The Gift of Teaching
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Let’s start off today by looking at our text in Romans 12:3-8
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Our list of seven gifts of the Spirit are
Gifts of the Spirit
Prophecy
Ministry (Serving)
Teaching
Exhortation
Giving
Ruling (Administration)
Mercy
We have already discussed the first two, prophecy and serving. Let’s see if you can remember things from last week’s session on ministry/serving.
What motivates the servant to serve? Brotherly love
What is the first characteristic of the gift of ministry? Being able to see and fill practical needs.
What dangers do you remember? There are two areas of danger - not having brotherly love and seeking one’s honor above honoring others, but does anyone remember any specific dangers? (Not being able to be around others for the simple purpose of fellowship or friendship; not taking care of themselves or their families; wanting to monopolize attention for what he has done; becoming sad or bitter when recognition is not given.)
There is another danger that I did not go over - Seeing others as projects instead of people.
The servant can begin to look at others as projects instead of people. The goal, then, turns from helping a brother or sister in Christ to completing a project. This can cause their ministry to become mechanical or impersonal, disregarding the feelings of others.
It can cause the servant to celebrate the success of a “completed project” rather than the edification of a fellow believer.
On the other hand, it can also cause the servant to stop serving the their brother in Christ and treat them as a “failed project.”
The Gift of Teaching
The Gift of Teaching
We find this gift also in the same verse as the gift of ministry, Romans 12:7
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Again, we will go through this study in the same way as we have with the previous two gifts:
What is the gift of ministry?
What are its characteristics?
What are the danger this gift has?
For purposes of this session, when I refer to a “teacher,” I am specifically referring to someone with the spiritual gift of teaching.
What Is the Gift of Teaching?
What Is the Gift of Teaching?
Those with this gift seek to make the truth clear.
Their motivation is to study and search for the truth that is to be presented or that has been presented.
What Are the Characteristics of the Gift of Teaching?
What Are the Characteristics of the Gift of Teaching?
The person we will be using for our example is Luke.
And in Luke we see that the person with this gift...
1 …Seeks to validate the truth.
1 …Seeks to validate the truth.
They seek to investigate what has been taught or told.
1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
A. The job each teacher has before teaching
A. The job each teacher has before teaching
These verses indicate that Luke investigated the truth...
i. …before declaring
The Gospel of Luke contains more references to the Old Testament than any other of the Gospels.
ii. …with diligence (Luke 1:3 “3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,”)
iii. …completely (Luke 1:3 “3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,”)
Look at Luke 1:3-4
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
B. The job each teacher has as he teaches
B. The job each teacher has as he teaches
These verse indicate that Luke, as every teacher should, taught...
i. … in an orderly fashion. He didn’t skip around.
ii. …so that others would be certain of the truth.
The person with this gift loves and studies the truth, uses biblical illustrations, and resists using texts out of context.
2 … Has a desire to “show his credentials” before teaching; has a need to know the credentials of those teaching him
2 … Has a desire to “show his credentials” before teaching; has a need to know the credentials of those teaching him
It is important to the teacher that others know that he worked diligently in his pursuit of truth. It is equally important to the teacher that those who will instruct him also work diligently in their pursuit of truth.
Luke shows his creds in Luke 1:1-4
1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
“I have taken it upon myself to set forth in order a declaration of the things that we all believe. I interviewed witnesses and ministers of the word, and now that I have a complete understanding of it all, I am writing to you so that you will have an complete understanding of the truth.”
There are too many teachers and preachers that teach what they feel is right instead of what they have studied and know, verifiably, to be truth. Joel Osteen is one of those preachers. In an interview he gave on the Larry King show, he constantly referred to what he felt was right and what he felt the Bible teaches.
Well, it ain’t hard to know what the Bible teaches, all it takes is some proper study. There are people in this world that refuse to listen to the teaching of God’s word because they have heard it taught without any kind of study. It is an insult to their intelligence and to their intellect to teach God’s word without proper study.
When verses are taken out of context, when studying is neglected, contradictions are taught and spread. The world can see these contradictions, and it turns them off from ever listening again.
