What is a Teacher?
Teachers build the foundations of the church. They minister in the Word of God and remind us of the priorities and foundations that will keep us stable in our lives. They teach the church how to be wise in the ways of God. Both teachers and prophets have a special gift for worship because the prophet can worship in "spirit" and the teacher can worship in "truth" and those two characteristics are necessary for true worship. Teachers carry the Belt of Truth, which means they have intimate knowledge of Him who is Truth.
Teachers are guardians of Biblical doctrine (Logos), the Bereans (Acts 17:11) exemplify the character of a Teacher. Teachers search the scriptures. I am a teacher and I study the Word more than the average person, there are times when I have stayed up all night reading entire books of the Bible because I had to determine if something I heard preached in church was accurate. In many cases teachers are somewhat cold, in that they care more for truth than unity or peoples’ feelings. If you remember Paul in Galatians, he read Peter and the Hebrew saints the riot act for the way they allowed the Judaizers to distort the Gospel of Grace. When I hear a sermon that is “off” scripturally it drives me crazy. I believe teachers are like the Scribes of the Old Testament in that they were determined that every jot and tittles would be correct. Pricilla and Aquilla were teachers and they caught Apollos preaching doctrine that wasn’t correct, they pulled him aside and corrected him in love. If a church doesn’t have the office of a teacher within its ranks it is in danger of falling into error. (I Tim. 4:1-4)
Without a proper foundation, buildings don't stand, civilizations don't last, and Christians don't witness well. The foundation I am talking about is the foundation of basic Christian doctrine. Do you know what the Trinity is? How many natures do Jesus have, one or two? Are we saved by grace through faith or by grace and works? For what purpose did Jesus die? Did He rise from the dead? And If so, why?
Perhaps you do not believe that knowing doctrine is important. Maybe you think that we should just tell people about Jesus and let them choose to accept Him or not. Unfortunately, witnessing isn't always that simple. Knowing what and why you believe is essential. For example, if someone says he wants to receive Jesus as Savior but doesn't believe that He is God in flesh, is that important? If someone says that the Trinity is not biblical, what would you say? Is the Holy Ghost a force or God? Doctrine is important because it defines who you put your trust in. It is not simply that you have faith; it's who you put your faith in.
Teachers are guardians of Biblical doctrine (Logos), the Bereans (Acts 17:11) exemplify the character of a Teacher. Teachers search the scriptures. I am a teacher and I study the Word more than the average person, there are times when I have stayed up all night reading entire books of the Bible because I had to determine if something I heard preached in church was accurate. In many cases teachers are somewhat cold, in that they care more for truth than unity or peoples’ feelings. If you remember Paul in Galatians, he read Peter and the Hebrew saints the riot act for the way they allowed the Judaizers to distort the Gospel of Grace. When I hear a sermon that is “off” scripturally it drives me crazy. I believe teachers are like the Scribes of the Old Testament in that they were determined that every jot and tittles would be correct. Pricilla and Aquilla were teachers and they caught Apollos preaching doctrine that wasn’t correct, they pulled him aside and corrected him in love. If a church doesn’t have the office of a teacher within its ranks it is in danger of falling into error. (I Tim. 4:1-4)
Without a proper foundation, buildings don't stand, civilizations don't last, and Christians don't witness well. The foundation I am talking about is the foundation of basic Christian doctrine. Do you know what the Trinity is? How many natures do Jesus have, one or two? Are we saved by grace through faith or by grace and works? For what purpose did Jesus die? Did He rise from the dead? And If so, why?
Perhaps you do not believe that knowing doctrine is important. Maybe you think that we should just tell people about Jesus and let them choose to accept Him or not. Unfortunately, witnessing isn't always that simple. Knowing what and why you believe is essential. For example, if someone says he wants to receive Jesus as Savior but doesn't believe that He is God in flesh, is that important? If someone says that the Trinity is not biblical, what would you say? Is the Holy Ghost a force or God? Doctrine is important because it defines who you put your trust in. It is not simply that you have faith; it's who you put your faith in.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by A.W. Bowman on
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Excellent material for the 'teacher' to review before the task, and for the 'student' to evaluate after receiving a teaching (doctrine). Thank you.
The post would not allow for the referenced url's to be posted in their entirety, so I added the original post as an attachment. [MS Word should open the Open Office Word attachement]
I hope some will find the material useful. - Attachments:
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Teaching How To.odt, 19 KB
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Permalink Reply by Min. Jackson on
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This is some good teaching brother.
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