BIBLICAL INSTRUCTION IN THE CONGREGATION
Editorial
January/ February, 1977
Volume 12, Number 1
The general lack of Scriptural training and the inadequate
understanding of basic Bible doctrines on the part of members of our churches
is appalling. The decline in church membership during the past decade is
a further cause for concern. One factor contributing to these conditions
is simply that many church services are not meeting people's needs. Multitudes
of sermons and Sunday School lessons are not answering the basic questions
of life. There is little true concern in the Church of the Brethren for
persons without Christ who are lost and under the wrath of God. Liberation
theology now dominates the thinking of many in positions of denominational
leadership. Those who accept the tenets of the new theology, seem more
anxious to point persons to secular revolution and political independence
- than to show them the Way to heaven.
The current issue of the BRF Witness seeks
to encourage a new emphasis on biblical teaching and preaching. There are
two major points-of-view regarding formal instruction:
Progressive educators object to the excessive use
of textbooks, formal lectures, and the memorizing of facts. They want education
to be pupil-centered rather than teacher-centered. Pupil centered education
attempts learning without the drudgery and hard work of mastering facts.
Progressive educators believe it is possible to think with a completely
empty mind. They try and draw out from the mind of an immature person what
has never been implanted.
Conservative educators stress the importance of
organized knowledge. They believe that the purpose of instruction is primarily
to transmit systematic knowledge, and thus to develop disciplined minds.
While a number of teaching methods may be employed, the teacher's primary
aim is to present subject matter clearly, and to expect students to work
hard to achieve in their studies. Teaching involves definite and systematic
instruction.
The latter conservative view of instruction and formal
education is the view that I have upheld and practiced through the years.
It is my belief that teachers should teach, and that while there
is a place for student interaction, pupils should not have to be forever
asking, "What do you think?" The preacher of the Word is not a heathen
philosopher seeking to find out things, but an expositor of the Bible which
is a revelation that settles things. If teachers and preachers will practice
the expository method, they will more faithfully fulfill the New Testament
mandate to "feed the church of God" (Acts 20:28).
--H.S.M.
Biblical Instruction in the Congregation
by Harold S. Martin
In 1647, the General Court of Massachusetts ordered every community
of fifty families or more, to have a school to teach the children to read.
The reason given by the Court for such action was this: "It being the chief
project of the old deluder, Satan, to keep man from the knowledge of the
Scriptures, effort must be made to thwart this old deluder." Today Satan
continues his activity, and even though most members of our local congregations
can read and write very well, there is a dearth of biblical knowledge.
Thus the theme "Biblical Instruction in the Congregation" is a relevant
topic.
1. THE NEED
Preachers who travel many places and minister in a variety of congregations,
soon discover an amazing ignorance of the Bible on the part of most church
members. We are not talking about such things as memorizing the Twenty-third
Psalm, or repeating the Lord's Prayer, or knowing John 3:16 - but about
a systematic knowledge of the basic doctrines of the Bible. For example:
What are the evidences for the existence of God? Can you name and define
briefly the gifts of the Spirit? What are the ordinances of God's house
and what does each symbolize? Our guess is that very few in our congregations
could answer those elementary questions - questions that are basic to an
understanding of the Christian faith.
In many places, there is a loss of interest in the services of the church.
Members complain that the place is too dull; the sermons are too boring;
there's not enough activity. Some try and solve the problem by showing
films, putting on plays and skits, planning Sunday School picnics, and
jazzing the old hymn tunes to match today's rock-n-roll music. The sermon
itself is often preceded by irrelevant announcements, high pressure offerings,
and the empty songs of weak choirs. Instead of hearing expositions of the
Scriptures, many people are subjected to all kinds of speeches and lectures
and social analyses. In other words, our congregations often are not getting
rich spiritual food.
It is true that some in our churches want a preacher who will condone
their sins and comfort them in their wicked ways, but it is also true that
many have a deep hunger for the Word of God. All week long people hear
from Washington and London and Moscow - and Wall Street and Main Street
- and on Sunday, there are many who want to hear from Heaven! Many in our
pulpits are organizers and promoters and youth directors and money-raisers
- but they fail to consistently preach the simple message of the Bible
in a systematic way. And as a result - the age-old question, "Is there
any word from the Lord?" - goes unanswered.
2. THE METHOD
The Church should provide many opportunities for carefully instructing
its members, so that each might become a workman that need not be ashamed.
The church should be a training center which helps to mold and build an
understanding of Bible truth. Each congregation should be a small theological
seminary.
The Scriptures indicate that one of the major responsibilities of the
church is to give instruction. In the Great Commission there is a two-fold
command to teach (Matthew 28:19-20). Paul says that an elder should
be "apt to teach" (1 Timothy 3:2). The Now Testament in several
places ranks teachers along with apostles and prophets (1 Corinthians
12:28; Ephesians 4:11). The word "preaching" itself includes the concept
of instruction. Believers in Christ need to be nurtured and instructed
- and preaching (especially expository preaching) is one of the primary
means God uses to instruct the flock.
