I met with an individual today and among many of the issues we discussed was his tentative plans of transitioning to a Senior Pastor position.  As we discussed what that looks likes he asked me what were some of the things I’ve learned in my first couple years while serving at Oak Park.  So I shared for about 20 minutes a myriad of things that came to my mind, which I’ll share soon in another post.  But one of the lessons I’ve learned over and over again is that the best thing I can do for the man/woman sitting in the chair (sorry, no pews at our church) is to teach them to be biblically literate.  The number of conversations that I have had where people express to me their “biblical” perspective, preference or conviction without coming close to what the Bible teaches on the particular subject they’re discussing are to numerous to recount.  As a result, I labor week-in-and-week-out to prepare a sermon that feeds the sheep and informs them of who God is; who we are in light of who God is; what God has graciously done for us and what we need to do in response.  In addition, part of my week every single week is meeting with individuals whereby I attempt to teach and inculcate in people (specifically men) what the Bible teaches.  It’s my opinion that as Peter said in 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence” and Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:17, “that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” an individual knowing the Scriptures is “key” to living out the abundant life that Jesus shared with us in John 10:10 and we’re able to face anything and everything that may come across our path.  I’m not advocating that the Scriptures are some sort of incantation that as we speak it life immediately becomes easy and smooth, but what I am saying is that the Spirit of God works in tandem with the Word of God and as people immerse themselves in the Word of God they’ll be “equipped” to live a godly life.  So I’ve made it a goal of the ministry that God has graciously allowed me to steward to teach men the Bible.  I find no greater joy than seeing people grow in their understanding of the Word, while also living it out.

I’ll leave you with a question as I conclude this post: are you teaching the people in your congregation to know and love the Scriptures?