|
Telling the Truth about What all would-be Bible students, teachers, and others called to a ministry should be told, but usually aren't. Gary D. Collier
|
||||
|
I was six years old, or seven, or ten, or fifteen—or all of them. The preacher stood in the pulpit and proclaimed for the thousandth time: “The greatest work in all the world is to teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” I believed him. I actually believed him! “What could be greater than studying the Word? Or than mining its depths? Or than teaching people about the ever-new message which leaps out from every page? Or than working with God’s people? Or than helping the hurting with the good news of Jesus?”
Now, thirty-something years and several lumps later, here is my own personal answer: nothing could be greater, at least not for me. Nothing is as satisfying, or as challenging, or as rewarding, or as exhilarating! That is the truth. And I want it stated from the outset. But that isn’t all the truth. That is just the pretty stuff. Some of “the truth,” in fact, is quite ugly. Of course, it is not polite to talk about it—and, you see, it shows a real “lack of faith” on my part even to bring it up. But I will do it any way—because it, too, is the truth. Growing up, I was taught lots of things: the order of the Biblical books and their authors; stories about Abraham, and David, and Jesus, and Paul; and how to evaluate a sermon by the number of Scriptures quoted. I learned that “faith without works is dead,” and that “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” I was taught at least something about grace and the Spirit of God, but more than that I knew the five steps to salvation and the five acts of worship like the back of my hands. But most of all I was taught this one thing: Whatever you believe, whatever you practice—all of it is subject to the study of Scripture. You must always be ready, I was told, to challenge what you believe based on further study. Not to do so was to settle into denominational thinking and sectarian practice. Well, I was a relatively good kid and so I listened to all of this. Actually, I did more than listen: I bought it! And frankly, I’m glad I did. I’m especially still sold on the last principle, about studying Scripture. I think it is an absolutely crucial part of seeking God. But what I’m not too happy about is that after being fed a steady diet of high principle and ideology, nobody bothered to let me in on a few cryptic things about the journey I was getting ready to take. And in a sense—though, certainly, nobody intended this—I felt I was lied to. Because, despite the nice theory about “nothing being greater than teaching or preaching the Word of God,” the real truth is, many people (including leaders) in our churches only believe this to the extent it doesn’t make them uncomfortable. The whole truth is, there are secret rules which accompany all the high sounding talk about following Scripture. Now, some people will deny this, but the truth is, regardless of the nice “theory” about the glories of being a Bible student and Bible teacher, there are some real-life “secret rules” alive and well in our churches and schools which help to dictate what really “goes on” in them. Here are a few of those rules:
Rule #1. Don’t get too serious about studying the Bible. By all means, Bible study is encouraged by everyone. There are special badges if you memorize key passages and come to Bible classes regularly. You might even be encouraged to go take a year of Greek, or maybe Hebrew. But if you do that, be sure you promptly forget it and anything else you learned along the way, because it won’t be compatible with what you will be expected to do and believe in the many hallowed auditorium classrooms across the land. And whatever you do, don’t learn either language well enough to actually read it. Just because the Bible was written in languages of cultures a long time ago in places far, far away does not mean that there is any inherent value to gaining any insight into those cultures or languages. And never, never make your own translations for use in classes! After all, what gives you the right to put out your own version of the Bible? Certainly, studying the Bible is important. But you should do so within the confines of the doctrines the church has already restored to purity. As long as you do this, you will do well. Rule #2. Don’t learn to think for yourself. As a student of the Bible you will need to learn quickly that while there are a few people wanting guidance from you and who seem hungry for the meat of the Word, most others are already mature enough not to need “instruction”—especially not the kind which in any way challenges what they already know or believe. Your task will be mainly to “remind them” of what they already know—and to let them guide you into a healthy understanding of the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Above all, avoid asking questions which make people uncomfortable. There is no need to re-invent the wheel; others have already thought through the tough issues. The true doctrine of the church has already been ably restored. Your task is to assimilate it and regurgitate it. Rule #3. Don’t challenge what “the church” has “always taught.” To do so is not only futile, it is suicidal. After all, who are you in the face of faithful men and women to think that you may have thought of something that others before you have not already considered? Dare you suggest that your parents, or theirs—or mine!—could have been wrong? Arrogance is not a good trait, so learn how to submit to the wisdom of the church, and leave the driving to others. Rule #4. Don’t forget to learn the word, “compromise.” This is one of the most important words you will ever learn. These days, churches have long histories and it is difficult to "kick against the pricks" (Acts 9:5 KJV). After all, if you are pushed out of the church for what you teach, preach, believe, or take a stand for, what good can you then do for that church? The timeless truths you think you stand for are not able to speak for themselves, are they? So, you must learn how to compromise in order that you will have an ongoing testimony—and of course, a continual pay check, if you are employed by that church. After all, you must remember: God may have called you into ministry, but these people are the ones who actually pay you. Learning how to compromise your ministry to the reality of being a paid employee is a vitally important thing for you to learn. For example, learn to walk right down the middle of the road and to temper your service, your teaching, or your preaching so that the fewest number of people are upset by what you have to say. This tip will save you months -- or even years -- of grief. By all means, learn who butters your bread and kiss up to that person or group of people. This person might be an eager, gung-ho type, ready to pop anyone who breaks his (I mean God's) rules, or a soft-spoken, wise church leader whose wife has made sure he lives up to the words of Jesus to become a eunuch for the Kingdom of heaven. Or you could be facing a small "core group" of people who conspire together. Learn how to fit into this group, even holding their coats for them. This way, you can maintain at least some of your dignity with a smile on your face. But of this you can be sure: every place has somebody who will want to let you know just where you belong. You are, after all, a paid employee; or if not that, just one person called to get in line. That is, after all, real service -- to do what you are told. If you are smart, you will find those people early and play to them in everything you do. Then, you can stay for as long as you like and you'll be the local hero. And you can call it ministry. No one will know the difference. Anyone who disagrees is obviously a malcontent. Rule #5. And finally, one positive rule: Learn how to lie. This will help you out of many jams, because the truth is, church people and church leaders often don’t want to hear the truth; they want to hear what they already believe. So find out what they believe and tell them that. In the long run, it doesn’t matter if you have a different opinion, or if your study has led you in different directions from your hearers, or if you have learned a great deal from time spent in the text. What matters is that you keep the peace—don’t cause trouble over something you think you’ve learned from private study. So, avoid sensitive issues, and if you are cornered by someone over a “hot topic” avoid it and consider your options: if you lie about it and tell them what they want to hear, they are very likely to reward you; but if you tell the truth, and if you challenge them with insightful questions, you will likely insult them or even scare them to death! And since they do not have the time, or inclination, or personal wherewithal, or faith, or courage to face the issue for themselves (or the trust in you as a fellow-believer), they are likely simply to show you the door (in love, of course, and with the soles of their boots.). And the truth is, you will be the bad guy, just wanting your own way, thinking you are right about everything, and impossible to work with. Why would you look for this kind of trouble? It's a simple game, just learn how to play it. So, here is some friendly advice to anyone starting out, whether you want to teach the Bible in either a church or academic setting: learn these secret rules which go with the games church-people play and then ask yourself this question: “What is it going to hurt if I learn to play by these rules?” I mean, it’s the only game in town, isn’t it? And do you really think you are going to make any difference anyway? After all, are the people who are hungry for some meat really worth the trouble you could face by giving it and are the principles you say you “stand for” really worth all the opposition you could receive if you actually “stood for” them? I mean, look at Jesus: he stood up for the truth and look what happened to him! |
||||
|
Return to |