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Welcome to the footnote¹ blog. Our goal each day is to examine a verse and give a short summary in commentary form or simply an encouraging note to help you remain faithful to God throughout the week. Either way we hope that the footnote¹ blog will comfort you through God's word and give you a better understanding of His will.
Television
What’s Your Excuse for not Teaching Others?
Thursday, June 08, 2017
“Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” (Acts 8.4, ESV)¹
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¹In the context, Christians were dealing with persecution including prison time, beatings, and/or death (See the books of Acts). Despite this, Christians went about preaching the word. In fact, since the Christians were so diligent in teaching others, Luke recorded in Acts that the church multiplied by the thousands and yet persecutions abounded!
What’s our excuse for not teaching others? Is it the television? Coming home after a long day and putting up our feet to watch T.V. sounds great. Is it the internet? Spending time surfing the net and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter is very relaxing. Is it tiredness? Indeed, forty to fifty hours a week at work can be exhausting. Too many activities? Little Johnny has soccer, Suzie has softball, Bobby has piano lessons, Bill has chess club, etc. Of course, these activities are necessary.
Surely one can see the sarcasm above. Simply put, we put too much before our God. We focus on the wrong things. We fill our lives with so much that we neglect spiritual things. If we find ourselves not teaching sinners, isn’t it time we examine our lives and discover what we need to eliminate to make time?
Perhaps time is not the issue. Perhaps a lack of knowledge is the reason why we do not teach. What are we doing about that, brethren? Are we diligently studying? Are we seeking to learn God’s word to teach our family or friends?
Here are the facts: If Christians in the first century lived in a time with no electricity and no modern-day comforts, and dealt with constant hardship due to persecution and yet still taught sinners, then God will not accept our excuses of being too tired, wanting to watch our favorite television shows, or that little billy has football practice every afternoon, etc. It is scary how many of us will be using those excuses on judgment day!
If you want to learn about God’s will, please e-mail Bryan Garlock, message us on Facebook, or text 903.308.405.