I didn’t sleep well last night. Insomnia isn’t new to me. I often toss and turn, my mind racing with thoughts of things to do. It’s a problem, I know.
But last night, my mind, or rather my heart, was burdened. I had received an article earlier in the evening questioning the teaching of a well-known Bible teacher. The article saddened me both for the teacher and those who followed their teaching, but whether or not that person’s instruction is Biblically sound isn’t what really broke my heart. What really crushed me is that so many of us take the word of humans as the final say.
The thing is, humans are fallible. We’re flawed. No matter how hard we try and how much we genuinely love the Lord, we won’t always get it right because we are limited human beings with finite minds.
I had a pastor once who used to say, “Don’t take my word for it! Go home and investigate the Scripture for yourself!” And he meant it. Because he knew he was imperfect.
More than that, he knew that humans were never intended to be the sole source of Bible teaching. We have an even better teacher, the best Teacher—the Holy Spirit!
Jesus told us, “the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14:26 CSB).
The Father sent the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God Himself, to live in those who know Jesus as their Savior while we’re here on earth. Isn’t that amazing? That means we have the One with the wisdom and knowledge of the all-knowing God to teach us! The Holy Spirit knows and understands all things! “Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching” (2 Timothy 3:16 CSB), so it makes sense that the One who inspired the Bible would be the best Teacher to go to to learn about the Bible, doesn’t it?
There is absolutely a place for teaching others about the Bible. When Jesus charged us with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19,20, He specifically told us to teach others what He has taught us! Throughout the New Testament, the Church is instructed to teach, admonish, and share testimonies about what the Lord has done. It is a good thing to learn from solid Bible teachers.
But humans are a poor substitute for the Holy Spirit. Erin, myself, and our entire team of writers will tell you that we hope and pray that you don’t take our word for it; we want you to sit with the Holy Spirit and let Him teach you! He should be your first and primary Teacher!
We love teaching about the Bible. We love sharing what we have learned from the Holy Spirit. (I’m a hot mess, so He gets lots of opportunities to teach me new things I can share with you)! But we want you to experience the rich blessing of sitting at the feet of our Lord in prayer and Scripture study, allowing Him to teach you.
When we first began developing resources for the Humble Faith Community, the Lord made it clear that our role is to point women to Him before we do anything else. He made it clear to me almost two years ago that my primary task is to create ways for women to spend time with Him every single day so that He can work in their lives and give them the wisdom and knowledge that only He can provide.
We can’t wait to reveal the vision and tools He has put on our hearts for you this fall! Every single thing we’ll be introducing has been prayed over, discussed, and prayed over some more because we know we are so limited. Our hearts desire to help you get to the best Teacher there is, the Holy Spirit, so that He can do the real work in your lives.
We’ll continue to share what we’ve learned from Him, but please, don’t take our word for it! Please dig into the Scriptures we share with you on your own! We’re sticking to a few simple Scriptures each week this year to keep things easy and attainable in your busy lives. We just want to help you spend time with Christ a little bit every day! When you do, your life will be forever changed!
Investigate John 14:26 to find out for yourself!
This is a great encouragement to me as I seek to grow in knowledge and wisdom. The Holy Spirit is my teacher and guide, and I'm thankful that He uses His people to be ones through whom He helps others grow. I'm thankful that He is using Humble Faith to do so. I headed right to John to dig into what you were writing about.