Think about it, last Sunday we saw how easy it is to look at a couple of verses (Romans 12:19-20) and think that if we are nice to those who are mean to us, God will take fiery vengeance upon them. But that interpretation of those verses completely contradicts so many other parts of the Bible. With just a little bit of study, one can see that those verses are not encouraging us to kill anyone with kindness, but instead to be a genuine blessing to those that we may consider enemies.
The person with the gift of teaching also...
3 …Desires to present the truth in an orderly fashion (an organized way)
3 …Desires to present the truth in an orderly fashion (an organized way)
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
This does not necessarily mean in chronological order, but in an understandable order. This is the “trademark” of the teacher - an orderly presentation of truth.
4 …Delights in investigating and giving a report of what has been found
4 …Delights in investigating and giving a report of what has been found
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
Luke is the longest of the four Gospels, and includes material that the others do not include.
Luke also emphasizes that his work is complete. Those with the gift of teaching like to see their investigative projects completed and fully expounded.
5 …Makes emphasis on small details, deeming them important
5 …Makes emphasis on small details, deeming them important
Luke gives more events, talks, circumstances, names, officers, cities, weather conditions, and dates than any other Gospel. Luke also makes note of sicknesses in ways that the others do not (as Luke was a doctor, this would have been a particular area that would have interested him). Luke 4:38
Luke 4:38 (KJV 1900)
38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
This fever is mentioned in Matthew and Mark, but they simply mention that she had a fever. Luke, recognizing perhaps the severity her condition, refers to it as a GREAT fever (GR: megas - fearfully or exceedingly great)
6 …Tends to let the facts do all the speaking
6 …Tends to let the facts do all the speaking
Luke never gave his own opinion, he methodically wrote the truth about the things that happened.
What are the Dangers of the Gift of Teaching?
What are the Dangers of the Gift of Teaching?
When dealing with the gifts of the Spirit, when do we encounter dangers? When we do not use our gifts through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Those that have the gift of teaching have certain dangerous traps they can fall into.
1. Not being diligent
1. Not being diligent
Luke was very diligent in his investigations. Those with this gift must be careful to be diligent in the following areas:
- not being proud of what one does know 1 Corinthians 8:1 “1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.” Those that are teaching in the Spirit do not boast of their wisdom or knowledge.
- not rejecting the wisdom of others with little or no education. John 7:15 “15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” We should never adopt the attitude that others that have less education levels than we do, do not have anything to teach us.
- not criticizing the technical aspects of others' teaching. This is not talking about truth that is corrupted or flat out lies, this is in reference to criticizing style or mechanics of others. It is easy to fall into the trap that says, “My style is the best style.”
Another dangerous trap those with the gift of teaching can fall into is the trap of...
2. Being lazy
2. Being lazy
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
The teacher can be show slothfulness by
Not studying material that they already know
Not wanting to expound upon that which was studied.
When the teacher accumulates more than what is taught, there is a danger in living for the study instead of using the study to edify others.
3. Not being fervent in spirit
3. Not being fervent in spirit
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
A. Those with the gift of teaching may focus on giving information that has no practical application. The purpose of teaching is to exalt Christ and conform the believer to Christ.
B. There is a tendency with those that have this gift to bore with details or be long and monotonous.
C. There is a danger in being more concerned with the study of a particular subject than in the helping others in need of teaching.
4. Not serving the Lord
4. Not serving the Lord
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Those that have the gift of teaching must not fall into the trap of...
A …serving wisdom instead of serving the Lord. Studying can become a god. Human intellect becomes the goal in teaching rather than God using truth to change hearts. Proverbs 3:5
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
B …serving men instead of serving God. Those with this gift can get caught up in the applause or approval of men. Be careful with the fear of man and with seeking to receive the approval of men.
General Application
General Application
This gift is on that God gives. Those that have this gift need to give validity to the truth that they are teaching. They enjoy studying and want things presented in an orderly fashion. Those with the spiritual gift of teaching need to be careful to be diligent and not be lazy, to serve God and not men.
The church needs people with this gift. Do you have it? If you do, use it with diligence and for the Lord.