The expository sermon is a message which unfolds the truth contained
in a passage of Scripture (generally longer than two or three consecutive
verses).
A good expositor will open up the Scriptures (Luke 24:37) and explain
the meaning (Nehemiah 8:8) in such a way that we wonder why we didn't see
it before. As a rule, the expository message follows the order of the ideas
contained in the passage of Scripture, but that order is not slavishly
followed. Expository teaching is not merely making some running comments
on the successive verses of a Scripture portion - but it is the formulating
of a theme, grouping the verses under headings which amplify that theme,
and then proclaiming the practical message of the passage.
True biblical instruction concentrates primarily on the proclamation
of certainties. Today, true preaching and good teaching are often replaced
by "dialogue" and "rapping." In place of a "Thus saith the Lord," lots
of audiences are hearing their pastors and teachers saying, "This is my
perception of things."
There are many structures the congregation can use for implementing
the teaching ministry of the church. One of the instruments is the Sunday
School; another is the Bible Institute; another is the instruction
class for new converts; another is a week-long or week-end Bible
Conference. Yet, while recognizing that there are many ways of reaching
human hearts and with no thought of discrediting any of them it can still
be factually maintained that preaching is primary. Titus 3:1a indicates
that preaching ought to be the central part of the church's program. All
other methods of instructing the congregation should be secondary and supplemental.
And furthermore, the style (or method) known as "expository" is paramount
for efficiently instructing the congregation.
The expository method should be the primary approach used in teaching
Sunday School classes, and in conducting small group studies. Many Bible
studies are merely settings where the "teacher" gives off-the-cuff comments
that happen to come to mind. Much of the time is spent simply exchanging
ideas about things one already knows. The "leader" follows the aimless
shifts of thought, as various persons talk about matters on which they
are not really well informed. R. E. 0. White calls such typical discussions,
"articulate ignorance spreading bewilderment more widely."
Most of the Sunday School classes that I have attended have been rambling
discussions, not genuine Bible studies. The congregation should provide
training classes for its teachers and emphasize the truth that a good teacher
is one who is well prepared, able to share the meaning of a biblical passage,
and one who brings forth the riches of its meaning by making practical
applications for daily living. His goals are to instruct the pupil in the
doctrines of the Christian faith, to encourage obedience to the teachings
of the Word of God, and to enrich character by seeking to instill gratitude,
love, faith, and other Christlike qualities.
3. THE RESULTS
A program of dynamic expository preaching by men of God who hold strong
biblical convictions will produce good results. Each congregation that
arranges for weekend Bible conferences, regular Lord's Day sermons,
instruction classes for new converts, etc.--choosing preachers and teachers
who will use the simple expository method--will find the inner spiritual
life of the individual believers growing stronger.
A businessman, reviewing fifty years of constant traveling, two thousand
Sundays spent (often in two or three different churches each week), shares
this testimony; "Some of the services were so much wasted time. However
now and then, sometimes in inconspicuous pulpits, I have heard messages
that meant much to me and my need. Invariably they were of the expository
type. The preacher selected a passage from the Bible, related it to a fundamental
human need, and enlarged upon it in all its helpful suggestions throughout
the sermon" (Herman Sasse, A Short History of Christian Thought).
All of us who have the duty of instructing others in the church, must
keep in mind that there is no particular virtue in our thoughts, our cleverness,
our gathered illustrations, our shared experiences--except as these serve
to illuminate and drive home the message of the Word of God.
Some church leaders seem to think that gimmicks attract young people.
It is true that pizza parties may attract for a while, but in the long
run, if those attending the services of the church are not spiritually
fed, interest will decline. Young people generally want truth. They want
to know why they are on this earth. They want to know where they came from,
where they are going, and how they are going to get there. Teachers in
the church must systematically set forth the Word to hungry sheep looking
for food. It will feed the flock, grip young people, and sustain interest.
God will use the expository approach to teaching the Word of Truth so that
multitudes of people will have a better understanding of the Scriptures
and they will have deepening convictions about important truths of the
Bible.
People in our churches are still hungry to hear what Almighty God has
to say about matters which are applicable to their lives. We recall with
amusement the farmer's remark to his preacher who had just returned from
a denominational convention. The farmer said, "I see by your bulletin that
at the Convention you discussed the subject 'How to Get People to Attend
Church.' This seems strange to me (the farmer said), I never heard a single
address at a farm convention on how to got cattle to come to the
rack! When we get together in meetings, we spend our time discussing the
best kind of feed."
It is the conviction of this writer that what works with cows will work
with congregations.
The preceding article was prepared
for The Sword and Trumpet magazine
published monthly in Harrisonburg,
Va., and appeared in the January and February, 1977 issues of that periodical.