Episode 59 - Focusing on Learning

In this episode I am continuing with the series titled, "Applied Discipleship ~ More Than We Know".  This episode focuses on the importance of continueing to learn as a disciple.  I invite you to join me as we continue to explore what it means to daily walk with our Master.

I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.

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Transcript

Hello friends, I'm your host Dave Laton and welcome to the podcast, Walking With Our Master, an outreach of the Prattville Church of Christ designed to inform, encourage, and teach as we daily walk with our Master. 

We are continuing our series on Applied Discipleship ~ More Than You Know.  We’re looking at different elements of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.  

We mentioned the discipleship element of learning a couple of times already.  We stated that learning is one of the critical elements of being a disciple.  Because of its criticality to our role as disciples, it is important that we understand it better.  We learn from our Master; we learn to follow His will, including communicating it to others.  This serves to help others in their relationship with our Lord and to mature in our own relationship.  You’ve likely heard it stated that the more we teach, the more we learn as we study and prepare

One of the statements by our Lord illustrates this.  He said in Matthew 28:18-20 we are to make disciples, baptize them, and to teach them all that he commands.  Each element of this statement involves learning.  We learn who Jesus is and to become a disciple.  We learn of His will for our baptism, and we learn all that He has commanded. We also learn how to teach him to others.

If we claim to be disciples, then we must become learners and imitators of His teaching. Through learning we gain knowledge and insights into who and what Jesus is and what His commands are for us as His followers.

In this episode we will focus on learning as a critical responsibility as we grow and develop as disciples.  

Learning can be defined as gaining knowledge or skills through experience, study, or certainly, someone teaching us.  Learning changes us as seen by our understanding, behavior, and attitudes.  Also, if we cannot observe the change then we cannot truly determine that learning has occurred.  Even knowledge and attitudes can be observed in some way as they bring about change in our behavior.

Another element of learning is the idea of it being relatively permanent. This means that although learning may have occurred, it might not be permanent.  You’ve likely heard of the expression, “Use it or lose it.”  We’ve all experienced this to some degree.  You might have learned something in your early years but after a time of not using the information, you must revisit it or even relearn it. 

 This can be summed up by the statement that if we haven't restudied or reapplied something, then we used to know something.  

Conversely, the more we use the information we’ve learned the easier it is to recall it or put something into practice. This is a strong reason why it is important to continue to study and learn more about God’s word.

We should become “learnists.” That’s a word you might not have heard before.  Let me explain.  

The last movie starring the well-known western actor, John Wayne, was "The Shootist".  This is a term to describe someone who was skilled in the use of a gun.  The suffix “ist” means a person who practices or is concerned with something or holds certain principles.  If we put the word learn with the suffix ist together, we get a learnist.  This describes a person skilled in learning.  This person pursues knowledge and skills to overcome ignorance.

Applying it to our discipleship, we overcome our ignorance of our Lord’s will for our life and help others discover and act upon their knowledge.  We do this by:

Studying God’s word with the intent of discovery and application – not just reading.

Committing to lifelong learning and putting into practice daily what we’ve learned.

 Accepting our role as teachers of God’s word.

There is another dimension to being a learnist.  Recall that when we described what a disciple was, one description was that of a champion.  We stated that a champion can be seen in two ways.  One is to be the best at something.  The other was to represent someone or something.  As a disciple, we try to be the best we can as servants for our Lord and to represent Him as best we can to others.  

In 1 Corinthians 13:12 Paul speaks of seeing through a mirror dimly or as some versions say, seeing through a glass darkly. He goes on to say that he now knows in part, but he shall know fully.  This is an excellent description of how we learn.  In learning we usually go from what we know to understanding what we do not know.  In doing this, we base our learning on what we previously have been taught to apply that knowledge to the new concept or skills we are learning.  If we “jump into the middle” of a learning situation we find it difficult or are often not successful.  Here's a real-world example.  If we place a new convert into a complex Bible study, without prior knowledge, the convert will be lost, confused, and likely, discouraged.  

Have you ever gotten up in the middle of a dark night?  If you turn on a light, you will be blinded by its glare.  It is better to allow the light to come on gradually until you become accustomed to the light.  As the light gradually increases you can see and know more.  That is a good description of what Paul was saying and how we learn about being disciples of Jesus.  Our Lord does not require complete knowledge as we become disciples.  But He also doesn't expect us to remain in that limited knowledge.  Peter spoke to this in his final recorded words in 2 Peter 3:18 as he encourages us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites and encourages us to become disciples. In the passage He encourages us to place our burdens on Him. We sometimes overlook a key statement in this passage as we seek relief from our burdens.  In verse 28 He tells us to take on His yoke and “learn from me.”

There are many things we learn as disciples when we place our burdens on Jesus.    We find the rest He offers when we learn to live and experience life His way.

 As we learn and apply His teachings, we learn that the burdens in our life are manageable.

