DAY 4: LEARNING TOGETHER
Read Acts 5:17-21; 25-41. (A longer passage today, but necessary to provide the full context.)
In the early church, everyone didn’t have a Bible like we have today. There weren’t bookstores or Amazon; there weren’t even pews let alone Bibles in every pocket. There wasn’t even paper! So the early church gathered (daily, v. 42) to learn from the Apostles’ teaching. Today, while teaching is not limited to the local church, the importance of gathering for group learning is still important. It ensures that we are not learning things on our own that could lead us astray. Along with good books and other important publications, there is a lot out there that is simply not true. Meeting together provides much needed protection from the “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. Paul’s closing words in 1Timothy are fitting: “…Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.” (1Tim. 6:20-21)
Personal Thoughts:
The importance of teaching and preaching are seen in the apostles’ willingness to continue despite threats of imprisonment and even death. Reading through the letters of the apostles also shows a strong emphasis on the people understanding truth, and not being drawn away by false teaching. So important was this that the early church in the coming centuries created a hierarchical form of government (the Catholic Church) whose leaders became the keepers of the truth. With the Scriptures now readily available in the form of the canonized Bible, the truth is now in the hands of all. But that does not mean we no longer need others to teach us. In fact, the need may be greater since it is now readily available to misinterpret. Gathering to learn from the Scriptures is as important today as it was in the early church.
To consider:
Where do you gather with others to learn? Where did you learn what you know today about truth? Are you continuing to learn? Are you learning from those who have an accurate understanding of the Bible? How do you know?
