Teach
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day," the old saying
goes, but "teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
Teaching and learning are also crucial to our Christian faith. Learning
is the first step, in fact, to telling others about Jesus Christ. Jesus
taught the people about God. He explained what the Scriptures meant, and
he taught with an incredible authority that the people had never seen
before. In fact, the people called him Rabbi, which means "teacher."
Jesus told us to carry on his work. We are to instruct people not only
in the facts about salvation, but also in how to obey God and apply what
they hear.
Teaching is a God-given ability, or spiritual gift; however,
it doesn't guarantee that a person with this ability is always right.
The Bible warns against Listening to and teaching faulty information about
God's truth (see Truth).
God commands us to teach his ways to others, making his Word clear and
accessible.
Deuteronomy4:9
Matthew 28:19-20
Mark 2:13
We can ask God to teach us his ways. He promises that we will gain this
understanding through the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 119:12
Luke 11:1;12:12
John 12:26
A person with the spiritual gift of teaching isn't automatically and
expert. If you are teaching the Bible to others, be sure that you study
the Bible thoroughly before teaching.
Romans 12:7
1 Corinthians 12:28
1 Timothy 1:3;2:1
2 Timothy 3:16
James 3:1
We are to be on our guard against false teachers. They claim to teach
the truth, but their teachings are false.
1 Timothy 6:3
2 Peter 2:1-3
In teaching others, we need to realize that the same laws apply to
us. Jesus' most dire warnings were aimed at the spiritual leaders of his
time. These teachers of God's law demonstrated haughty attitudes and had
no understanding of the heart of the law.
Matthew 23:13-24
Mark 12:38-40
John 3:10
Romans 2:21
James 3:1 |
