When the Pulpit is Powerless (Mt 7:28-29)

When the Pulpit is Powerless

Based on Matthew 7:28-29 | September 29 2019

Khen Lim

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“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, for He taught with real authority — quite unlike their teachers of religious law.” (Mt 7:28-29, NLT)

Teaching is something I have been doing for more than three decades now. It all began when I was a Journalism student in college and I tutored students from my same year on a voluntary (unpaid) basis at my own rented flat. Not long thereafter, I joined a commercial music school and taught piano to students from age 8 to 70. That went on for as long as I was in college as a means of financially supporting myself.

Then came photography where I conducted student workshops within the college campus and then years later, officially for Olympus firstly in Australia and then in Malaysia. I also managed to conduct tutorial classes for computing students in the subjects Systems Analysis and Design and also Software Engineering.

For the past five years, I have been teaching private classes in Communication English where I developed my own curriculum, wrote my own materials, set up my own PowerPoint slides including English quizzes, competitions and projects. It seems teaching has been in my blood for longer than I cared.

Through all these many years of teaching, I was long on ad lib but short on methodicity. Academics and educationists speak of pedagogy but for me, I preferred the ad hoc approach of trusting my own instincts to teach. Admittedly, I did quite well doing just that. At least I never once had anyone complaining that they didn’t understand or that I was boring.

Much to my surprise, no one came up to me to insist that I had to learn a methodical approach to teaching. Not even when I was teaching at the music school or even tutoring at the computing college. Because I’ve always relied on my own unorthodox approach, I didn’t really know what methods were or weren’t good. 

Besides, teaching for me was not quite a qualified profession. As far as I was concerned, either you can or you can’t teach. And judging from my track record, I felt I could. If you have what it takes to teach, you obviously don’t need any methods! Or at least that was what I thought then.

But then, after my first few years of teaching, I began to understand that no matter what, I needed a systematic approach even if that meant I had to come up with some reasonable structure of my own. When I started to organise photography workshops during the late Eighties, I formulated a structured approach based on not just common sense but seemingly with goals in mind. From then on, I found myself honing and shaping it into something that made better sense. There was now a more coherent flow to how I taught.

The truth was that after years of teaching, it became impossible not to accept that a well-developed method always offered better practicality and reliability in how I could organise the teaching contents. So, today, good methodology is a staple must for all of my teaching. A methodical approach invariably helps to deliver my messages far more proficiently than otherwise regardless of what I teach.

That’s been the same when it comes to teaching the word of God. Drawing from the Book of Proverbs, it’s not difficult to understand that wisdom equips him to know what to teach as much as how to teach:

“The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.” (Prov 15:2, NLT)

Similarly, down a few verses in the same chapter is a reminder of how wisdom is important, and therefore necessary, when we teach:

“The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.” (Prov 15:28, NLT)

In the following chapter, the subject of wisdom once more receives greater attention:

“The wise are known for their understanding and pleasant words are persuasive.” (Prov 16:21, NLT)

Two verses down, there it is again:

“From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.” (Prov 16:23, NLT)

These verses and more found in Scripture offer us proof that teaching without an effective approach is not a good thing. Knowing what the Bible says is a start but it doesn’t end there. Given a platform to deliver the message, we need to come to terms with how to teach it.

So how can we help others to understand God’s message? Should we care enough with the way we deliver so that God’s message is clearly understood? Should we make more effort and spend more time improving the way we teach so others may understand? We may find the collective answer in what Paul wrote to Timothy:

“I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Tim 1:5-7, NLT, m.e.)

Paul says that, without a doubt, Timothy possessed the strength and vibrancy of his faith to share but he also reminds him not only “to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you” but that He has given each and every one of us “a spirit of… power, love and self-discipline.”

In other words, Paul encouraged Timothy to work on his potential to teach and preach because that was “the spiritual gift God gave you.” But Paul’s exhortation isn’t just aimed at those who are gifted to teach but also to all of us who seek to do our best to teach because we are all called to minister to the world at large.

Jesus’ teaching approach

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Let us begin by revisiting the scriptural theme:

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, for He taught with real authority — quite unlike their teachers of religious law.” (Mt 7:28-29, NLT)

Now that we have reached this point of Matthew 5-7, we will have journeyed past the entire Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ most significant teaching of His public ministry. Herein lies the unmistakable sense of comfort and challenges that punctuate His teachings. Despite these highs and lows, this very part of Scripture has been a reassuring friend to us in, arguably, incomparable ways. 

That’s because the Beatitudes and Jesus’ application of law speaks to us of a brand of truth that we otherwise won’t learn from anyone else. Unlike run-of-the-mill friends who merely tell us what we want to hear – even if that involves embellishing the truth - Jesus says it as it is and points us to the right path.

Verses 28 and 29 underscores the reaction of those who were privileged enough to have heard the Sermon on the Mount that day. That reaction was significant enough for Matthew to especially take note. He recalls the people’s amazement because Jesus had taught them as someone with exceptional authority. It was notably exceptional because it was “quite unlike their teachers of religious law.”

The fact that Matthew used the word “amazed” meant that Jesus’ teaching had such an impact on those who listened. They were literally shocked and dazzled and the likelihood was because they heard and understood. It is probable that the other reason was Jesus had no formal training even if they respectfully called Him a rabbi. 

He was neither a Sadducee nor a Pharisee. He was not a scribe but merely a carpenter’s son and His friends were almost entirely fishermen and tax collectors. With such friends keeping Him company, how was He able to speak with such incredible authority?

In my many years of being involved in the pastoral ministry and having attended a variety of churches, I have come across different speakers; some who could keep me riveted to my seat as equally as those who, unfortunately, could perfectly drive me to sleep. 

I recall an episode (Act 3 Episode 1) in the hugely popular British sitcom called ‘Mr Bean,’ where the title character himself attends a church service and progressively starts to fall asleep in the most comical manner. The vicar’s boring sermon appears to drone on in the background, driving Bean to do everything he could to stay awake. Humour aside, dull messages, no matter how rich the content may be, seems to be part of the landscape in at least some of the churches.

Boring sermons don’t hide the fact that many who speak at the pulpit – including the dull ones – are sufficiently decorated with titles and letters after their names as a visible reminder of their prestigious qualifications to preach before any congregation. Although seminary education has proven to be relatively immaterial to some of the more naturally brilliant preachers and Bible class teachers, people in general continue to give it a great deal of weight, sometimes enough to puff some up like peacocks showing off their plumes.

Years ago, I know of a local physician who was so keen to be a pastor that he took a sabbatical and headed to New Zealand with his family in tow to study at a seminary. I’m not sure how long he was there for but eventually, he returned and began as a part-time preacher though none of that education stopped him from sending half the church to sleep. Despite his discovery of using pictures in his slideshows, people still couldn’t keep awake. And amazingly, he hadn’t noticed anything amiss with the way he taught.

Although a theological education is always useful, it doesn’t guarantee that a person can preach effectively. Neither does a person who makes claims of having read the Bible from cover to cover multiple times. Instead, what makes anyone truly qualify to preach is his deep passion for God and His Word. 

Naturally, if God has gifted the person with the spiritual talent to teach, that helps immensely but those who lack that shouldn’t be discouraged from teaching at least in an informal sense. What I’m trying to say is that true power and authority to teach effectively does not lie in institutionalised learning and training but rest purely on God and God alone.

Given such a view, it is then useful that we look closely at the way Jesus taught. Observe a number of outstanding characteristics that are part of the portrayal of Jesus the Master Teacher. For that, here’s what we can do:

Firstly, we observe His usual teaching practice. Next, we look for the principle that defines the way He teaches and based on (the principle), we can then explore how it may apply to our lives. If we can do all that, we will be able to identify nine areas of Jesus’ trademark teaching style. They are naturalness, relatability, discernibility, straightforwardness, legitimacy, conviction, applicability, purpose and (clarity of) principle.

Now, let’s begin.

Naturalness

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As a teacher, Jesus was certainly a natural. It is in His nature be one. In fact, He was born to do precisely that.

But of course, not all of us can say the same. In today’s modern and demanding world, teaching requires running a curriculum around a proven structure with timely scheduling but in Jesus’ time, teaching was all spontaneous and unpredictable (at least for Him). 

One day, He’d be on the Sabbath at the synagogue. On another day, He would be preaching by the Galilee. As for the Sermon on the Mount, it is said that Jesus was at the Mount of Beatitudes somewhere on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus’ teaching was so spontaneous that it was impossible to plan and that is because it came so naturally to Him.

In fact, the Sermon on the Mount is a nice example of Jesus’ knack for spontaneity, which probably worked quite well since He was rather capable in drawing huge crowds who yearned to hear Him and be taught. His brilliant natural teaching skill was very likely what attracted so many to listen to Him. He was so adept at it that none of the scribes were ever able to compare to Him.

So how spontaneous can Jesus be? Very.

When Jesus was invited to the home of Simon the Pharisee and then found His feet being washed by the tears of a woman known for her sins, He jumped on the chance to teach about forgiveness (Lk 7:36). That’s spontaneous… and timely. 

When His disciples quibble over who was the greatest, Jesus seized the opportunity and used a child to give them a lesson on true greatness (Lk 9:46). It is in this uncanny ability to respond to all sorts of situations and with such dynamism that He was set apart for such greatness Himself. And that greatness arose from sheer unbounded naturalness.

As we read in the Gospels, Jesus’ natural approach is so effective because He works His teachings around the day-to-day problems and circumstances of life. Rather than limiting His teachings to specific formal situations, He made sure that what He taught was practical, relevant and widely applicable. We see this receiving wide confirmation across Scripture in the following verses:

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Dt 6:4-9, NLT, m.e.)

“Devote yourself to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (Col 4:2-6, NLT, m.e.)

