First Person: How church training ‘points us toward holy behaviors’

Fruitful teaching/training in the church is never directionless. It always points us toward holy behaviors.

Fruitfulness is always evidenced in changed behavior. How is your personal and corporate Bible study changing your conceptual behavior about the following areas of life in today’s culture? 1) Life status? 2) Un-Christlike behaviors? 3) Idolatry keeping you from God-time? 4) Relationships and societal norms?

Subscribe to The Alabama Baptist today!

SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails.

Proper, fruitful, biblical training should always produce changed behavior in all believers, even the most senior of saints. Unfortunately, in many churches we do not see changed, growing Christlike behaviors in God’s people. The word teach is defined as, “to impart knowledge or skill; to cause to learn by example or experience.”

Didasko, the Greek word used in the New Testament 84 times is translated in English as teach or teaching, is described as “the act of causing someone to learn.” The meaning goes much further than passing along knowledge. Facts and information do not create a learning experience. Behavioral change is the fruit of biblical training/teaching.

The definition of both teach and didasko use the word “cause” – to cause learning. How do we cause people to learn? The word cause is defined as, “Something that produces an effect, result or consequence.”

According to this definition, what teachers and preachers bring to the classroom and pulpit should produce a result. It should have a changing effect on people’s lives. If as teachers and as learners our Bible studies are not causing a personal behavioral life change, something has gone awry. To be a maturing disciple requires change, a change in the way we perceive and act in all areas of our lives. It requires a continuation in how we aid and serve others.

Closer look

We’ve looked at teach, didasko, and cause, let’s look briefly at the word learn. Learn is described as, “To gain knowledge, comprehension, or mastery of; to acquire through experience.” More than knowledge learning is to gain mastery of. In a martial arts DoJo there is one person who is more accomplished in the art than anyone else. He is referred to as “Master.” How is your Bible study contributing to your mastery of Christ-like living?

Skill also appears more than once in our definitions. Skill is an applied ability. The only way to gauge the level of your skill is by applying that skill. It is the application of learned skills and knowledge that not only brings about behavioral or life change. Application is life-change. The very first time you sat in the driver’s seat of a car, you began applying the knowledge and skill you had learned.

Someone had to teach you how to drive. Your first time out may not have been the most graceful, yet from that point forward you practiced those learned skills, increasing your ability and improving those learned skills, thus changing your behavioral patterns.

Whether you teach in a church setting, a public school, or in your own family, Teach for Behavioral life change!

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by George Yates. George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.