Learning from observing

Learing from Observing

In our college, most funny thing is to hear sermons of some of the final year students. The sermon sturucture and others are secondary but in the basic issues also they fail many times. They use Greek and Hebrew terms, the history of the book though it was no connection to their message, and like that. But the suprising issue is our proffecers never use any Greek or Hebrew terminology in their message. The most experts don't use but these students who called themselves as theologians use them. They don't even observe their proffecers messages.

Another thing is the prayer. Our proffecers prayers are in very meaningful way. Our senior students preayer are going like this.” thank U Jesus for so and so... Jesus.... Jesus... (like conjection).. I ask in Jesus name, Amen!” What a prayers they are! they pray to Jesus and they again ask that prayer in Jesus name! I think that it is not wrong with any prayer or any thing. But When God gives the opportunity to learn and live correctly, if you don't learn or even observe the people who teaches you, it is very sorry state. How can you teach to others when you don't have learning attitude?

I personally encourage my friends to obser the proffecers and other people and learn the things you can! don't lost the learning attitude. Try to learn from their negetive points also. It helps U more to grow than them! It gives glory to God in the world by changing U R personality.

principles and methods

Back to the traditions? Is the art of preaching is old one?

In worship or mission classes, the most hearing word is contextualization. there is no wrong in that! But the thoughts like we need to sing the traditional songs with traditional musics etc are some how we need to think. Since U say we need to go back to the traditions, my question is 'to whicn tradions?'

What U say as a tradion is not the tradition now. If we sing those songs, many people con't understand even! I believe that language, dress code, traditions and every thing is changed form generation to generation. They are all ways on change. What we call now as a classic is also one day it was not classic and it occupies the place of the classic at that time. So we need to think more about this contextualization in meaningful ways.

I remember the statement “Methods are many but principles are few. Methods may change, but principles never!”. Our worship, preaching, every ting must be contextualized but the present context is not the old tradition. it is on change always. The problem is, insted of thanging the methods, we try to change the principles. I try to explain this.

Once in our class a prof told a statemet of Francis-”Do the evangelism, if necessary use the words” That statement is working in a particular context only. But Every people including our prof's mind is that our life is more evangelistic. the preaching is not needed! After some days, in one class discussion, the total students decided that, in persicution, it is not to good preach, especially in India, we preach through our life not by words.

But think about those thoughts. What the disciples did when the persicution came in Acts! Why Jesus teach not just live? Friends, again the problem is same! They did not distinguish between the principles and methods. Living Christian life is not a method, it is a principle. By this living, people may change but it is just byproduct. Evangelism is based on the living. Without living the christian lice, how can U preach?

is it wrong to think critically?

when i evaluate the sermon, thoughts or anything critically, many people thought that i am always criticize others and not learn form any body. So now i want to give my view about my thinking.
whenever i hear any message, firstly i am eager to listen what God wants to speak with me. then i try to understand the sermon pattern, about speaker's views, biblical analysis, about reality and necessity of the topic etc to lean and check my own style. many times i hear in this college, what they don't practice! they are running after money, and they preach contrary to their life! I learn from the sermon, but i don't want to be deceived by these preachers. the life of the preacher is more important to the message than his content. we don't want to deceived ourselves in marketing or any thing, then why we willingly deceived by the people who are not really the servants of God by not think about their actions.
Dr.Warn W Wersbe writes about post script of the parable of the sower, that Jesus's post script is described by the first three evangelist differently. they are.."check how you listen","check what you listen","let him hear who have ears". so if we just believe every preacher without life or without content, we easily deceived by the cultic groups. no one is perfect in this earth. but the person who have the right relationship with the Lord recognized and accepted with his/her weaknesses.

real tesimonies?

here is my imaginary writing on the testimonies i hear in my college recently

Topic : Real testimonies
conversation between
Ravi Gopal and B.Thiophilos


Ravi: Hai ra, how do you feel about that testimony? It's nice na..
Thio: Of course! it's OK! but...
Ravi: but...what...?
Thio: As in that book we read yesterday, Muggeridge said, all news is old news, happening to the new people!
Ravi: Then what?
Thio: All testimonies sound like same... everybody told their testimonies as god bring them to UBS miraculously, and wonderfully... but...I don't believe that
Ravi: Why? we also came like that na..
Thio: Hey, if god bring anybody miraculously, why don't they don't have any interest in studies? they don't care about classes or any necessary works
Ravi: So you mean they are hopeless...But how can we say they are false testimonies because of their actions
Thio: ha ha.. what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount? Every tree shall be known by it's fruit!
Ravi: But what if we are unfaithful to what god had done for us? then how..
Thio: You are also correct... many times we forget our calling! we need god's help...
Ravi: Yes! though what you say is correct, we think this side also. that doesn't mean there is no imaginary testimonies... we also need to beware of that
Thio: Why don't we pray for us and for the people who testify for we may faithful to what god had done for us?
Ravi: Ya! come, let's go to newly builted prayer hut

where to start theology?

Every theologian starts his/her theology at various points like sin, bible, god etc.
But in later part of 20th century, the motto is changed. people started to say 'theology must started at where the pain is there' so all theology must see in the perspective of the starting point. Feminist theologians tell that we must start with the women oppression because the pain is there.

But the point according to definition is that the real problem is not the oppression or poverty or racism but the root cause of the problems was SIN. So according to my view point, theology must started at the point of Original sin or God, not the context. We must see the context from the eyes of the Bible, not see the Bible form the point of our context. I remember G.K.Chesterton's Orthodoxy, where he starts with the illustration that he try to search new place but end up with the old place. Like that we all ways try to find new theology to block the Bible, if we try to understand the mind of God, we all ways come to the same point- Orthodox!

wish

thank god for this availability
thio