Parrots or Disciples? When Teaching Becomes Real

Cindy Warner
Jan 22
3 min read

*"Christ is all and in all" - Colossians 3:11*

You know what a parrot does, right? It repeats. Perfectly. Word for word.

"Five steps to spiritual growth!" "Ten ways to overcome anxiety!" "Seven keys to victorious living!"

The parrot can say it all. Flawlessly. But here's the problem: when false teaching walks in the door, the parrot has no idea what it's looking at.

The Difference That Changes Everything

I've been teaching women's Bible studies for 49 years. Some of these precious women I've known from birth. I've watched them grow in Christ. I've seen them weather storms. I've celebrated their victories and wept through their valleys.

And here's what I've learned: there's a world of difference between teaching women formulas and teaching them from lived experience.

Formulas sound spiritual. They're neat. Organized. Easy to remember.

But they don't build discernment.

What Real Teaching Looks Like

We've got women of all ages in our studies, including a 94-year-old! Now that's some serious wisdom! These ladies and their stories really show that Christ is alive in them. It's not just theory or memorized routines. It's real.

When I teach, I'm not pulling out a list I downloaded from the internet. I'm teaching from years and years of life experience:

Dick and I came out of some of the charismatic false teaching in the late '70s
We've walked women through deliverance from spiritual abuse
I had my own 1990 burnout that taught me the difference between living FROM Christ versus FOR Christ
We've seen what works and what destroys

That women can't be taught from a manual. It has to come from the trenches.

The Foundation That Changed Our Lives

You know what helped Dick and me most? Even before Bible school? Watchman Nee's teaching: "Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things."

That one book. That one truth. It shaped everything.

Not Christ + five steps. Not Christ + psychology. Not Christ + positive thinking. Not Christ + anything.

Just Christ.

Christ Himself is the answer. Union with Christ. His life lived through you, not your effort for Him. The cross breaking self-effort and performance.

Christ as sufficient for EVERYTHING. This theology protected us when we came out of false teaching. It's guided us for 49+ years. It's what I teach women, week after week.

And Then the Holy Spirit Showed Me...

Recently, I had this revelation: Watchman Nee wasn't making up something new.

He was unpacking Colossians.

Look at what Paul fought in that little church:

"You need Christ + Jewish law + angel worship + mystical experiences + secret knowledge."

Sound familiar?

Today it's: "You need Christ + positive thinking + psychology + formulas + the right experience."

Paul's Answer = Our Answer

Colossians 1:27 - "Christ in you, the hope of glory" Not Christ + your effort. CHRIST IN YOU.

Colossians 2:9-10 - "In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him" Not Christ + psychology. You are COMPLETE in Him.

Colossians 2:8 - "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit...and not according to Christ" This is what we came out of! Human tradition that ADDS to Christ.

Colossians 3:3-4 - "Your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears..." CHRIST IS OUR LIFE. Not "Christ helps our life." HE IS THE LIFE.

Do you see it?

Paul was teaching the same thing Watchman Nee taught. The same thing we've been living and teaching for almost 50 years.

"Christ is all and in all." (Colossians 3:11)

Why This Matters for You

When you know Christ as your LIFE - not just your helper, not just your Savior everything changes.

You're not memorizing formulas like a parrot. You're not collecting steps and techniques. You're not trying to manage life with Jesus' assistance. You're living FROM Him. His indwelling life. His sufficiency. His peace in the middle of your crisis.

This is revelation knowledge - and the Holy Spirit makes it reality in our lives.

This is what I want for every woman I teach. Not information. Not formulas.

Transformation.

Because Christ really is the sum of all spiritual things.

And when you know that - really know it, live it, breathe it - you can't be fooled by the parrots anymore.

Love, Cindy