the lens through which we must look

It has been a couple days since I blogged (is that a verb?). I would like to say it is because I have been busily helping all the people who are suffering from the effects of the February 5 tornado. It isn't. I have been really busy at work... pretty lame, I know... (many great people from Riverside and the Gassville community HAVE worked and continue to work tirelessly...)

The real reason I haven't written anything in this space for the past week or so is this: I have had something burning inside me that I can't articulate (no, it's not heartburn... I checked!)...

I am going to try to boil it down to a 'less-than-novella-sized' paragraph or two (or six):

Everything we do... everything we teach... every lesson we aspire to share with our friends... has to be viewed through His lens.

In other words, when I am deciding what to say when asked to preach, I should give very serious consideration to what I am going to talk about. When you are asked to teach a Bible class or lead a discussion, you must give serious consideration... and when we are deciding what curriculum and methods we will use to teach our young people's Bible classes, we must pull out the same lens.

The lens to which I refer is 'the 1-thing' lens. A college Bible teacher (Old Testament professor) of mine said it this way:

"I am afraid I have done my students a huge disservice....because I have come to understand that everything we teach or share MUST be taught (or shared) in a way that points to the Cross of Calvary. Because everything.... from the oldest Old Testament story to the latest revelation from the final book of the Bible to my Great-grandfater's experiences to my daily walk.... EVERYTHING... points to Jesus Christ. So, to the degree that I teach for teaching's sake... to the degree that my students (or anyone anywhere) learn for learning's sake... if we fail to connect the teaching and learning to our Savior... it is all IN VAIN!"

So, as I think of what to share... as you think of what or how to teach a Bible class... as you decide how and what to teach in your Bible classes at your church buildings.... we MUST judge the content and method by that standard.... PERIOD!

I grew up in a church-Bible-class environment where knowledge was valued... we would read and memorize and quiz and recite.... but I NEVER heard or learned how any of it connected to the One who gave Himself for me... never.

So for me this is a hill to die on. I resolve to always use the '1-thing' lens. I will not knowingly teach or preach or share without first considering how the subject matter connects to Jesus. I will not be a part of an effort to teach anything spiritual to anyone in any environment without first considering its connection to Jesus Christ. Knowledge for knowledge's sake is worthless.

While it is true that the Bereans were called noble because of their study habits, the text never mentions whether they connected their knowledge (and their lives) to their Savior.

May we always teach our children that the Bible is a story of a Sovereign God reconciling fallen man through a Risen Savior... and that EVERY word in His Word was specifically inspired to continually point us to that '1 thing'!

May God Bless us as we always use His Lens.