“And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” (1 Pt 3:15b-16, NLT)

All of the above passages reveal that Jesus’ teaching happened less so in restricted or rigid settings but far more in the wide unbridled openness of casual situations. Jesus’ main audience wasn’t students in a seminary or a synagogue but the average man in the street. He was Joe Blogs or Mary Jones. Just as Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reminds us, such impromptu opportunities arise when you possess God’s truths in your heart and mind. It can be anywhere, anyhow, anytime. And you can reveal God’s message in just as many different ways.

The spontaneity that these verses describe tell us something else too. They illustrate that the sharing of God’s truths do not always have to be from the pulpit. They don’t always need to be formally structured. They don’t always have to be part of some liturgy in some church. Spontaneity tells us that the obligation to teach falls on the shoulders of every believer as and when such opportunities arise.

In other words, you don’t have to be spiritually gifted in the ability to teach to be the ones who do the sharing. Just as you do not have to be a talented teacher to guide your own child through life, you too don’t have to be a pastor or a deacon to teach. 

If you’re a parent, you’ll be able to relate to how sometimes impulse drives you to teach without preparation. As formally untrained as you may be as a teacher, the heart of one who teaches is invariably filled with love and the desire to help one another to understand God.

The teaching of God’s truths therefore exists on two levels.

One is structured as in formalised teaching. This one essentially describes those scheduled to preach at the pulpit or teach in a classroom setting as in the case with theological studies at the seminary. They are also very likely those with the gift of teaching and a strong calling to fulfil.

The other is unstructured as in natural or spontaneous teaching. You can either be spiritually gifted in similar ways or you may not be. Because of its spontaneous nature, you do not need to be formally trained to be capable of responding with a natural teaching approach. This is where all believers should find themselves in.

Since it is unstructured teaching, preparation calls for the readiness of the heart and mind to share God’s truths. At the same time, we also must be immersive with the Word of God. Attending Bible study classes is a good way to do that but even studying Scripture at your own personal pace is a good start but that’s not all. Saying that doesn’t been there’s insignificant, of course, but a more important prerequisite is how much you value your personal walk with God.

When it comes to readying your hearts and minds, it is this walk that takes precedence over whatever Scripture studies you take up. In other words, your personal encounters with God matters the most because they help you to carry the most powerful message when you teach. 

The more that He influences your individual life, the greater and more profound the effect on your teaching. As it is written in Deuteronomy, God said, “you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly (Dt 6:6, NLT),” meaning that our commitment must be fully heartfelt.

One problem with the way some people teach is the failure to perceive the needs of their listeners. We can all teach with our heads in the sand and when we do that, we fail to realise or understand the kinds of issues that people find themselves swimming against the tide. 

As they struggle to listen, they are drowning but we might be too self-indulgent with the way we teach to actually see it. Rather than lacking sensitivity, let us be attentive to those who are listening to know what questions they hold before we assume the answers they need.

That way, people may find the kind of answers that address their troubles. Such teaching is empowering and the Word of God does not appear irrelevant or powerless. Teach in order that we can perceive what people need to hear and not just what we think they should hear.

Relatability

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In John 4, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman on His arrival in the village of Sychar in Samaria. He was on His way to Galilee when He stopped by Jacob’s well in the field that he gave to his son Joseph. Tired from His long walk, Jesus decided that resting by the well would be ideal. That was when the Samaritan woman came by to draw water from the well.

Seeing that she was about to do that, Jesus asked her for some water, which surprised the woman who then said, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink? (Jn 4:9, NLT)” In other words, Jews basically didn’t talk to Samaritans since they both didn’t see eye to eye with one another, much less hold a dialogue.

Of course, Jesus was aware of that. But He also knew that He had to respond spontaneously in a way that would make sense given what she just said. In other words, He needed to relate to the situation. And so when He shared the Gospel with her, He did so with a simplicity that she could understand and view from her own cultural background and deeply personal circumstances.

Jesus knew the way He related to her was very important. Asking her for some water was the preamble but not the main issue. The main issue was for her to hear the Gospel and receive salvation. And so, in His reply to her question, Jesus said:

“If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water.” (Jn 4:10, NLT)

With what Jesus said, the Samaritan woman’s reply proved the effectiveness of His approach. By shaping His dialogue to ease her understanding, He could lead her right into the heart of the Gospel:

“But sir, You don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would You get this living water? And besides, do You think You’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can You offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” (Jn 4:11-12, NLT, m.e.)

From her reply, it was obvious that she had no idea who Jesus was but that didn’t matter yet. The main thing was that He had her headed in the right direction. The nature of her reply tying the well to Jesus’ talk of “living water” paved the way for Him to lead her to salvation:

“Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (Jn 4:13-14, NLT, m.e.)

Something similar also happened with Jewish religious leader Nicodemus. The apostle John recalled that Jesus taught him something truly spectacular but too perplexing for him to understand (Jn 3:1-21). He just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of being ‘born again’ and as a result, he was bewildered. 

In fact, the idea was so radical that even with Jesus’ explanation, he failed to relate. But then you see, Nicodemus was a typical Pharisee, blinded by what he thought he understood about God. If it was any comfort to him, none of the religious leaders then had any understanding of it either.

More than 2,000 years later, the Word of God has remained as eternal as it is immutable. But we surely cannot say that of other things. Our audiences around the world have changed over the passage of time. The way they understand things, the way languages have evolved over the many centuries and the shift in the way we use our vocabulary. 

All of these and more have made our task of sharing God’s unchanging message very challenging because we now need to respond proactively with the view that we must constantly adapt our approach.

Both apostles Paul and Peter seemingly share the similar principle in the way we must prepare ourselves:

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (Col 4:2-6, NLT, m.e.)

“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear.” (1 Pt 3:15-16a, NLT, m.e.)

Language proficiency and communication skills are important. If we can’t speak to make people understand, then sharing, much less teaching, is going to be difficult. But even if you are an accomplished speaker, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are capable of sharing the Gospel at anyone’s beck and call. That level of readiness will be nothing but an uphill task unless there is passion for the Word.

Without this passion and commitment, any attempt at teaching anyone about Jesus at the drop of the hat is never going to be successful. When Paul urged us to “make the most of every opportunity,” he meant that if and when we see a person who desires to know, we should not walk away but help him hear about the Gospel in a “gracious and attractive” way.

Paul’s expression of “gracious and attractive” is not something to be taken frivolously. These two words are meant to describe an appealing way of reaching out to unbelievers without which that sharing might not be possible let alone successful. 

Paul’s use of the expression also means that we are not to add to or take away from the Word of God (Dt 4:2, 12:32, Rev 22:18-19). That can also imply that we shouldn’t concoct stories of our own just to make our sharing “more attractive” or “appealing.”

Paul’s words in this regard point to the importance of being accommodating in a nice and courteous manner so as not to offend or upset the unbeliever. Many unbelievers, without a doubt, have spiritual needs. Some are aware of them while others mightn’t. 

I’m even convinced that atheists do have spiritual needs as well except you’re not likely to hear them owning up to it. All of this is because we are all born with a spiritual seed planted inside us and it is this seed that eventually generates a strong enough sense of curiosity to go look for the meaning of life.

The problem of course is that curiosity can lead many to look for the wrong things in the wrong places. But it is also this curiosity that offers us a window of opportunity to share the Word of God in the most “gracious and attractive” fashion. That means we should be considerate, kind and empathetic whenever we have the chance to teach unbelievers about Christ. At the same time, we should do our best not to bore them as well.

All of this might work out well so long as our hearts and minds are in it. Sharing with unbelievers demand that our outreach is authenticated by a powerful drive and conviction. If we treat our outreach as something of an obligation to carry out where our hearts and minds are completely somewhere else, then success will elude us. 

It is only when the Gospel is shared with wholesale commitment to Christ that people will not only find us appealing but they will also sense how compelling we sound. They can listen and then feel the power of our testimonies, realising that they’re finally learning something remarkable about the Living God.

Discernibility

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Throughout Scripture whenever we read of Jesus teaching, we can also take note of how He was sensitive towards the different people He spoke to. He was discerning and discriminating as to how and what He wanted to say or explain to them. His timeliness was also remarkable. 

It was almost as if He knew exactly how, when and what to say that would get the listener to fully understand the gist of His message. That seems to be a given but not before the listeners would be bowled over by His choice of words and phrases.

There are four different areas of discernibility we can see from Jesus’ teaching approach:

Firstly, timing is everything. Jesus often shows no inclination to simply unload everything on the person. He never felt compelled to tell them everything He knows. Instead He believes that there is a time and place for everything. The important thing is that He knew what people were and weren’t able to understand. Both Mark and John say as much about this:

“Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. In fact, in His public ministry He never taught without using parables; but afterward, when He was alone with his disciples, He explained everything to them.” (Mk 4:33-34, NLT, m.e.)

Mark puts it quite nicely, saying that Jesus uses parables to reach out to the people. Once He does that, He would then be selective in what He wanted to say to them and how He’d liked them to hear His message. But the opposite was true when He was with His disciples. Then the approach was altogether different. There and then, unlike His public ministry, He “explained everything to them.”

That was Mark. John, on the other hand, recorded quite the opposite. Accordingly, Jesus would’ve liked to tell His disciples everything “but you can’t bear it now,” He says.

“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring Me glory by telling you whatever He receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from Me.’” (Jn 16:12-15, NLT, m.e.)

Jesus was not in a hurry to reveal everything in a single session (if at all). Just as He was during His public ministry, He was also selective and discerning when it came to the way He taught His disciples. His message was that there was a time for everything. When the need is there, they will know it. When they have the necessary maturity to grasp it, He will teach it.

Secondly, be mindful with who we’re selective with. As in the above example from Mark, Jesus chose not to reveal everything to the people but with His disciples, it was a different matter. With His disciples, the Lord set them aside to explain certain truths that He did not reveal to others. Using rather strong words, Jesus said:

“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.” (Mt 7:6, NLT, m.e.)

