LAST LESSONS #115 – LAST THINGS – PART 4 – LEARN

 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

How do we learn as adults? An old proverb says:

    Tell me, I forget,

    Show me, I remember,

    Involve me, I understand.

More recent studies show that people remember: 10% of what they hear—20% of what they read—80% of what they see. And this is because the human brain processes visual cues better rather than the written language. The studies do not include learning from being involved.

As I age, I still want to learn things: things about other people, things that are going on in the world, things that enrich life. That is why I listen to others talk and read biographies (a good one is BIBI My Story by Benjamin Netanyahu), that is why I watch the news and listen to Al Mohler’s “The Briefing”, that is why I read good novels, listen to music, and watch my daughter paint!

But most important, I want to learn more of Jesus. I want to learn from him, as our verse says, but I also want to learn about him. I want to know him!

There are numerous ways we learn of him, but I will mention only four: listen, read, see, and experience.

1. Listen: It’s important to go to church and listen to good sermons, enroll in a Bible course where you listen to lectures, go to the Ligonier Conference every year where you will hear from the best Bible speakers of our day. There are other ways to listen, but make sure you listen to those who have their doctrine straight!

2. Read: Reading is better than listening because you will remember more. Of most importance is to read the Bible—every day! Along with my personal reading of the Bible I read a chapter in a good commentary every day. For your information, I have suggested a commentary to read with every book of the Bible. You can find this on Rafiki’s website on the page describing the Rafiki Bible Study. I also like to read biographies of Christian leaders and the history of Christianity. One short but great little book I suggest is CHURCH HISTORY 101: THE HIGHLIGHTS OF TWENTY CENTURIES by Sinclair Ferguson.

3. See: See Christ in nature, and in other people. This takes practice. We practice thinking about Christ as Creator of nature when we look at the clouds and the stars, the flowers and the birds, the grasshoppers, and the elephants. We see Christ in those he has created in his own image. Not only in babies do we see Christ, but haven’t you seen a person who “shows you Jesus” by the way he or she lives? 

It takes more practice seeing Christ in the less than lovely. Even though it is hard for me to do, I try to see a person Christ died for when someone treats me unkindly or does things that I don’t like. That takes practice and prayer and I’ll admit I have a long way to go!

But to see Christ there is nothing to compare with traveling to Israel. Go there and you can see where Jesus lived, and taught, and died. Seeing those places has never left my memory. If possible, make the trip. It will make a lasting impression on you. Jesus was there.

4. Experience: To experience learning more of Jesus I suggest being involved in the things he was involved in and doing it for his sake.

• Jesus taught so maybe you could teach a Sunday School class or a Rafiki Bible Study or even become a pastor or seminary professor—for Jesus’ sake.
• Jesus fed people so maybe you could help at a soup kitchen, or fix meals for the sick or elderly—for Jesus’ sake.
• Jesus healed so maybe you could become a doctor, a nurse, a paramedic, or nurse’s aide—for Jesus’ sake.
• Jesus comforted so maybe you could become a counselor, or make hospital visits, or visit the elderly in nursing homes—for Jesus’ sake.
• Jesus proclaimed the gospel so maybe you could become a missionary to Africa, or to your friends and neighbors—for Jesus’ sake.
• Jesus prayed so maybe you could set a regular time to pray specifically for the needs of others—for Jesus’ sake.

Learn to know Jesus by hearing, reading, seeing, and experiencing him. Nothing is more enjoyable or restful for your soul.