gives
it, ¡§Then instruct them in the practice of all I have
commanded you.¡¨ (Matt.
28:20, THE
MESSAGE) We are to inform, encourage, motivate, and guide
people so that they will obey God and His message.
Because Christian education is so important, we
have many classes on Sunday and others during the week. Some
classes are in the church building and others in small group
home Bible studies. The teaching/learning process is vital to
any church family. However, as vital as education is, its
basic objective is only that of information. Information from
the Bible becomes the foundation for another process call
¡§formation.¡¨ God¡¦s Holy Spirit empowers both, the process of
information for the
mind and the formation of the
spirit. Through these two, God is growing His children more
and more into the image of His Son.
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