This wasn’t the only time He felt this way about people. The apostle John also wrote something similar:

“Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in Him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because He knew all about people. No one needed to tell Him about human nature, for He knew what was in each person’s heart.” (Jn 2:23-25, NLT, m.e.)

Years later, Paul felt the same when he wrote to advise Timothy:

“You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” (2 Tim 2:2, NLT, m.e.)

Jesus’ penchant to be selective is very much a thing of wisdom. From Him, we learn to be diligent enough to discern the amount of time and effort we invest in different people. In other words, as crude as it may sound, some are worth the trouble while others aren’t. After all, Jesus was precise that – His commitment to teach people directly relates to how the individual responds in terms of what He taught.

That is why He said this:

“‘For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.’ Then He added, ‘Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given – and you will receive even more. To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.’” (Mk 4:22-25, NLT, m.e.)

Thirdly, be choosy over who you counsel. Many a times I have come across people who come seeking advice but the truth is they were merely looking for someone who’d just shut up and let them pour out their grief. In reality, they just wanted to use me as their punching bag to vent their spleen. That means in the end, they never had any interest whatsoever in the advice I gave. It might look that way from the outset but it never was for these people.

Experience taught me that it is foolhardy to spend so much invaluable time and effort to teach those who cannot be bothered to listen. Inadvertently those who have no interest in listening learn nothing worthwhile. They have little to no inclination in wanting to change their lives for the better. Indeed they mightn’t even believe that they need to change.

Alternative, they could be looking to me for answers they prefer even if they are anything but true. So long as that’s what they want to hear, I’m their man. In other words, selectivity works both ways – people too can be choosy over what they prefer to listen to, rejecting what they are uncomfortable with. That sounds awfully like those who filter the Bible to exclude parts they don’t agree with and embrace those they do.

Lastly, be selective in what we teach. Not infrequently, I notice people who, during their Bible studies, zero in on wanting to know the kind of things that are not in their interest to know. You might tell them that till you’re blue in the face and they’d still persist in wanting to know.

In the Gospel, Luke recounted how the disciples expressed a similarly persistent interest in wanting to know when the Kingdom would be restored but Jesus sidestepped because it was not that important an issue. He felt it wasn’t the kind of question that should preoccupy His disciples. To Him, there were more pressing things to talk about:

“So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking Him, “Lord, has the time come for You to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8, NLT, m.e.)

The scribes and the Pharisees were equal to the task in annoying Jesus. They were too focused on foolish things and unnecessities to the extent that they drew scathing but deserved criticisms from the Lord:

“Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!” (Mt 23:24, NLT)

However, let’s not get too ahead of yourselves. Even the best among us sometimes enjoy majoring in the minors. We too occasionally pour too much effort concentrating on trivialities and banalities and invariably, we find ourselves so far off tangent. It doesn’t matter if the target is right under our nose when we are blindsided by the wrong or insignificant issues.

Straightforwardness

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During my time at the seminary, I came across a lecturer who often found herself mired in one controversy after another. It seemed she either revelled in it or she simply had an axe to grind. Either way, no one knew why. Perhaps it was just in her nature to behave like that.

One day during a campus chapel service where she was scheduled to preach, many of us were actually nervous because we didn’t know what to expect from someone as unpredictable as her. Not surprisingly, her message was garbled. 

It was so convoluted that it left many of us in a state of flux. Some thought they knew what she said. Others weren’t so sure. And in the end, none of us seemed to be able to agree with what her actual message was about. Out of fear of retribution, no one cared to make this an issue for further discussion.

The point is without a simplified approach, even the simplest message can easily get lost in the translation. When the person lacks clarity in his delivery, the listener hasn’t a ghost of a chance to know what the message is about. As a result, the truth of the message cannot be learned and the whole thing ends up in a heap. It was no surprise that the chapel service became farcical.

Simplicity’s best known acronym is well known throughout the world. Called K.I.S.S., people know it as ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’ (alternatively known as ‘keep it short and simple’ or ‘keep it simple and straightforward’). 

First conceived by aircraft engineer Kelly Johnson of the U.S. Navy in 1960, it is a principle driven by an emphasis on simplicity in order that systems work best. It is an acknowledgement that complication muddles things up. Therefore simplicity not only became a core design goal for the Navy but it gained even greater popularity by 1970.

Centuries earlier, Leonardo da Vinci subscribed the same thing, saying, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” William Shakespeare echoed the same, saying, “Brevity is the soul of wit” while Ludwig Mies van der Rohe once famously wrote, “Less is more.” Before Shakespeare, even Antoine de Saint Exupéry wrote, “It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Yet it’s simpler said than done. Just to keep things simple has often proved the undoing of some, creating problems mainly because people try too hard. Simplicity is also the unwitting victim when we seek to say too much without pausing for clarity.

But not for the Master Teacher. In ensuring that people were able to grasp His message, He went for clarity so that no one would go home struggling to figure out His teaching. The Bible never recorded anyone ever wondering what He said because He knew perfectly how to help people understand. There are four approaches to simplicity that Jesus adopted:

Firstly, He kept the motive simple. What this means is to have a simple aim. Rather than having a thousand objectives in a single message, teaching just one alone would ensure that your listener fully grasp it. Listen to what Paul has to say in his letter to the Romans:

“If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” (Rom 12:7-8, NLT)

The key to achieving what we are called to do is to be absolutely clear about our goal. And the best way to do that is keep things simple. When things are simple, we can better train our energies at making sure we do it well. It is this single-mindedness that enables us to teach effectively. On the other hand, if we try to do too much, all we end up doing is to cause confusion among our listeners.

Unlike some of us, Jesus’ purpose in teaching wasn’t to impress people. Despite the astonishment of those who heard Him teach, that was never His intention for He had neither the need nor the want of their acclaim. Instead, He taught purely to please the Father and that should be the same for us. We can see this very clearly here:

“He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” (Mt 26:39, NLT, m.e.)

Even though the moment of agony was beginning to get to Him, Jesus remained faithful in His desire to do the will of His Father. For Him, the praise or adulation was immaterial. Instead He simply wanted to fulfil what was asked of Him. His motive was as clear as it was single-minded and that was to please the Father just as the case when He spoke to the unbelieving crowd in Jerusalem:

“I don’t speak on My own authority. The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. And I know His commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells Me to say.” (Jn 12:49-50, NLT, m.e.)

Before a crowd of unbelievers, Jesus knew what His task entailed but even so, He had no intention to embellish His message. He kept it simple, to only “say whatever the Father tells Me to say.”

Secondly, Jesus delivered His message with simplicity in mind. Seasoned presenters will know that an excellent presentation helps convey their messages loudly and clearly. A slick presentation may add layers of gloss but it’s the fundamental message that remains crucial. Yet, for some, it’s the gloss that can cut both ways.

Without a doubt, the scribes and the Pharisees were full of themselves. As undisputed masters at presentations, their expertise laid in the crafting of ostentatious veneers to a hostage public. That is, of course, before Jesus came and exposed their treachery.

To the followers, they were erudite scholars who not only claimed to be faultless but looked the part. Appearance was everything. They looked important and they were made to be so. The prestige in being religious leaders defined that importance as something very glamorous and exclusive. With the spotlight trained on them, it is little wonder that in their presentation, the limelight was on the speaker and not the message.

The sad thing about all of this is that the Pharisee’s sense of self-importance had not died away. In the modern church of today, they exist. But rather than label them scribes or Pharisees, we identify at least some of them as prosperity messengers whose version of the Gospel is on material wealth. Prosperity messengers peddle their message as part of the overall slick presentation. In other words, the messenger himself is part of that message.

Unmistakably, prosperity messengers like Joseph Prince (incidentally, not his original name) hold great commercial value. He is adored by his fans and followers. Blinded by the promise of wealth and prosperity, the face of Prince is everywhere. Where there is self-promoting merchandise, there is his indomitable face with the latest fashionable hairdo. Nothing beats that in-your-face marketing that progressive prosperity churches are really into.

Like the scribes and Pharisees, Prince persistently indulges in false teaching by taking the Antinomian stand of equating freedom from Mosaic Law with freedom from morality. Many in the evangelical Christian community have found the likes of Prince quite unpalatable. 

One writer on the Internet went so far as to equate him to “a prince and representative in particular of Baal, the pagan hero god of old.” It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Prince teaches that sanctification is an unnecessary part of salvation, going to the extent of saying anyone can be saved regardless of lifestyle. 

Whereas progressive preachers of the prosperity Gospel ply their trade on sophistry and embellishment, Jesus went purely for simplicity. His presentation style is what you see is what you get. There is no read-between-the-lines or check-out-the-fine-print. 

Put plainly, you understand what you hear. Jesus’ teaching approach is simple and straightforward enough that even someone with a child’s level of education can’t miss the meaning of His message.

However that does not mean that His teachings are dull or boring. Far from it, in fact. There is evidence that Jesus has presentation panache but not quite the way the others resort to. In the Lord’s case, His delivery style was filled with incredible insight with a dash of humour every now and then. After all, if Jesus’ approach were dull or boring, there wouldn’t have been such huge crowds riveted to every word that came from His mouth.  

Unlike the likes of Prince, Jesus’ teaching approach was all about the Father’s truths. He only had to unpack the cryptic laws and made them easy to understand. To do that, He used practical illustrations together with life-like examples.

Thirdly, simplicity and subtle persuasion aren’t the same. If you carefully read what Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, you might be able to see how he explains this point:

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.’ So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.” (1 Cor 1:18-21, NLT, m.e.)

A person with great worldly presence has subtle persuasive power in himself alone. He doesn’t have to do anything remarkable to sound or appear convincing. That’s because he has the wisdom of the flesh and the necessary smarts to sound winsome. Someone with powerful oratory skills qualify with a similar sense of projection, presence and power. 

While there is nothing subtle about such skills, it is the power of his presence that draws people to him. They are awed by his extraordinariness. They are swept away by his apparent ingenuity. They are bowled over by how visually impressive he looks. And excitement consumes his fans and followers whenever he opens his mouth and speaks.

