Does that word you keep using mean what you think it means?
In
my struggle to limit the length of my outreach stories, I’ve used some
churchy terms to more easily explain complex thoughts in as few words as
possible. Christian lingo isn’t easy to avoid, but I need to be aware
of using it, especially as more readers come from a non-Christian or
unchurched background, and even more so with the people I talk with on
the street.
But what about people from a church background? Do
they always understand correctly the words we so casually throw around
as if everyone knows what we are talking about?
I was reminded of
this as I talked with a young man named Durante at a Burger King. He
had grown up attending his grandmother’s church until he became bored
with it all. He said it seemed like they just went through the same
motions every Sunday and it seemed pointless.
But when I asked a
little more specifically about his understanding of the Gospel, I
realized he really hadn’t learned much after all that time in church.
He talked about being “saved” a lot, so I was surprised to find out he
really didn’t know what that meant. He wasn’t quite sure what the Ten
Commandments were all about, as well as the meaning and purpose of Jesus
and the cross.
Now maybe Durante wasn’t the most eager learner
at church, but it seems to me they missed an opportunity to teach him
not only the basics of the Gospel, but some of the glorious depths of
wisdom on a variety of topics essential for Christian maturity. Maybe
Durante was right, maybe they were just “going through the motions”
without engaging with the Bible on a personal level.
From time to time I come across people whom I’ve already met on the street and have shared the Gospel with. I usually ask them what they remember from our first conversation, and they often tell me they appreciated it but only remember vague generalities.
My hope is that the “seed” I’d planted would have resulted in a greater harvest in their life, based on the popular verse from Isaiah 55: “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
But I also hope that God will raise up more workers for the harvest, workers who not only initiate outreach conversations like I do, but workers who will do the hard work of teaching the Bible, both its simple truths and its doctrinal depths. And, as usual when I pray the prayer for “more workers” that Jesus told us to pray in Matthew 9, I find it hard to sincerely make that request without being willing to be part of the answer myself.
So with all this in mind I have taught and recorded a systematic theology class at my church, with a much more detailed look at the great and profound truths of the Bible.
"Systematic Theology" is a study of what the whole Bible teaches about any given topic. I have it available as an audio and visual series in a playlist on my YouTube channel. It is organized into 34 lessons based on the chapters of Bible scholar Wayne Grudem's book "Bible Doctrine", and I've also made available all my teaching materials for anyone who might want to teach their own class.
I want to be a “worker for the harvest” who is willing to teach, and I’m just praying for people who are willing to teach and learn themselves.
And let's make sure those words we use mean what we think they mean!
Thanks, Durante, for allowing me to record our conversation! It can be viewed on my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/UmqlEm4Qbcg
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