1 Corinthians 1:27a English Standard Version (ESV) But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise;

In the first church I joined I would sit in the front row. The front row always gets called on.

The “sermon” was being given to a new member of the church who came to us from the public school system. He was a natural teacher. He relied on his natural instincts.

“Larry, what is grace?” he asked the kid in the front row.

“God’s love being poured out into my life.” That was how I felt but it wasn’t the “book” answer.

“Wrong, anyone else?” Then someone behind me said “Unmerited favor.” That was the answer he was looking for. Was I wrong to define grace by how it made me feel? I don’t think so.

A few years ago I discovered a video by Dr. Keith Lamb online. One of the first things he said was that man’s natural instinct is to make things complicated. It really is simple.

Matthew 13:3 English Standard Version (ESV) And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.”

And it is just that simple.

Jesus explained the parable because it was too simple. 18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

We need to understand it. This is where man likes to complicate things. The simple truth is that we are to spread the gospel and allow the gospel to do the work.

“It cannot be that simple, let me explain it to you.”

That is where Dr. Lamb’s lesson comes into play. The natural man likes to think of himself as being superior to others. He will say “Wrong, anyone else?” He has placed himself in a position of superior intellect. He ignores what the gospel has done in the heart of his student.

A Kingdom Teacher looks at the condition of the heart and sees beyond the “book” answer.

What if that natural teacher that was preaching had said, “That’s a better answer, but I was looking for something simpler.”

1 John 2:5-6 English Standard Version

5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1 Corinthians 13:5b English Standard Version(in part) [love] It does not insist on its own way;

Continuing from yesterday. What we learned about this self-proclaimed teacher was that he was very insistent on having his own way. He had not learned to let love lead the way. That does not mean that he was not saved, or gifted, only that the love of God did not take first place in his heart.

Eldership has a responsibility to God and to the congregation to see to it that no one is put up before them in service that has not been examined. That is order and structure, which a church will find itself crumbling under the weight of error.

Do all churches operate in this way? I don’t know, I’ve only been a member of three different churches. In each one I learned these lessons for which wisdom might be extracted.

Paul was the architect of the church and the Word of God tells us how to behave. One thing Paul made very clear was that teachers should be held to a higher standard than the rest of us.

Titus 2:7-8 English Standard Version

7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

The newborns in Christ are placed in the hands of teachers and if they are to grow up in Christ and mature properly, they must have the best of the best teaching them sound doctrine. Apostle may call, shepard may protect, prophets might warn but it is the teacher that builds up the body of Christ in the bond of unity.