1 Timothy 1:6-7 Some … have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about…

After the service, a guest preacher was bragging about his lack of education. “I don’t have no schoolin.” He said. A member of the congregation, not known for his tact, replied, “That is the only thing you have said tonight that I believe without question.”

God calls every Christian to share their testimony. We do not need education to be effective in sharing our personal experience of God’s grace and mercy. Even the most uneducated person can relate with passion the wondrous work that God has done in their life. However, the work of preachers and teachers is not primarily that of being a witness. Their task is to educate and train fellow Christians in matters of sound doctrine and righteous living. It is impossible to teach someone what you do not know. An unlearned and uneducated leader will end up leading an ignorant church. God does call uneducated people to ministry, but that call is never a call to remain uneducated.

I have witnessed congregations that resulted from a long history of uneducated and under educated leadership. They were not having their minds renewed and transformation was not taking place in their lives. Through faith, they were spiritually right with God, but they were not growing into spiritual maturity and righteous living. Too many of their board meetings, classroom and fellowship discussions fell within Paul’s description of “meaningless talk”. That is not God’s plan for his people.

Too often, we judge preachers by their ability to be entertaining, fascinating or funny. A preacher’s primary responsibility is to deliver a message from God. We know that a message is from God when the preacher shows how he found it in scripture. Discovering truth in God’s word uses skills that an education in Biblical studies provides. Christian education never stops; the more we learn, the more we realize we have more to learn.