The Power of Learning
Scripture Reading: Acts 2: 42 (NIV)
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Message: “The Power of Learning”
First congregation - eager to learn
In this series we are turning to the first congregation to find inspiration for growing
In the coming weeks we will look closely at what went on in the first congregation
We will look closely at the work of the Holy Spirit to bring about the church - a worldwide movement that started with a group of people coming together deeply inspired, motivated, changed, touched
And it is striking to see that first description about these people is: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching
It all starts with an eagerness to learn…
These people were like sponges - they just had to learn about Jesus and what He did
Learning as a power of the Spirit
King Soloman says in Proverbs 18: 15 - “Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights.” (MSG)
So where do we stand with our learning and listening for fresh insights?
We sang the hymn: “open my eyes that I may see?”
Are we set and ready to to learn and to listen for new insights?
Have opened our minds and hearts to receive what the Holy Spirit wants to teach us?
We receive the power of the Holy Spirit when we are willing to learn
No growth without learning
I am going to state the obvious: you cannot grow without learning
Why then are Christians so lazy in learning?
Or is it a case of thinking that we have all the answers? …and no-one can teach us anything?
I see so much of this posture among my fellow Christians - the posture of “we have the answers to all your questions”
Not only does that close off any positive conversation with anyone - because of how condescending it is - it also stops us from growing
“I have heard this story before…” - jumping to easy moralistic conclusions
Or taking the moral high ground - thinking “we” are better than “them”
And without realizing it, we stop growing - we stop learning - we loose our eagerness to learn
And then we wonder why mainline churches struggles with growth… can it be because we lost our eagerness for learning?
Learning the “unforced rhythms of grace”
Perhaps we lost focus on what is really important…
Jesus says in Matt 11: 28 - 30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
MSG - “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
Can it be that we have degraded our faith to the acquisition of facts or knowledge?
Instead of learning a way of life - learning to deal with the challenges of life - learning to live an alternative life…
Is this why we have such hard time with being disciples?
We subconsciously think we have learned what we needed to learn - we have graduated - we have done our Sunday school - we have had our confirmation - and now we have arrived
But that is not what disciple does - a disciple follows his Rabbi - continuously learning from his Rabbi
It is about learning a rhythm - getting in tune with music… finding the rhythm by learning to play along with it
Receive the power of learning
We need to allow ourselves to develop a learning heart
The question before you today is simple: Are you still willing to learn? Are you willing to learn the rhythm? Are you willing to get in tune with God’s heartbeat?
Do you see yourself as a disciple of Jesus?
Just look at the people of the first congregation - how eager they were to learn
Look at what the Holy Spirit did - firing up their eagerness to learn
I just wonder… is this not what we need today? A heart of learning?
Receive the power of learning form the Holy Spirit today!
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