Keys to the Imagine Church Experience: 1. Practical Teaching

When individuals describe their faith journeys, they always seem to reference the first time they were exposed to practical Bible teaching.  When they tell their stories, it becomes clear that this was not their first exposure to the Bible, but the first time they understood what was being taught from the Bible.  It was the first time they actually knew what to do with what was being taught. Most Christians can tell you where they were and who was speaking the first time someone made the Bible come alive for them.

It’s unfortunate that someone can grow up hearing sermons and Sunday School lessons, yet never be captivated by the Scriptures.  But unfortunately that seems to be the rule rather than the exception.  And this is not just a 21st century problem either.  When Jesus finished what we commonly refer to as the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew records the crowd’s response:  “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the Law” (Matthew 7:28-29, NRSV).

Jesus taught for a response.  He taught for life change.  He didn’t come to simply dispense information.  We rarely fine him chastising people for their lack of knowledge.  It was almost always their lack of faith evidenced by a lack of application.  “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” he asked the disciples in the midst of a terrifying ordeal on the water (Matthew 8:26).  Jesus wasn’t after mental assent to facts.  Jesus was after active, living, do-the-right-thing faith.  And when he taught, he taught with that in mind.

Remember the first time you were challenged at that level?  Remember how interesting the Bible suddenly became?  You sat on the edge of your chair.  The time flew by.  You took notes.  You couldn’t wait to come back for another round.  Yeah, you remember.  Something came alive inside of you.  Then you did something really crazy.  You went out and applied some of what you had heard.  And God honored your active faith.  Your faith intersected with his faithfulness and your confidence in God got bigger.  Practical teaching that moves people to action is one of the primary things God uses to grow our faith.

At Imagine Church, teaching the Word of God isn’t about knowing stuff; it’s about doing stuff.  You know why?  It’s a reality that is embedded in the heart of the Imagine movement, and it’s very important:  People are far more interested in what works than what’s true.  I hate to burst your bubble, but virtually nobody in church today is on a truth quest.  They are on happiness quests.  As long as you are dishing out truth with no here’s the difference it will make tacked on the end, you will be perceived as irrelevant by most of the people listening to you.  You may be on-spot theologically, like the teachers of the Law in Jesus’ day, but you will not be perceived as one who teaches with authority.

In this new gathering of Christ-followers, we are adamant about our content being helpful, not simply true.  Truth without handles is static.  Truth with “next steps” grows people’s faith.  We close every message and every series with a specific call to action.  It’s our hope in each worship experience at Imagine Church to offer biblical teaching that is practical — teaching that attempts to answer these three questions each Sunday:  What do we need to know?  What are we supposed to do with it?  What’s the next step?