Paul says such people will be destroyed by God. They may appear out of this world because of their puffed-up knowledge, profound philosophies, scientific know-how or intellectuality but God will show them up for what and who they are. For all that they think they are, God will undermine their “foolish preaching (teaching) to save those who believe.”

Such people run diametrically to those who preach the simple but true message. Homiletics is fine. After all, there are more than one way to preach or teach effectively. The art to preparing and preaching good sermons is just as appreciated as the techniques to teaching even if we’re talking about informal settings.

But catch this – homiletics isn’t about using über tools to sound cool. Sharing God’s truths require no gimmickry. Teaching those who yearn to listen doesn’t require us to use the very latest technology, dress like a maharaja or speak like David Attenborough. 

What we do learn from homiletics in this regard are the different but effective means by which we can teach that is free from all forms of distractions. And the one key distraction to the message is the speaker himself. We would do very well to switch the spotlight from the messenger to the very message itself.

Lastly, Jesus’ teachings were never too complex to understand. When He taught, His messages carried purposes that were always as clear as a bell mainly because of His simplified approach. He never once shied from revealing the purpose behind everything He said. And because of its simplicity, no one misconstrued what He said or meant. Nothing was too bewildering or beyond simple comprehension.

The people whom Jesus taught were astonished by what He said only because He taught in such a remarkably simple way for them to take in. After all, if the humble fishermen could understand, how much more a more educated person?

In contrast to Jesus’ way, the scribes and Pharisees would deliberately twist and turn their messages as a way to keep the people ignorant and dependent on them. In their hands, they were nothing more than fodder for the leaders to take advantage of and control. Making the message appear complex was also a nifty way for people to assume that what they couldn’t understand, only those privileged by ‘proper’ training could.

In a similar way, the original Bible was jealously guarded so that it might remain in the Latin language, which was far beyond the comprehension of normal folks. In other words, translating it into any local vernacular was considered blasphemous and treasonous, a crime punishable by death. 

The idea was that the papacy was desperate to stay in power and control the people. Translators like Tyndale died a fiery death because they sought to make Scripture available for everyone in England to access and read but of course, the Catholic authorities had no stomach for such a notion.

And so, using the simplest of words and phrases, Jesus’ teaching approach was as straightforward as we can imagine today. No one in any crowd had any reason to complain or feel disgruntled because His explanations were too complex or He spoke too fast or He used words that sounded alien. 

Even in the midst of anything controversial that He broached on, He never once sought to change the subject just to quell any unrest. As we know from the Gospel, Jesus never shirked from confronting even the most difficult debates.

But here’s the sticky point – some people are actually impressed by those who speak in obscure terms. This is because they mistake opacity with depth. In other words, when someone teaches in a fashion that sounds like Einstein or Hawking expounding on the Quantum Theory, then he must be a fully authenticated deep-thinking genius. He must be so intellectually brilliant even if no one understands one iota of what he’s blabbering about. Invariably, someone will hail him as the best thing since sliced bread.

In my years of working in the various different private industries, there was no shortage of speakers who make themselves sound incredibly smart but unfortunately in reality, they were anything but. Worryingly, this is what we face in today’s world. Politicians who suddenly dream up radical ideas that tap into the vulnerability of the people will invariably sweep them off their senses. They then introduce some strangely convoluted idea and packaged it to appear as if they’re about to save the world. If that sounds far-fetched, look no further than the endless stream of peddlers of climate doom.

For years now, we have been constantly besieged by the climate change narrative. It’s not just America. Throughout the world, including Malaysia, news about increasing climate change takes up front-page attention but no one seems to take much notice of whether or not all those complex explanations are substantiated. Meanwhile we are all led to believe that the world is on the brink of a global catastrophe.

Day in, day out, environmentalists, climate activists including hordes of scientists and researchers are piling up so-called scientific data on melting ice caps and glaciers, heightened temperatures, wildly fluctuating sea levels and so on and so forth. 

Not surprisingly, not many people questioned the veracity of the data although in numerous – but often unreported – cases, climate sceptics have proven that they were fluffed, fudged or completely faked. Still, the public has bought it all lock, stock and barrel. It seems that the more complex the threat sounds like, the more they chose to believe.

The problem with this conspiracy is that it sounds hugely complex but enormously credible. If everyday folk buys it, that means the truth behind it will forever be buried. This is a worrying issue because those who are doing the burying are not just the intellectuals, scientists and researchers but also the academics, mainstream media, left-leaning politicians and Hollywood. Together, they control the diatribe of intelligent-sounding ‘evidence’ (1 Cor 1:20). When the truth has no chance of being clearly heard, then the public is deceived.

Teaching with deliberate complexity means you either can never understand it or the way you understand it is wrong. This is a case of people with what appears to be credentials who muscle in and seize the talking points. They do this to advance a deceptive goal but by the way of their message, very few know the truth behind it because much effort is made to conceal it.

In stark contrast, Jesus’ approach is based on a proven personal integrity. His credentials are tested against the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus has stood the test of scrutiny and emerged with flying colours. People soon realised that He never taught to please crowds. 

Instead He taught because He wanted people to know the truth. He never said anything to make Himself popular. Politicians who peddle the climate change agenda do so to gain mass popularity – and hence political power – in order to wield control over the public.

He never sold Himself short simply to gain political mileage against the Romans. Climate activists and their followers sacrifice their integrity at the altar of lies and deception and the undeliverable promises of socialism in exchange for social elitism to separate themselves from the great unwashed.

Even if (or when) truth raised anger and opposition, Jesus never shied away. Neither would He obscure those parts of His controversial message. Rather He laid it all out in truth and integrity, facing the people with the rationale of His teaching. 

When climate activists or their supporters are challenged, facts are buried and the narrative is hijacked. Topics are switched and nobody reports them. The media deliberately denies visibility to the challenge and they do so until the controversy dies out after which, they continue to peddle their deception.

While deceivers boast that they know everything (when they don’t), Jesus never pretended:

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows.” (Mt 24:36, NLT, m.e.)

One of the most annoying things to see is people lying to make themselves look and sound knowledgeable. Often the motive behind such behaviour is the desire to feel authoritative. With authority, people feel a sense of superiority when they’re not.

Time and again, that is what I personally encounter. People are inclined to want to impress others whether or not there is the motivation to lie so much so that it’s becoming a rarity to hear someone say, “I’m sorry but I wish I knew” or “Someone else might know but I honestly don’t” simply because, in truth, they really don’t know anything about it. All of this puts James’ words in the proper perspective:

“But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.” (Jms 5:12, NLT, m.e.)

And so when all’s said and done, let a yes mean yes and a no mean no. It’s when we mix the two up that we run into a whole lot of unnecessary problems. If you don’t have the answer to a question someone asked, don’t say you’ll let them know the next day, knowing very well that you have no interest in following up. Instead, have the integrity to simply admit you don’t know.

Legitimacy and authenticity

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Literally no one prior to Jesus could ever claim legitimacy in what He taught. He was clearly incomparable in that respect. Where the scribes and Pharisees were dull, Jesus’ teaching was power-packed, authentic and unique. Being the Son of God, every word that came out from His mouth defined His unmatched legitimacy.

All of this was because the Jewish religious leaders were doing nothing more than hashing and rehashing the same ancient time-worn traditions and even so, they often remained unsubstantiated. Lacking the level of legitimacy that Jesus possessed, they could never deliver the kind of messages that people could feel amazed by. By surrounding themselves with Jewish custom and tradition, the Pharisees adopted an approach that had become jaded. That is why they lacked the kind of crowd sizes that Jesus was pulling in.

By comparison, the Lord’s unorthodox teaching approach lacked the pretentiousness of the Pharisees. Because He was neither a Pharisee nor a scribe, Jesus also had none of their prestigious status. But then again, without them, He was also not burdened by such branding image. He could therefore teach with great effect. 

By His deeds, He revealed the Father’s truths and often backed them up with incredible revelation, miraculous signs and wonders. He didn’t just claim He was the “resurrection and the life (Jn 11:25) but He actually proved it beyond any shadow of doubt by raising the entombed Lazarus to life before the eyes of his sisters Mary and Martha.

Jesus’ legitimacy was also such that when He taught, things actually took place. His teaching points are pockmarked by stories that were not just well presented but also had that unmistakable lifelikeness to them. Rather quite incredibly, His approach to teaching and the things He taught were of a level of authenticity unheard or and unexperienced by anyone. For there was none like Him or the way He taught.

As for the contents of His teachings, Jesus had an unusual style that was especially evident in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:21-48). In every point He brought up, He admitted that the people would have heard it. He would say, “You have heard it said” but He didn’t just end on that note. Consistently, He added “But I say” to clearly suggest three things.

Firstly, what the points He raised were not originally His and therefore, they were nothing new or exceptional. Secondly, these points were, by then already, made known to them by the Laws or the Prophets. In other words, they would’ve learned them from the scribes and the Pharisees. 

Thirdly, despite all this, He had things to say about them that they had no idea of, which is where He added meaningful details that proved astonishing to those who heard them. It was these details that proved what they were long taught lacked substance.

As legitimate as Jesus’ teaching was, He wasn’t here to challenge or reject the Laws and the prophets. What His Father laid out as commandments were not His to overturn. He was not there to challenge or reject the Father’s truths but instead, He was there to help people attain a clearer and more helpful understanding of the Laws. Instead of efforts to obfuscate – which the scribes and Pharisees masterfully did – Jesus was there to equip the people with a more honest view of the Father’s commandments.

It’s easy to write this off as a rare exception but obfuscation is today an art form so honed that it is often used for deception and selfish reasons. People with malicious intent have often been found to quote Scripture passages by taking them out of context in order that they fit their personal agenda. Churches that embrace the prosperity Gospel are infamous for doing this, lifting verses out of the Bible to justify the pursuit of worldly wealth and materialism.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Image source: footwearnews.com)

A more recent example comes in the form of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-D), a socialist Democrat firebrand, who deconstructed Scripture for her own political benefit. Even so, she distorted the original message, twisting it to fit her purpose.

