Taking Notes

I am a bit late on sending out my weekly email this week. The reason is that over the last few days I went back to being a student. Every week I am incredibly focused on preparing content to preach and to teach. But this week I had a great opportunity to simply learn and to take notes. I didn’t focus much on getting things done. My focus was simply absorbing a treasury of knowledge.

Bob and Sandy Kessler, Lynda Walker, and myself participated in a week long Crossways training in St. Paul, Minnesota. We spent three days listening to Dr. Harry Wendt. Many of you know who Dr. Wendt is. He preached at Lord of Life last year. Dr. Wendt holds a vast knowledge of the Scriptures in his mind. He has made it a lifelong passion and pursuit to learn the Scriptures. I considered it a privilege just to listen to what he had to say. I consider myself knowledgeable in regards to things related to the Bible, but when you listen to someone like him, you realize there is so much you don’t know.

After this past week, I find myself incredibly refreshed. I can describe my experience as nothing else than a gift. And it all happened because I was open to learning and to listening. I might of had 8 years of Bible training in college and seminary, and 10 more years of studying the Bible it as a pastor, but I still admit there is more I have to learn.

This is a key part of being a disciple. The number one qualification for being a disciple is being teachable. You can’t be a disciple without being a learner. The very definition of being a disciple is rooted in learning. To be a disciple means humbling yourself before another and saying I have much room to grow and to learn. The danger is that when we become competent in a given area. We stop seeking opportunities to grow. We settle for “good enough.” But Jesus desire more than “good enough” from us.

Ultimately, Jesus is the master. He is the teacher. And he puts people in our lives, like Dr. Wendt, to teach us how to grow and to become more Christlike. We all need these godly people in our lives to serve as examples and to disciple us.

Do you have someone in your life discipling you? Who is that you allow to speak into your life? Maybe you find yourself stuck in a difficult situation. Maybe the reason you find yourself in the situation is because you have not opened yourself up to the wisdom and instruction of others. You have failed to listen to others assuming you had the answers and you knew what was best. Never underestimate your ability and need to learn and to grow. Especially in the areas you find yourself most competent!

Ask yourself if you have all the answers or are you teachable? If you have all the answers you are in a dangerous place.

Ask are you the one doing the talking or do you listen to what others have to say? If you are doing all the talking you have no room to be instructed.

There is only one teacher. The rest of us are all students, learning together as we go along. Don’t fool yourself to think you are the teacher when God is calling you to be the student. Listen! Learn! Take some notes! And Grow!