Lesson: The Church And Education

There is so much to learn and RElearn. The lesson this week is another REminder. Kindness is not just a day, but a lifestyle. Noteworthy!

Sometimes we are afraid of asking questions. However, in the Bible we often find that questions are used to bring people to a clearer understanding of God. In a similar manner, stories are used throughout the Bible to create opportunities for people to rethink their commitments.

If the church is to be a place of education, it must provide the space for genuine dialogue to occur.

True christian education

The story is told of a rabbi who, looking into the sleepy eyes of the young men who sat in his classroom, asked: “Students, when does one know when the night has ended and the day has begun?”

Several of the students cautiously raised their hands. “Rabbi,” one asked, “is it when you can tell the difference between a fig tree and an olive tree?”

Another student raised his hand: “Rabbi, is it when you can tell the difference between a sheep and a goat?”

After listening to a host of answers, the rabbi announced, “Students, one knows the night has ended and the day has begun when you can look at a face never before seen and recognize the stranger as a brother or sister. Until that moment, no matter how bright the day, it is still the night.”

As Seventh-day Adventists, we have been blessed with an abundance of doctrinal light and truth (the state of the dead, the Sabbath, 1844 and the judgment, the great controversy, to name a few teachings) that even most of the Christian world still doesn’t understand. And yet, however crucial these truths are, what good do they do us if we are not kind to people, if we display prejudice against others...

If we uplift the cross, as we must, then we will see the value and worth of every human being and, ideally, treat them as they truly deserve, in keeping with the value that God has placed on them.

Called to live as light

...we, too, understand the horrors that this life brings us as we struggle with illness, as we deal with the loss of loved ones, as we watch families succumb to separation and divorce, as we struggle to make sense of many of the evil things in our society and culture.

Yet, amid this landscape of moral bankruptcy and spiritual darkness, in the midst of all this external and internal noise, we hear Jesus’ words to each of us:

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14–16, NIV).

Sitting by the Sea of Galilee that day under the hot sun, how would Jesus’ audience have understood His words? They lived under Roman occupation, in a militarized society... in many ways was as efficient as our own, and in some ways even more terrifying.

The Romans were everywhere, reminding the masses on the hillside that those who insisted on making trouble quickly would find their way to the torturers—and to a naked death on a Roman cross.

And yet, here was Jesus, calling them to live as light. To be merciful. To be pure in heart. To be makers of peace.

Christian education must, then, include teaching our students to be lights in the world, to be able to make choices and decisions that will reveal the reality and goodness of God to others.

Living as disciples

Luke 4:18–23. For three years the disciples watched as Jesus, their Teacher, lived out the ideals of the kingdom... Forgiveness, grace, and love walked hand in hand with loneliness, commitment, and hardship. If there was a lesson to be learned, it was the lesson that discipleship is not something one takes lightly. You are a disciple for life—not just for one day.

As disciples of Jesus, we today must make certain that Jesus is always the center of both our fellowship and our worship.

Though the rabbis of His day attracted followers, it was Jesus who called men and women to follow Him.

All Christian education must include this sense of mission, of purpose, not just to earn a living but to do in our own sphere what Jesus calls us to do.

Seeking truth

Albert Einstein, often regarded as the father of modern physics, wrote: “The important thing is not to stop questioning...

Modern science has shown us an incredible complexity that exists at pretty much every level of existence. And if it’s like that for mere physical things, how much more so for spiritual things?

(Eccles. 3:11) According to this verse, God has placed in the human heart and mind a sense of the past and the future, eternity itself. That is, as human beings, we are able to think about what has been called “the big questions” about life and our existence in general.

And, of course, here is where Scripture plays the central role. Who are we? Why are we here? How should we live? What happens when we die? Why is there evil and suffering? These are the questions that seekers of truth have been asking since the beginning of recorded history.

What is Christian education if not pointing people to these answers, as found in the Word of God?

Sharing our lives

The New Testament vision of what church and community is took shape primarily in the homes of believers. It was here that the community met in small groups, praying, singing, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, learning and sharing Jesus’ words with each other.

These early believers soon discovered that it is in community that the gospel can best be lived out. In community, we have reason to sing louder, to pray more fervently, and to be more caring and compassionate. When we hear others speak of God’s goodness, we sense how good He has been to us; when we hear of one another’s struggles and hurts, we sense God’s healing in our own lives, and we experience a renewed desire to be instruments of His grace and healing.

Teacher's comments

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 fellowshipping 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.

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.

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.

For the church to be a place of learning and growing will not only take competent, Spirit-filled pastors and teachers, but it also will take the kindness and love of Spirit-filled members.

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.

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 statistic: The number of occurrences of the word disciple in the Bible is 256.

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).

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.

Sabbath School Lesson | Christian Education | Lesson 9 | November 21-27, 2020 | The Church And Education