At the epicentre of some of the fieriest dialogues on climate change, Ocasio-Cortez has a longstanding notoriety in fearmongering but some months earlier this year, she made a stunning exception of using choice Bible verses to justify her concern for climate change. Beyond any shadow of doubt, this was done to court fawning liberal evangelical youths in a thickly-disguised recruitment campaign designed to drive a wedge in the Christian community.

During this year’s Martin Luther Day event, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that the world would end in twelve years. Here is one of her Scripturally-laced tweets ad verbatim:

“Genesis 1: God looked on the world and called it good not once, not twice, but seven times.”

In the same tweet, she continued:

“Genesis 2: God commands all people to ‘serve and protect’ creation. Leviticus: God mandates that not only the people but the land that sustains them, shall be respected.”

Any believer who is familiar with these verses will know all too well that Ocasio-Cortex is treading dangerously. Two immediate questions come to mind. The first is whether or not she is correct. Secondly, what was her reason to quote from the Bible? Was it correct for her to claim that God looked on the world and called it good seven times? 

Did God tell man to “serve and protect” all creation? Was there really – and specifically – a mandate from God that in her words, “man must respect the land?” In a nutshell, did she maliciously distort God’s word to help her climate activism and socialist agenda?

In the first question, Ocasio-Cortez was correct – God did say seven times that it was good (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). But in the second question, we have doubts. Her claim that God commanded “all people” to “serve and protect creation” cannot be found let alone be verified in the Bible. Stopping short of calling her a heretic, this deliberate twisting of God’s truth just to gain religious traction among the youth has proven very unpalatable by large swathes of the Christian community.

It is worth reminding ourselves that Ocasio-Cortez is a self-avowed socialist. Socialists, like communists, are essentially atheist. They are anti-God. There is no place for them to diligently use the Bible and quote from it. Remember too that the Democratic Party under Barack Obama officially renounced their faith in God seven years ago by voting Him and Israel out of their political platform.

Ocasio-Cortez was, without a doubt, ‘original’ in her scheme to twist biblical truth for political mileage. Not every politician has the stomach to do that. It is certainly unusual but it is also exceptionally illegitimate. What she did lacked authority and legitimacy. When someone intentionally misrepresents God’s message, there is no dignity in it. In using it to advance a hoax, that’s even worse.

Conviction

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Of everyone we encounter in the Bible who spoke of and for God, none carried the same level of conviction as Jesus. As the Son of God, He has the undisputed authority to teach compared to anyone else at any time. 

That is why when He concluded the Sermon on the Mount, the people were simply overwhelmed by the manner in which He taught and the things He said. His unmistakable conviction and authority carried His word further than any scribe or Pharisee:

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for He taught with real authority – quite unlike their teachers of religious law.” (Mt 7:28-29, NLT, m.e.)

Whatever ‘authority’ that the scribes and the Pharisees possessed up until then vanished when the One with true divine conviction arrived. Just from the way He spoke and taught, Jesus proved beyond compare that His brand of authority was unlike any other. 

While the scribes and Pharisees ‘claimed’ authority from the formal tutelage they received and the social status they garnered (demanded), Jesus, on the other hand, came merely as a “carpenter’s son.” It was an image as humble as any Nazarene. It was also an image most would mock:

“When He taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does He get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, His mother, and His brothers – James, Joseph, Simon and Judas.” (Mt 13:54-55, NLT, m.e.)

The fact that Jesus came from nowhere and then taught at the synagogue before moving to open public areas made Him distinctively different and uniquely powerful. His authority was not from any seminary or rabbinical apprenticeship but straight from the Scripture as foretold in the Old Testament. Unlike Saul (later called Paul) who studied under Gamaliel, Jesus was no one’s apprentice or understudy.

Just as we say that Scripture speaks for itself and, therefore, has no need for our defence, the same can be said when Jesus taught. His was the unexpurgated expounding of Scriptural truth in all its originality and purpose. He never had to twist and turn. At any rate, there is no biblical evidence whatsoever that He distorted or coloured its meaning. In His trademark lucidity, Jesus taught with incredible authority only the Father could have bestowed on Him.

Today, we see authority in the form of unbridled arrogance and presumptuous dogmatism. Most unfortunately, this isn’t just confined to the business world. In many churches I have come across over the years, flashy authority was evident to the congregation in the form of cocky pastoral leaders and church administrators who strutted their stuff like peacocks showing off their plumes.

In church, authority can come in different guises. People who hold high positions may think they’re holier than others. Families with high-profile status may assume authority over others just as those who have financially contributed significantly believe they have better merit. Don’t forget that those in ministry with formal theological training (having attended one or the other seminary) are also prone to feel that they have every reason to puff up.

We might assume that such behaviour is nothing more than a desperate act to want to be noticed. I once had dinner with a friend of my father who despite his advanced age was so eager to show off his Apple Watch that throughout the meal took every opportunity to bury it in my face in case I failed to notice. That is stupefying desperation.

Many in church stamp their authority in different ways too. I have seen some church members hijack discussions so that others didn’t have the chance to speak just to ‘prove’ they were more knowledgeable. However rather than being impressed, many felt quietly repulsed though no one actually said anything. In some churches I had visited in the past, pastors breathed fire at their congregation, pounded the pulpit and even threatened to blacklist presumably errant members.

In some cases, church members regale the pastor and his wife in order to seek favour for their families such as occupying positions of authority themselves. I have personally witnessed the two senior pastors of a particular church who abused their pulpit authority to openly chastise a church member and his family. The humiliation was immediately felt by the congregation because everyone knew who they were talking about. And with that, he and his young wife and mother were made to leave the church.

Authority in church does not also imply that we can simply colour the word of God simply because we don’t have such a right to. Jesus made it clear that His intention was never to do away with the Law but instead to fulfil its purpose:

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.” (Mt 5:17-18, NLT, m.e.)

In some other translations, Jesus says, “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.” In other words, we are not to add or subtract from God’s word. We have no right to embellish, distort, twist or exaggerate when it comes to Scripture.

If ever there is a reason why the Bible is fast losing its sheen as the infallible Word of God, that’s because there isn’t the kind of conviction or authority that people need to feel when it is taught. Two possible reasons come to mind:

Ever realise the growing lack of dynamism when God’s truths are taught? Whether it’s at the pulpit or in the classrooms or even at any informally organised group discussions, people may listen but they don’t hear so well. People seem harder to convince that God’s word is not only believable but inerrant.

In the second instance, people suspect those who shoehorn Scripture to fit their own agenda. They misuse Bible verses in different ways. By taking verses out of their true biblical context, they can then misapply them to support their immoral lifestyles. They can also use scriptural verses or phrases to fit their own selfish agenda.

Called eisegesis to mean ‘to lead into,’ this is just the opposite of exegesis, which is the examination of any biblical texts in order to interpret it as accurately as the original author had intended. As part of the process of hermeneutics, good biblical exegesis is demanded in Scripture so that we know exactly what we are learning from God.

On the other hand, those who practise eisegesis deliberately force biblical texts to gain immoral advantage, exploiting whatever vagaries they find and bend them to their will. When people see eisegesis at work in church, it is not surprising that they become disillusioned with the Bible. Where God’s truths are supposedly inerrant, incontrovertible and immutable, exploitation has weaken its reputation, damaging the trust people once have in the Word.

If we are careless with the way we treat God’s truths, we can all end up guilty of doing the same thing. Poorly-conducted Bible study classes will do that and potentially cause disrepair. That, after all, is how religious cultists have their starting point with Christianity. In fact, the innocent among us have tended to make the same mistake. Here’s a classic example, using the famous verse from the apostle Matthew:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Mt 7:7-8, NIV)

Prosperity Gospel churches love verses like these because they justify asking God for materialistic overreach be it a flashy sports car or a new fashionable wardrobe. Taking things out of context, the above verses appear to suggest as if Jesus is saying that He will give anything if only we ask. 

In other words, all we have to do is just open our mouth and ask. But the truth behind the verses is that all the asking, seeking and door-knocking is about our sanctification process and never about material needs. Knowing the context helps us to get to the truth.

Being familiar with biblical texts doesn’t always guarantee that we use them correctly. Even Satan is familiar enough to quote it against Jesus. Remember after he took Him to the highest point of the Temple overlooking Jerusalem, he said:

“If You are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order His angels to protect You. And they will hold You up with their hands so You won’t even hurt Your foot on a stone.’” (Mt 4:6, NLT, m.e.)

When we abuse biblical authority, we drive people away. Instead of giving people reason to listen to us teach, they leave, looking for God’s truth elsewhere. The risk is when we drive them away, they might end up looking in all the wrong places. And this happens because we don’t care enough to use Scripture with care and respect.

Applicability

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In a time long before I met my wife, I was in a relationship with someone who hailed from a family of Methodists. It’s not incorrect to say that they were of a ‘simple faith.’ Armed with this most rudimentary of faith, they attend church only because, ‘it’s what Christians do.’ Whether they got anything out of their Sunday attendances or not, it’s difficult to say. More likely, it’s not for me to know or judge.

Although a believer, her father never felt the compulsion to go to Sunday services. He once quietly muttered to me that Sundays were best spent hunting wild boars with his friends instead of listening to all the women in his family arguing or screaming over one another. And therefore with the exception of Christmases, he would stay as far from the church as possible.

Her mother loved doting on him. She simply adored him to the point that he could never put a step wrong. When he chose not to go to church with the family, she was perfectly alright with it. On the occasion that I joined them for Sunday services (I went to a different church then), we would all come and go in my car. When she was in a chirpier mood, she would ask me questions about God.

The nature of these questions reflect how little she (and the rest of the family) really knew or understand Him. So I thought I would be doing everyone a favour by asking if she or anyone else would be interested in having some informal Bible study classes at their home. It would be a pleasure to prepare the lessons and teach. We could make it as interesting as possible and if the mother liked, she could get her friends to join in to make it more fun and rewarding.

“Don’t you even think about it! Please don’t get me involved in anything like that!” she almost literally screamed at me. Shocked was not the word. I was so taken aback by such a response that I just went silent. From that day on, I didn’t ask anymore. I just didn’t want to be disappointed. 

For anyone calling himself a Christian and show no interest in learning more about God is hard to understand. For her mother to respond as if I was asking her to do something terrible was something I never wanted to see again.

As I began to reflect back on that episode, I tried to understand why she would so vehemently reject my offer. And the more I thought about it, the more I felt that maybe, she thought it would be too difficult for her to come to grips with the Bible. It is quite possible that she was excessively worried about confronting theology and find herself embarrassingly stumped.

My guess is that her mother is not alone in this case. There are many in church who I believe feel the same way. Other than a total lack of interest (boredom, maybe?), there are no other plausible reason why any church member would not commit to want to know more about their faith. Fear over theologically challenging dogma, doctrines and abstract issues is not something to belittle. Understandably, no one relishes being the only one who hasn’t a clue what’s going on in class.

But if the teaching approach has a stronger emphasis on practicality, things will change. Practicality in this case takes into account the application of God’s truths in our personal lives so that those who are taught can better understand God’s hand at work in changing our lives. And because we’re talking about true-to-life testimonies and not some Hollywood fiction, there is a better chance that people will look at what they’re taught from a different perspective; one where they may apply the teachings to themselves.

Looking at Jesus’ public ministry, we realise He actually didn’t preach, at least not from the church definition of the word. There was nothing formal about the way He taught. He didn’t teach based on a set curriculum. He wasn’t going on a scheduled sermon setting with strict talking points. He wasn’t given a set time limit to get His message across.

What Jesus did was He taught by applying the Father’s truths in a way ordinary people could easily understand. That doesn’t just mean avoiding the use of cryptic and complex words. It also means breaking down the message into bite-size chunks that the people can cope and relate to. It is these chunks that embodies the personalised application of God’s word.

Someone once said to me that unless we live the Word, Christianity is only theological at best. In other words, we can read and read the Bible from cover and cover and still can’t come to grips with what God is saying because those words just don’t leap off the page. 

Because God’s Word is alive, Scripture must be lived in order that mere preaching becomes powerful teaching. That same friend introduced to me the very notion of ‘personal theology’ to mean that unless we have testimonies to back up what we teach, it is going to be abstract.

The personalised part of the application is very important. It means you are teaching God’s message from a personal standpoint. Those who are listening to your teaching comes face to face with God’s truth in terms of what you personally experienced in your life. It is neither contrived nor scripted. It is not someone else’s story but yours to tell. That deep personal touch is there that makes your teaching come alive for your listeners.

When my mom passed away four years ago, I was extremely worried about my dad. Emotionally fragile, his spiritual life had always been based on what and how my mom believed in Christ. My mom’s personal walk with Christ was all that His faith had banked on. Her stories of miracles defined not just her relationship with God but also that of my dad’s. That’s because he had nothing very personal in his spiritual walk to call his own. And so his faith was just a fine thread linking mom’s stories to God. They had nothing to do with his own life but that was all he had to cling on to.

Things began to change after I explained to my dad the importance of owning your own spiritual experiences. He had to let go of mom’s stories and take ownership of his own. And if he hasn’t had any yet, it was as good a time as any to start now. In other words, he really have to begin his walk with Christ on his and not mom’s terms. The practicality aspect of his Christian life must now be embodied in his own stories.

And that’s how it has turned out to be today for my dad. Today, my dad believes not just because mom believed. He believes because he has felt the hand of God on him. And that’s because he has now experienced how God’s word, as described in the Bible, applies in his life.

My dad’s personal walk with God adds life to the way he learns from Scripture. It’s no longer simply reading and then forgetting. What he reads now sinks in. It’s now a more meaningful read for him. Because of his deeper relationship with God, he enjoys a new sense of purpose because he can see how biblical truths are exercised in his own life.

While that doesn’t mean he now fully grasps everything written in the Bible, at least it’s no longer the big mystery in his life. Perhaps many of the abstract theological concepts may remain out of his reach but he no longer fears not understanding them. Some messages may still remain hidden and his understanding of them might require a bit more time and effort. But because of the encouraging experience, he’s off to a good start now.

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By the lakeshore after teaching the large crowd, Jesus was alone with His disciples who decided to ask Him what the parables He spoke about meant. Using the Parable of the Lamp, Jesus then said:

“For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” (Mk 4:22-23, NLT, m.e.)

In the next two verses, He added:

“Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given – and you will receive even more. To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” (Mk 4:24-25, NLT)

The way Jesus taught, believing leads to the desire to express that belief. As the Lord says, careful diligent listening equips one to not only understand His teaching but to then practise what he is taught:

“Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears My teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Mt 7:24-27, NLT, m.e.)

You will find the same thing echoed here in John the Baptist’s own words:

“When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, ‘You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the axe of God’s judgement is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.’ The crowds asked, ‘What should we do?’ John replied, ‘If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.’ Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptised and asked, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He replied, ‘Collect no more taxes than the government requires.’ ‘What should we do?’ asked some soldiers.” (Lk 3:7-14, NLT)

These verses underscore the important of applying what we learn and unless we do that, we have failed to embrace the truth. What is the point of hearing if you don’t do something about what you have learned? There may be umpteen reasons why we don’t do what God expects us to but the fact is we just don’t do it. Understanding what we are taught is a good start but the absence of personal application makes that meaningless.

Therefore if we like people to embrace God’s truth, we must make sure that understanding it in the right context is just the first step. The next is to apply what we learn in reality. The proof of understanding is in seeing God’s truth in action in our lives.

For instance, in driving home the point that better church leaders must lead by example, we cannot expect leaders to merely say, “Well, OK, I’m gonna try and become a better (elder or) deacon” and leave it at that. By the same token, members of the church shouldn’t just reciprocate by saying, “Well, yeah, we should listen and submit to the church leadership.” Why?

Either response is nothing more than paying lip service to the simple principle of leading by example. If we say we’ve learned the lesson well, we need to do a whole lot more than just come up with a non-committal one-liner. We need to be far more specific in terms of what it is that we must do. Otherwise, there is no meaningful commitment. “I’ll do better” sounds fine but it carries insignificant weight because ‘better’ alone doesn’t say much.

If they say ‘better,’ they should flesh out their response in greater and more meaningful detail. Here are some examples of what someone in that position should do:

-        Roll up the sleeves and do some heavy lifting

-        Play a more upfront role to improve dynamism in his own ministry

-        Think of things to say and do that will inspire the congregation to follow him

-        Offer to be a real spiritual mentor to a youth member in church

-        Focus on his own mistakes and failures and eliminate them one by one through change and correction

-        Put a check on his own moral code and be ready to stay to be corrected

-        Finally attend to the tasks in church that you have been putting off all this while

For as long as man can remember, God’s truths have not been successfully applied in life and the repeated failures have given Christianity a black eye. So many errors along the development history of the faith have had telling repercussions. 

From England’s Mary I’s reign of terror to Hitler’s horrific Holocaust all the way to Planned Parenthood’s uncountable millions of abortions, gay and lesbian pastors, paedophilia (in church), same-sex marriages and the climate change hoax not to forget the fake Darwinism and many more, God has been soundly denied even by many of His churches.

For centuries, Christians the world over have defamed and slandered God through terrible actions. Countless have distorted biblical truths to suit their evil deeds. There are so many who have misapplied God’s word by denying Him the proper context. Some of us have lied to Him because we would say one thing and then do quite the opposite. Not a few but many have also consistently been carrying out ungodly sins very likely because they have no fear of God.

And as a result, over the many recent decades alone, many church leaders have fallen out of God’s grace. And I’m sure more will in time to come. It will not end. So long as sin continues to firmly grip our lives, the devastation will continue even as we keep reading the Bible. The problem is we lack righteous application. In the American Standard Version (ASV) translation, the apostle Paul wrote the following:

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein?” (Rom 6:1-2, ASV, m.e.)

NOTE: In other translations, the phrase is “Certainly not!” “Absolutely not!” “Heaven forbid!” “No, we should not!” “Far be the thought,” “May it never be!” “Of course not!” “By no means!” “That’s unthinkable!” “No!” “What a ghastly thought!” “I should hope not!” “Not at all!” “What a terrible thought!” “No, surely not!” “Far be it,” “Let it not be!”

The phrase” God forbid” (see other versions in fine print above) is, without a doubt, an expression of horror, one intended to be so by its author, Paul. It’s a personal warning not to pervert what they have been taught. He’s basically vocalising his concern that the readers must stay away from misapplication of biblical truths because the results would be devastating otherwise. If Paul were to be in person saying this, it would’ve been as loud as he could make it so that everyone could sense his horror.

A huge part of the problem behind the many cases of misapplication centres on the mishandling of doctrinal issues. From one church to another, doctrinal complications have been difficult to handle. And there are many examples to show. As a result, rather than being opportunities for meaningful discussion, doctrinal misapplications have given rise to abuse.

Just to highlight one such example, consider the ‘once saved, always saved’ (OSAS) doctrine. As far as doctrines go, this one is hugely infamous. The following verse is one of several that many misuse:

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from Me, for my Father has given them to Me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10: 28-30, NLT, m.e.)

No one can say this is not true. Jesus’ message is loud and clear. Yes, once we are saved, we will always be saved. Salvation once received cannot be removed by anyone because it is God who gives it. This verse alone makes the doctrine easy enough to understand and embrace.

But unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. If it were, it wouldn’t be so controversial today with both sides contending the validity of their arguments. Very clearly, there are those who reject OSAS because they reasoned that God would not be mocked by those who abuse such a privilege. Others make a clear distinction between OSAS and ‘eternal security,’ claiming that one does not imply the other. We can have ‘eternal security’ but our sins will all be checked by God.

It is not the purpose of this article to debate the OSAS issue. To do so would require a separate lengthy discussion but it’s fair to say that there is no clear right or wrong. Good people stand on both sides of the argument and they put forth their viewpoints with a sincere heart. In short, they were passionate about how they feel. Both sides have no intention to defraud God. Their views were to defend Him and not take advantage of His grace.

And yet, of course, both sides cannot be right. Clearly, one is but the other one isn’t. That’s not to say that ultimately, bad people do exist on the ‘other side’ of the argument. Neither should we point the finger and accuse them of being ignorant.

To put it plainly, what God has promised (OSAS, in other words), many have exploited and abused. With salvation safely in the pocket, many believe sinning is not a problem because God’s grace abounds. In other words, God will forever be forgiving and merciful so long as we go before Him and confess our transgressions. If and when we do that, we will be fine. At the same time, because we are forever and permanently saved, access to the Kingdom of God is assured no matter what we do on earth. Therefore we now have carte blanche access to do as we wish and still reach Heaven.

OSAS has become, for many, a guarantee for all the wrong reasons. It’s a classic case of learning God’s truth but misapply it. Because the application is horribly wrong, people use it to justify their immoral lifestyles. That being the case, all that makes a complete mockery of Paul’s insistence that we must transform our lives (Eph 4:20-24).

One way to around this OSAS impasse is to realise that no one can continue to sin as if he’s never been saved. If anyone believes he has received salvation, then it is not possible that he can go on living a life of debauchery and immorality. Whoever shows neither the desire to live by God’s standards nor a deep desire to please Him is not only not saved but he never was in the first place. And if he never was saved, then the issue of OSAS does not even apply at all.

Anyone can go around calling himself a Christian but salvation still eludes him. That’s because salvation is nothing more than just paid lip service. I call these people, ‘Card-Carrying Christians.’ Others might call them ‘Nominal Christians.’ Some refer to them as ‘Christmas-Only Christians’ but you get the point. In support of this argument, the apostle John offers useful reinforcement:

“Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in Him. Anyone who continues to live in Him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know Him or understand who He is.” (1 Jn 3:4-6, NLT, m.e.)

As Jn 10:28-30 attests, salvation is guaranteed once we accept what Christ offers us but on the other hand, if we never really truly lived in Him and we sin, then the likelihood is that we will continue our lives as sinners with no clear idea nor understanding of who God is in our lives. In history, we learn of many who fall into this category. An often-used example is Adolf Hitler (1889-1945).

After all, even he referred to himself as a “follower of Christ.” Apparently, Hitler was baptised a Roman Catholic, became an altar boy and at one stage, had premonitions of becoming a priest. As leader of Nazi Germany, he even displayed support for the Church by signing the NSDAP-Vatican Concordat in 1933.

Karla Faye Tucker (Image source: pinterest.com)

So would it be a fair certainty that Hitler will not make it to Heaven? I guess that’s how many of us will view it. Can we say the same of Karla Faye Tucker (1959-1998) who became the first woman to be lethally injected in America since 1984 for her murderous crimes? Because she found Christ in prison briefly before her execution, we presume she accepted His promise of salvation. But she murdered two people in the most violent fashion, using a pickaxe.

The point is that in the end, we should not be surprised at all by who we find in Heaven. There will be those we least expect to make it. They will be there just as much as perhaps some might not expect us to be there too. By the same token, those we have always expected to be in Heaven might never make it. Whether Hitler or Karla Tucker is now in Heaven, only God knows. The best we can do is guess.

As Christians who live in, by and for Christ, we are called to learn what is taught through Scripture. To learn is to presume that we apply God’s truths throughout our lives. We are to be exemplars to advance the Kingdom. So, whoever teaches the word of God must realise the importance of personal application just as much as conviction and authority.

Sense of purpose

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During Jesus’ all-too-short years of public ministry, He taught with a single-minded purpose. With a clear-cut objective in mind, His message lacked for nothing. By training His intent on what He wanted to achieve, those whom He taught learned successfully.

Now, consider this part of a story from 1 Kings:

“An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armour. ‘Turn the horses and get me out of here!’ Ahab groaned to the driver of his chariot. ‘I’m badly wounded!’” (1 Kgs 22:34, NLT, m.e.)

This passage comes from the battle between the Arameans and the armies of King Jehoshaphat of Judah and King Ahab of Israel. In it, Ahab thought he could avoid his enemy’s attention by persuading Jehoshaphat to wear his royal robes instead. That way, he could then hide under a disguise that prevented the Arameans from recognising him on the battlefield. But in all likelihood, Ahab never told Jehoshaphat why.

Under instructions, the King of Aram made it clear that his chariot commanders were to look for the King of Israel and no one else. The idea was to kill him. And so the commanders trained their eyes on seeking the one who wore the royal robes. If they saw anyone wearing such, he had to be the one.

And saw they did. But of course, it was Jehoshaphat and not Ahab. Realising a mistake was in the making, Jehoshaphat called out that he wasn’t Ahab and summarily, the commanders decided to look elsewhere. However, out of the blue came a random arrow shot from the bow of a certain Aramean soldier that somehow managed to find its way in between the joints of Ahab’s front armour, piercing deep into his body, wounding him fatally. Verse 35 reveals that he eventually died from that fateful arrow.

Talk about a stray arrow finding its target, this story is unlike any. When you teach with an unmistakable sense of purpose, you’ll find at least someone who will listen and understand your message even when you least expect. That someone might even be a person you didn’t think will be affected by what you taught. 

Like the bowman, you only need to answer the call to teach, put your heart in and do your best, that sense of purpose will touch someone’s life and put him on the path to change. It might appear unlikely but we’re dealing with a God of Incredible Unlikelihood!

When we teach with good intent, God’s truth will find its target. By saying that, I mean that when we pour our heart and effort and teach, He will do the rest. So long as we make available the word of God, someone will invariably listen and understand it in any of the following four ways that Jesus means it to.

The first is when Jesus used His teaching opportunities to help people to see the difference between the Kingdom He talked about and the one subscribed by the scribes and the Pharisees (Mt 5-7). That is the point behind the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ most powerful and meaningful in all of Scripture. He did this not to abolish the laws of the prophets but to equip the people with a better understanding.

Secondly, His teachings arouse curiosity and interest but in the mix, He also purposely masked the truth from the others strategically using parables (Mk 4) for good reason:

“You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to Me and be forgiven.’” (Mk 4:11-12, NLT, m.e.)

Thirdly, Jesus used His teaching to comfort and encourage. This was apparent at a time when all the people saw ahead was a hopelessly bleak future (Jn 14). In His reassurance, He spoke to His disciples about “another Advocate” who would come in the guise of the Holy Spirit “who leads into all truth”:

“He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognise Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans – I will come to you.” (Jn 14:17-18, NLT, m.e.)

Lastly, Jesus set up the way He taught so that others would end up ‘opposing’ Him. This was when He revealed His death at the cross and His subsequent resurrection to which the disciples were shocked (because they were at that time incapable of understanding):

“From then on Jesus began to tell His disciples plainly that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem, and that He would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day, He would be raised from the dead.” (Mt 16:21, NLT, m.e.)

In his state of shock, Peter obviously disagreed and in fact chided Jesus:

“But Peter took Him aside and began to reprimand Him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to You!” (v.22, NLT, m.e.)

Getting into the very purpose of things, all of this opened a way for Jesus to reveal His plan for all of humanity:

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with His angels in the glory of His Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.” (vv.24-28, NLT, m.e.)

Every now and then, someone would stop and ask me why the Bible was made available. That’s the same as asking why God inspired men to compile His word for the world to read. What was His aim in doing so?

Just like Jesus who died on the cross for an amazing life-giving reason, God also used the Bible to help man to understand Him and His purpose for us. As Jesus died and then rose again to defeat sin, God turned the Bible into the richest source of life-giving information as well. The two purposes were single-minded; both were singularly purposed to save us. The Bible presents a clear path to personal change and obedience to Him, which are exactly the kinds of teachable lessons we can draw from.

That is why Satan tried so hard to prevent God’s word from being made widely available to the whole world. Just as the Chinese-translated Bible today is worth its weight in gold, the English-language version had a very blood-stained history where countless number of innocent people including the translators themselves were tragically martyred. In that alone, not everyone could get their hands on the English-language Bible during the 300 years spanning from the 15th to the 17th centuries.

Today, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the Bible is not just the world’s bestselling book but also the most-read. It is also the most-printed and most-distributed. At an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed by 1995, the Bible Society said half that number were printed between 1815 and 1975. The Bible has now gone beyond just English and German to include another 347 languages. Of these, at least one book of the Bible is available in 2,123 languages.

As we venture to teach and share His word, the motivation must be to inspire people to change. After all, that is one of the key purposes of the Bible. God’s truths can and often speak to us across the globe in all the umpteen languages cutting across wide swathes of culture, creed and colour. That is why God’s word demands that we act on it just as we are taught, just as we read and just as we understand what it is that He is asking of us.

When we are called to teach, it will not be a matter of whether or not God has specifically gifted us. It will purely be our duty as believers to not treat God’s word lightly or inconsequently. Neither is it simply an obligatory task to fulfil. As believers of Christ, we should be all fired up to teach as many people as possible and to do so with passion and desire.

At the same time, let’s stay on track with what and how we teach. Methodologies and techniques are just as important as content. In other words, the materials are great but we need to raise our game and improve the way we reach our listeners. Teaching aimlessly is like not having a plot – no matter how hard we try, we’re doing no more than wander around like a headless chook. What we therefore need is to pray for a carefully laid-out approach and faithfully stick to it.

