Great Manifesto for Church Education! Part 4 - Final

Correct Teaching

In this last and final installment on the "Great Manifesto for Church Education" we consider how the Lord Jesus would have the church provide correct teaching for those who are discipled. He says: that I have commanded you – teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.

Matthew 28:19-20 "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, 20 "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 church is not free to teach was in accordance with her own fancy, but is to teach the things which Christ has commanded. Now this means that our teaching must be according to the Word of God. Everything we teach must flow from the Word of God. Paul speaks of the sufficiency of the Word of God when speaking to Timothy:

2Ti 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Do you see what he is saying? All teaching is to flow from the Word of God – that is what Christ has commanded! But that further implies that when responding to teaching we must search the Word of God to see whether these things are as they are taught. We can’t respond with simply our opinions or our feelings but only on the basis of the Word of God.

I remember doing a home visit some years ago when the father of the home said that he thought we should sing hymns in the worship service. I asked him if he had studied the Word of God on this issue – to which he responded: No! I asked him whether he had read any books on this topic to which he responded: No, I don’t read books. I asked him then why he thought we should sing hymns in the worship service to which he responded: I just like to sing hymns – I enjoy hymns! And so I encouraged him to study the issue and then make his request on the basis of the Word of God. I never heard back from him again. Regardless of whether or not someone believes that hymns should be sung in the worship service, we must agree that we should let the Word of God be our guide, not our wants or feelings.

But least we are too critical of him, how often don’t we respond in the same way? How often we speak to a matter stating our opinions without ever having searched the Word of God? How often don’t we hold tightly to our position, simply because it is always the way that we’ve done it, without understanding what the Bible states? I could mention so many issues which are like that – hymn singing, bible translations, church discipline, Christian education, etc. etc. People speaking, not on the basis of God’s Word but on the basis of human wisdom, desire, or emotion! Let us speak on the basis of the Word of God!

Now as we close this little series let me give you a few reasons why we have considered this aspect of teaching and why it is so important.

The first reason is simply because in a couple of weeks ago we being a new season of education both in the church and schools. In the church we have catechism classes, young people classes, Sunday School classes and other opportunities for our young people.

• I want to encourage the young people to diligently apply yourself to learning – listening to the instruction you receive – and responding appropriately to it by a change life – a new life of obedience in Christ!
• Parents, I want to encourage you to support the teachers by reviewing your son and/or daughter’s work; by reviewing their memory work; by interacting with them about the material.

The second is that there are also many opportunities for the adults in our congregations to learn. Let us not assume that we are every too old to learn or that we know enough of the Scriptures. No doubt there are many opportunities for you to learn as well whether that is ladies or men's society meetings, Sunday night studies and other opportunities for studying and learning. If you are physically able, are you participating in at least one of these opportunities? And if you are not able to come to any of them for legitimate reasons, are you yet a student in the school of Christ?

The third reason is that I am very concerned at the lack of knowledge that exists in the church today! One text that I’ve never dared to preach on yet, is Hosea 4:6 where the Lord denounces his people:

Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Is that indictment true of the church today? For some it most certainly is – so let us press on making disciples teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded! And let me end with the last words of Matthew for our encouragement in this task of teaching and learning:

Mat 28:20 "… lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

As crucial as teaching is in making disciples for effective fulfillment we need to have the assurance of the continued presence of the Lord Jesus in our work. All our work; all our teaching; all our learning; would be useless if the Lord didn’t bless our work! So let us go forth with that promise of Christ – I am with you always, even to the end of the age!

Great Manifesto for Church Education! Part 3

Effective Teaching

From Matthew 28:19-20 we learn that the Lord Jesus tells the church she must provide effective teaching for those who are discipled. He says: teaching them to observe or obey.

Matthew 28:19-20 "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, 20 "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.

Now notice that the emphasis of the Lord Jesus is upon obedience to every biblical area of life. He is telling us that we can evaluate our teaching by seeing whether there is a growing in obedience to the will of God. According to some obedience is contrary to the grace of God. Some feel that as soon as you require anything in the Christian life you have undermined the grace of God. Some people become very critical when teaching becomes very specific in what we must to do to be faithful to the Word of God. However, when one truly understands the grace by which he or she was saved, they will also seek to obey the Lord’s will in their entire life. And then they will welcome very specific ways in which they can be obedient to the will of God. We need to understand that obedience to God’s law is not contrary to the grace of God but actually flows from it.

The problem that some of us have with obedience is that it requires us to submit to higher authority, and if we’re honest submission is not something we do easily or naturally. However, when we are Disciples of Christ then we have no trouble submitting to authority by which Christ rules in his church, namely by the Word of God as taught through the ordained offices of Christ! The teaching of the church comes to you with the authority of Christ.

From the context of our text, it is clear that the teaching of the church – and particularly her officebearers - comes with the authority of Christ. This of course, is necessary so that teaching can be effective in the church. In verse 18 we read Christ say: All authority has been given to me…and then in verse 19 the apostles are told to make disciples by teaching them to observe all things I have command…and then in verse 20 he states: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Therefore, the official teaching of the church comes with a distinct authority in the life of the Christian. This is particularly true of the teaching of the officebearers in the church. As much as possible teaching in the church should be done by the elders – whether past or present - because they come with the derive authority of Christ. When the officebearers teach – even command obedience – it comes with the authority of Christ Jesus!

