Ambassador College of Christian Ministry
Jesus was a teacher, and he often shared his lessons through stories. It makes sense then for us to learn about him through stories. But sometimes these stories don’t quite make sense, or we draw ‘interesting’ conclusions from them.
The purpose of studying Scripture is not to come up with the most unique interpretation. Is it not to get to know Jesus, who he was and his message for us? An understanding of historical and literary context in the Scriptures illuminates our understanding of Jesus.
Ambassador College of Christian Ministry (ACCM) offers courses to do just that, most notably The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ, held most recently in Brisbane, Australia. Taught with remarkable theological insight and fervor, these courses unwrap the greatest story of all, enriching our lifelong spiritual walk. Below is an introduction to the course, and after that, comments from some of the students.
Geoff McLean
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The best news: The Life and Teachings of Jesus
By Geoff McLean
“…you all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates.”
-Matthew 23:10b, The Message
The Ambassador College of Christian Ministry (ACCM) held another of its intensives recently in Brisbane, Australia. For two days participants explored arguably the single most important event in history, The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ, unwrapped with tremendous theological insight and fervour by John McLean, Mike Feazell and Randy Bloom.
A quick Google search on weekend intensives and workshops yielded some interesting results. Everything from Yoga and the Chi-Ball method for harmony, to Coding HTML; from Lifestyle Financial Planning to Infection Control in Dentistry- and anything in-between. Creative Beading anyone? Queen Bee Breeding on a Sunday? Whether for business or pleasure, these two-day classes demand top dollar.
The purpose of drawing attention to these intensives is not to discount them. To their targeted audience, they can be of tremendous value. Rather, particularly to the conscientious Christian, it serves to focus on the relevance and inherent value of the courses on offer by ACCM, especially the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ class. If, as we learn in John 14:9, “anyone who has seen [Jesus] has seen the Father” then stacking crates to get the best view is not a bad idea. Through Jesus we see what God is really like. After completing the Life and Teachings class, the view has only improved.
The Gospels are what formed and shaped the church, and are what serve as the ‘textbooks’ for the class. In a rare turn of events for students the world over, it is perhaps the first occasion where the text for a course had actually been read prior to the commencement of class. These four books provide a basis for the understanding of who Jesus was. Through our own reading, we can form a basis for who Jesus IS.
The Life and Teachings course coaches you to get the most out of your reading by addressing the need to analyse and interpret it. In Fee and Stuart’s (1993) book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, the role of the reader as an interpreter is discussed. For better or for worse, “we invariably bring to the text all that we are, all of our experiences, culture and prior understanding of words and ideas.” The example was given on the weekend of the three letter word ‘run’. A ladder can run in a stocking, a computer can run well, you can run fast in a race, you can even run a weekend intensive. In fact the word run has hundreds of different meanings, so understanding its meaning in context is essential for interpreting its place in the text.
This process of examining the context of the text is known as exegesis. What did the author mean when he wrote this? What did his audience understand him to mean? What was the historical context at the time of writing? Taking into account the audience and Historical and Literary context are essential.
Day two of the course began with a brief history lesson on Roman times leading up to the birth of Jesus and first century Palestine. Having a basic knowledge of the culture and times in which Jesus lived and taught proved very illuminating when gathering further meaning from perhaps otherwise familiar text.
In this case, the texts are a different kind of biography. Biographies are typically written posthumously. They describe with finality the achievements of their subject. The authors of the gospels sat down with their quill many years after the events they describe, decades after Jesus walked amongst them. More importantly, long after He had ‘died’.
Uniquely, the authors of Jesus’ biography wrote with the conviction that their subject is still alive: that Jesus was resurrected. We’re not talking about a biography of George Clooney to supplement box-office sales. I’ve heard of celebrity careers being resurrected, but no examples of stars coming back to life. Jesus died and lives again.
This is the centrality that Christianity hinges on and the event through which the gospels must be interpreted. Jesus is not just a teacher, not just a good prophet, not just a good philosopher. This is someone who’s fundamental claim is to reveal God. His influence did not end with his life. To be sure, the great impact he was to have on all mankind merely began on the cross, through to the resurrection and his ascension to heaven.
Learning about Jesus, and in turn getting to know the Father is a lifelong process. Group learning experiences allow insights to be shared, especially when presented in such an insightful and committed way by the ACCM instructors. The resurrection of Christ as written in the gospels opens up the confidence and comfort to share the Good News, the best news, the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ.
