by Ted Robertson on June 11, 2011
The Pen of Inspiration bids us to be learners in the school of Christ
There is a work to be done for those who claim to be servants of God. The softening, subduing power of God is to come into their lives, but never will it be until they have humility. The Spirit cannot work with them until they are learners in the school of Christ. Letter 223, 1899. Ellen G. White Estate Washington, D. C. April 13, 1989. Entire Letter. {20MR 86.1}
And tells us that we should aim to be learners in the school of Christ
Aim to be faithful students in the school of Christ, learning daily to conform your life to the divine Pattern. Set your faces heavenward, and press toward the mark for the prize of your high calling in Christ Jesus. Run the Christian race with patience, and rise superior to every temptation, however grievous it may be, that shall come to you. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God; and if you are desirous of taking the first upward step, you will find His hand stretched out to help you. It remains with you, individually, as to whether you walk in the light of the Sun of Righteousness, or in the darkness of error. The truth of God can be a blessing to you only as you permit its influence to purify and refine your soul. Sons and Daughters of God, p. 79
Christ will give us rest and bids us to learn from Him
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30
Christ was the great teacher. On the walk to Emmaus, he explained how He fulfilled Messianic prophecies
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27
The Psalmist prays for teaching from the Lord
Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me:
for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Psalms 25:4-5
Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. Psalms 86:11
Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. Psalms 119:12
Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Psalms 143:10
The Lord responds that He will teach us
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding:
whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Psalms 32:8-11
If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore. Psalms 132:12
Through inspiration, the Psalmist gives us a lesson in the teachings of the Lord
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, 1 Peter 3.10-12
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones:
not one of them is broken. Exodus 12.46 -- Num. 9.12 -- Joh. 19.36
Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. Psalms 34:11-22
It is important for us to always verify any teachings with Scripture. In this way, we know whether it is from the Lord
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Beroea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:10-12
More on the school of Christ from the Pen of Inspiration
The mind is the best possession we have; but it must be trained by study, by reflection, by learning in the school of Christ, the best and truest educator the world has ever known.
Sons and Daughters of God, page 70
We are to be witnesses for Christ; and this we shall be when we grow up daily into the full stature of men and women in Christ. It is our privilege to grow more and more like Him every day. Then we shall acquire the power to express our love for Him in higher, purer speech, and our ideas will enlarge and deepen, and our judgment become more sound and trustworthy, while our testimony will have more of life and assurance. We are not to cultivate the language of the earthy, and be so familiar with the conversation of men, that the language of Canaan will be new and unfamiliar to us. We are to learn in the school of Christ; yet it is manifest that many are satisfied with very limited experience in spiritual things, for they reveal but little knowledge of spiritual things in their prayers and testimonies. There is less good judgment manifested in matters concerning our eternal interests, than in matters concerning our earthly, temporal affairs. Christians are to be faithful students in the school of Christ, ever learning more of heaven, more of the words and will of God; more of the truth and how to use faithfully the knowledge that they have gained. Sons and Daughters of God, page 72
Flattery is an art by which Satan lieth in wait to deceive and to puff up the human agent with high thoughts of himself. . . . Flattery has been the food upon which many of our youth have been nourished; and those who have praised and flattered have supposed that they were doing right; but they have been doing wrong. Praise, flattery, and indulgence have done more toward leading precious souls into false paths, than any other art that Satan has devised. Flattery is a part of the world's policy, but it is no part of Christ's policy. Through flattery poor human beings, full of frailty and infirmities, come to think that they are efficient and worthy, and become puffed up in their fleshly mind. They become intoxicated with the idea that they possess ability beyond what they do have, and their religious experience becomes unbalanced. Unless in the providence of God they shall be turned from these deceptions, and become converted, and learn the a-b-c of religion in the school of Christ, they will lose their souls. Many a youth has been flattered that he has ability as a natural gift; when the ability he thinks he has, can be attained only through diligent training and culture, learning the meekness and lowliness of Christ. . . . God permits him to be attacked by the enemy, in order that he may understand his own weakness. He is permitted to make some decided blunder, and is plunged into painful humiliation. But when he is writhing under a sense of his own weakness, he is not to be judged harshly.... This is the time when he needs a friend who ... will deal patiently and faithfully with the erring. . . . He is not to be lifted up by the aid of flattery. . . . Rather he is to be pointed to the first rounds of the ladder, and his stumbling feet are to be placed on the lowest round of the ladder of progress. . . . Through the aid of wise counselors, his defeat will be turned into victory. Sons and Daughters of God, p. 73
The church of God, hated and persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined in the school of Christ. They walk in narrow paths on earth; they are purified in the furnace of affliction. They follow Christ through sore conflicts; they endure self-denial, and experience bitter disappointments; but their painful experience teaches them the guilt and woe of sin, and they look upon it with abhorrence. Being partakers of Christ's sufferings, they are destined to be partakers of His glory. In holy vision the prophet saw the triumph of the people of God. He says: "I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory ... stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. Sons and Daughters of God, p. 74
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