1. Educating for Eternity: Imitating the Master

2. How do you perceive education. Useful or not
How do you perceive education? Useful or not? “Only the educated are free.” ― Epictetus
“Education is the passport to the future” –Malcolm X
With all the good things we have said about education some philosophers and thinkers see education as the problem rather than the solution to the human predicament: I will give you a sampling of their evaluation of what education is:

3. Perceptions Education is a system of imposed ignorance ― Noam Chomsky
It is because of teachers that so little is learned, and that so badly – Frederich Nietzsche

6. Festus accused Paul: Too “much learning doth make thee mad” (Acts 26:24,KJV)

7. Why the negative perceptions?

8. Education without value is useless or worse

11. What is on your mind?
“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he” (Prov. 23:7).

12. Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator—individuality, power to think and to do… It is the work of true education to develop this power, to train the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men's thought.” - Ellen G. White

13. “I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.” ― Martin Luther

14. Imitate the Master Jesus
If we are to educate for eternity…we have to imitate Jesus.
Christ says, “Learn of me…” (Matt11:29)
We must have the character of Christ…
He says, “I am meek”. We must humble ourselves. Education has a way of puffing up. We no longer want to learn. We become arrogant…

15. Ellen G. White says: “Our ideas of education (are) too narrow”.
We do not educate just by what we say …more of the teachings comes by our attitudes, actions and our influence.
If it is just by what we say God will not tell us to, “Go to the ants…” (Prov 6:6) [industry, team spirit, foresight/insight, strategic planning
Rock badgers are feeble but make their homes in the rocks…we build our houses on sand
The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks (Pro 30:27 NKJ)…we prefer to advance in disarray or do not advance at all.
Jesus lived what he taught. We must be what we teach…

16. We need help

17. We disagree with Immanuel Kant who contended that “ought always implies can”.
Jesus says, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
We disagree with behaviorism
We were created in the image of God…we are moral agents…with the freedom to make choices (Gen 1:27). The homosexuals and the lesbians are saying “leave us alone…”

18. We cannot walk our talk if we do not ask for grace
We need the wisdom that comes from God to teach effectively . If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (Jam 1:5 NKJ)
All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children. (Isa 54:13 NKJ)

19. No matter what we teach our students there would still be some things that would not be taught. They need to be taught by the Lord. I teach ethics. In all my years in the University nothing prepared me for the experience I had a few years ago The experience…

20. We need to imitate Christ…We need to be taught of the Lord.
How do you think you can educate for eternity if you cannot educate for this world we live in?
We need help from God.
SDA 505 [first stanza]