Education: The Practical and the Spiritual

What does it mean to be well-educated?  It’s a question often discussed by educators (who spend lots of time), politicians (who spend lots of money), and parents (who spend lots of energy) to come to the best answer.  It’s also a question that has answers in the Bible.  As we stand on the threshold of a new school year, it’s a good time to be reminded of insights gained about education from the Scripture.

·  The Objectives of Education: While education has many practical outcomes (such as the familiar “reading, writing, and arithmetic”), it should go so much further.  It should pursue godly wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity as a natural extension that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1).  Education should prioritize God’s truth, ethics, and values.  To be well-educated should mean to have a biblical view of reality, thinking, and living (Romans 12:1-2).  Any educational framework that excludes God and biblical priorities can only produce educated fools (Proverbs 1:7).

·  The Opportunities of Education: Many believe that education only happens at school and church.  However, the Bible calls parents to use everyday events as learning occasions.  The Bible says parents are to display and teach God’s word when sitting in the house or taking a walk, when lying down and when getting up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). Parents should realize that the most important learning happens at home, where they are the role-models who use every situation to  teach godly principles and biblical truth (Proverbs 22:6).

·  The Oversight of Education: The American system has lured many into thinking that it’s the school or the government that makes the decisions about a child’s education.  This is not the Bible’s perspective.  Rather, it’s the parents who bear the ultimate responsibility to make, or approve, educational decisions.  Issues such as the age to start a child’s formal education, the structure of a child’s education (homeschool, private, or public), and the curriculum in a child’s courses and extra-curricular activities are, in the end, decisions for the parents.  This is because the Bible recognizes the family and the responsibilities of the parents (see Eph. 6:1-4).

Christian parents should prioritize what God prioritizes.  Obviously, education has real-world aspects, but to only pursue education for its practical or financial benefits is to grossly miss the mark.  In the end, such a system can only produce individuals who may know how to make a living, but have no foundation for how to live a life that honors God, the church, and the family, much less prepares them for eternity.  That’s why parents must be active in overseeing the development of each child, which must include biblical principles and attitudes.

Biblically-minded parents are warned not follow the belief system of secular education, which has at its core atheism, evolution, humanism, secularism, and socialism, all of which are abominations to biblical truth.  Rather, it is imperative that Christian parents follow biblical priorities and seek the way of Christ as the only means of salvation and the Bible as the cornerstone of an education that is both practically and spiritually valuable (Col. 2:6-8).

Celebrate

 

July reminds us of FIREWORKS and celebrating and rightfully so!  We will celebrate our Independence Day on July 4 during our morning services but there is much more to celebrate here at GBC!  God has blessed us with a wonderful hard working, faithful family of God. As you all serve here at Gospel, you are being a genuine New Testament Church!  Christ continues to build this church!  We individually counselled 15 for salvation in VBS and two others for assurance.  God blessed us with two adult professions of faith in my church office in the last couple of weeks. We continue to exalt Jesus! He is Lord! (Matthew 16:13-16) Jesus is the ROCK upon which His church is built, God in the flesh, King of Kings, Lord of Lords! He should be exalted in our church and in our individual lives.  We are each called to give Him first place, preeminence.  This church continues to demonstrate Christ’s love, (John 13:34-35) which is a distinguishing mark of a Christian church (not racism, hate or prejudice) but the love of Christ!  Here at Gospel, we continue to unapologetically preach and teach the Word of God. (II Timothy 4:1-5)  Our focus is not social issues or politics but God’s eternal Word which is powerful and will change lives. We continue to contend for the faith! (Jude 1-4) We strive to teach and live out the doctrine  of truth! We offer many ways to learn and grow in God’s Word and service.   We continue to implement the Great Commission. (Matt. 28:18-20) Our mission budget for 2021 is $ 145,630 and we have taken on two new missionaries this year.  Also, our outreach ministry loves on, cares for, helps and teaches families from 11 countries around the world. We praise God for everyone who serves in this ministry and for Denya heading it up. We are thankful that many of the children and even some parents of our outreach ministry could come to our own church property for a day of fun in June. We fed them, played with them, sang with them and taught them God’s word.  Our Vacation Bible School had 266 children registered with 88 workers per night. We enjoyed an exciting adventurous week of Bible stories taught by our GBC staff, mission stories, outdoor recreation, lively singing, and Popsicles to keep everybody cool. The students memorized 541 Bible verses! The VBS students and workers brought in $2,556.39 for our missionaries to Peru, Josh and Allie Miller!  All for God’s glory!  We thank and praise Him for His abundant blessings.  We are also very grateful for all of you who prayed for the VBS!  We continue to encourage worship and praise. (Eph. 5:18-20)  We are so blessed with many musicians and singers who help us to praise and worship Him.  In every service, we have opportunity to sing His praises and worship Him with old and new hymns. In VBS we nightly heard over 200 children and teens joyfully singing in worship of Him! We continue to enjoy sweet fellowship.  (I John 1:3-4, Phil. 2:2) We fellowship and enjoy each other as we build eternal relationships - before, during and after our services.  We encourage and build up one another in our fun fellowships and even when we work together.  We are thankful for all the men and women who showed up for our “work day” in June as we cleaned up around the property and worked on our trail that will go around our entire property.   We are also thankful for the men who have worked together tirelessly on our playground improvements and the stew shed.   We are happy that our seniors have enjoyed a cook out, movie night and even out door celebrations during COVID restrictions.  Our Youth have continued their weekly fellowships. Our GAP ministry has a great experience daily at the church as the staff pours into their lives. I personally praise the Lord for all of you who faithfully serve God in this local New Testament church assembly, the GBC family! He has truly blessed us with people who continue to be a church that is pleasing to God!  More and more of you are able to come back to “in person” worship and we praise God for this blessing as well. As our Vacation Bible School learned this past week, YOU are a priceless treasure to God… and I AM THANKFUL FOR EACH OF YOU!                                                                                                 Love in Christ,

                                                                                                     Pastor Paul, Senior Pastor