Feeding the sheep!

[votivesoul]

Originally Posted by Esaias

So, how best to fulfill the obligation to teach?

I find there is more good to be found in teaching by example and by letting the student learn by doing.

Devotional instruction is important. I don't knock it at all. But much of it goes to head knowledge only. That's only half the battle. The other is heart knowledge, getting the truths of God's Word down deep, and that only comes through experience.

Many saints read, study, and take notes, and can quote Scriptures all day, but don't know how to be led by the Spirit moment to moment. They have no functional awareness of the activity of God.

There is a difference, for example, in teaching someone a great lesson on prayer. A whole three month series could be taught. But that's theory only. It has to be applied and practiced. Beginning to pray, and leading a person to an awareness on how to serve the Lord in prayer, how to listen, how move and flow with the Holy Spirit is completely different.

I think oral, devotional instruction should be more about equipping the saints to feed themselves in that way. More should be taught regarding life in the Spirit. A teacher's main duty is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the Body. Traditional doctrinal exegesis doesn't do a whole lot to accomplish that calling, in my opinion.

For example, I could put together a six week class on how to drive. I could go page by page through the manual, with some great anecdotes, slideshow presentations, and witty insights. But no one learns to drive a car by merely reading the driver handbook.

It's the same with the ministry of teaching. No one learns how to live for God just by reading the Book. A Christian has to get behind the wheel, so to speak.

Consider this: Jesus told Peter "Feed my sheep". But earlier in John, Jesus told the disciples "I have meat to eat you know not of...My meat is to do the will of the Father who sent me".

When we think of feeding God's sheep, we think merely of teaching them the Bible. We rarely think of teaching a saint how to seek, discover, ascertain, understand, and fulfill God's personalized will for their life. That's the true feeding Jesus wants us to do.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

I find there is more good to be found in teaching by example and by letting the student learn by doing.

Devotional instruction is important. I don't knock it at all. But much of it goes to head knowledge only. That's only half the battle. The other is heart knowledge, getting the truths of God's Word down deep, and that only comes through experience.

Many saints read, study, and take notes, and can quote Scriptures all day, but don't know how to be led by the Spirit moment to moment. They have no functional awareness of the activity of God.

There is a difference, for example, in teaching someone a great lesson on prayer. A whole three month series could be taught. But that's theory only. It has to be applied and practiced. Beginning to pray, and leading a person to an awareness on how to serve the Lord in prayer, how to listen, how move and flow with the Holy Spirit is completely different.

I think oral, devotional instruction should be more about equipping the saints to feed themselves in that way. More should be taught regarding life in the Spirit. A teacher's main duty is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the Body. Traditional doctrinal exegesis doesn't do a whole lot to accomplish that calling, in my opinion.

For example, I could put together a six week class on how to drive. I could go page by page through the manual, with some great anecdotes, slideshow presentations, and witty insights. But no one learns to drive a car by merely reading the driver handbook.

It's the same with the ministry of teaching. No one learns how to live for God just by reading the Book. A Christian has to get behind the wheel, so to speak.

Consider this: Jesus told Peter "Feed my sheep". But earlier in John, Jesus told the disciples "I have meat to eat you know not of...My meat is to do the will of the Father who sent me".

When we think of feeding God's sheep, we think merely of teaching them the Bible. We rarely think of teaching a saint how to seek, discover, ascertain, understand, and fulfill God's personalized will for their life. That's the true feeding Jesus wants us to do.

And so how would that be accomplished?

[votivesoul]

Originally Posted by Esaias

And so how would that be accomplished?

I suppose there are a diversity of ways, depending on the situation, the people involved, and etc. But it seems to me it will always come back to using the methods Christ Himself used.

There was a time of devotional instruction. Christ saturated the Apostles in His doctrine. But not just with words. He exampled everything He taught in front of them. They saw Him do the very things He spoke about. Next came empowerment/authority to take what they had learned and seen, and do it themselves. Then they were sent. It was all on the 12 to apply everything they had experienced. Following the sending of the 12, there was a time of rest, with feedback and additional instruction, after which came deeper revelation.

So, let's say a saint came to me, asking me to teach him how to evangelize (the following will be a bit generic, just to get your question answered).

