We follow those we learn from!

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No one would deny that success in any given discipline depends significantly on who you learn it from. This is true for athletes, musicians, and in every other subject. Experts are often judged by the university they attended. Similarly, in the life of a Christian, it is of great importance who they have learned from.

Fundamental truths never change.

Paul writes to Timothy, urging him to remain in what he has learned: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it” (2 Timothy 3:14). At first glance, this doesn't sound very logical, and certainly not in keeping with the times. After all, the principle “stagnation is regression” is almost universally accepted today. But Paul justifies his exhortation with the following argument: “Because you know from whom you learned it.” In professional life, for example, one must continue learning to stay up-to-date. Similarly, in our Christian lives, we should not stop learning and correcting certain things that have become ingrained in our lives.

But there are also fundamental Christian truths that must not be altered! For they would change the essence of Christianity and restrict the Spirit of Christ in His work. The enemy of God, Satan, tries with all his cunning and malice to lead Christendom astray from the essential truths of the Bible or to confuse them so much that nothing of the true faith remains. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul exhorts the church: “Brothers and sisters, imitate me and observe those who walk as we have us as your example. For, as I have often told you, and now tell you again with tears, many walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; they boast in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:17-19).

Jesus Christ is the standard for all teaching.

The apostles learned from Jesus and were even prepared to die for their faith. They had the best teacher the world has ever known and were eager to learn from Him and follow in His footsteps. Paul now calls on Christians to follow his example and to look to those who live like him and other apostles who were role models. Being a Christian means following Him! And specifically, following the one who gave His life on the cross for us: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus left heaven, came to this sinful earth, did God’s will, and died on the cross for lost, sinful humanity to redeem it from eternal damnation. The apostles followed in His footsteps and called on Christians to follow their example in turn.

Which teachers do we follow? Today, there are teachers in churches with a great deal of theological knowledge. And yet, it is often just empty theory, far removed from the real life lived by Jesus and the apostles. For example, we often read in the Bible about people worshipping God on their knees in awe. Jesus himself fell on his face in the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed to the Father (cf. Matthew 26:39). In Acts 20:36, we read of Paul: “And after he had said this, he knelt down and prayed with them all.” We clearly see in the Bible the humble attitude of all sincere servants of God—in Jesus himself and in the apostles. When writing their letters, the apostles all referred to themselves as “servants” or “slaves” of Jesus Christ because they were aware of their unworthiness before God.

The modern Christian is often no longer capable of this. Praying on one's knees is almost extinct, and people are more inclined to crown themselves than to bow down in humility before God. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Yet how many Christians today are unwilling to bow down before one another and wash each other's feet? Here, too, Jesus showed his disciples a practical example they should emulate: "For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you" (John 13:15).

Genuine conversion – a prerequisite for a life as a Christian

Superficial people can change their minds very quickly. Especially in this time, when we live in freedom and abundance, the creeping decline from genuine, sacrificial, and devoted Christianity is becoming noticeable. A lack of awareness of sin and conformity to the spirit of the age are very widespread among Christians. True repentance, conversion, and rebirth often don't occur at all. Without having experienced this fundamental transformation of life, people come to churches and thus live with the false assurance of their salvation. They believe they are saved and will go to heaven, but they don't suspect that they are deceived people who will not see the kingdom of heaven.

In John 3:3 we read what Jesus said to a scribe who apparently wanted to discuss the kingdom of heaven with him. “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Very truly I tell you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”

Before Jesus began his ministry, John the Baptist preached the baptism of repentance at the Jordan River. He prepared people for the one who had come from heaven to bring salvation: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (Matthew 3:2). And Jesus used these very same words when he began to preach: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!’” (Matthew 4:17). “Repentance” has become an unpopular topic for sermons, and yet it is the beginning, the first step that must be taken to receive salvation.

