Teaching to the Test

You hear a lot today in the school system about teaching to the test to get the number of graduates up so it makes the school system look like they are doing a good job.  They do a disservice to those they are supposed to be teaching.  These students do not learn, they are just acquiring enough knowledge to get by and they will not be prepared for life.

By comparison teaching to the test is what is being done in many denominations and churches in this day and age.  The young and new Christians are taught enough to pass the test.  This is a test by society or other church members to perform in a Christian image.  They know what to say or do to be accepted by their piers.  Many because of this are cheated of having a close relationship with God they will need to survive in this life.  They are taught that this is what you have to do to go to Heaven and for many that is enough.  This is a disservice to them.  The majority are not being equipped to fight the battle against sin that confronts them every day.  They will need a greater strength than themselves to overcome the challenges of life.  Some do not even know they are in a battle for their own soul.

God provided us with the power to live life free from the power and bondage of sin.  It is not to say I, you or anyone else is a bad person.  Whatever weakens our dependence on God or blocks us from doing the will of God and having a one on one relationship with God is sin.  Many may not know or have a deep and real understanding of what Jesus did because it is not covered on their test review.  The test also does not include an answer concerning a daily relationship with God.  This is the answer to all questions.  They come to church to feel comfortable and enjoy being entertained by music and songs and seeing their friends.  Some think that this is worship and it is not.

There is no test.  Jesus came to cancel the test.  He freely gave of himself for our sake that we can come in the presence of God free of judgment, and sin.  Because he was crucified, dead and arisen the forgiveness of sin is possible.  The test was replaced with a testimony proclaiming Jesus as your savior and yielding to the will of God, a daily relationship with God.  The Holy Spirit was sent after Jesus ascended into heaven to guide and comfort us through life.

For too long and more so now, in this day of correctness, no one wants to hurt anyone’s feelings or fears the rejection in response to their intervention.  God loved us enough to intervene in our lives by removing the veil that separated us from him.  This veil was set by the sin of disobedience by Adam and Eve.  The veil was set by Adam and Eve wanting to be God over their lives much as we do before we are saved.  If there were a test it would rely on our efforts and not the finished work of Jesus the Christ.  God wants our testimony that reveals his love, grace and mercy to be shared with other hurting souls and in obedience to his perfect will and plan for us all.

Know God, come into his presence with praise because you know personally his love, have been a recipient of his grace and have experienced his mercy.

Forged in Fire, do we pass the test?

Forged in Fire is one of my favorite programs I enjoy watching.  It amazes me to see someone take a piece of material entirely out of nature to think it could be used to make a knife.  They use bicycle parts, a golf club or even a hand full of nuts and bolts.  They combine them using the skills and expertise they have gleaned through years of working with metal.  The contestants are challenged to form the metal they have chosen into a fully functioning knife or antique weapon.  Many of these weapons are weapons of war and are intended for that purpose.  These weapons put through several tests that challenge the sharpness, the ability to function in battle, and test the material for strength.  In some cases, they fail by not being forged in a manner that would make it a failure-proof fully functioning tool.  The winner receives a sizeable prize.

We as Christians, faced with many threats, temptations, and life challenging issues try relying upon our strength will bring failure.  It is not an issue of poor material choice but who the forger is.  We must yield ourselves to God and allow him to create a weapon suitable for the challenge.  We sometimes resist the process of forging.  We are sometimes heated and pounded removing any impurities which would flaw us as a suitable weapon.  Our strength comes from our obedience and yielding to God’s will and purpose to bring about our part in his design.  God will whet us on the stone of adversity bringing us to a fine edge.  Through him, we can cut the cords of bondage that bind us or hinders us.  God makes us a weapon to kill the attack of our worst adversary, satan.  We too are by the standard of the world, not the material it would have classified as suitable for a weapon.  God is our strength, through him we will succeed, we are a weapon of war.  We too are strong, sharp and will achieve our intended purpose in his hands according to his perfect will.  We are not only a weapon but a winner also.  Our prize is the relationship we have with God and knowing him in the fullness of his truth.