One summer while in high school, I was playing basketball at a camp with a group of guys from my home church against a team from Florida. That team featured a really big kid. He was tall, heavy, and athletic. He also looked older than any of us. It was a hard fought, competitive, close game that we lost.
Afterward our team was talking among ourselves and I made the offhand comment that it took a team with a college kid to beat us. An official corrected me by letting us know that the really big kid was just 16. Suddenly I felt really small.
God taught me a valuable lesson: excuses and assumptions cause people to say really dumb things. I also felt convicted by the Holy Spirit. God was teaching me that true growth as a follower of Jesus involves not just the “big” things we normally think of as sins. It also involves the “small” things, like attitudes and perspectives. God works on us on the inside as much He does the outside.
I was reminded of that long ago experience during today’s quiet time. In I Timothy 1:3-6 Paul told Timothy that too many people who want to teach God’s word focus on things that fascinate people and lead to “fruitless discussion.” Those Paul had in mind thought they were smart Christians because they knew the Old Testament really well. They made bold assertions and wanted everyone else to be equally fascinated by the “doctrines” that appealed to them.
There was one big problem. Their teaching was not helping people grow as followers of Jesus.
Paul told Timothy the real goal of teaching is “love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” In other words, knowing a bunch of Bible stuff is useless if we are not becoming better people – better followers of Jesus. The real test of how well we are following Jesus is how well we are treating other people. Is our love growing? Jesus said our love for others is the best evidence that we belong to Him.
Learning to love other people means the Holy Spirit is going to take God’s word and apply it to moments in our lives. Some of those moments will be “big” and others will be “small.”
I felt bad and a little embarrassed on that basketball court many years ago. But in that moment God was teaching me. That is the ultimate goal of all teaching.
When I preach I need to always remember that my goal is never to just help people know what the Bible says. My goal is to help them know how it applies to life, so they can grow in Christ likeness.
That is also your goal whenever you teach God’s word. I’ll even go on record and say that is your goal each and every time you read His word. Remember the goal is “love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” That is much more than mere head knowledge. It is heart knowledge and life change.
Pastor Steve Hogg
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