A second identifying praxis of Hebraic Christian Global Community is its commitment to study and learning. The ancient synagogue that was the prototype for the earliest Christian communities was called a Beit Midrash, a House of Study. This is why the earliest believers “continued steadfast” in the “apostles’ teaching” as well as in their fellowship (Acts 2:42).
Learning is humankind’s highest endowment. Life is for learning, and learning is for life.” This is Hebraic thinking at its finest. Ignorance is the mark not of spirituality or of humility but of sloth and indifference. The Hebrew people were a culture of learning, of study, and of education. These were the people who “searched the Scriptures” daily to ascertain the truth (John 5:39; 1 Peter 1:10; Acts 17:11).
This community of study understands that, in the biblical tradition, study is one of the highest forms of worship. It is through study that the individual and the community learns of God and his Word so that all can be submitted fully to the divine will. When one is actively involved in submitting to God, this is the highest level of the act of prostration before the Divine, the very essence of the word worship according to his Word in both Hebrew and Greek languages.
Interactive study is the hallmark of Hebraic Christian Global Community. In this process everyone in the community has a contribution to make to the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom of all other individuals and of the community itself. Those who learn together learn for life, and they discover that knowledge and understanding are expanded exponentially when they are experienced interactively.
Such a community of study understands that wisdom and knowledge are means of stability and are the strength of salvation (Isaiah 33:6). This spiritual family knows from experience that God’s Word is a lamp to their feet and a light to their pathway (Psalm 119:105). They have been “sanctified” through God’s truth (John 17:17) and washed by the Word (Ephesians 5:26).
This community is committed to all kinds and all levels of learning, for it understands that there is no dichotomy between spiritual understanding and secular knowledge. All understanding comes from the inspiration of God and is beneficial for humankind when understood and practiced within the parameters that he established for its blessing.
Taking its cue from Abraham, this community of learning begins by teaching children in the home (Genesis 18:19), then by educating and equipping believers for the works of ministry that make every human vocation a ministry of the Spirit. This is a cradle-to-grave commitment to learning that honors study as a high form of worship that is honoring to God and beneficial to humankind.
This community of learning is a culture in which servant leaders assume the responsibility for the transfer of knowledge and understanding that leads to wisdom. It is a commitment to interactive study that features teaching and dialogue, as well as life-learning paradigms. It is a true “come-let-us-reason-together” community that enriches every member by its passion for learning. It is a community in which true scholarship grounded in intense love of God is the foundation of worship and service.