The issues we deal with in life don’t immediately go away but we learn to put things in true perspective and keep our focus on faithfulness to our Lord.

This is a good place to put in a reminder that we are not alone.  We have our Lord and we have each other.

A good pattern for learning as a disciple can be seen in the early church as described in Acts 2:42-47.  Peter and the other apostles had just revealed for the first time how to become a disciple of Jesus.  Then we see the actions taken by the early Christians and the outcomes as they applied their new insights.  Let's break this out to see the actions of the early disciples.

They we devoted to the apostles' teaching.  They fellowshipped, even sharing food and praying (Vs. 42). This is best described by the concept of learning through immersion.  We see them immersed in the teachings of the apostles and supported by those of their own number. 

They were awed by the wonders and signs done through the apostles (Vs 43). They heard the teachings and saw the signs that accompanied them.  As a result, they were convinced of the truthfulness of what was taught.  In a similar way today, we might state this as the process of telling and then showing. 

The believers had all things in common; they shared their possessions with everyone in need (Vs 44-45).  The result of the teaching was a significant change in the actions and attitudes of the believers. The statement of having all things in common goes beyond the selling of possessions and helping meet the physical needs of others. They also then had a commonality of understanding and awareness of needing to help others. This is a teaching of Jesus as presented by the apostles. Jesus always taught and demonstrated caring for those in need.

They continued to worship, fellowship, and impact the community in positive ways (Vs 46-47). This is the application of their awareness as disciples and servants for our Lord.  It had the effect of not only strengthening their own knowledge and devotion, but they were seen by others and gained converts. They did more than talk about it, they did what they needed to do.  When others saw this, they too wanted to become disciples.

In short, their change in knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes was seen in their changed lives. That is what happens in our life as we grow as disciples of our Lord. 

The Apostle Paul was a gifted and masterful teacher.  He also had a lot to say about learning.  In 1 Corinthians 3 he challenges the Christians in Corinth, and us today to move beyond basic knowledge and to become stronger spiritually.  He uses expressions like, infants in Christ, milk not solid food, and not being ready.  And as a result, he points out immature behavior on the part of the Christians and encourages them to learn and grow mature in their knowledge and service as disciples.

But as a master teacher, Paul doesn't just point out errors, he teaches how to learn and grow.  In 1 Corinthians 11:1 he teaches us to imitate him as he imitates Jesus.  He is not saying he is the standard; rather, he is following the standard of Christ, and so must we.  Imitation is only the beginning.  We must grow from that to where we can handle the more challenging aspects of serving the Master.  Then, as we find ourselves in unique and challenging situations, we use higher levels of learning as we apply God’s word in new and creative ways.

We ultimately want to learn so that our understanding and actions are a natural part of who we are as disciples.  We cannot help but do as the Master wishes. This is also a teaching of Paul.  In 2 Timothy 2:15 he stated. 

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 

Note Paul’s use of the expression "rightly handling" in this passage.  We know Paul a religious leader in the Jewish community, but he was had been a tent maker.  In making a tent, he would not just put some fabric together.  He had to follow a pattern, probably a traditional pattern handed down by other experienced tentmakers.  

 The word "Rightly" comes from the Greek word "orthos" which means "erect, upright, plain, level, straight." The word "Divide" comes from the Greek word "orthotomeo" which means to cut straight; to set forth truthfully, without perversion, or distortion.  We can learn from the use of this expression that Paul wants us to cut straight through between truth and error to clearly understand and communicate our Lord's will.   

It is therefore important for us to understand that being a disciple involves lifelong learning.  As we go through life and as we grow spiritually, the relationship we have with Jesus changes.  We gain greater insights into His will and our role as His disciples.  Our relationship with Him strengthens and we continue to grow spiritually. 

 God's word doesn't change, but its application in our life changes.  We can take the concept of rightly dividing to mean not only understanding what is being said, but how to live our life and help other live their life the way God wills.  

 As we learn and grow it creates a positive spiral that should encourage us to continue to learn and grow. Someday we will be in the presence of our Master as we continue to remain faithful to what He reveals to us in His word.  

 To restate Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 13, we see things dimly, but as we grow and mature, we will see things clearly.  What we don’t know or know very little of, we will know fully.

 As I begin to wrap up this episode, I offer some questions to help us better understand the role of continuing to learn as a disciple.

 If you agree that learning is important to a disciple, what are you doing about it?

Are there things that you thought you knew but later learned were incorrect or incorrectly understood?

Why is it important that change is seen as we learn?

How have you changed as you've learned more about God's will? 

How can you help others learn?

 In our next episode we will look at the importance of learning as a how we can apply what we learn as disciples.

 I'm your host Dave Laton.  Thank you for joining me in this podcast.  I hope you will continue to do so. If you wish to share with me something from your walk with our Master or you would like to learn more, please email me at: walkingwithourmaster@gmail.com.

I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.  And until next time, remember, we give all glory to God the Father.