Reviewing Humble Orthodoxy, Week 7

Title: The Family: Taking It Home To Your Local Church
Speaker: Josh Harris
Session: Main Session #7, Na06
Date: May 30, 2006

Main Texts
2 Timothy 2:15, and general conference review

Some Opening Thoughts
Josh said at the beginning that he would not be teaching anything new, but only reviewing the teaching from the past three days. That doesn’t mean that this is a message to skip over, though, because throughout his review Josh covers a very important topic: application.

A Brief Outline
1. We need to rightly handle the word of truth
–> Hearing all of this great teaching is meaningless if you don’t take it home and apply it
–> Be willing to listen to stuff that you’ve already listened too; we need to re-listen to things.
–> Hearing good teaching can make you feel spiritual, but guess what – temptation will come. Will you have a tight grasp on the Gospel in that moment?
–> In all of these application points, acknowledge your dependence on God.
–> To apply, we need to give ourselves to the study of, meditation on, and memorization of God’s Word – not so that we can sound impressive or be puffed up, but because we are desperate for God.
2. Go home and live the truth personally
–> We need to be committed to growing in discernment.
–> We need others; we need our parents; we need the local church.
–> There is no Christian life presented in the New Testament apart from being connected to the people of God. Practice being committed to a local church.
3. Go home and represent the truth humbly
–> Don’t around looking to pick theological fights. Just because you heard Al Mohler and Jeff Purswell doesn't make you Al Mohler or Jeff Purswell. And if they walk humbly with all of the wisdom they have, how much more should we?
–> Talk about what you’ve learned, with humility.
–> Ask for prayer for application.

Other Points
–> Men, lead in initiating Biblical fellowship.
–> Ladies, encourage the guys even when they are doing a terrible job attempting this. Look at them not as what they are, but as what they can be by the grace of God.
–> A truly humble person wants to better understand the perspective of someone who disagrees with him.
–> If you know that that person loves and cares for you, don’t assume that you understand why they disagree or that you have the answers to all of their disagreements.
–> Specifically recommended breakout sessions: “Feeding on God: Cultivating a Fruitful Life in the Word” (Mike Bullmore), “Cultural Discernment from a Biblical Worldview” (Al Mohler), “A Look at the Emerging Church” (Justin Taylor)
–> Listen to Mike Bullmore’s message. Learn from the three circles, because it’s not just about three circles. It’s foundational. (Personal note: I said it earlier, and I’ll say it again. Download and listen to it. Please.)
–> We will pass on from this earth, but Truth is forever, because it’s not about us – it’s about God.

Some Application Questions
–> Do I consider re-listening to a teaching to be (at least) as important as listening the first time?
–> Do I actively seek to grow in discernment, or do I expect it to be able to drift into it?
–> Do I make my decisions driven by youthful passion, assuming that I know all sides of the issue, or do I go to someone who is wiser (and may very well disagree with me) and say, “help me to understand your perspective”?
–> Do I ask people to pray for me and to hold me accountable to apply what I’ve been taught?

One Thing That Has Stuck With Me
We need to re-listen to what we’ve heard!

One Thing I Re-learned By Re-listening
A truly humble person wants to better understand the perspective of someone who disagrees with him. Did I know this already? Yeah. Do I remember it when it comes time to apply it? [. . . ] I need to keep hearing that, because I am not truly humble, and think that I know far more than I do. Thankfully, God has given much wisdom to many people around me.

Discussion
–> What are one or two things that you learned in listening to this teaching?
–> If you were re-listening to it, what are some ways that God has used this teaching in your life over the last two years?
–> Also, feel free to give suggestions on the focus and format of these posts.
–> Finally, as great as it is to be able to talk about this online, talk about it personally with people you know. Use it as an opportunity to share with each other what God is teaching you, and how He has given (and is giving) you the grace to apply it.

This was Week 7 in the fifteen weeks of reviewing humble orthodoxy, leading up to New Attitude 2008 in Louisville, Kentucky on May 24-27. Listen to “Taking It Home To Your Local Church” for free.

Next Week: Discernment (Josh Harris)

Background on this series: Humble Orthodoxy

Be sure to check out the FREE download of all of the Na06 main sessions and breakout sessions