One older author speaking surprisingly relevant yet today, speaks of how the authority of the officebearers in the church is minimized. He says:

He, speaking of the officebearer, is considered merely in the light of a speaking brother. He has no official distinction or authority. He may compliment like a flatterer, he may beg like a servant, he may woo like a lover; but he is not permitted to command like a ruler. …if he says anything at all, it must be somewhat similar to the soothsayers, for he is only permitted to peep and mutter from the dust.

But teaching in the church comes with a particular authority and should be heard as such and should lead to new obedience in Christ. The aiming of teaching is not just to make someone feel good but actually do good! So much emphasis today is put upon feeling good rather than doing good. Effectiveness in teaching is often evaluated on the basis of how people feel in response to it. However, here the Lord Jesus is teaching that we need to aim for obedience to all that he has commanded. good – but actually

Now this means that the teaching in the church needs to be practical not just theoretical. Theoretical is very comfortable – it is distant, detached – while practical teaching can be very uncomfortable – challenging, compelling or convicting. But if our teaching is to lead to obedience we need to teach how the obedience will look like in the end.

• We need to teach specifically about not only that parents need to instruct their children but the particulars of how this is to be done.
• We need to teach someone not only that they must be sexually pure as taught in the 7^th commandment, but also the specifics how we can promote and maintain a pure life.
• We need to teach not only that wives must be subject to their own husbands, but what this looks like in the context of marriage – and what this looks like when your husband is an unbeliever; what this looks like when you disagree with your husband; what this looks like when your husband treats you sinfully etc.
• We need to teach not only that God created the world in six days, but also practically how to answer the present objections against creationism.

And a thousand more examples could be given of how specific practical teaching needs to be given so that there is new obedience in Christ. We need to hear practical application of the Word of God.

What is your attitude towards specific instruction in practical things of life? Do you see this is legalism – or do you understand it as a necessary aspect of the Christian life? Do you get your back up when you are taught very specifically what you must do in the Christian life? Do you recognize the authority which Christ has ordained in the church to teach you? Do you understand the importance of obedience in the Christian life? Are you growing in obedience towards the Lord? Do you go by feelings in the Christian life – or do you consider what you must do in the Christian life? Effective teaching in the Church of Christ will lead to not only feeling good, but also doing good!

Great Manifesto for Church Education! Part 2

Comprehensive Teaching

From Matthew 28:19-20 it is clear that the Lord Jesus would have the church provide complete or comprehensive teaching for those who are discipled. He says: all things. He says: all things – teaching them to observe all things.

Matthew 28:19-20 "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.

First, this means that for all Christians a lifetime of learning must follow conversion and membership in Christ’s church. If Christ states that we must be taught all things it most certainly means that we must all be students in the school of Christ – for do any of us know all things? Now historically we’ve placed an emphasis on teaching young people in the church, but doesn’t the fact that Christ calls the church to teach all things mean that all Christians should be students in the school of Christ? I think everyone needs to be a student in the School of Christ, regardless of age. No Christian can be happy with the status quo when it comes to his or her knowledge of Christ.

This command to observe all things is particularly relevant in our superficial age. Our culture has become mentally fat and lazy. But in contrast to our culture, Christians are called by God “to be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” (Romans 12:1,2) This transformation is basic to Christian living and is essential in responding to the call to abound in love for God and our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40) If the church is called by God to teach all things then each one of us is called to learn all things also in the context of the church! As Christians we need to be pressing on towards the goal in Christ Jesus. Paul speaks of the effort required in seeking to know all things! He says in Philippians 3:

Phi 3:13-14 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

If this was the way the apostle lived – one who was an inspired apostle of Christ – should we not be doing the same? Are you pressing on? Are you seeking to know Christ and the power of his resurrection in your life? Are you applying yourself to learning in the school of Christ? Are you active in applying yourself to learning in the church of Christ? Do you know more today than last year concerning the gospel of Christ? Has your knowledge of the Word of God increased in the last year? Are you putting yourself under the instruction of the church of Christ?

But second, the fact that the church is called to teach all things means that her curriculum must be comprehensive considering all of the scripture. Therefore as a church we should deal with the areas of Biblical Studies, Christian Doctrine and Christian Living necessary to equip you to live a fully balanced Christian life. In order to do this we need to cover six main areas: Scripture, Doctrine, Christian Living, Church History, Apologetics, and Leadership Training. By the way, all of these cannot be taught effectively from the pulpit – that’s why we do have other classes in the church. These are geared to age – or perhaps are more topically arranged.

Teaching all things means that we must have balance in our teaching in the church. Today, instead of striving to teach all Christ commanded, many are trying to eliminate as much of his teaching as possible, avoiding those matters which are difficult or objectionable. It is easy to teach something on which everyone agrees, but to teach those challenging subjects is difficult or to teach of something sensitive is so easy to avoid, but is it faithful?