Willingness to suffer – a distinguishing characteristic of true Christians

Paul mentions another crucial difference between true and false Christians. False Christians existed then, and their numbers are increasing today. They are enemies of the cross of Christ. This difference is also a very important distinguishing characteristic among Christians: the willingness to accept and bear the cross. In Matthew 10:38, we read how Jesus said, "And whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

I personally witnessed a preacher in a church service refusing to sing a verse of a hymn because it dealt with suffering. It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer's hymn "By Gracious Powers So Wonderfully Sheltered." The third verse reads: "And if you offer us the heavy cup, the bitter one, filled to the brim with suffering, then we will gratefully take it without trembling from your good and loving hand." Someone in the congregation had requested this hymn. The preacher suggested omitting this verse because he wanted no suffering in his life, only joy and well-being. And everyone immediately agreed. How would we react if God allowed suffering in our lives? Jesus says to us: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me" (Matthew 11:29).

Throughout history, Christians have had to endure persecution and suffering. Alexander Konradi, our former presiding bishop, had a dream as a young servant of God in the former USSR. He dreamt that he was called out at a large school event and received a special award in front of the entire school. He was to be transferred to a special secondary school for five years in recognition of his excellent performance. When he awoke, he told his wife about the dream, and she immediately offered her interpretation. She said to him, “You will have to go to prison for five years for your faith.” Shortly afterward, he was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for preaching the Gospel. His wife, who was heavily pregnant at the time, had only one request of him: “Alexander, remain faithful! I don’t want a husband who is unfaithful to God. Don’t worry about us; God will not abandon us.” Such were the qualities of the teachers and their wives who shared the Word of God with us.

Our fathers and mothers in faith set an example.

Today, we are fortunate enough to have learned from people who embodied this spirit. They were men and women willing to serve and to suffer. Some of them spent up to 20 years in prison for their faith. They preferred to pray on their knees and were prepared to wash one another's feet—not just in theory, but in practice.

They preached the gospel even though they knew they could be arrested and imprisoned for it. Even in prison, they didn't remain silent. They shared the truth at every opportunity, and despite persecution and imprisonment, people came to Jesus Christ and were saved. Their home was always open to welcome guests, warmly and lovingly hosting them and offering them a place to stay. In Hebrews 13:2 we read: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it."

They had large families and, despite difficult circumstances, accepted each child as a gift from God. They were willing to endure great hardship and much ridicule to bring these children into the world and raise them for the glory of God. They were prepared to forgive their enemies and persecutors and hold no bitterness against them because they wanted to obey the word of Jesus, who commanded us: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

They also gladly gave to the poor and had a compassionate heart for all those in need. Brother Eduard Buchmüller, a former pastor of our congregation who died during an aid transport to Armenia, told me about his mother. Even in the most difficult times after the war, when she herself was nearly starving, she still thought of the poor. She had to provide for seven children and a blind grandfather all on her own because her husband had been deported to the labor army. They were always hungry, but every evening, the mother would set aside a piece of bread, thinking, "Perhaps a poor person will come to our door who is even hungrier than we are, and then I want to be able to give them a piece of bread." Her guiding principle was the verse from the Book of Ecclesiastes: "Send your bread upon the waters, and after a long time you will find it again" (Ecclesiastes 11:1). Her children never forgot this motto and lived by it as well.

What do we do with our intellectual heritage?

We should emulate such teachers and believers because they had hearts full of love and followed the One who loved us even unto death. Their wives also obediently aligned their lives with the Word of God. It was important to them to be faithful to their husbands, to love them, and to submit to them in all things. They managed their households in the fear of God, loved their children, and were ready to accept all difficulties from God's hand and overcome them with His help. They renounced jewelry and other vanities and lived a life of humility and devotion, as the Word of God teaches in the First Epistle of Peter:

“Likewise, wives should submit to their own husbands, so that even if some refuse to believe the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of the wives when they see your godly way of life. Your adornment should not be external—braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry or clothing—but the inner person of the heart, with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight. For this is how the holy women of old adorned themselves, those who put their hope in God and submitted to their husbands, just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him ‘Lord.’ You are their daughters if you do what is right and do not let fear frighten you” (1 Peter 3:1-6).

