Teachers are a Gift

“Teachers are those who use themselves as bridges, over which they invite their students to cross; then having facilitated their crossings, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.”  Nikos Kazantzakis

Romans 12:7”…if you are a teacher, teach well.”(NLT) The Greek word for “teacher” is: didasko, which means, “to teach one, to impart instruction, to explain or expound on a subject.” (Greek Lexicon)

The gift of teaching is the ability to communicate in a way that the student can understand and make life applications.  The gift of teaching isn’t to demonstrate the ability to teach, but rather, to teach people about spiritual living or academics.  While some will have the requirement to possess the gift of teaching, all of us have a responsibility to teach the core values of God’s Word.

Jesus the Teacher:

Jesus the Rabbi: The word “Rabbi” comes from the Hebrew word meaning “great one, my honorable sir.”  In the Greek language, “Rabbi” (Rhabbi) was a title used by the Jews to address their teachers.  Jesus was referred to as a “teacher” at least 45 times (depending on translation) within the gospels. 

Jesus used a variety of teaching methods to get his message across:  He told stories (Parables) that had spiritual meaning, such as, the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18:12-14 or the story about how to invest your money wisely in Matthew 25:14-30. 

Jesus taught through discourse (Sermons) by sitting on a mountainside in Matthew 5,6, &7 and instructing the people about the importance of spiritual living.

Jesus taught through one-on-one discussions.  In Luke 10:25, Jesus and a lawyer are discussing how one obtains eternal life and who is my neighbor.   Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council called Jesus, Rabbi. They both proceeded to have a discussion about being born again in John 3:1-21. 

Jesus taught by example.  Not only did he call his Twelve to go out and preach, He lead by doing it first in Mark 6:7-13

Pastors are Teachers

The gift of teaching is a vitally important part of the spiritual health of the church.  And, the gift of teaching is the third most important work within the life of the church according to Paul.

In Ephesians 4:11 the gift of teaching comes with the role of pastor.  Pastor comes from the Latin word for Shepherd.  A Shepherd is one who takes care of the spiritual needs of the church by serving the flock and by being an example of living out the spiritual teachings of Scripture as found in 1 Peter 5:1-4 and 1^st Timothy 3

Teachers are a wonderful gift to our churches and schools.  May God bless each of you as you instruct each student that God places in your classroom. 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Family Feud

One of my favorite shows to watch is a game show called, Family Feud.  The game pins families against each other in order to have a chance to play for $20,000.  Players have to figure out how one hundred people surveyed would answer a specific question.  If a player gets an answer wrong, he/she receives a strike.  If the family as a whole gets three strikes, the other family has a chance to steal and win the points if they get it right.  If they get it wrong, the points are awarded to the original family.  The feud goes back and forth until a family scores three hundred points. 

Family Feud is a fun game show to watch, but in real life, family feuds are miserable.  Hurtful. Painful.  And, harmful.  It rips apart relationships and destroys the unity in which God so desperately desires for every one of his children. 

Family feuds derive from a selfishness that lies deep within the heart of those feuding.  James says it best when he writes, “Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves.”  James 4:1 (MSG) The unity of a family cannot exist unless everyone in the family is willing to lay aside his or her selfish opinions and be willing to be open-minded to what the others are feeling and saying. 

One of the most heated arguments in Scripture is when the Apostle Paul and his good friend Barnabas got into a feud over Barnabas wanting his cousin, John to go on the trip with them.  Paul was adamantly opposed due to John leaving him on another trip.  Acts 15 records their conversation: After a few days of this, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit all our friends in each of the towns where we preached the Word of God. Let’s see how they’re doing.”  Barnabas wanted to take John along, the John nicknamed Mark. But Paul wouldn’t have him; he wasn’t about to take along a quitter who, as soon as the going got tough, had jumped ship on them in Pamphylia. Tempers flared, and they ended up going their separate ways: Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus; Paul chose Silas and, offered up by their friends to the grace of the Master, went to Syria and Cilicia to build up muscle and sinew in those congregations. (MSG)  Though the argument was heated, it never distracted from the ministry as a whole, there was no disruption in the family of God, and Paul and Barnabas never allowed their disagreements to become so bitter that it put a negative mark on Jesus’ church. 

Christ church must be a place where unity exists without waver and the spirit of unconditional love permeates the hearts of every believer.  The Psalmist said, “How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live in harmony!” Psalm 133:1 (TLB) Family feuds will subside when love leads the way and records are destroyed and where patience keeps company with kindness and demands are not made out of the desire to control. 

If the family of God loves, they will always root for the best in each other.   For the feuding to stop, loyalty to the family must be a priority even when disagreements arise.  For the family to feel safe around each other, a protecting love must be known among God’s people no matter what. 

God is calling each of us to love without reserve.  Jesus said to forgive.  The Spirit will enable each of us to be kind, gentle and good to one another.  Let it be said that Jesus’ church loves, protects, supports and Family Feud is just a game show!

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Praying for our Government

Prayer is a powerful resource that enables anyone who prays to connect instantly to the Father.  It is vitally important that we do not take our conversations with God lightly, but rather soberly and deliberately.  Prayer is key to the welfare of our nation.  The bible is clear that we need to pray for those who serve in government. 

Instead of complaining about what we do not like about our President, Congress, Mayors, Sheriffs, and so on, pray for each one of them.  Do not pray that they change the way you think they need to be, rather pray that God will shape them to lead with godly values, moral integrity and character, and ethical standards.

Complaining gets us nowhere fast.  The Apostle Paul told Timothy in the first letter,  “I urge, then, first of all, that request, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone  -  for kings and all those in authority, that we may live in peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 

This section of Scripture illustrates the urgency for all Christians to pray for those in civil authority.  Tertullian said in the Apology, section 39, “We pray for our rulers, for the state of the world, for peace of all things and for the postponement of the end.” 

Justin Martyr writes in Apology 1:14,17 “We worship God alone, but in all other things we gladly serve you, acknowledging kings and rulers of men, and praying that they may be found to have pure reason with kingly power.”

Instead of criticisms, pray.  Instead of hate letters, write with kindness.  I’m not saying to compromise convictions or values, but I am saying that it is God who can do the shaping and changing from the inside out; we have to trust his lead, not ours. 

In 1^st Timothy 2, the Apostle Paul gives four ways to pray for our government.  Doing each of these will demonstrate that we trust that God can and God will help shape, change and leads our government.   

Request  -  The Greek translation deēsis means to pray with a special need in mind.  The people of Paul’s day experienced the persecution of Christians by the emperor Nero.  It was imperative for them to have special prayers for the Christians being persecuted and for the persecutor Nero.

Prayer  -  The Greek translation proseuchē means to exclusively approach God.  The approach to God can be for a variety of reasons:  To ask for help, to ask for forgiveness, or to ask that God will give guidance to those in “authority.”

Intercession  -  The Greek translation enteuxis connotes the idea that one is coming before a king with an appeal for his favor. 

Thanksgiving  -  The Greek translation eucharistia is a celebration and appreciation for what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of our government. 

It is my aim to encourage all of you to pray for all of our government and be a model of kindness, grace, and mercy.  May God continue to bless the United States of America.

Remember, Be God Controlled! 

Brian