In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses calls Israel to keep God’s commandments in their hearts.  “Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.”  Some of Jesus’ last words to his friends, in Matthew 28:19-20, were a charge to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all he commanded them.  As followers of Jesus, we are to cherish his teachings and likewise teach others.  God knows that we need good teaching, and provides for this in a number of ways.  Indeed, one of the titles ascribed to Jesus was “Rabboni,” or “Good teacher.” 

The Bible’s legacy leaves us a number of other wise teachers whose examples we can learn from: Moses, Solomon, Paul, and others.  The first nine chapters of Proverbs are full of reminders to heed wise teaching.  James admonishes that not many should presume to be teachers, however, as they will be judged with greater strictness.  Throughout Scripture, the message is clear that teaching should lead to wisdom, but that this begins with a fear of the Lord.  The evidence of wisdom is gracious living, the fruits of the Spirit, and a joyful love for God and neighbor.

Education is a component of the church’s ministry that integrates into all areas of the witnessing community’s life.  We educate first and foremost to share the good news of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.  We teach the entirety of the Scriptures, and the history of how they came into being.  In so doing, we re-tell the stories of the Hebrew and Christian people, collected over time.  We model the faith and show others how to walk with the Lord.  We pass on the traditions of the Church, especially those of our own family of reformed worship.  We create new ways of communicating the Gospel afresh for our culture.  We teach and model different forms of prayer; we learn from the richness of the church fathers and mothers.  We seek to develop a Christian worldview that neither runs from nor imitates the world around us.

We help youth and new Christians learn the foundations of Christianity; we walk with Christians (and non-Christians) who are questioning—aiding them in their search for truth, meaning, and acceptance; we challenge long-time Christians who desire greater depth of spiritual practices in their lives.  We call all Christians to put faith into action, living what they believe.  We sharpen one another “as iron sharpens iron,” encouraging each other to stay rooted in the word, boldly proclaim Christ, work for justice and mercy, and think theologically.  We find ways to resourcefully educate all types of learners, of every generation—recognizing that there is always something we don’t know.  We encounter God together and individually, as we seriously consider the claims of Christ and his radical call on our lives.

We trust that in the process, God will educate us in order to help us distinguish truth from falsehood, to make decisions wisely, and to live with integrity.  We ask the Holy Spirit to make us more and more like Christ, that we might be a witness to his great hope, and draw others to him.  We pray for the Spirit’s help to obey God’s commandments and live out our baptismal calling.

Christian education’s ultimate purpose is not to merely accumulate knowledge, but to form disciples.  We teach and learn in the church, in order that our “love may overflow more and more with knowledge and depth of insight…for the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11ff).