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Charlie Lafferty
Charlie Lafferty's blog
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HOW DOES GOD TEACH US?
5 stars|8 comments|April 08, 2007|1264 reads
 

Why did God create man? Was it so He could teach man about Himself? Yes, I think that was exactly why, but His method of teaching is very unique. God did it through relationship: not predominately preaching, or instructing or just pointing out error.

God teaching in the garden

How did God begin teaching man? He did it by providing a loving, intimate environment and came down to walk with His creation (us) in such a way that we could get to know Him better and more intimately..I call that "fellership."

What I find even more interesting is that He let man make mistakes (and some were real biggies). He let man know His desires and heart and then let man live his life. His desire has always been to reveal His heart to man and then let man learn to long for and desire to go after God’s heart (in spite of the mistakes). We know the story. Man was disobedient and failed God L .. yet God remained faithful.  Eventually God sent Jesus J .

Jesus teaching on Earth

How did Jesus teach His disciples? Did He open the scriptures to them and explain what they "really" meant? When Jesus was only 12 years old, He was found in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers. Was Jesus (even at that early age) explaining the scriptures by teaching them the "real" meaning?

 

Jesus was a teacher, no doubt..and the Greatest Teacher! But, how did He teach? In the story of Jesus in the midst of the teachers in the temple, it says that He was listening and asking questions. Later it says they were astonished at His ANSWERS (Lk. 2:46-47). That means He let them ask questions. Isn’t that interesting?

 

Many times when Jesus went to the synagogue to teach, He ended up healing someone or surprising them by proving the scriptures by how He lived among the people doing good. He was teaching them God’s heart by demonstrating the Father’s heart in how He lived daily. Jesus was showing us God’s nature in how He lived.  Jesus often blew away their religious concepts and traditions of men.

 

Back to the garden

Jesus brought us back to the garden where God is walking with us again in fellership. He has given us His Spirit to connect us in oneness of spirit. By His Spirit He is now empowering us by His grace while teaching and guiding us according to His good pleasure.  Yet even now we still live and walk by trial and error.  That’s how relationships work and how you find out who your REAL friends are. Through our mistakes we come to see His love for us in a much more personal and intimate way. Hopefully we learn from our mistakes and draw closer to the Lord and His love. Jesus said of the "sinful woman who washed His feet with her tears, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loves little." Lk. 7:47

 

I believe God is still teaching us by life (via His Spirit) and in relationships. We learn as we walk, grow, and live in fellership with God and His people. "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." I Jn. 1:3

There's much more to be shared.  Let's hear from others.

Charlie
PS - this has been my first day off and opportunity to fellership with y’all in a while..good to share Easter with ya.

 

 

 
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Randy Lloyd
 Randy Lloyd
April 09, 2007

Enjoyed the post and welcome back Charlie.

Hope the project is going well.  Have missed your posts while you have been working so hard.

Mike n Laura
 Mike n Laura
April 10, 2007
Hey Charlie! Yes, we too have missed your participation in this here "fellership." Nice blog. We believe that the best way to influence someone for Christ is to get into a relationship with them first. Don't hit em with the Bible before you've hit em with a dinner invitation or two. (Which reminds me, I haven't seen you on the "who's coming to dinner blog" yet! ~mike
Charlie Lafferty
 Charlie Lafferty
April 10, 2007
Thanks for the welcome back welcome :).  Just a few more weeks and I will have more time..so beware..if I don't hear other's thoughts by then, I will be forced to offer you more of mine :).
I'm glad to hear you say that Mike.  I truly believe relationships are of the utmost importance.  I was surprised recently to realize many of Jesus' followers were "family" and those whom He or Mary or Joseph had a relationship with prior to His ministry's beginning.
Charlie Lafferty
 Charlie Lafferty
April 23, 2007
I completed my contract and now I'm ready to resume fellership.  I'm hoping to hear back from others on this. 
It seems to me that the church for many years now has focused on teaching by trying to explain the Bible.  It has caused the body of Christ to be divided cuz we don't all see eye to eye on everything in the Bible.  We can't even agree on which Bible translations to accept.
How can our oneness and fellership be based on such agreement?  I think it is pretty clear that our oneness is in the Spirit.  God has chosen to link us with Himself and others via spirit.  I believe the job of the Spirit, Helper, Comforter is to teach us according to life and relationship.
Here's a question for everyone: when you meet another Christian, do you have an immediate sense of oneness and connection with them in spirit?  Is it necessary to know what church they go to before you can enjoy the flow of God's life (fellership) one to another?
Charlie
Mike n Laura
 Mike n Laura
April 23, 2007

Hi Charlie, welcome back!!!

When we meet other Christians, we do feel a oneness and connection w/them, w/o even knowing what church they go to. ~mike

Charlie Lafferty
 Charlie Lafferty
April 23, 2007
Thanks Mike, I'm truly glad to be back.  I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one :).
Sue
Sue
April 28, 2007
Yeah!!!!!!..............Charlie is back!  We missed you and Alice.  Is Alice back also? 
Charlie Lafferty
 Charlie Lafferty
April 29, 2007
A quick greeting to all the saints .. Y'all might want to think about and discuss if ya care to what that verse means that says, "...you have no need for any man to teach you..."  I was gonna bring that up next, but it may be a while b4 I can get to it. 
Anyway, I'm thinking that verse has something to do with how God teaches us.  I'm NOT saying we don't need teachers!!  Pastor/teachers are gifts to the body of Christ and we certainly  need and learn from them.  But how does God personally and intimately teach us life lessons and more about Himself, His nature, heart and His purpose and design?
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Howdy Sue, I completed PHASE 1, and about to enter PHASE 2.  It's gonna require even more of my time away from the computer :(. 
I took a short week break.   I figure about another month and I'll be finished with this project.  I miss everyone and I wish I could spend more time reading and fellershipping with the saints. 
Sue would you mind passing the word along to others who may ask, "what happened to Charlie? :)
Thanks
PS - I love MyChurch, miss you guys...thanks for the cyber connection..keep the fellership flowing :)