I would first do a thorough job explaining the Biblical doctrines surrounding the topic, while at the same time taking the person out into the community to show practical application, by doing the very things I had already explained (probably 4-5 times). Next, I would pray with and for the saint in question, giving encouragement, letting them know they are empowered by God to evangelize the world. Then, I would offer an opportunity for the saint to go and do what he had heard and seen me do (a community event, for example). I would not go with. We would reconvene and talk about how it went, what doors God opened, challenges, etc. I would give some feedback with some additional teaching, then talk about the deeper aspects of evangelism (e.g. the real meaning of the Gospel, it's power and purpose, why it's so important, how it saves, and etc.)

If it all went well, in about a month, there would be a fairly well trained and ready evangelist chomping at the bit to hit the streets.

[votivesoul]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

I suppose there are a diversity of ways, depending on the situation, the people involved, and etc. But it seems to me it will always come back to using the methods Christ Himself used.

There was a time of devotional instruction. Christ saturated the Apostles in His doctrine. But not just with words. He exampled everything He taught in front of them. They saw Him do the very things He spoke about. Next came empowerment/authority to take what they had learned and seen, and do it themselves. Then they were sent. It was all on the 12 to apply everything they had experienced. Following the sending of the 12, there was a time of rest, with feedback and additional instruction, after which came deeper revelation.

So, let's say a saint came to me, asking me to teach him how to evangelize (the following will be a bit generic, just to get your question answered).

I would first do a thorough job explaining the Biblical doctrines surrounding the topic, while at the same time taking the person out into the community to show practical application, by doing the very things I had already explained (probably 4-5 times). Next, I would pray with and for the saint in question, giving encouragement, letting them know they are empowered by God to evangelize the world. Then, I would offer an opportunity for the saint to go and do what he had heard and seen me do (a community event, for example). I would not go with. We would reconvene and talk about how it went, what doors God opened, challenges, etc. I would give some feedback with some additional teaching, then talk about the deeper aspects of evangelism (e.g. the real meaning of the Gospel, it's power and purpose, why it's so important, how it saves, and etc.)

If it all went well, in about a month, there would be a fairly well trained and ready evangelist chomping at the bit to hit the streets.

Over the years I've trained a lot of people at various jobs. It's the same kind of thing. Take the new recruit, "show 'em the ropes", and let them go. Monitor, reinforce, answer questions, hand-hold for a bit, but ultimately, expect them to learn by doing.

Imagine if the church actually made disciples instead of merely acquiring converts?

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

I suppose there are a diversity of ways, depending on the situation, the people involved, and etc. But it seems to me it will always come back to using the methods Christ Himself used.

There was a time of devotional instruction. Christ saturated the Apostles in His doctrine. But not just with words. He exampled everything He taught in front of them. They saw Him do the very things He spoke about. Next came empowerment/authority to take what they had learned and seen, and do it themselves. Then they were sent. It was all on the 12 to apply everything they had experienced. Following the sending of the 12, there was a time of rest, with feedback and additional instruction, after which came deeper revelation.

So, let's say a saint came to me, asking me to teach him how to evangelize (the following will be a bit generic, just to get your question answered).

I would first do a thorough job explaining the Biblical doctrines surrounding the topic, while at the same time taking the person out into the community to show practical application, by doing the very things I had already explained (probably 4-5 times). Next, I would pray with and for the saint in question, giving encouragement, letting them know they are empowered by God to evangelize the world. Then, I would offer an opportunity for the saint to go and do what he had heard and seen me do (a community event, for example). I would not go with. We would reconvene and talk about how it went, what doors God opened, challenges, etc. I would give some feedback with some additional teaching, then talk about the deeper aspects of evangelism (e.g. the real meaning of the Gospel, it's power and purpose, why it's so important, how it saves, and etc.)

If it all went well, in about a month, there would be a fairly well trained and ready evangelist chomping at the bit to hit the streets.

This sounds like what I was talking about in regards to the one on one discipleship process. But what about the congregation as a whole? Individual discipleship certainly is important, but so is congregational instruction in the Word of God, is it not?

Christ did not need to teach his disciples the Bible, because as Jews they grew up memorizing more scripture than most Christians ever forget in a lifetime. But with Paul and his gentile converts, does he not install or put in place some method of 'reading and teaching' the scriptures?

1Ti_4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

My question at the moment is largely on how to put that into practice in a practical, workable, efficient manner.

(I'm gonna come back to the individual discipleship question later...)