Teach them to do

We learn by doing. We don’t learn by hearing. We need to hear but we never learn if all we do is hear. We must do. That is why Jesus’ brother told us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. He went on to say that if we merely listen to the Word and don’t do anything, we actually deceive ourselves.

We deceive ourselves because we think we are getting better when we are not. We deceive ourselves. We come to church. We hear the sermons. We come to Bible Study. We listen. We even participate. We discuss. We might even memorize and study the Bible on our own. All of it is wood, hay and stubble if we don’t do one more thing. We must do something.

We learn by doing.

Jesus’ teaching had a bias toward action. He didn’t want people to sit and soak. He didn’t want them to just hear and soak it in. He wanted them to do. Consider these verses.

John 7:17 (NIV) If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.

John 13:17 (NIV) Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Matthew 7:21 (NIV) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 7:24 (NIV) “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Matthew 25:40 (NIV) “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’“

He didn’t admonish people to hear about God’s will or study God’s will or even understand God’s will. He spoke of doing God’s will. He didn’t say we would be blessed if we hear these things or understand these things or memorize these things. Rather, he says we will be blessed if we do these things.

Jesus taught that doing—not just believing in—the will of the Father was the doorway to the Kingdom. The wise man puts wise words into practice. Jesus had a bias for action.