Body Building Through Education
We've just completed a short series in 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 on how we can build one another up in the body. Yanadi shares the role that Christian Education plays to build the church up, and how we can all participate in it.
Do you still remember who played a part in your education growing up?
For me, the most obvious answers were my school teachers, who taught me; my tuition teachers, who bolstered and enriched my learning; my parents, who made sure that I studied well; and myself, who did the work of studying.
But less obvious answers actually include people like my family domestic helper, who brought me to school and tuition classes when my parents couldn't; my school bus fellow, who helped me clarify certain mathematical concepts; my school counselors, who disciplined me when my behavior was unbehaving of a student; and even my school bus driver, who send me to and from school even when I needed to take some extra classes.
The list can go on and on depending on each of our life experience growing up. And it is so with Christian education.
Christian Education helps us grow and equips us for ministry
I hope by now two things are clear to all of us.
First, just as education is important in our growing up into maturity, Christian education is important in our growing up into Christlikeness. And the words chosen, "maturity" and "Christlikeness", are intentional and spot-on, because the goal of education is never the accumulation of knowledge. Instead, accumulation of knowledge is but a means to obtain the final goal of maturity and Christlikeness.
Second, Christian education is a means to equip all Christians for the work of ministry. This is why we astutely call our Christian education classes: EQUIP. While there are a few of us who are serving in Christian education, the goal is to equip all of us to be serving; though not necessarily in Christian education, but possibly in Christian education too!
Currently, it may feel that EQUIP is only for those who teach and for those who are not sure about certain Christian subjects. While for those of us who are more familiar with those subjects, attending those classes may feel like repeating a subject in school. Understandably, not a nice feeling.
However, the recent sermon series, Body Building: One Body, One Love, and One Truth, has helped me to rethink how I, and all of us as a church, can approach Christian education in our church in a more edifying (namely, body building) way. Christian education in GBC doesn't have to just belong to the mouth and the brain. My prayer is that other organs can be part of building up GBC, even through Christian education.
Practical ways to help one another grow
One way that it can happen is to invite people to the classes and attend with them. We have seen the number of newcomers joining our church as members. Some of them are new believers and many of them are not entirely sure how GBC lives out our lives as Christians. As we get to know them and welcome them as parts of our church, we can attend EQUIP classes with them. We ourselves may not personally benefit for the information imparted in class, but the new members may benefit from the added courage to attend the classes in their new church and learn a little bit more about biblical teachings and us.
Another way is to develop friendships that are intentionally open about talking what we believe and live out as Christians. If you are new to GBC, I can assure you that most in GBC are willing to form friendships with you and walk together, although some of us may be shy and awkward at first. But you have been in GBC for a while like me, we can be more intentional about approaching people to develop such friendships. Just in case you lack spiritual topics in your friendship, we have developed Growing in Jesus materials that go hand-in-hand with our EQUIP series on Knowing the Truth: Christian Doctrines and Living the Truth: Christian Living. I hope I have added one more benefit for your consideration in bringing a new friend to EQUIP classes. If you need help to start such friendships, you can either contact me (Yanadi) or fill up this form (http://gracebaptistchurch.sg/letscontinue).
One last way that I can think of, if "EQUIP classes feel too 'basic' for me", is to just attend them anyway and get to know the people who happen to be there. Perhaps new friendships can be formed there. I am pretty sure that there will be things that will benefit you if you do attend, even if it's just as simple as a reminder from God's word. Our classes are filled with God's word because they are based on God's word. His word will not return void.
I was particularly encouraged by our EQUIP series last year on parenting, namely, The Art of Parenting. Clearly, the target audience for such class is parents. Indeed, it was quite a big gathering of parents who attended the class. But what surprised me was how many singles attended the class. But not just that, I was pleased by the many feedback on how the class was helpful to the singles too. How was it helpful? It was helpful in that as a church, the singles and the parents can support each other, even in mundane practical needs like caring for the kids while the parents go on their dates or including singles in family outings.
I'm sure not only singles can benefit from an EQUIP series on parenting. I hope you would consider, even if you don't teach or learn, that you attend Christian education classes with the goal of not just personal edification, but also corporate edification. Volunteers in the various areas of design, operations, media, and library for Christian education in GBC are still needed. Do contact me (Yanadi) if you are able and willing to help. Praise God for how He has profoundly designed all organs to build up the body. His wisdom is higher than ours.
If you would like to find out more about Christian education (EQUIP) in GBC, you can visit https://english.gracebaptistchurch.sg/equip.