Series: Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gift
#14: The Gifts of Spiritual Roles: Teacher/Teaching
2 Tim. 1:11; 2:1-2 and Col. 3:15-17
By John Gill ~ September 10, 2023
I was reading a book that was printed in 1974 that described the military in the United States at the time. One of the things that fascinated me was the description of the Navy. It said that “the third largest fleet in the world” at that time was the US’s “mothballed navy” (768 ships anchored in harbors).
In an emergency, these vessels could be readied for action in less than three months! To preserve them, each had been repainted and treated with protective coating. All openings that might allow the elements in had to be sealed. Steel and aluminum “igloos” had been built over exposed equipment. Inside the various compartments, dehumidifiers ran constantly. Outside, rust and corrosion were combated by electrodes that encircled the hulls with continuous electric current, which would block the normal chemical reactions that might cause the hulls to deteriorate. A ghost navy.
All that potential – lying dormant, useless – just waiting to be called into battle.
It’s sad to say, but many Christians seem to be content to be “mothballed.” Anchored in some sheltered “ecclesiastical harbor,” they forget that a “spiritual war” rages all around them. The Kingdom of God that we pray every Sunday morning will come “on earth as it is in heaven” is under attack. Prejudice and division and violence are on the rise. “Loving your neighbor as you love yourself” seems to be a quaint and outdated notion. “Peace on earth, goodwill to men and women” seems to be a pipe dream. We as followers of Christ are to spread the gospel of God’s love, and yet hate seems to be winning the day. Yes, a “spiritual war” is raging in our society, and God’s Kingdom of Love and Grace is losing ground.
It’s a dangerous time. And yet, you and I as the Church of Jesus Christ seem to be content to leave our assets “mothballed” in some isolated harbor, when we ought to be employing all our spiritual assets to wage a battle against the destructive forces of evil wreaking havoc on our world! The world is in desperate need of the Good News, and yet many of the followers of Jesus spend their entire spiritual lives in mothballs!
This is also the case with the Spiritual Gifts. We tend to “mothball” the gifts God has given us, failing to use all the fire-power available to us. Our gifts lie dormant – and useless. The time has come for us to take our gifts out of mothballs and join the battle!
One of the primary gifts many Christians leave in mothballs is “teaching.” In most congregations, there is a shortage of people who are willing to utilize this gift. The Church NEEDS those who truly are gifted as teachers to step forward, now more than ever! I rejoice that the Holy Spirit has gifted so many in this congregation with this gift. I thank God for the educational ministries of this church. As you know, we have many classes and discipleship groups here at Tomoka – I hope you are taking advantage of those opportunities. I want to thank all those who teach here at Tomoka UMC for all you do in touching the lives of so many. You make a real difference in the lives of others!
What is the definition of the Spiritual Gift of Teacher? It is this: “The gift of teaching is the supernatural ability to explain clearly and apply effectively the truth of the Word of God so that others grow in their faith.”
Teaching is one of the most important of the Spiritual Gifts. In the Gospels, Jesus is most often called “Rabbi” – a word that literally means “Teacher.” Over and over, we read how Jesus taught is disciples, how he would stop and teach those just standing around, and how we addressed sermons to large crowds. Jesus was a master teacher – even his opponents recognized this – they called him “Rabbi,” as well.
And of course, “teaching” is part of the command Jesus gave us as he was ascending to heaven when he uttered The Great Commission: “Go – make disciples, - and teach them…” And on the Day of Pentecost, after 3,000 people were converted by Peter’s preaching, the Book of Acts says, “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching.”
“Teaching” is one of only two gifts that are mentioned in all three places in the New Testament that list the Spiritual Gifts (the other is “prophecy”). It is a gift that is closely related to several other of the gifts: such as Prophecy, Wisdom, Knowledge, Exhortation, and Evangelism. In fact, those with these various gifts work as a team: Where the Prophet calls people to “repentance,” and the Evangelist calls people to “faith,” the Teacher calls people to “discipleship.”
This gift of teaching is desperately needed today! It is one of the primary tasks of the church. Why is teaching so important?
· Because, children and young people need to be taught right-from-wrong. As we read in Proverbs: “Train up children in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
· Because New Christians (who are actually babes in the faith) need to be nourished and fed with God’s word. We read in the Book of Hebrews: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness.” (Hebrews 5:12-13)
· And because Nominal Christians (those mothballed Christians who are Christian-in-name-only) need to grow and mature in the faith – to come out of mothballs, so to speak. Paul writes in Colossians (1:28): “It is He whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”
Friends, the church needs all the teachers it can get!
So, who are those with the Spiritual Gift of “Teacher?” You know them, because they have made a mark on your life. Think back over your life: Who was your rabbi? Who was it that was able to explain the truth of God in such a way that you understood for the first time?
