EXPERIENCED EDUCATION – Pt 1

II Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Philippians 4:10-14 "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction."

There are people who have the opportunity, or make the opportunity, and have earned degrees from schools of education. There are others who have not had the opportunity to further their education but have learned much through experience. Dr. Lee Roberson, who is one of my heroes, tells the story of Ralph Pariette who traveled the country for many years telling people about the University of Hard Knocks and its two colleges. There was the college of Needless Knocks which does a person little good and are a result of our foolishness. Then there's the college of Needful Knocks which make us what we ought to be.

I’m a musician, voice major, and enjoy many different types of music. I’ve heard some very good, trained musicians. I’ve also heard some great musicians who have been self taught. I’m fascinated with a person who is a classical guitarist. A guitar is able to produce good music when touched by the fingers of an expert. But it only able after it’s been knocked and beaten into its present shape. A guitar must be cut, formed, strung and tuned before it is able to perform the intent of the musician.

Individuals grow by going through the school of hard knocks. God has to take us through hard times to fit us for a proper ministry. We may not like the hard knocks, but they are needful in our life. Only after the trials and tests in our life are we able to be all that God intends us to be.

For the next three weeks in CHALLENGING CONCEPTS I want us to explore the EXPERIENCED EDUCATION that is needed in our lives.

1. THERE ARE THE EXPERIENCES OF LIFE

God uses different experiences in the lives of His children. They are all designed by Him to develop character and give them a platform from which they can minister in the lives of others. Let me expound on some of the experiences:

A. There is the EXPERIENCE OF FAILURE. No doubt we all have experienced failure in our lives. We may have felt it in differing degrees, but we usually have experienced failure. Some may have failed in part, while others of us have failed completely. The experience of failure can either lead to making a man, or it may lead to breaking that man. It is determined by reaction or response to that failure.

One of my favorite preachers and authors, Dr. Warren Wiersbe wrote in his commentary on Joshua Be Strong: “Discouragement over the past and fear of the future are the two reactions that often accompany failure. We look back and remember the mistakes that we made, and then we look ahead and wonder whether there’s any future for people who fail so foolishly.”

People sometimes allow failure to cripple them. But there’s another way to face failure. One of my former Youth Pastors, Jason Stephens, wrote in an e-devotions to his church members: “Setbacks present us with opportunities to be a more mature believer and build a better future.”

There is a purpose in failure, and it’s not to keep us from succeeding. Again I quote from Be Strong by Dr. Warren Wiersbe: “If we turn our mistakes into mirrors, we’ll see only ourselves; and this will make us miserable. But if by faith we turn our mistakes into windows, we’ll see the Lord and get the strength we need to try again.”

Don’t let the Experience of Failure keep us from God’s will for our life.

B. There is the EXPERIENCE OF BAD HEALTH. Many of us have health issues. I’m not going to go into my health problems, which are many. But I know people who are far worse off than I am. But health issues are a necessary part of our learning experience. How can we know how others feel if we don’t experience it ourselves? How can we sympathize with those who are hurting unless we hurt also.

When a person is going through times of bad health they are learning valuable lessons:

They are learning PATIENCE – We need patience. Bert E. McCormick said: “Once a man would spend a week patiently waiting if he missed a stagecoach. Now he rages if he misses the first section of a revolving door.” How true that is! God knows we need to learn patience so He allows some to have health problems to teach them.

Going through health issues will also teach a person SYMPATHY – If we haven’t gone through sickness we don’t know how a sick person feels. T.J. Bach said: “My burden is that I have so little burden.” That is so true!

Bad health also can teach a person LOVE – All of us need to learn I Corinthians 13 kind of love so when we are going through health issues, don’t feel sorry for us. God is at work.

Bad health can also teach a person FAITH - Lying flat on your back causes you to look upward. It causes you to look to God. You may face situations beyond your physical reserve but you will never face situations beyond God's supernatural resources.

Going through health issues will also teach a person COURAGE - Someone has said that "Courage is not the absence of fear but the conquest of fear." Billy Graham said: "Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.”

I’ve seen some people facing very difficult times with their health, and I’ve seen them demonstrate courage which had to be with divine power. God wants us to depend upon Him and He will give us courage beyond the natural ability.

C. There is the the EXPERIENCE OF PERSECUTION. Some reading this issue of CHALLENGING CONCEPTS have experienced this. God’s school of hard knocks hands out some every once in a while.

There are times that each of us go through persecution, but Jesus said we would and mentioned them in Matthew 5:10-12 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Persecution is a part of the consecrated Christian life. It's a part of God's training program. We read in II Timothy 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

There are many lessons to be learned as we grow in grace. Dr. Warren Wiersbe wrote in Be Strong “Someone has said that experience is a tough teacher because it always gives the exam first and teaches the lesson afterward.” What lessons are we learning from the experiences we are facing at this present time?

Next week we will look deeper into this subject in CHALLENGING CONCEPTS.

That’s my view; how about you?