Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

September 25
Friday


THE TEACHER
AS A MIDWIFE

READ:
Galatians 4:12-20
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My little children, for
whom I labor in birth
again until Christ is
formed in you.
__Galatians 4:19
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The mother of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was a mid-wife. So Socrates grew up observing that she assisted women in bringing new life into the world. This experience later influenced his teaching method. Socrates said, "My art of midwifery is in general like theirs; the only difference is that my patients are men, not women, and my concern is not with the body but with the soul that is in travail of birth.


Instead of just passing information on to his students, Socrates used the sometimes painful process of asking probing questions to help them arrive at their own conclusions. Teaching them to think seemed at times like the travail of childbirth.

Paul expressed a similar idea in discipling believers in the faith when he said, "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you" (Gal. 4:19). Paul was concerned that each believer grow to spiritual maturity in chirstlikeness (Eph. 4:13).

Becoming like Christ is a lifelong experience; therefore, we need patience with others and ourselves. All of us will have challenges and disappointments along the way. But if we put our trust in Him, we'll grow spiritually and have character qualities that will radiate new life.
__DENNIS FISHER
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````````````Lord, help us see how much we need each other`````````
`````````````````As we walk along the Christian way;``````````````
```````````````In fellowship with sister and with brother,````````````
`````````````You will keep us growing day by day. __Hess``````````
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Conversion is the miracle of a moment;
maturing takes a lifetime.

************Today's Bible Reading __ Galatians 4:12-20************

12 Brethren, I urge you to
become like me, for I
became like you. You have
not injured me at all. 13 You
know that because of
physical infirmity I
preached the gospel to you
at the first. 14 And my trial
which was in my flesh you
did not despise or reject,
but you received me as an
angel of God, even as
Christ Jesus. 15 What then
was the blessing you
enjoyed? For I bear you
witness that, if possible,
you would have plucked out
your own eyes and given
them to me. 36 Have I
therefore become your
enemy because I tell you
the truth?

17 They zealously court
you, but for no good; yes,
they want to exclude you,
that you may be zealous for
them. 18 But it is good to be
zealous in a good thing
always, and not only when I
am present with you. 19 My
little children, for whom I
labor in birth again until
Christ is formed in you.

20 I would like to be present
with you now and to change
my tone; for I have doubts
about you.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Paul did not give specifics about his physical infirmity (v.13) or "my
trial which was in my flesh" (v.14). It was possibly the same "thorn
in the flesh" he wrote about in 2 Corinthians 12:7. Galatians 4:15
suggests that Paul could have had an eye ailment, hinted at again
when he said he wrote with large letters (6:11). This may have been
the residue effect of being blinded in the encounter with the risen
Christ on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:3,9) some 15 years earlier.
__SIM KAY TEE