2 Corinthians 13.7 Now we pray to God that you will
not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test
but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. –
St. Paul
I call them, my Bible
Scholars. They are between 11 and 13 years old, and they are part of my
Adventure Rangers group at church on Wednesday nights. We teach them about doctrine, manhood,
biblical worldview, cultural issues, and sexuality. (Want to see boys squirm,
bring up the topic of sex…) The thing I’ve noticed about 6th, 7th,
and 8th graders is they tend to be omniscient – they know everything,
and what they don’t know they make up as it goes.
Several of the boys in my group are enrolled in the
Academy at our church and are pretty smart, but they are also kids. They are
kids on their way into manhood, but they are kids. And like many of us who were
raised in or around the church they are full of factoids – just the rote stuff they've been taught.
So, last night during our Bible Study, we talked about
the advantages that Jesus employed in His earthly ministry that are also available
to us. And we talked about Christ’s obedience, and His prayers. We looked at 3
different portions of Scripture, and I asked them to write down what they saw of
Jesus in the passages. I pointed at my head and told them, “Don’t just tell me
what’s in here.” I pointed at my heart and said, “Tell me what’s in here.” That’s
where they struggled a bit, because at this point in their lives, Jesus is
still mostly academic – just a bunch of factoids.
Boys will be boys until they are taught to be men, and my
strategy with them is to move past the factoids of faith, and to deal with the
issues of faith. I think Paul the apostle dealt with the same things with the
Corinthian Church. He said to them: I’m
praying to God that you’ll not do anything wrong— not so that people will see you’ve
learned your factoids, but so that you will do what is right because of your relationship
with Christ and what is in your heart. (My paraphrase) The Test, is that
their relationship with Jesus be their guide, not just me, or some other adult
telling them how to act appropriately.
And bible scholar or not, I believe this is the way for
all mankind. Don’t act, or not act just because you know the rules; act because
of your love for, and relationship with, Jesus Christ. Our actions will reveal
a viable relationship with the Lord, and our testimony will be the reality of
who we are, in Him. Anybody can obey when the attention is on – the test is
what is done when the attention is off; that is what matters.
Paul dealt with a bunch of Bible Scholars in Corinth, and
he told them: it’s not who you are when
everyone is looking that matters; it’s who you are when they’re not looking
that counts. What we know shows what we can remember. What we do in Him is
what will make the difference with what we know.
Father in Heaven,
it’s not what I know, but Who I know that’s what is important in this life, and
the one beyond. That I may know You, and walk in ever-increasing fellowship
with You, is my prayer. Help me Jesus as I try to help my bible-scholars…
Amen
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