Christian Education is transformational
Written by GodisLove1John416
Posted on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 08:47 AM.
John Wesley gave a description of what Christian Education is in his Sermon 94 on Family Religion:
The person in your house that claims your first and nearest attention, is, undoubtedly, your wife; seeing you are to love her, even as Christ hath loved the Church… use every possible means that she may be freed from every spot, and may walk unblameable in love. Next to your wife are your children; immortal spirits whom God hath, for a time, entrusted to your care, that you may train them up in all holiness, and fit them for the enjoyment of God in eternity. Every child, therefore, you are to watch over with the utmost care, that, when you are called to give an account of each to the Father of Spirits, you may give your accounts with joy and not with grief.
There is spiritual transformation involved in Christian education – to train them up in all holiness, and fit them for the enjoyment of God in eternity. There is accountability before the Father over what we have taught or did not teach our children.
Christian education is transformation education for eternity. Lives are changed and prepared for eternity. Wesley spoke of you training people for holiness, and fit them for the enjoyment of God in eternity.
Every church of God is essentially, a teaching centre for Christian Education.
We need to ask ourselves a couple of evaluative questions concerning church ministry:
a) What have been taught to the congregation the past year?
b) How do we know what we have taught have been successful?
The first question deals with the curriculum. The second question can only be answered through the observed transformational change in people’s lives.
So when we look at the curriculum of the church Sunday School, the Bible Studies, the youth ministry, the adult ministry and any ministry having to do with teaching and training the congregation, including the pulpit ministry, we need to ask ourselves to basic questions in order that our Christian Education program is transformational:
a) Are lives trained in holiness?
b) Are lives fitted for eternity?
In other words, lives must be transformed; biblical truths must not be just in the head, they must be in the heart; skills imparted must be skills (in Wesley’s words) of piety and of mercy. A transformed life progresses towards increasing devotion to God (works of piety) and develops social and missional concerns for the community God has put us in (works of mercy).
