“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.”
Romans 12:6-7 NLT
What comes into our minds when we think about teachers? Someone standing at the front of a classroom, piece of chalk in hand, writing equations on a chalkboard? If so, this was not the sort of person that Paul had in mind when he wrote about those who have the gift of teaching. In modern days, we find there are several effective teaching methods, often used with varying results to an audience, often hostile and unreceptive, such as in some of our schools. But in the Christian sense, a teacher is someone who can expound Scripture, delivering truths and guidance to receptive people. What better place to start than with the best Teacher there has ever been – Jesus Himself?
Matthew 4:23, “Jesus travelled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness“. Matthew 7:29, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law“. Jesus was a well-regarded and successful Teacher because He taught from a position of experience. He could teach about the Kingdom of God because He was God. He could teach about the Good News because He was the Good News. He could teach about healing because He healed those who were sick. Unlike the Jewish teachers of His day, He didn’t just teach about something. Because of this, the people of His day noticed that He taught with authority.
In our Christian environments, our teachers are, of course, not divine in their teaching. They are human beings like the rest of us. But God helps them to teach, and teach well with a gift of teaching. Paul encouraged Timothy to appoint Elders in the church he was overseeing. He wrote, “So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2 – emphasis mine). Paul also wrote about Elders to Titus, as we read in Titus 1:9, “He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong“. So in Paul’s day, the church leaders were expected to be able to teach their congregations. In the days of the early church, before the Canon of Scripture had been established, erroneous teaching was common, and Paul warned Titus about teachers of error. In Titus 1 he continued, “Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good” (Titus 1:15-16). Now that we have our Bibles, we have a solid foundation for our teachers to follow, and, like the Berean Christians in Acta 17:11, we can check them out, “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth“.
But it is not just Biblical teachers who teach us. Colossians 3:16, “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts“. Part of our responsibilities in living the Christian life is to “teach and counsel each other”. What do we teach? “The message about Christ”, as Paul said. But, on reflection, we are indeed all teachers. It may not be in a formal setting. It may just be a brief conversation at the church door, or over a coffee. As we share life together, we can unconsciously teach each other. And we look to God for the gift that enables us to teach well.
Dear Father God. We are life-long learners, always looking to You, the Source of all that we are. Please continue to equip us to share our faith and teach others, to the measure of the grace You have provided. And please help us to be receptive to all that You teach us through others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 