Hearing and Seeing Truth

Life on Life Discipleship Opens the Eye-Gate and Ear-Gate

Our teaching ministries need more and more of the organic climate of the home--everyday life with illustrations, stories and well-lived examples and models. Windows on the blessings in life, and windows on the warts. We need the real-to-life learning perspective of seeing and hearing. This is hard for us who are institutionally-anchored people. Classrooms make it an uphill climb if we're aiming for an organic climate.

A.B. Bruce wrote of the disciples and their day to day living classroom with Jesus, when they would walk together by the way, when they would lie down and rise up.

In the training of the twelve for the work of the apostleship, hearing and seeing the words and works of Christ necessarily occupied an important place. Eye and ear witnessing of the facts of an unparalleled life was indispensable preparation for future witness-bearing. The apostles could secure credence for their wondrous tale only by being able to preface it with the protestation, 'That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.' None would believe their report, save those who, at the very least, were satisfied that it emanated from men who had been with Jesus.

….In the early period of their discipleship hearing and seeing seem to have been the main occupation of the twelve. They were then like children born into a new world, whose first and by no means least important course of lessons consists in their use of their senses in observing the wonderful objects which they were surrounded…

The Training of the Twelve by A.B. Bruce, p. 41.

So what can we do? As teachers, plan ahead for organic slices of life. In what way? Panel discussions, interview parents, tell stories, read stories, object lessons, question and answer sessions, lap boards, story boards, wall-boards, pictures, power point, response sheets, and more.

The life on life work of discipleship teaching showcases a slow-growth methodology that invites the multi-sensory approach to learning. We're often uncomfortable with it, because there's less control in the learning process. But over time with some practice teachers and students can make some positive strides that benefit learning.

G. Mark Sumpter