I was sitting here today reflecting upon the sermon I heard
at church yesterday. My pastor was preaching on Deuteronomy 6 and was calling
attention to the responsibility that each of us have to communicate the Word of
God to the next generation. As I was thinking about this, I realized what an
amazing blessing it is to be able to go to church, hear a sermon, or be
involved in a Bible study. We typically think of these things in relation to
the value they have for us as individuals as though that were the only goal of
such learning. There is, however, another reason why we should express our
thankful appreciation to God for the teaching of the church.
The Bible says:
“Hear, O Israel: The
LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I
command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them
diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in
your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you
rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as
frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your
house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy
6:4-9 ESV)
These references to doorposts, gates, hands, and foreheads show
us that the teaching of God is to be such an integral part of our being that we
live by it and reflect it in all things that we do. Every thought and every
action is to be informed by the Word of God. Notice also, however, that these
verses also contain a requirement that the people of God teach their children
diligently and talk to them about the teaching of God. Believers are commanded
to disciple their children. Jesus even expands this requirement from the
immediate family to the broader culture in Matthew 28 when He says, “Go therefore and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
The people of God are therefore responsible for
communicating the revelation of God to others. It is not an option; it is a
requirement that we do so. Of course, not every Christian is going to be a
teacher or preacher but that does not mean that we are not responsible for
sharing the simple Gospel and the basic understanding of who God is. This
brings me to the other reason why church is such a blessing. God has required
that we share His teaching. In order to share it we need to understand it and
be able to communicate it.
The Lord has provided everything necessary to do this in His
Word but many of us are not comfortable doing so. God therefore goes beyond
just supplying what was necessary and in His grace supplies much more. He gave
the gifts of preachers and teachers so that we are led into the Word and so we
may learn how to study it, think about it, and apply it. This is not just for
our own benefit with regard to our personal salvation and sanctification. It is
a help to us in preparing us and encouraging us in the exercise of our
responsibility to others. We are able to benefit from the teaching of others so
that we would grow in our understanding and be adequately prepared to share
with others.
We should not be simply consumers of God’s truth who should
shop for teachers as though we are purchasing a car. Church does not exist to
be our personal spiritual servant. It exists so that God will be glorified in
us and through us. When we understand our own responsibility to live in
a way that is consistent with our new life, we begin to appreciate better the
value of those gifts that our Father has provided to help us.
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