In a recent post by Donald Miller, he questions why the Church has been led by scholars, and why a church gathering is more of an educational setting than it is anything. I'm all for learning. I have an AA, a BA, and an MA from Southern Seminary. However, Miller makes a great point with his questions. When we look at Jesus, sure he taught his disciples, but he taught them through doing. When we see him actually giving a lesson, it's all in metaphor (parable), and directed to those who claimed to KNOW God the most. Only once did he explain a parable to his closest followers.
In what is known as "The Great Commission", Jesus says to his disciples, "Go make more disciples...". The greek word used for "disciples" is manthos or manthetes, meaning "Learner". Maybe we have misinterpreted manthos to mean "scholar." Learning requires more than books, a lecture, and a classroom, and to grow in Christ doesn't primarily mean to study more. Learning first requires openness, and openness is enough to take you very far in absorbing this way Jesus invites us to. The Bible is not a compass for life. It is a collection of divinely inspired writings. We shouldn't worship a book that points us to worship it's author.
If you are open, then you have enough to grow in Christ. Let the world be your classroom and let life teach you today of the wonders of God. Then go play and dance like a child in the wonder of a yard full of sprinklers.
