From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents,
I have been teaching for long time now. In fact, for me this year marks more years teaching than not teaching. One of the truths of education I learned early on is that students must believe what I as a teacher present in order for them to learn. If they doubt my word or my skills, they will approach what I teach with apprehension. If they resist what I say, they will close their minds off to what I want them to learn. All of this results in deficiencies in their learning. You see, for students to learn, they must commit to what the teacher is imparting to them. Without full commitment students cannot gain full knowledge, understanding, or skill sets. However, full commitment requires trust. Trust comes from persuasion of the worthiness in whom or in what one is asked to trust. The whole process starts with a person’s openness to what is being presented.
To put the picture of education back together again, for a person to learn he must be open to the material presented. Then he must be willing to be persuaded of the accuracy and relevancy of the material the instructor is imparting. Once a person is persuaded of the material, he can trust and commit to instruction, developing the knowledge or skill sets necessary to gain mastery in that discipline.
As it relates to Scripture, this process is called faith or belief. God has given us His Word, and He expects us to believe it, to place our faith (trust) in it. We know from Hebrews 11:6 that faith pleases God. To be sure, faith is not nebulous, neither is it fanciful. Faith is built on evidence. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Evidence is testimony of truth. The Bible teaches that faith rests upon the consistent witness of what the Bible says. A person who is open to the consistent testimony of the Bible can be persuaded of what he sees in the Bible. When, through persuasion of the truth, a person is convinced of what he sees in God’s Word, he can then act on what God’s Word says. This person is said to believe. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
Conversely, the person who does not act on what the Bible says does not have faith. In some way he has rejected the evidence God has shown him. Perhaps he already has his mind made that his way is as good as any other; maybe he knows what is right, but he does not want to give in; it could be that he just loves his sin and does not want to give it up. Whatever the reason, God is not pleased because the person is unwilling to believe what Scripture says.
More than ever, people are unwilling to believe God’s Word. They either show apathy toward Scripture, or they argue against Scripture. But the humility to give in and to be persuaded by the Word of God is deeply lacking.
As teachers, we want our students to open their minds and be persuaded of the consistent evidence of what their teachers are presenting in various subjects—math, English, history, science, and so on. Their future hinges on their willingness to do so. But how much more important is it that everyone (students, parents, grandparents, etc.) be open to what the Scriptures teach and be willing to be persuaded of the consistent evidence of God’s Word. Our eternal future hinges on our willingness to do this. I hope this is you.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton
Dear Parents,
I have been teaching for long time now. In fact, for me this year marks more years teaching than not teaching. One of the truths of education I learned early on is that students must believe what I as a teacher present in order for them to learn. If they doubt my word or my skills, they will approach what I teach with apprehension. If they resist what I say, they will close their minds off to what I want them to learn. All of this results in deficiencies in their learning. You see, for students to learn, they must commit to what the teacher is imparting to them. Without full commitment students cannot gain full knowledge, understanding, or skill sets. However, full commitment requires trust. Trust comes from persuasion of the worthiness in whom or in what one is asked to trust. The whole process starts with a person’s openness to what is being presented.
To put the picture of education back together again, for a person to learn he must be open to the material presented. Then he must be willing to be persuaded of the accuracy and relevancy of the material the instructor is imparting. Once a person is persuaded of the material, he can trust and commit to instruction, developing the knowledge or skill sets necessary to gain mastery in that discipline.
As it relates to Scripture, this process is called faith or belief. God has given us His Word, and He expects us to believe it, to place our faith (trust) in it. We know from Hebrews 11:6 that faith pleases God. To be sure, faith is not nebulous, neither is it fanciful. Faith is built on evidence. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Evidence is testimony of truth. The Bible teaches that faith rests upon the consistent witness of what the Bible says. A person who is open to the consistent testimony of the Bible can be persuaded of what he sees in the Bible. When, through persuasion of the truth, a person is convinced of what he sees in God’s Word, he can then act on what God’s Word says. This person is said to believe. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
Conversely, the person who does not act on what the Bible says does not have faith. In some way he has rejected the evidence God has shown him. Perhaps he already has his mind made that his way is as good as any other; maybe he knows what is right, but he does not want to give in; it could be that he just loves his sin and does not want to give it up. Whatever the reason, God is not pleased because the person is unwilling to believe what Scripture says.
More than ever, people are unwilling to believe God’s Word. They either show apathy toward Scripture, or they argue against Scripture. But the humility to give in and to be persuaded by the Word of God is deeply lacking.
As teachers, we want our students to open their minds and be persuaded of the consistent evidence of what their teachers are presenting in various subjects—math, English, history, science, and so on. Their future hinges on their willingness to do so. But how much more important is it that everyone (students, parents, grandparents, etc.) be open to what the Scriptures teach and be willing to be persuaded of the consistent evidence of God’s Word. Our eternal future hinges on our willingness to do this. I hope this is you.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton