Doing It Is More Important Than Knowing About It
In the five fold, teaching is a powerful tool, but we must rethink what teaching means in our Westernized culture. We think of knowledge as something we know about, not necessarily something we believe in, nor something we might experience. We can study about Communism, even earn a college degree in Political Science and understand the political principles behind Communism, but do not personally believe in it opting for democracy instead, nor ever experienced it personally. In Westernized thought intimately knowing about a topic defines knowledge.
Churches today are based in westernized academic strategy. For example the sermon is the key to Sunday worship services in Christian churches presented by an academic professional, usually the senior pastor with his academic degrees from Bible colleges and Seminary. Almost all sermons are in lecture format, well researched, well planned, and professionally presented. These sermons talk about topics like grace, forgiveness, church unity, discipleship, etc.
Teachers of the five fold come from a different prospective, one built on relationships where they are literally beside the person they are teaching, walking out their spiritual journey along side them, experiencing Christian life and community with them. They teach forgiveness through forgiving, grace and mercy by extending grace and mercy, hope and faith by instilling hope and faith in each other, etc. They help the individual to personally experience what it means to live a Christ like life by equipping them toward maturity in Jesus Christ. They help the individually to personally experience what it means to live a Christ like life through Community in the Body of Christ, the Church, to bring unity. To experience, to live out kingdom of God principles is of essence rather than just knowing about them.
This change in philosophy will redefine how we do Church, for doing church under the five fold will emphasize “experiencing” Jesus Christ in individual lives as well as corporately through community. Jesus said we are not only to be hearers of the word, but doers. The “doing”, the “experiencing” the principles is how one is to learn them. What good is it if we hear them but do nothing? This is the state of most pew sitters in churches today. They hear a lot of sermons and teachings, but fail to act on them, experience them. The five fold teacher must walk out the principles he is teaching, model them through use, strengthen them through faith, share them through service. It certainly is more than just academically studying principles and just orally expounding them. The living out one’s faith is always a more powerful tool.