What and When?

Last night, in the class I teach in which participants are coming with me through the entire OT, we approached the end of Exodus 20 with a bang.

18 All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain [surrounded by] smoke. When the people saw [it] they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 "You speak to us, and we will listen," they said to Moses, "but don't let God speak to us, or we will die."

20 Moses responded to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear Him and will not sin." 21 And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. ^{Exodus 20 HCSB}

^{Since we had finished the ten commandments, I handed out a quiz which gave them 15 choices for the ten, including "you should not smoke", "be kind to the poor", "you should obey God instead of man" and a couple others. Several found 11. Others got very quiet which always means they know they don't have it. BTW, this was a KIDS SUNDAY SCHOOL TEST.}

^{The question I'm asking myself this morning is "What should a follower of Jesus know about what His Word says, and when should they know it?" If we are genuinely "studying to show ourselves approved", then we have a majority that flunked the JCAT. (Jesus Comprehensive Achievement Test)}

^{I know from painful experience that orthodoxy (knowing what is right) doesn't always lead to orthopraxy (doing right). Some of the most hateful people I've ever met have been church members who had Masterlife'd, Navigated, and experienced God their hearts out... err off. However, how can you follow God increasingly closer if you do not gain understanding of His will through His Word?}

^{We're SBC. That means there's a legion of programs that Lifeway will tell me I should be doing that like Clearasil for the soul will clear this right up. I'm not buying it, simply because it goes deeper than that. There has to be a constant, desperate desire to know Jesus more. In my example, I had just gone through the ten commandments - not new information to anyone in the room. I had spent several weeks there. And yet...}

^{When we let someone become a citizen of the United States, the applicant has to study, even memorize some of the basic documents of our nation. They have to learn, and they do, because they want to be an American. So why aren't we who aspire to make an eternal difference in this life not serious about doing the same?}

^{Church culture.}

^{In the immigration example, there are clearly defined facts that must be committed to memory in order to assume basic competency and understanding of what it means to be an American. Baptist have none. Sure we have the Baptist Faith and Message, but I defy anyone to tell me even the article's headings without looking. We need a Baptist catechism. Something to unite us in a shared understanding of what we believe. Right now we could easier be identified by what we are against. We need "We believe that God created the universe and all that is in it" type doctrine with verses that back it up - memorized.}

^{We need accountability. Once the average Baptist joins the church, that's the end of their pursuit of God. Discipleship - that working out your faith with fear and trembling - never takes place. They might be faithful attenders of SS, but all that means is that they can hold a quarterly (if they can find it) and can endure 30 minutes of lecture after the Braves and the weather are discussed ad nauseum. We need people on people discipleship. Paul and Timothy type. The stronger and the weaker meeting to share lives and growth stories and struggles.}

^{We need to decide on a discipleship path for children on up and for adult converts. A child should progressively understand and know the doctrines of our faith and when presented at adulthood, we should test then recognize them as a member of the community of believers that is ready to mentor others as he or she was mentored. For adult converts, we need an accelerated version of the same thing, lasting perhaps two years or until the mentor felt comfortable.}

^{Bottom line? We need help - fast.}

^{We need help.}