Our church has been diligently pursuing the Beatitudes as an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. Both have taken almost half a year to complete, utilising different speakers to present them. As it is the way at our church, informal discussions called ‘Table Talk’ follow from the sermons on the same Sunday after breakfast time. Here, members get together and share their views and ask questions. Though these are done in an informal setting, the productivity is surprisingly good.

As a support mechanism, ‘Table Talk’ offers church members an opportunity for better understanding of what is taught. The sense of purpose is undeniable and the results are encouraging because it fulfils what conventional formally-structured Bible Study classes might not be able to. 

That’s not to say that the latter are unimportant; it’s just that ‘Table Talk’ appears to have a broader mass appeal and so far, is able to reach those who would otherwise shy away from formal studies. Here too, just as anyone can ask questions, anyone can also answer them although the host moderates the discussions to ensure that doctrinally, everyone is on the same page.

Remember what Paul said in his letter to Timothy:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17, NLT, m.e.)

Therefore let us teach for three reasons: firstly, to teach God’s truths, secondly, to correct (some use the word ‘admonish’ or ‘reprove’) what is wrong and then thirdly, to train people so that they may do good works that bring glory to Christ.

Clarity of principle

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Let’s be honest – many of us tend to look at the forest. The scribes and the Pharisees did, which is why they were inclined to only focus on the precepts when they taught God’s truths in the Old Testament. As a result, the people they taught only knew God’s word as nothing more than stringent and suffocating rules.

But Jesus came and He homed in on the individual trees. Unlike the scribes and the Pharisees, He placed emphasis on the principles and not the precepts. In doing so, He had the people view the Father’s truths as compelling reasons. He was especially in His element when He taught the people the Sermon on the Mount (see Mt 5:21-48).

With the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ teaching approach was unusually effective but unique. No one else taught like Him. While He acknowledged that it was the law of the prophets that the people had learned from the scribes and the Pharisees, He did not dismiss them but instead added His contrast to each principle He taught. 

He did this because He knew very well that the people had no real understanding of what they were taught earlier. And so the purpose of His teaching style was so that people could compare how they once learned to how they heard the truth from Jesus.

For instance, when the issue of murder was raised (Mt 5:21-22), the precept was simply not to murder, as in don’t kill a person unlawfully and with intentional malice. Predictably, the scribes and the Pharisees taught the people the literal meaning of the word. However Jesus went further than that, explaining the principle behind the commandment.

The difference between the words ‘precept’ and ‘principle’ is important for us to understand how Jesus taught so differently compared to the scribes and Pharisees. A precept is simply a mandate just like the Ten Commandments are that God instructed His people through Moses. In other words, they are directions given as a rule of action or conduct. 

A principle, on the other hand, is the all-important truth from which other truths can be derived. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expounded the principles, ensuring that the people were able to understand a mandate beyond merely a direction in life.

In Mt 5:21-22, Jesus reasoned that while the scribes and Pharisees taught about premeditatedly killing people (precept), the real principle was to not harbour murderous thoughts or even just malicious notions in our head. In simpler terms, He placed far greater importance than previously taught, on avoiding feelings of anger and hatred because that’s how the decision to murder is built from. What Jesus is saying is that if we can extinguish such deadly thoughts, then we wouldn’t feel murderous.

In the case of forbidding adultery (vv.27-30), the traditional notion was to adopt Jewish legalism and then cite the outward prohibition albeit in a convoluted roundabout way. Doing this, however, merely invite hypocrisy while doing nothing to curb lasciviousness. Understanding the precept has little to no effect on getting to the principle matter at heart.

Jesus, on the other hand, zeroed in on the mind and talked about the kind of immorality that entrenches itself as a simple but very dangerous lustful thought. From this insightful teaching, He showed more clearly than ever before how adultery begins from deep within our carnal imagination. It is from Jesus’ expounding of the principle that we come to the modern-day notions of ‘bedroom eyes’ or ‘undressing her in his mind.’

The kind of Jewish legalism that the scribes and the Pharisees specialised in still exists today. As it permeated society back then, preventing God’s truths from being understood, the same effects persist in contemporary times often without us realising. Not surprisingly, we keep looking in the wrong places for the reasons why certain things happen in church.

It could very well explain why many youths have left church and abandoned the faith. Or that they practise premarital sex while they serve roles in ministry. Or they are selective in the way they read and accept God’s truths and values. In other words, they embrace what they agree with and ditch what they don’t or feel uncomfortable with.

It comes as no surprise that all of this might be owed to legalistic churches that buried themselves in rules without reasoning. There are a lot of do’s and don’ts but never enough reasons why. The problem is young people are constantly looking for the reasons why so that they can have a better and clearer understanding of the things they are told to comply with. 

Obedience with sense and reasoning is what they’re after but oftentimes, puffed up church leaders demand compliance without bothering to explain themselves. In arrogance, they expect people to fall in line and often, they themselves don’t. In worse situations, they issue threats in place of reasoning.

In His public ministry, Jesus did not ignore all this. He foresaw the problem with legalism, understanding all too well that people would ask, “Why?” That is why He taught the way He did, laying out the principles behind the directives, making the Sermon on the Mount the most far-reaching and important part of all His teachings.

Summary

Image source: inspirationalpowers.blogspot.com

Having outlined nine of Jesus’ approaches to teaching doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the reader will instantly become Christ-like in the way he teaches. Far from it that anyone should think this way. Jesus’ teaching approach is not a mechanistic formula and should not be construed as such. It’s not a magic wand that anyone could use to transform ourselves into super-teachers of God’s word.

As Paul reminds the people in Corinth:

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.” (1 Cor 12:4-6, NLT, m.e.)

Paul says that God gifts each and every one of us accordingly. Yet we are all entirely dependent on the Holy Spirit for the effective dispensation of our gifts. Remember, Paul wrote, saying that:

“…no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus and no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:3b, NLT, m.e.)

So, how much else teaching then? In other words, the same will apply to teaching be it in a formal or informal setting. With that, how effectively we understand let alone adopt Jesus’ teaching approach is best left to God to manifest in us.

All that is well and good but we also have to acknowledge that great and inspired teaching isn’t just about being a gift of the gab. Neither is it entirely about how intensively trained or coached we are. It doesn’t even matter if we are eloquent in the language.

Two other things matter just as importantly when it comes to great and inspired teaching – equally great material and personal experience.

Great material is available – it’s called the Bible. More specifically, in this case, the Gospels. Herein lies the richest source of information needed to live righteously and obediently in praise of God. And with that, we will never run short of things to teach.

Personal or ‘first-hand’ experience refers to our life’s trials and tribulations. These are your testimonies, the real-life events that define our own walk with Christ. Fleshing out our teaching using our own personal experiences will open eyes and prickle ears. 

It’s the ‘personal theology’ that a friend often phrases it. When our teaching incorporates personal experiences, it not only puts our own struggles into a clearer spiritual perspective but it provides listeners with evidence of how we ourselves, as disciples of Christ, are in the process of leaving our sinful self behind.

That, in a nutshell, is how we ought to teach Scripture.

For further reading

Boice, James Montgomery (Jan 2016) The Parables of Jesus (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers) available at https://www.amazon.com/Parables-Jesus-James-Montgomery-Boice/dp/0802414494

Chu, Jeff (Nov 2013) Joseph Prince and the New Creation Church (OZY) accessible at https://www.ozy.com/rising-stars/joseph-prince-and-the-new-creation-church/3515

Comfort, Ray (Feb 2012) Hitler, God and the Bible (Washington D.C.: WND Books First Edition) available at https://www.amazon.com/Hitler-God-Bible-Ray-Comfort/dp/1936488248

Hafichuk, Victor (n.d.) False Teacher – Joseph Prince (The Path of Truth) accessible at https://www.thepathoftruth.com/false-teachers/joseph-prince.htm

Harris, Tom (n.d.) Once Saved, Always Saved? What do the Scriptures say about salvation and eternal security? (Active Christianity) accessible at https://activechristianity.org/once-saved-always-saved

 “Joseph Prince” (Wikipedia) accessible at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Prince

“Kiss Principle” (http://people.apache.org/~fhanik/kiss.html)

“Kiss Principle Definition” (Nov 1994) (MONASH Marketing Dictionary) accessible at (https://www.monash.edu/business/marketing/marketing-dictionary/k/kiss-principle)

Kowalski, David (n.d.) A Brief Overview of the Teachings of Joseph Prince (Apologetics Index) accessible at http://www.apologeticsindex.org/3115-joseph-prince

McKeever, Joe (Jul 2014) 7 Questions About ‘Once Saved, Always Saved’ (Crosswalk) accessible at https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/joe-mckeever/7-questions-about-once-saved-always-saved.html

Myers, Jeremy (n.d.) I believe in Eternal Security… but not ‘Once Saved, Always Saved’ (Redeeming God) accessible at https://redeeminggod.com/eternal-security-once-saved-always-saved/

Partridge, Eric and Dalzell, Tom and Victor, Terry (editors) (Jan 2015) The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge 2nd Edition) available at https://www.amazon.com/Concise-Partridge-Dictionary-Unconventional-Unconvetional/dp/0415527201

“Principle vs. Precept” (Coaching Churches – Helping Churches Navigate Change) accessible at http://www.theconvergencepoint.org/coaching/?p=749

Quora (Apr 2018) What is Joseph Prince’s birth name accessible at https://www.quora.com/What-is-Joseph-Princes-birth-name

Rich, Ben R. (1995) Clarence Leonard (Kelly) Johnson 1910–1990: A Biographical Memoir (Washington D.C.: National Academies Press) accessible at http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/johnson-clarence.pdf

Robertson, Gordon (n.d.) Was Adolf Hitler a Christian? (Christian Broadcasting Network) accessible at https://www.cbn.com/700club/features/churchhistory/godandhitler/

Yahoo! Answers (Apr 2009) Does anyone know why Joseph Prince changed his name? accessible at https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090904085910AA0zfcI