References:
Fee, G.D. & Stuart, D. 1993, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible, 2nd ed, Zondervan Publishing House, USA, pp. 13-27.
It’s not everyday that an in-depth and profound discussion on the life and teachings of Jesus occurs in a pub, but that is exactly what happened on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 February in the conference room of the Newman Hotel, not far from the blinking lights of the gaming machines and the cool amber nectar.
The class (otherwise referred to as an ‘intensive’), was administered by the Ambassador Collage of Christian Ministry’, commonly known as the ACCM. This class was about the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ and lived up to its promise – it was intensive… but very rewarding.
The class was made up of 45 students of varying ages and included a number from interstate. We were very fortunate to have two facilitators join us from the US - Mike Feazell and Randy Boom. (Mike and Randy stayed in town after attending the National Pastoral Conference). These extremely knowledgeable gents teamed up with our very own John McLean to guide us through the wealth of material included in this intensive.
The class explored the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, with an in-depth look at his teachings and how they apply today. We gained an understanding of the gospels and the times in which Jesus lived. Particular attention was paid to the principles of good Bible study (exegesis) that enable us to properly understand the text.
Certainly a worthwhile class! Christianity is founded on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the class gave us the opportunity to explore the method and content of Jesus' teachings – the basis of our faith!
Colleen Seymour had nothing but praise for our facilitators:
Mike Feazell...wow what a communicator and you get the feeling that he was talking directly to you ... he is so full of knowledge and understanding, I felt I could listen to him every day as a teacher. He was so willing to explain when questions were asked of him, his history knowledge of the bible was so intriguing he had you in the scene. How lucky are we to have him in our fellowship, and to be taught by him was incredible. Randy Bloom was equally as knowledgeable, and had a different and lighter way of communicating the message. I feel he fell in the "sink" with our Aussie humor at times which was great, and he had me hanging onto every word wondering what else was I going to hear! And then of course we had our very own John McLean, what can anyone say about John that we haven't heard before... John is just a wonderful intelligent man who walks so close to God and knows Him so well. The weekend ended too quickly for me and I’d like to say thank you to God and to all who had a part in organising this intensive course, and yes I would love to be part of another.”
Alex and Sue Franco also commented on the speakers and was impressed with the learning environment:
We found the presenters very encouraging in their approach and direction. Mike Feazell for his academic knowledge and Randy Bloom for his Aussie-like approach to the gospels application. We also appreciated the 'real' comments and perspectives of all attendees during the learning weekend. This all created for a comfortable, open environment for positive learning and quality time together."
Rachel Parker said:
in gaining a better understanding of Jesus and all that He means to us as evidenced in the gospels and the Bible in general. I am looking forward to going through the workbook again more slowly and really digesting it. That said, when is the next intensive?!”
Luke Webber commented:
“I thought it was an excellent weekend!! I was expecting more of a two day sermon about the life and teachings of JC rather than the more topical discussions on context, interpretation, history etc. The later was a welcome surprise. It was great to have so much experience in the room and I was really glad to have the opportunity to cross check / calibrate my thinking / feelings against the experts during the group work when were contextually interpreting the bible (presentations are fine, as long as I can sit up the back and take notes).
I found the intensive to be a valuable learning experience and would definitely do another one.”
Max Smith also commented on the wider application of the teaching of this class:
“I found the ACCM Intensive on the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ a quality, preliminary program in exegesis generally and of the Gospels in particular. Those attending were more than fortunate to have present Dr Feazell, John McLean and Randy Bloom. We really scored the A team of lecturers, all very knowledgeable, insightful and importantly most approachable. It was clear from the course that all scripture, in particular the Old Covenant, must be considered and understood through the “Christ event”, the coming of Jesus, the Son of God. To do so helps us avoid errors in understanding. Also, an understanding of the history of the period before and at the time of Christ’s earthly ministry, an understanding of the gospels authors’ audience and the literary devices used can add to our individual and collective abilities to understand Biblical teachings and their application to each of us today.”
The weekend was very well received by everyone and I think the overall feelings of the group and excellent quality of the teaching material we have in ACCM was best summed by Laura Cohen:
“Well this is my third time doing the life and teachings intensive so I think I qualify as an addict.”
So take the word of a group of addicts meeting in a pub, and jump at the chance to attend the next ACCM class!
