Just as we amateur sailors need a landmark – a hill or island – to aim at to keep us on course, so every believer needs a ready reference point, a verse or phrase of Scripture to help him set his course and keep him there. Mine is I Corinthians 4:6b, RSV: “… Learn by us to live according to Scripture.”
For my own life, the goal is “To learn to live according to Scripture.” For all decisions and conduct, the question must always be, “What does the Bible say about this?” The decision must always be to obey.
The goal for my ministry is simply to help others learn to live according to Scripture, and to learn from them the same thing. Together WE LEARN TO LIVE ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE.
Observing what Pastor Geiger wrote about this principle, I see an element that our church emphasizes: learning in community. That includes a lot of fun, positive things, some hard work, and some no-nos. For instance, in the community of Christ-followers, I learn (read AM learning) to guard my tongue, to never gossip, never slander. I learn from the excellent example of others, occasionally bumping up against the guard rail imposed by their obedience. As Pastor Geiger wrote [here I flip his emphasis], “TOGETHER we learn to live according to scripture.”