This past Friday night I had the privilege of speaking to our women's group at church a message entitled "Class is Not Dismissed." In this message, I talked about the importance of our encounters with God. Every time someone spends time with the Lord, it should be looked at as an opportunity to learn. Everything we go through in life is meant to be a learning experience to elevate us to the next level in our walk with God. There is an extreme importance in the process of learning. When we stop learning, we stop growing. When we refuse to learn, we choose death.
My husband teaches a leadership class at our Wednesday night Audacity service. In his class he asks the following question: "Who is the most dangerous person in the church?" Most people answer this question by saying the hypocrite who tries to live a double life, the church gossip who stirs up strife, or the "negative Nancy" who seems to want to keep everyone else down. It is true, all three of those types of people are dangerous and will destroy a ministry if not lovingly dealt with, however, none of those three are the MOST dangerous to the church. The most dangerous person to darken the doors of a church is someone who is unteachable - someone who refuses to learn. This person will always hold a ministry back, because they will never see the necessity of learning and growing. They feel they have arrived and are no longer in need of assistance from anyone...including God.
This past week was the first week back to school for students in Roane County. I teach 5th grade at a small elementary school. It amazes me the different types of learners that sit in my classroom. Some learn by listening, some by music, some by organization and pattern, some by bodily-kinesthetic strategies, and some even by sitting alone and reading a book. However, across the board, students learn best by DOING. If you can practice it and master it...you've learned it. Sometimes the reason I think people become unteachable is because they fear the learning process. They are afraid to go through the necessary training that might hurt, require patience, or require commitment to obtain the knowledge their Teacher wishes them to know. We must not fear the learning process, but rather embrace it as a mechanism for growth and ultimately spiritual survival. Louisa May Alcott, a famous author, said it well: "I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship."
No matter our age, current status, or prior knowledge - learning is never done. God has an unlimited supply of astounding things for us to learn, one of those things being His infinite love for us. There's more to learn, because there's more to be done. Let's not let our brains atrophy while a lost and dying world is abandoned of the knowledge of who God is and what He has done for them. Class is not dismissed. There's more learning to do. Sit at His feet. Learn from His heart.
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