Maybe it’s a side effect of twenty-plus years in academic settings (grade school, college, grad school, and campus IT staff), or maybe it’s just because I can be a bit of a nerd. Either way, for a long time, I tended to think of church through the lens of an academic pursuit:
- I’d be vaguely disappointed if a sermon or Sunday school class didn’t give some fresh insight or new perspective.
- I’d take notes during sermons, because taking notes is how I learned to get the most out of my academic classes.
- I preferred classes and Bible studies where the leader taught based on their in-depth preparation to more discussion-oriented approaches.
- If I taught a class myself, I viewed it as my job to convey as much information as possible.
- Reading an intellectually stimulating Christian book was an easier way to relate to God than Bible reading or prayer.
And all of that can be okay, I think. (And some of it is simply the way that I am; like any loving father, our Father is happy to relate to us according to our unique personalities and inclinations.)
But is it really the best perspective on the Christian life?
To put it another way: Is a lack of knowledge really my greatest obstacle to living more like Christ?
In reality, I already know most of what I need to do: Show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Lay aside anger, lust, pride. Be content. Put others first. Fellowship with God in prayer, worship. For the most part, it’s not that this is too complicated or too advanced for my knowledge; it’s that I’m simply not the kind of person who can consistently do this.
Caring about someone isn’t complicated. It isn’t easy. But it isn’t complicated, either. Kinda like lifting the engine block out of a car. ― Jim Butcher, Small Favor
I’ve come to believe that the gym is a better metaphor for our spiritual lives than the classroom. For the most part, an athlete already knows what they need to do: Lift the weight. Throw the ball. Run from point A to point B. Score more points than the other guy. Certainly, there’s learning to be done: techniques, skills, training regimens, tactics. But much of the athlete’s time is spent in practice: doing things they already theoretically know how to do, to shape them into the kind of person who can do it when they need to.
(This is closely related to the idea of spiritual disciplines – prayer, fasting, solitude, service, confession, celebration, Christian meditation, and the rest. Although these have been misused as a legalistic way of earning favor with God, when practiced properly, they’re about training and disciplining us to live like Jesus, following him, by placing us where the Spirit can work on us.)
So I’ve changed my perspective:
- I go to sermons and Sunday school class not only for fresh insights and new perspectives but also because I need to be reminded of what I already know: the good news that the blood of Jesus covers my sin, and the need to transform my life in obedience to him.
- I take notes during sermons to focus my cluttered mind as I’m reminded of these things, not because I’m thinking of it as another classroom.
- I appreciate classes and Bible studies with in-depth, carefully prepared teaching, but also class discussions where any brother or sister can share what God has taught them as he works in their lives.
- When I teach a class, I view it as my job to help people grow in Christ-likeness. Sometimes that means conveying as much information as possible, sometimes it means picking a single point I want to help people understand.
- And reading an intellectually stimulating Christian book is still an easier way to relate to God than Bible reading or prayer – but I’m practicing.