Until I come, pay attention to reading, to exhortation, and to teaching.
This trilogy of descriptive words portrays a balanced diet of instruction from God’s word. Always there is need for the simple reading of God’s word. What does the Bible actually say? There is ever a need for exhortation to avoid that which is wrong and to continue that which is right. Emotional appeals to hate evil and love right lead us to change our lives for the better. Finally, we cannot do without biblical indoctrination to the truth on all issues. While exhortations provoke us to act, it is mandatory that our faith be rooted and grounded in the logical, thorough, reasoned exposition of God’s word. This indoctrination must not be neglected in our congregational teaching. It is, in fact, the distinguishing factor separating the church from all false religions. The denominational world teaches the need for moral upright living, but the Lord’s church must teach not only morality but also true doctrine on each issue.