Is the theory of evolution true? /Apologeticshtml/Darwins God Review.htm
Why does God Allow
Evil? Click here: /Apologeticshtml/Why Does God Allow Evil
0908.htm
May Christians work on
Saturdays? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Protestant
Rhetoric vs Sabbath Refuted.htm
Should
Christians obey the Old Testament law? /doctrinalhtml/Does
the New Covenant Abolish the OT Law.htm
Do
you have an immortal soul? Click
here: /doctrinalhtml/Here
and Hereafter.htm
Should
you give 10% of your income? /doctrinalhtml/Is
Tithing Binding on Christians vs Collins.htm
Is
pride a sin? Click here: /Sermonettesdoc/Why
Pride Is a Sin sermonette 102602.doc
Teaching
God’s Truth Before and After Christ’s Return
Sermonette
9-14-02 Ann Arbor, Michigan, UCG
With
the fall Holy Day season now in full swing, our thoughts are drawn strongly to
the Feast of Tabernacles before us and what part it symbolizes in God’s plan
for humanity. When we consider the
wonderful World Tomorrow to come, we think of how much will change for the
better. We think of, for example, of
the end of war, crime, and poverty worldwide by God’s power after Jesus’
return. But God has us Christians play
a role in this worldwide transformation and reclamation project. And the most important thing that needs to
be transformed and reclaimed is human nature.
Human nature needs to be changed from doing habitual evil to doing
habitual good. To accomplish this, God
doesn’t do it all Himself, but he uses other humans to help accomplish His will
so that we develop in character ourselves when helping others learn to change
their lives.
S.P.S. Therefore, both before and after Christ’s
return, it’s our job as Christians to help teach the world more about God’s
ways. By teaching others, we learn more
ourselves about God’s ways while helping others learn the same truth.
Notice
that although we may become kings and priests in the millennium, we aren’t that
now, obviously enough. I haven’t
noticed anyone wearing crowns around here, the last I noticed!
But
we are to be teachers now and then, both before and after Christ’s return. We need to teach God’s ways both now and
then. And by teaching others now we
learn ourselves more firmly God’s ways so we can teach about God’s law
then.
As
a part-time instructor for Western humanities at Davenport University, it has
taught me more about my subject even as I prepare to teach it since I do
research for the lectures and read material related to it, not just the
textbook. My students also can have
interesting insights into matters also.
Likewise, as we learn more about God’s ways in various books, whether it
be the Bible or books that tell us how to understand the Bible better, we can
learn more about God’s ways ourselves. For example, if we study books about (say) marriage relationships
or childrearing, that helps us in our own immediate situations potentially as
well as helps us be able to teach others about how to manage their own family
lives better now, or in the millennium.
Notice how opposed this approach is to the Irish playwright George
Bernhard Shaw’s famous cynical statement that “He who can, does. He who cannot teaches.”
Isa.
2:2-4
This
text is very familiar to us all. But now
notice in particular the parts related to education: The law of God will go forth from Jerusalem. And how will that happen? If the world is to be educated in God’s ways
better, surely those members of God’s family who were once in the flesh will be
part of this process of teaching the world God’s ways, which God’s law tell us
about. Furthermore, if they aren’t to
learn or train for war any more, we as teachers will be sure to eliminate
certain subjects that are in the curriculum of military colleges, such as West
Point, Annapolis, Sandhurst, the ROTC program at various campuses, etc. today.
The 18th century French philosopher Claude Adrien Hel/ve’/ti/us,
once wrote that “Education makes us what we are.” If we’re to help raise up a peaceful humanity, they have to be
taught the ways of peace in their personal lives.
Isa.
9:9
Now,
turning to another very familiar text, exactly how is this going to
happen? The text doesn’t say. But we know that today God often wants us to
do for ourselves many things in our lives without his direct aid, such as
earning a living. God also uses human
means today to preach the Gospel. Would
things be any different then, during the millennium? God will use us as teachers then and certainly not take on all
the work Himself.
Matt.
28:18-20
But
notice now that our role today as Christians who teach others God’s truth isn’t
really any different from what we’ll do during the millennium. Part of this, of course, is done within our
own families, as parents teach their children why God’s ways are right and the
world’s ways are wrong. Notice that the
noun form of this verb translated “make disciples” means “a learner.” Thus, it means, from a teacher’s viewpoint,
“one who follows one’s teaching,” according to Vine’s. Hence, notice, we’re told to teach others
today, which is the way to prepare for this role of ours in the World Tomorrow.
There are opportunities the church gives us today for teaching others by spreading knowledge of the Gospel to the world. For example, locally two people, including me, place copies of the Good News magazine in various kinds of stores for people to pick up. At the present rate, about 1000 copies every issue are distributed this way. I would encourage others to participate, especially since now I do have a number of surplus copies on hand.
We
also can participate in a new pilot program the home office is
investigating. Using these subscription
request cards here, we can have a special free gift issue of the Good News sent
to relatives, friends, people we know at work, etc. The person receiving it would then have to fill out another
subscription card, included with the magazine, to get a free year’s
subscription. I would like to encourage
people here to take some of the cards home with them, fill them out, and bring
them back to me if you’d like to participate.
So
in conclusion we as Christians have a job to teach others God’s ways and God’s
law both now and during the millennium.
The world’s wrong ways of thinking that are opposed to God’s will have
to be changed to be in conformity with His will. Then right actions will naturally flow from right thoughts after
having corrected the thoughts by correct education. We as Christians need to educate others in God’s truth both now
and in the World to Come. And by
teaching others now, we prepare ourselves to be teachers in God’s kingdom as
well as learn more about God’s ways now as we should. So let’s remember that indeed, “Education makes us what we are.”
Click here to access essays
that defend Christianity's truth
Links
to elsewhere on this Web site: /apologetics.html /book.html /doctrinal.html /essays.html /links.html
/sermonettes.html /webmaster.html For the home page, click here: /index.html