I see several problematic views on this thread we really should not have.
marksman said:
First question....If teaching is so important, why does the church ignore most of what the word teaches? (see comment above)
Second question....Does teaching help us to know God or know about God?
Third question....It has been said that we are emptying the church by degrees, so what teaching are we talking about here?
Fourth question...If the Holy Spirit is going to lead us into all truth, where does the gift of teaching fit?
Fifth question...How can it be teaching if the hearers are not allowed to question or challenge what is being said?
Sixth question...As the Holy Spirit is not welcome in most church services, how can we be taught anything?
Seventh question....Isn't experience the best teacher?
Eighth question....How do you know what you believe is the truth unless it is challenged or put into practice?
Ninth question...Isn't most teaching in the church a homily, not teaching?
Tenth question....If the teaching was according to scripture, shouldn't we expect the same outcomes as happened in scripture?
1. True Churches do not ignore most of what God's Word teaches. So how does one know whether they're ignoring The Word anyway without FIRST having studied for themselves?
2. Emphatically a BIG yes, teaching in God's Word is an important way that God reveals Himself and how He feels to us. Like Apostle Paul said in Rom.10, Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
3. If a Church just has a sign up saying it's a Church while not teaching The Word of God, then that is not a Church. How could a Church ever expect to be blessed by God while it's too busy doing socials and raising money instead of covering God's Word? Christ told Peter to feed His sheep, and He did not mean the things of this world, but His Word of Truth.
4. God's Holy Writ was GIVEN... by The Holy Spirit, as written (2 Pet.1:21). The last thing The Word of God is, is some mere philosophical book of poetry like men's philosophy. No Christian should ever have such a wordly secularist view of God's Holy Writ.
5. Depends on the situation. The time for open challenging what is taught is not during the main sermon, but afterwards, and also within the Sunday school sessions. If a teacher of God's Word refuses to answer questions, then God did not call that one as a teacher, and the Church is simply filling a spot. This is one of the problems in some Church's Sunday school classes today, lack of competent teachers of God's Word. How does one think that got started? If the student is taught nothing but the 'milk' of God's Word, they grow up teaching others just the 'milk' too. Hebrews 5 is a lesson on this.
6. The idea that the Holy Spirit is not welcome in most Church services is a slanted view. Just because most Church services do not include people jumping up and down speaking in tongues and writhing on the floor does not mean the Holy Spirit is not there! On the contrary. The Holy Spirit is required to get understanding in The Word of God. And I don't see much real Bible teaching going on in those kind of Churches that allow chaos during the service and claim that's from The Holy Spirit. God is not the author of confusion.
7. Experience is NOT the best teacher. One does NOT have to become an alcoholic wobbling down the street in order to 'know' it ain't right. So if Johnny jumps off the cliff, then you have to also, just for the experience? Per Apostle Paul in 2 Cor.11, one of the main reasons for Christian study of the Old Testament Books is because they serve as "ensamples" for us upon whom the end of the world has come. We are to learn from OTHER'S mistakes, not seek to experience 'their' mistakes for ourselves! Afterall, who is the author of the idea, "don't knock it unless you've tried it?"; not God in His Word.
8. The principles God's Word teaches can always be applied in our lives as long as we are willing, and stay focused in Christ Jesus. If one has doubts that God's Word is the Truth, then they need to step back and take a hard look at their life and theirselves as to their Faith. There are many things written in God's Word that we must take on Faith, and we do that because of God's Word showing us how prophesy came to pass before, so it is most definitely a trust issue with our Heavenly Father and His Son. If one doesn't have that trust, then how can they claim to be one of His?
9. This indeed is a problem in many Churches today. It's why so many are on the 'milk' of God's Word still when they ought to be on the "strong meat" of His Word. Too many Churches are run like a business. I know some teenagers that are more knowledgable in God's Word than some seniors that have been attending Church all their lives.
10. If the Bible teaching is in place, the change is always going to be within the believer first by The Holy Spirit. Go to have the foundation first.