One of the Reasons We Learn about God Is So We Can Teach Others
In the letter written to the Hebrew people who follow Jesus, there’s a short phrase that’s easy to skip over. The author, who I suspect is Paul, criticizes the people he’s writing to.
He says they should be at a point in their faith journey where they can teach others.
Instead they are content to be taught. They’re drinking milk, but they should have moved on to solid food.
Notice that the writer doesn’t call out specific people. He makes a general statement to all who receive his letter. That’s everyone. In our Christian society today, most people remain content to have someone teach them.
They seldom take time to teach others about God, their faith, and their faith Journey.
Our churches today are filled with people who crave milk. Even though they are mature enough to eat solid food, they haven’t grown enough to take that step. Instead they’re content to suck milk from a bottle.
This is to their shame and to our shame. We expect others to teach us, when we should be doing the teaching ourselves.
Teaching can take several forms. It might be standing before a group and giving a lesson.
It might be sitting in a circle and sharing what God is doing in our life. Or maybe it’s one-on-one interaction when we encourage a friend to move forward in their faith and to make Godly decisions.
Some people delude themselves by claiming they’re not ready to teach. But I think most simply find it’s the most comfortable thing to do.
They prefer to go to church and sit passively in their pews so that someone else can give them milk to drink.
Instead we should adopt a new attitude. We should realize we have insights, knowledge, and experiences that can help others. Everyone knows something that will benefit the people we talk to.
We need to share what we know.
Likewise everyone we encounter knows something that we don’t. We must be ready to hear what they have to say and learn from them.
Our job is to grow in our faith, and then to teach others. It’s time to start doing that.
[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is Hebrews 5-7, and today’s post is on Hebrews 5:12.]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
Bogged Down Reading the Bible?
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.