Schoolyard: Classroom: The Joys of Learning as a Christian

CIT: As Christians we should not be content to only stick to the basics, but our foundation should always be the fundamental truth of the gospel.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” - Matthew 7:24-27

The Joys of Learning Theology

The Joys of Learning Church History

The Joys of Returning to the Gospel

The Joys of Learning Theology - Colossians 2:7

A tree only grows when its roots are deep and wide

The same is true for us in our walk with God. That if we want to be a stronger Christian, a wiser Christian, or a more faithful Christian we must learn theology.

Our theology must go wide. We must study topics like the person of Jesus Christ or what salvation means or creation or the end time. But we must also go deep into these topics searching through Scripture to find answers to the questions we have.

Psalm 1 gives us a clear picture of what this will do for us.

We must allow our roots to grow deep and wide in the gospel

But as build this beautiful theology in our minds our hearts must be founded upon the gospel first. If we are not founded on the gospel first the theology we’ve built will come crashing down.

“Everyone is a theologian, it’s their choice if they are a good or bad one.” - Voddie Baucham

Learning about God causes us to know God more, knowing God more causes us to love God more, loving God more causes us to worship God more, and worshipping God more causes us to share him with others more.

The Joys of Learning Church History - Hebrews 12:1-2

There have been many Christians who lived faithfully before you.

“There are people between Jesus and your grandmother.” - Timothy George

Their stories encourage and teach us

Adoniram Judson

He was the first missionary to Burma, modern day Myanmar, and after 10 years of faithfully ministering to the local population, faithfully translating the Bible into their language, and faithfully sharing the gospel with the locals he had a total of 18 converts. And in 1824 he was arrested. Let me read to your what it was like for him in prison and what his thoughts were while he was there.

On June 8, 1824, Judson was arrested and put first in what many called “the Death Prison,” the horrible prison of Oung-pen-la. The dimensions of “the Death Prison” were forty by thirty feet, five feet high, with no ventilation other than the cracks between the boards.

In this room were confined one hundred persons of both sexes and all nationalities, nearly all naked, and half famished. The prison was never washed or swept. Putrid remains of animal and vegetable matter, together with nameless abominations, strewed the floor. In this place of torment Mr. Judson lay with five pairs of shackles on his legs and ankles, weighing about 14 pounds, the marks of which he carried to his dying day. At nightfall, lest the prisoners should escape, a bamboo pole was placed between the legs and then drawn up by means of pulleys to a height which allowed only their shoulders to rest on the ground while their feet depended from the iron rings of the shackles.

Mosquitoes would often land and eat away the broken flesh of their feet, nearly driving them mad. Adoniram endured 21 months of this prison life, nearly dying on several occasions.

Judson remarked, “it is possible my life will be spared, if so, with what zeal shall I pursue my work! If not - His will be done. The door will be open for others who will do the work better.”

Thanks to Adoniram’s efforts, faithfulness, and the Spirit’s work through him he would live to see 7,000 people baptized and 63 congregations in Burma. And now the Myanmar Baptist Convention has more than 600,000 members in over 3,000 churches!

We can be encouraged by Adoniram’s story, that through the trials of life God is working together more than we can imagine

And we are taught a great example of Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21 that, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

When we read the stories of those who have gone before us in Church history a greater love of God should follow

Hebrews 12:1 points us to other believers.

Hebrews 12:2 shows us that those Christians should make us look to Jesus.

When we look to Jesus it should be in faith.

“Look to me and be saved, all the end of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” - Isaiah 45:22

The Joys of Returning to the Gospel - 2 Timothy 3:14-17

No matter how much we study theology or Church history we should always return to our foundation of the gospel.

Matthew 7:24-27

We must found everything on the gospel of Jesus Christ. everything else will fall short.

Remember the gospel is this

God created a perfect world - Genesis 1:1

Humanity rebelled against a holy God - Genesis 3

God, in his love, sent Jesus to live, die, and rise for our sins - John 3:16

God offers us salvation from punishment for sin by his grace through faith in Jesus - Ephesians 2:8-9

One day we will be resurrected like Jesus to live eternally with God on the New Earth, if you have placed your faith in Jesus. - Revelation 21:3-4