Inflamed Church

"Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us." Titus 2:8

While this is mainly talking about our speech as Christians, look at this verse a little more in depth. Look at it not as speech, but teaching and spreading the Gospel. The only way to make our teaching sound is by studying the Word.

Our teachings can have two different meanings: the building up and edifying of the Church; or the spreading of the Gospel.

When teaching within the confines of the Church, you must have an understanding of the material you are teaching. If you go in and merely wing it with the idea that the Spirit will lead, you may lack the Spiritual disciplines of study and meditation. Now, I'm not saying that the Spirit can't or won't use those situations. I've had quite a few instances of climbing up behind a pulpit and God changing my message completely. I didn't exactly have time to put the service on hold so that I could go back and prepare the message for a second time. Rather, the Spirit moved as He pleased within me so that His will would be done. However, the point to be made here is that if you have the opportunity to study in order to prepare for some form of teaching in the church, I do urge you to take it, as it will greatly expand not only your knowledge of the topic, but also theirs. But if the Spirit leads you otherwise, follow His guidance, and not yours or mine.

Jesus commanded us to "Go and teach all nations..." (Matthew 28). What exactly is it that we are to go and teach? The Gospel of Jesus Christ, of course! It is absolutely vital that we study the Gospel in such depth so that we know what exactly to teach. No two conversion experiences are the same. No two testimonies are the same. The Spirit uses our teaching of the Gospel to move in different ways in different people. But if we don't study the word of God, which is the Gospel in its entirety, how are we supposed to teach it? Scripture says that we are to "study to show yourselves approved before God..." (2 Timothy 2:15). Suppose a mechanic was working on your car attempting to replace the alternator. Is he a mechanic? Yes; he bears the label, after all. However, after an hour or so, the mechanic comes to you and says he can't figure out how to fix your car. You ask why, and he goes on to explain that he he had gotten hired as a mechanic, but had zero experience and had never learned the trade.

As a Christian, your trade, first and foremost, is the Gospel. You need to eat, sleep, and breathe the Gospel. You cannot advocate something you know nothing about. You cannot teach something you know nothing about. I mean, I've never had a Girlscout come to me selling cookies who couldn't explain what they types of cookies were. Be it in the Church, or merely witnessing out on the streets, it is so much a necessity to know the word of God and to be able to use it wisely that there are so many commands to study it, as well as Scripture elevating itself above all other forms of teaching. Study the word of God. It is His way of telling us about Him!