Are You Experienced?

But that is not the way you learned Christ! (Eph 4:20).

Fire up the Flux Capacitor and think back to those days in high school math.  Pick a class.  Any class.  It really doesn't matter.  Do you remember wondering what's the point.  Why am I learning this stuff?  When will I ever need to solve the Quadratic Equation in the real world?  I don't need to figure out the cosign but I might need to find someone to co-sign.  That's because knowledge means nothing until you put it into practice.  You need to roll up your sleeves and use what you learn.  You need experience.  

Paul looks back on what his Ephesian friends have learned about Jesus and compared it to how unbelievers flunked God's midterm.  "But that is not the way you learned Christ!" (v20).  As opposed to the Gentile outsiders, these folks have come to truly understand what it means to trust in Jesus by putting it into practice.  This isn't like some long lost lesson from Trig that seems tangent to real life.  You learn about Jesus by doing life with Him.  You learn about Jesus by trusting in who He says He is.  You learn about Jesus by trusting in what He's done.  You learn about Jesus from using His teaching.  You learn about Jesus by obeying His commands.  You learn about Jesus from experience.  

Are you experienced?

This itty bitty verse is chocked full of history and context.  Paul reminds the Ephesian believers of what went down during his three years there (Acts 20:31).  Three wild years.  Three VERY wild years.  Dr. Luke spends an entire chapter detailing those crazy days when God used the apostle turn the big city upside down (Acts 19).  After teaching local Jews that Jesus is their long-awaited Messiah, he got booted out of the Ephesian synagogue.  Paul leveraged that to his advantage and moved his lectures down the street to Tyrannus Hall.  That opened up the doors for non-Jews to hear about Jesus.  The Gospel was changing more than just the citizens of Ephesus but people from the entire region.  Paul didn't just teach, he performed miracles.  Even his shop rags were healing people!  There was the huge bonfire of magic books when Ephesian mystics turned their back on their demonic mojo and turned to Jesus.  Paul's three-year gig in the big port city ended with a huge riot and a wild scene at the outdoor amphitheater.  

For those who came to faith in Jesus during those days, it was quite an experience.  They discovered what it means to trust Jesus in the most trying of circumstances.  That's what Paul is talking about here.  He uses the the Greek verb manthano, which means to find out, discover, ascertain, learn by experience, understand, learn by use and practice.  The apostle reminds them how they truly found out what it means to follow Jesus.  He reminds them how they discovered how He would never fail them.  He reminds them how they learned about His teaching by using it and putting it into practice.  He reminds them that they learned from experience.

Are you experienced?

This kind of practical education can be either formal or informal.  Jewish leaders couldn't figure out how Jesus could teach so well "when He has never studied (Gr. manthano)" under one of the big name rabbis (Jn 7:15).  Jesus busted the Pharisees' highly educated chops by telling giving them homework.  "Go and learn (Gr. manthano) what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice'" (Mt 9:13).  And Paul let the folks in Philippi know that experience has taught him that Jesus is all he needs no matter what's going on.  "I have learned (Gr. manthano) in whatever situation to be content" (Phil 4:11).  Learning by practical application.  Learning from experience.

What's your experience?  Have you taken what you know and believe about Jesus and put it to work in your daily life?  What do you know about Him?  Have you placed your trust in what you know?  Let's take just a moment and make sure we're talking about the Jesus that Paul's talking about.  Jesus is the one and only Son of God.  He's fully God.  100%.  He lived the perfect life of obedience to God's standard that we completely failed to live.  He died the death for our sin that we should have died.  He rose to a glorious new life that we in no way deserve.  And He's given each of His followers His Holy Spirit to empower us to live a life of obedience.  When we trust in who He is, what He's done and live in the power of His Spirit, we learn about Christ.  That's exactly what Jesus' brother James meant when he said that faith in Christ without actions isn't faith at all (James 2:17).  Put your faith to work.  Put your faith into practice.  Experience what it means to truly trust and follow Jesus.  The Ephesians did.  Why don't you?

Are you experienced?

Would love your thoughts on what you just read.  Feel free to add your comments below.