I think Jesus wants us to unlearn more than learn.
In our world today, we have become addicted to the attainment of knowledge and wisdom more than the intentional practice of getting that wisdom to transform and change us. Why? Because its quicker, easier and we can give off the impression of being wise without actually becoming an authentically wiser person.
We all adopt this lie -‘if I can just understand something life-changing then I automatically have the ability to access it to bring instant change whenever I want’. Don’t you notice how people want a 5-step formula for a quick fix and automatically feel safer because they think when things get really tough I can pull out this formula and
everything will change. How has that worked out for you?
If you want to experience the life of Jesus then you have to adopt and practice the lifestyle of Jesus. It’s a life of unlearning more than learning.
It comes down to a very simple but frustrating word: P r a c t i c e
The problem is not the desire to attain wisdom and knowledge, its that we don’t allow it to root deep in our beings. The only way that happens is through practice.
Now, often through lots of suffering (God allows suffering as a way to draw out our deep need for him) we eventually click that real transformation comes through daily practicing on what Jesus says. But now the real challenge begins.
Many, set out to practice what Jesus says by trying really hard. Some very motivated people last longer than others but all eventually concede defeat. Some then spend their life putting on a good façade of Christlikeness, most don’t move on from this point but a few pursue more. The problem is that our instinct is to try rather than train.
Richard Foster says that most Christian’s think they change by trying and not training. Most Christian’s have phrases that make them feel that change is just up to God. All people in difficult situations just try grit their teeth and try harder rather than train.
‘Trying’ puts the emphasis on us trying to get to God, ‘training’ puts the emphasis on us working with God. If you just try, you asking your will power to do something it is not equip to do. What ‘training’ does is it helps ‘our will power’ decide what is right and the right action (which is faith) then opens us to be transformed by God. Training does not fix you, it purely just places us in God’s transforming presence. You see in the Kingdom, Jesus’ message is ‘you can’t do it but I have’. Stop trying to do it and first accept and then receive my yoke. We need to unlearn this: Jesus doesn’t want your gifting he wants you to BE with him because he knows that real change comes from his presence. 2 Cor 3 – Paul says that as we 1. Look to the Lord, the veil is lifted; then, 2. We are able to
behold his glory and then, 3. We are transformed from one degree of glory to the next. To grasp this is very difficult because once we take up this posture everything in our humanity screams undeserving and unworthiness. Practice is training ourselves to sit and keep sitting in this and the truth until we begin to see Jesus through this. We as believers seriously need to get better equipped on being in the radical middle of sound Biblical theology and a deep awareness of human disorder. I call it – ‘clinical theology’. So many either try to pop someone an out of context Bible verse that only tempts them to ‘try in themselves harder’ or others go down the endless path of human disorder in the hope to try find the truth there which effects their loyalty to the Scriptures.
How do we change?
1. Teaching
2. Practice
3. Community
4. Holy Spirit
You are responsible for the depth of your ministry, God is responsible for the breath of your ministry.
Train well. Be Blessed.
David Skevington