Week 14: Stupid Verbs
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
1 Corinthians 12:27
My favorite class in all of High School was French. My uncle told me to take Spanish because I would use that language in my locale, but when you looked at Spanish class it just didn’t compare. Francis McGuffie made an entire year of French a learning “experience.” We made French Talk Show videos (I was a French Arsenio Hall), had a beignet party, played soccer (because back then Mississippi didn’t have that in schools…and it was considered a European “French” football sport), and celebrated Mardi Gras. Since Nostradamas was “French” we even got to watch an Orson Wells movie predicting the end of the world...in English…but Nostradamus was French, mind you (So were the ConeHeads, but we didn’t get to watch that)! I can still sing the French national anthem because we all learned it as a class choir. As I said, that was one of the best classes of my life. I learned and enjoyed every minute of it (and yes, we learned the language). Can’t say that about Algebra (Sorry). Our French teacher put her heart and soul into the class.
I also remember the day our teacher’s heart was crushed. At the end of the year we were reviewing for an upcoming test. No one seemed to be tuned in, so the teacher said the common refrain, “Come on guys, what have we been learning all year?” One classmate named Causette (that was her French name) blurted out (in English), “All we’ve done all year is learn stupid verbs!” You could see the joy instantly drain out of our teacher. When you put your heart, time and effort into your class you hope it equates to more than stupid verbs. The comment was just a quick statement made by a non-thinking teenager. Still, it hurt the teacher.
I think about the statement Causette made and how so many believers wrongly view the church. We miss the big picture that church is significant. If you asked the average Christian why they belonged to a church (or attended) you very well may expect answers that mimic the “stupid verbs” comment. They may say things such as, “Because I am supposed to”, or “it’s good for the kids”, or “It helps me cope” or any number of things. I think that a good number would also add “I should go but I don’t.” “I know it’s important, but not important enough to change my behavior.” We may wrongly think that church was a class that just taught us stupid verbs. Someone said we needed it, so we took the class…period. Church is more than just “going” or “listening” or “being inspired” or even “a command”. It is so much more than that. Church is described most often in the New Testament as a living body (see 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4; Romans 12). It is not an organization; it is a living organism. It is Christ alive to the world.
It is extremely important that we see the church this way, otherwise we think that our involvement is not necessary, and any ol’ church will do. When Christ left earth to return to the Father, he empowered the church to be his hands and feet to the world (Acts 1). He established this living organism to be His body. If you want to see Jesus, then go to church. That is, technically speaking, how it should be. When we allow division, disunity, sin, false teaching, and immorality into the church, we malign the body of Christ. The world sees Jesus distorted. This is why the church must focus on being healthy. This is why church discipline is important (Matthew 18:15-20). This is why doctrine matters (Galatians 1:6-10). Racism has no place in the church because it represents Jesus (Ephesians 2:11-20). The gathered church displays Jesus Christ. This is why Paul tells the church at Corinth that their worship matters. People will come in and see them and how they act (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). This is why they couldn’t allow immorality in the church (1 Corinthians 5:1-5). Church matters! It’s more than just going to an event. It’s more than just attending. It is the body of Christ.
How does this apply to Christian Education? Jesus set up his body to be in a local gathering of imperfect people. They are to hold one another accountable (Galatians 6:1), stir one another up to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25), work together to be the hands and feet, and constantly subject themselves to the teaching of Scripture (Acts 2:42). You won’t get that focus in a para-church ministry. You will not see that commitment of intensity in a local bible study of friends. You won’t have that emphasis even in a Christian School. If you are going to be a tool used by God to make your school a distinctively Chrisitan environment, then you will need to be in a local body of Christ. Friends, you are the body of Christ, and though you are all different and individuals, you are part of the bigger ministry. Go and belong to that precious body! Then you will be equipped to do the work of the ministry that involves Christian schools. Viva La Church!
Discussion Questions:
How has being in a local body of Christ impacted your teaching ministry?
How can you encourage your students to see the value of the body of Christ?
In all our subjects we teach more than facts. How can we show the living truth of Christ through our personal involvement in Christ’s body?
