I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT? (part-25)

I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT?

TEACHING
During the first century, teachers were honored members of the community.
Since there was recognition with the position, some people wanted to be
teachers for all the wrong reasons – they wanted the honor and respect that
came with the position, but many failed to understand that being a teacher
of God’s Word is a calling, and not a chosen position by individuals.

Since teaching is a calling from God, He equips those He has chosen
to share His Word, and then calls them into service. From a firsthand
experience, I know that some people would rather not respond to the
call from God to teach. Some may feel inadequate and others may feel
that it will require too much of their time – time they could spend
fulfilling their own desires.

I know that when He called me to teach, I was uncomfortable for several
months before telling the minister of education that I would ‘try’ it for a
while. To be honest, I thought I would teach for a maximum of twelve
months and during that time they would find someone to be a permanent
teacher for the class. Of course, the Lord had other plans for me and I have
been teaching for more than forty years. We never know how long the Lord
will use us in His ministry if we will obediently take the first step.

Teaching requires a lot of preparation time, and teachers occasionally feel
unappreciated due to the sporadic attendance of believers attending the
class. It can be discouraging for teachers if they don’t receive occasional
encouragement and positive feedback from members of the class. Even
with the potential of discouragement, I cannot imagine the regret I would
have now, if I had not been teaching all these years.

The Lord has taught me many things through my lesson preparations. But it
hasn’t stopped there. He has also given me additional thoughts while I was
in the process of teaching (thoughts that were not in the notes I had prepared
during the week).

Some weeks my preparation time was around six to ten hours, but there was
at least one week when I spent twenty hours preparing a lesson. I have a pastor
friend who told me that I was spending way too much time in preparation. He
said I should only have one or two points and embellish them on Sunday. I
understood what he was saying and this approach worked well for him, but it
just wouldn’t work for me.

When researching one scripture, the Lord frequently guides me to something
related in another scripture. And usually the next scripture provides even
more information, and sometimes it gives me a new ‘nugget’ to focus on.
The discovery of the things shown to me by the Lord creates such an
excitement and enthusiasm in me that I feel I have to share everything
with the class. In my mind, I feel I would be shortchanging the class if
I failed to share with them what the Lord had shown me in His Word.

At any rate, although I can think of many other things I could be doing,
I would not trade any of them for the time spent in God’s Word and in
prayer. The longer I teach, the more He shows me how much I still need
to learn.

From the outset, one of the most important things the Lord taught me
was the value of interactive teaching. Using this method has given me
the opportunity to learn from members of the class during our discussions
of the scriptures. As I listen to their answers to my open-ended questions,
I discover some new things to consider. In essence, every person in the
class is also a teacher because God can (and does) speak to all of us
through anyone there.

I will be forever thankful for how the Lord impressed on me the dangers
of being a dogmatic teacher. I have attended classes where the teacher
had preconceived ideas and was not receptive to other opinions. This
discouraged members of the class from speaking up. I believe this
approach can silence the Holy Spirit from sharing valuable thoughts
through a member of the class; thoughts that would be beneficial to
everyone in the room, including the teacher.

Now, back to the first century culture. James wanted them to understand
that since teachers had important responsibilities, they would be judged
with a different measuring stick.
    Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers,
    because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
    (James 3:1)

A glaring question we may have is,
    “Why are teachers going to be judged more harshly?”
I believe it is due to the influence they can have on others. There are many
believers who will not spend time reading or meditating on God’s Word,
so they rely on teachers to feed them with the meaning of the scriptures.
If a teacher is concerned about personal accolades and does not spend
adequate time praying and meditating on the scriptures, then he or she
could be misleading the hearers. Whenever people are misled, they can
be steered in the wrong direction; a direction that is not what God desires
for His children.

Realizing how teachers can influence others, it is understandable that they
will be judged by different standards. Does that mean that God is showing
partiality? By no means! He judges all teachers with the same measuring
stick. Being “judged more strictly” should be reason enough for all teachers
to confirm that the Lord has called them to teach, and it is not something they
want to do for personal reasons. Reinforcement of James’ warning to teachers
is found in Galatians.
    I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view.
    The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that
    may be, will have to pay the penalty. (Galatians 5:10)

Naturally listeners have expectations of teachers which can include
any of the following:

    ACCURACY:
    Teachers need to share God’s Word as accurately as possible.
    This means using the right sources for reference and spending
    time in prayer and meditation of the scriptures.

    FOLLOWING GOD’S WILL:
    If a teacher is not careful, he or she can start interjecting their own
    personal thoughts into the lesson as truth. Opinions are okay, but
    substituting the scriptures with anything different than the Lord’s
    intentions will run the risk of misleading others. Teachers should
    be open to, and dependent on the Lord’s guidance when preparing
    and presenting God’s Word. It is His Word, and not the teacher’s,
    that the class needs to hear.