Today’s church needs to teach all the things of God – even those things which are unpopular; which are difficult; which are objectionable; which are challenging because Christ has said: Teach all things! It is very easy to be one sided in teaching the truths of the Word of God. Each one of us have our own particular hobbyhorse – and some truths are more palatable than others – but Christ said teach all things – not just some things. The church’s teaching is to be comprehensive!

Great Manifesto for Church Education! Part 1

The last verses of Matthew 28 are well known for their importance when it comes to the church and missions – and properly so – and I have preached on them in the past with this emphasis. There is an outward looking aspect here in these verses. However, there verses also have a lot to say about the church as it looks to be built up on the inside. Here I am thinking specifically of these words in verse 20: teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you… But before we come to these words specifically, there are a couple of things to notice from the context of these words.

The first is that our Lord Jesus is addressing the apostles. He was addressing officebearers who would form the first New Testament churches and subsequently officebearers in the church today. These words are not something which have expired with the of the apostles. This verse outlines specifically the task of the church today. That will be our focus also when speaking of teaching. There are responsibilities that we have as parents in teaching and as teachers in schools, but that is from other texts for another day. Now, our focus will be on the teaching in the church of Jesus Christ as she makes disciples. Often you hear it said that teaching is a parental responsibility and not the church’s responsibility, but this is creating a dilemma that doesn’t exist in scripture. Parents have an obligation – we’ve seen that in the past – the church has an obligation to educate and instruct as well.

The second thing to notice from the context is that the Lord Jesus sends out his apostles with the commission to make disciples of all nations. This is the main verb of this sentence – make disciples. This is what the Lord Jesus is calling us to do as a church – make disciples. The main verb is not go which is often how many have preached on it, but the main verb is make disciples and then there are three tasks the church is called to do in making disciples – going out, baptizing, and teaching. These are three participles in the original: going (which is translated go in our English Bibles), baptizing, and teaching! Now in case you aren’t familiar with those grammatical terms – a participle is the outworking of the main verb. In other words: How do you make disciples of all nations? Well, first of all, by going out; second, by baptizing them, and third, by teaching them. We do see that there is a connection between baptism and teaching, also for the church. Those who the church baptizes she has an obligation to disciple, even until their . Teaching them from cradle to grave. Now our focus is going to be on the last of these three tasks we’ve mentioned – namely teaching, focusing on this phrase in verse 20: "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; …"

There are at least three things we can gather about the teaching of the church from our text.

1. The first is that the Lord Jesus would have the church provide complete and comprehensive teaching for those who are discipled. He says: all things – teaching them to observe all things.
2. The second is that the Lord Jesus would have the church provide effective teaching for those who are discipled. He says: to observe – teaching them to observe or we could say: teaching them to obey.
3. The final thing to note is that in these words the Lord Jesus would have the church provide correct teaching. He says: I have commanded you – teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.

We hope to consider each of these aspects of the teaching of the church of Jesus Christ. In short we could say that Matthew 28:18-20 is not only the great commission for missions, it is also, as one reformed preacher put it, the Great Manifesto for church education!

Our last week in BC! The time has gone by so fast!! Our final big outing is to Vancouver Island. We left the mainland early Wednesday morning and got on to the ferry. That was a cool experience parking our vehicle on the bottom level and spending the rest of the 2 1/2 hours enjoying the sights while Ben and Josh explored every inch of the ferry. Erin of course shopped since there was a gift shop on board :) The weather was gorgeous so John and I spent most of the time on the outside deck. We docked in Nanaimo and drove 30 minutes to our resort in Parksville. We plan to spend three days here and head back on Friday, hopefully in time to catch the evening market in Richmond. Saturday morning we will be housecleaning and packing and then Saturday afternoon our friends from Calgary -Ray & Kathy and Chris will visit us. We hope to go swimming and then order some pizzas for supper. Sunday morning we will be Abblotsford and in the evening back in Langley. Monday morning we head to the airport and hope to land in Hamilton by 3 o'clock.
We are looking so forward to being home again! This has been the most amazing holiday but our hearts and minds are still often in Ontario -- It will be so good to see Scott & Jen and Caleb again.





While the tide was out the kids enjoyed gathering treasures (life and dead) from the tide pools.

Ben was fascinated by the baby crabs, which there were hundreds of!





Our resort here in Parksville is located right on the Pacific Ocean. It is beautiful with hot tubs, pools, complimentary kayaks and canoes. It is fascinating to watch the tide come and go. John has caught on to this neat way to stay in 5-star resorts. As long as you are willing to listen to a 90 minute presentation on time-shares, these resorts are much cheaper than regular hotel rooms. Our resort in Whistler was a condo style 2 level place. It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, kitchen and dining area, dishwasher, washer, dryer. On the grounds was a pool and hottub. It only cost about $85 per night. Here on the island we are paying $65 per night for about the same style place. We are staying in an ocean view place, with our deck offering an amazing view. This is definately the way to go when travelling with kids and you need some more space and privacy. I am sure we will always look for resorts when we travel again (provided we can listen to a BORING 90 minute speel. )