Do we still have such teachers today, whose example and legacy we can follow, and whose lives are very similar to those of our Lord Jesus and the apostles?

 

The foundations of faith are in danger

Regarding faithfulness, we are currently experiencing a great upheaval in the Western world. Many marriages, even within Christian circles, are breaking down. Faithfulness and cohesion within churches are also becoming increasingly superficial. Paul writes of his co-workers: "Those who risked their lives for me, to whom not only I but also all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful" (Romans 6:4). In times of persecution, the solidarity among Christians was different. Today, we unfortunately have to acknowledge that Christians are willing to leave the church for even the most trivial reasons and turn their backs on the church in which they have served God for many years.

Many are abandoning their beliefs and questioning the creed of previous generations, which was based on the Word of God and remained faithful and steadfast. They are doubting church structures that have proven themselves over decades and attempting to redefine matters of faith using their own intellect. Increasingly, young people are emerging who boast of a higher understanding and are prepared to discard all established guidelines of faith and apply them in a modern, unworthy manner.

Modern religious movements often place humanity and its needs at the center. God is thus portrayed as the one who is there to fulfill all desires. The focus is then not on the absolute will of God, but on selfish humanity with its carnal desires.

False teachers everywhere are seizing upon these guidelines and teaching a Christianity that emphasizes only God's love and leaves no room for the admonitions and rebukes so necessary in our lives. In many churches today, sin is no longer even discussed. Modern people also refuse to have their lives interfered in in any way. Thus, in many congregations, a Christian's clothing is never mentioned. Everyone is free to dress as they please, even if it is quite obviously immodest and revealing.

While on vacation, we attended a church service at a congregation we hadn't known before. A woman wearing high heels entered the service, and she must have caught everyone's attention. Her head was half-shaved, and her overall appearance was quite provocative. I later discovered she was the daughter of a pastor. Paul describes this with the words: "They boast of their shame; their minds are set on earthly things" (cf. Phil 3:19). Many churches today believe they must adapt to the world as much as possible to minimize the barrier for non-believers. They fail to realize that by doing so, they grieve the Holy Spirit and completely hinder His work. Such churches will not last and will very soon vanish.

The correct handling of the Word of God is crucial.

A very great danger in our time is the careless handling of the Word of God. I once heard a well-known preacher say the following: "I can imagine that the Antichrist will come from the charismatic movement." This immediately piqued my interest, and I was very curious about the reasoning behind his statement. I should point out that he gave this sermon about 40 years ago. His reasoning was: "They handle the Word of God very superficially. They lack thorough and profound study of Scripture. And therefore, they are very easily led astray by false and superficial teachings."

Jesus once said to His listeners, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify about me. Yet you refuse to come to me to receive life” (John 5:39-40). They searched the Scriptures, but they did not allow the Spirit of God to work in their lives. They did not allow their own understanding and perceptions to be influenced by the Spirit of God and thus became enemies of the truth, enemies of the cross of Christ. In the end, they cried out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” They did not understand the Scriptures correctly and thus, as believers, did the will of Satan and not the will of God.

How important it is in our time to have a correct understanding of the Word. To be guided by the Spirit of God, but also to pay close attention to whom we learn from. There are so many teachers today, and it has become truly difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. But the Word of God gives us an important tool for discernment. In Matthew 7:20 it says: “By their fruits you will recognize them.”

For my part, I want to orient myself toward those teachers who follow the Word of God as closely as possible, who live their lives in the fear of God, and who lead exemplary lives in all areas of life, as the Word of God teaches. Let us emulate those who were willing to lay their lives on the altar for the Lord and follow in His footsteps, even if it meant suffering. May God bless everyone in this.

Ernst Fischer

Municipality of Cloppenburg