    ABILITY TO LISTEN:
    Class members will have questions at times; questions for which
    they want to receive answers. The teacher needs to respectfully
    listen to their questions without an attitude of debating; if he can’t
    answer them right then, he should jot them down and find the
    answers later.

    The Lord may inspire a member to mention something different than
    what the teacher had prepared. A class member may have a different
    perspective on a topic the teacher is discussing. A teacher who knows
    the Lord can speak to the group through anyone in the room, is a teacher
    who will listen sincerely to what the class members have to say.

    Unfortunately there are some teachers who are so focused on what they
    want to say that they fail to adequately listen to the members of the class.
    This is another reason to pay attention to what James said in James 1:19
    about being quick to listen.

    FAITHFUL AND DEPENDABLE:
    Teachers are expected to be faithful in every aspect of their lives. Class
    members want a teacher who is faithful to the Lord, to his family, to his
    job, and to sharing God’s Word. If a teacher is unfaithful in one area of
    his life, chances are he or she could be unfaithful in some very important
    areas, like using unbiblical resources when preparing lessons. If the class
    members discover a teacher is not dependable and/or unfaithful in any way,
    more than likely they will consider him or her untrustworthy in providing
    accurate information regarding God’s Word.

    ABLE TO LEARN:
    Some teachers feel they should have all the answers to every issue and every
    question. That’s just not true. No teacher is capable of having the answer to
    every question.

    The scriptures show that Jesus would often answer a question with a question
    of His own. Why would He do that? Is it an indication that He did not know
    the answer? Of course not, He is omniscient Jesus who knows all the answers.
    It is quite possible that He wanted others to know that He had a genuine interest
    in them and their concerns.

    Teachers should project this same image. Why? Because it encourages
    everyone to openly share their concerns, it shows a willingness of the
    teacher to learn from others, and it shows the characteristic of humility.

    A LOVE FOR TEACHING:
    When the members of a class sense an enthusiasm in the teacher, it can
    be contagious. Instead of ‘enduring’ a bible study class, they can become
    excited about what they are hearing and learning. How does that benefit
    the listener? Their own enthusiasm can inspire them to think of ways of
    applying God’s Word to their own lives. They could also be motivated
    to spend more personal time reading and meditating on the scriptures.

If there are expectations of teachers, then shouldn’t there be expectations
of the listeners too? Of course! For one thing, the listeners should respect
the teacher by paying attention and not having any private conversations.
There is nothing more distracting for a teacher than observing ‘side bar’
conversations while he or she is trying to teach. Not only is it disrespectful,
but it can cause a break in the teacher’s concentration on what he or she
feels the Lord wants them to share.

Maintaining a train of thought is crucial when you are standing and
speaking in front of a group of people. A loss of concentration can
happen to the best speakers, even when there are no distractions,
but disturbances of any kind can have a negative impact on any speaker.

One of the most important things a class can do is pray for their teachers.
Prayer can open the door for a teacher to receive what the Lord wants to
communicate to everyone in the class, including the teacher. If we want
teachers to fulfill our expectations, then we need to pray for them often.
If we have concerns about a specific topic, then we should pray for the
Lord to guide the teacher to that subject during his or her lesson preparation.

Another very important reason for prayer is, Satan will unleash all his
forces to entice the teacher to sin. The guilt from sin can be one of
Satan’s greatest weapons for discouraging a teacher from teaching.

Lastly, members of the class should encourage teachers and show
appreciation for the sacrifices they make in order to share God’s
Word. To adequately prepare, teachers often have to isolate themselves
from others (including their own family), so they can concentrate and
listen for God’s guidance. This can be a lonely time that causes them
to feel they are cheating their own family out of time with them.

Encouragement and expressions of appreciation are the reinforcements
a teacher needs to confirm that his or her time spent alone is well worth
it. When someone has been called to teach, obeying the Lord is of course
their primary motivation for teaching, however encouragement from
others can instill a desire in them to do their very best. The scriptures
mention the relationships between the listeners and teachers.
    Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should
    share all good things with their instructor. (Galatians 6:6)

What “good things” could he be referring to? Mostly it probably
means encouragement (a card, phone call, or email, etc.), or it
could be something else to let them know they are appreciated.
At any rate, it can be anything that will lift their spirits and
re-energize their teaching efforts.

In summary, being a teacher can be an exciting and rewarding service
to the Lord (and others), but only if the person is called to teach. If they
are not called by the Lord, then more than likely they will encounter
problems and conflicts. Why? Because the Lord has a different ‘calling’
for them, and He has equipped them for that area of service, but not for
teaching.