Your rabbi could have been a pastor. Did you realize that “teaching” is the only spiritual gift required of pastors! Paul, in first Timothy 3:1-7, lists the characteristics for clergy (some translations use the term “bishop”). A clergy person must be blameless, be faithful to his spouse, have self-control, be hospitable, gentle, and lack covetousness… a whole series of characteristics and qualities. Then, right in the middle of the description we find the only “gift” required: “must be able to teach.” In other words, pastors must be Christian “rabbis” - teachers of the word.
And that is good for me because when I take spiritual gift inventories, one of my highest-scoring gifts is “the gift of teacher!” That is why my sermons include a lot of teaching. Throughout my ministry I have been described as a teaching pastor. And I will gladly claim that moniker!
So, the teacher in your life may have been a pastor. But, it’s possible your rabbi was a layperson. There are really two types of lay rabbis: Those who teach in the church, such as Sunday school teachers, Disciple Bible study leaders, teachers of other studies, or lay servants; and those who minister one-on-one, members who function as your mentor and spiritual guide to others in the congregation. Whether your rabbi was a pastor or a layperson, you owe them a great deal of gratitude.
Perhaps you have been a rabbi to someone else! Do you have the Gift of Teaching? (Many do!) I believe that there are two purposes for “teachers” in the church. These related directly to the two types of Rabbis I just mentioned. See if either of these resonate with you:
1. Some teachers ground people in the Word. They impart truth (as well as guard against false teaching and ignorance). In short, they call on people to conform their lives to the word of God.
2. Other teachers empower people for living the Christian life. These provide guidance (helping people choose the right path), and equip people (giving them the resources they need to live victoriously).
In short – a teacher’s goal is to take Christians “out of mothballs,” and make them mature disciples.
There are five qualities that Gifted Teachers in the church possess. See if these describe the person who served as your “rabbi:”
1. Knowledgeable – The teacher must know what she or he is teaching. They must be grounded in the scriptures. That means, they have taken the time to learn from other gifted teachers the Truth of God’s Word. In our first lesson this morning, young Timothy learned from Paul, so that others could learn from Timothy. “What you have learned from me… entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.”
2. Passionate – The teacher must believe in what they teach. They must see what they teach as being essential and urgent. Nothing is worse than being in a class where you question if the teacher truly cares about what he or she is teaching. When I was in seminary, I recall two very different experiences in two different required classes. One was Christian Ethics – the teacher droned on and on, deadpan and dry. I passed that class, but I don’t recall much that I learned – I don’t even remember the name of the professor. The other class was Church History, taught by everyone’s favorite professor, Dr. Bill Mallard. He was so animated, witty, and passionate that no student ever skipped his lectures. No one ever questioned that Dr. Mallard was passionate. I’m sure you have had similar experiences. Those teachers who have been “rabbis” to us have had a passion for what they teach.
3. Ability – They are skilled, not only in conveying information, but in causing transformation within us. That is the difference between a talent for teaching and the gift of teaching: A person can have the talent to convey information – but those gifted to teach make a real difference in the lives of those who learn from them. The student’s life is different for having sat at the feet of the rabbi.
4. Personal Integrity - There is a continuity between what those with this gift teach, and the life they lead. As we read in the Colossians passage this morning, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus…” The old saying, “Do what I say, but not what I do” just won't cut it! If a teacher doesn’t have integrity, their students will not listen to them, - and they should not.
5. A Relationship with Christ – Those with the spiritual gift of teaching see teaching as a sacred calling – they claim their gift as coming from God, and so that is how they live out their faith.
Looking back over my life, I have had lots of “rabbis” who have shaped my Christian life. Every one met each of the five characteristics: knowledgeable, passionate, possessed great ability, were persons of high integrity, and had an obvious intimate relationship with Jesus. Who was your “rabbi?” As I said, you owe them a debt of gratitude! If they are living, you might reach out and thank them for the difference they have made in your Christian walk. And if they have passed on, thank God for them – and pledge to carry on their legacy by living into your spiritual gifts.
So, do you have the Spiritual Gift of Teaching? If so, your church needs you to step forward so that others might grow in their faith. You need to take your gift out of mothballs and use your gift to engage the Enemy. That is the only way that the battle for the souls of our children, our neighbors, and our nation might be won!
As Paul instructed Timothy, so he speaks to us: “You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; and what you have heard from me through many witnesses, entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others, as well.”
In a moment, we will sing the words of a poem which is actually a prayer, written by Frances Ridley Havergal: May it be our prayer this morning as we sum up our message:
Lord, speak to me that I may speak
in living echoes of Thy tone;
As thou hast sought, so let me seek
Thy erring children lost and lone.
O teach me, Lord, that I may teach
the precious truths Thou dost impart,
And wing my words, that they may reach
the hidden depths of many a heart.
O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord,
until my very heart o’reflow
In kindling thought and glowing word
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.
Amen.
© 2023 by John B. Gill, III