Teaching- An Exhaustive Study
By D.M.M. 1/24/05
This treatise is a summarization of an exhaustive study which I did using Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (KJV). The following words and each of their occurrences in the Bible were exhaustively analyzed: “taught”, “teach”, “teacher”, “teachers”, “teachest”, “teacheth”, “teaching”, “instruct”, “instructed”, “instructer”, “instructers”, “instruction”, and “instructor”. While a KJV concordance was used, most of the Bible verses below are taken from the NIV.
The words were put on a grid. The grid was filled out longhand and contained the following column headings: “the bible verse used”, “Strong’s number”, “Who taught”, “method/ semantics”, “comment”, and “notes”.
The following are points of note with references to the listing number from my original longhand grid:
“TAUGHT”
1.) Purpose of Teaching, Deuteronomy 4:1-14 “Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land…. Do not add to what I command…and do not subtract from it….The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone that followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today….See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all of these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’. …Do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and their children after them….Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb…. The Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land you are crossing Jordan to possess.”
As was the case in the Apostleship, Prophecy, Evangelism, and Shepherding sections of this Grace Study, the main issue is coming out as the first item. (Please see Apostleship Item#1, Prophecy Item #1,Evangelism Item#1 & 3, and Shepherding Item#1.) If you want to see something amazing, take a peek at the last verse listed in this teaching study, Item#306, which is also the last verse of this five part study of apostleship, prophecy, evangelism, shepherding, and teaching. Some people put a lot of weight on the first and last things said, and some mistakenly on who has the last word said. With that in mind, I’m reminded that the last thing said in Scripture is, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen” (Revelation 22:21).
The main concept, that is immediately coming out herein, is the Lord’s purpose in teaching. As was the case in apostleship, prophecy, evangelism, and shepherding, the Lord’s heart of love is spilling out in his protection and provision for his creation, and especially his people. God loves his creation so he sends out believers to distant peoples and cultures to build Churches (apostles). God loves his Church so he raises up people to speak for him in order to edify and correct the Church (prophecy). God loves the lost so he calls certain people to a life of evangelizing (evangelists). God loves believers so he exhorts and gifts mature believers to shepherd God’s flock which He has put under their care (pastors). We can connect this to the Scripture’s directives in I Corinthians 13 that gifts must be practiced and motivated by love, since God is love (I John 4:8) and the practice of the spiritual gifts is God indwelling His Church (Ephesians 4:8, and Psalm 68:18 , also see Apostleship, Section Item#68). The purpose of God’s teaching is not just that we should be taught in his ways, but ultimately that we should have loving protection, provision, and also eternal rewards/ riches. Throughout the Bible the Lord has said much concerning the purpose of teaching. The following are some of the points which I have gleaned from Deuteronomy 4 and other Scriptures:
a.) “Follow them that you may go in and take possession of the land” (vs.1). Israel is a type or a picture of the Church (See Evangelism Item#67). So when Scripture tells Israel to “go in and take possession of the land” the teaching for the Church is to take possession of the promises of God. The land of Canaan wasn’t vacant, though. So, wherever Israel went in Canaan they had to defeat and oust the Canaanites in order to take possession of the land. To the Christian these Canaanites are a picture of sin in our lives, sin that must be defeated in order to claim the promises of God. Since “all wrongdoing is sin” (I John 5:17), how do I know if sin is stopping me from claiming the promise of God; and how do I know which promise of God I should be claiming. Well, the answer is that sound Christian teaching tells us what we must do, and what we should not do; and gifted Christian teachers are needed to build up Christ’s Church. A very good example of this is my time as I’m currently writing this study. My favorite professional basketball team is on a winning streak, but even tonight I had to turn off the television and pick up this study. I know that God has given me his promised grace to do this study, and I know from previous Christian training that I must take up my work daily in order to properly follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). So, in this example, the wrongdoing of loving the world must be defeated in order to make room for God’s work in my life (and I would add that that’s a very common challenge to Christians). And, teaching allows us to take hold of God’s promises.
b.) “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you” (vs.2). In view of what was said regarding God’s love in giving us His teaching, we should accentuate the “that I give you” portion of this verse. He carefully gave us his commands because he loves us, so why do people change his careful loving directions by adding or subtracting from them? We can conclude that many different sects of true and false Christianity are split over differences of teaching (and there may be other unspoken fleshly causes of such splits, Galatians 5:20). I suppose if I tried to research all the different sects and why they believed that way, that study would be larger than this Grace Study. Besides, the Lord hasn’t led me to do that. But Moses, herein, is warning the Israelites not to change the Lord’s teaching. Because of Israel’s faithfulness of preserving the text of the Law and the Prophets, Jesus Christ could say 1400 years after Moses wrote Deuteronomy, “Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18).
c.) “The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today” (vs. 3&4). The example is cited of the Lord’s protection for those who truly trust Him, but there is wrath and destruction for those who follow idols. Correct teaching tells us to add the idols of this world- wealth, fame, or our heart’s desire to the list of man made images. The purpose of this teaching is to protect God’s people from wrath, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24).
d.) “See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all of these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’….What other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today” (vs.5-8)? The purpose of teaching brought out herein is that Godly teaching displays God’s attributes through His people, such as wisdom, understanding, and righteousness.
e.) “Do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb…. The Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land you are crossing Jordan to possess” (vs.9-14). The purpose of teaching is now brought out as generational promises and teachings. Samuel Schultz, in his introduction to “Deuteronomy”, in The Open Bible, stated, “Moses knew that the generation of Israelites which came out of Egypt would not enter the Promised Land. Not even Moses would be among those that would cross over Jordan and go into the “land flowing with milk and honey.” It was a new generation of Israelites which stood on the plains of Moab, before the gates of the Land of Promise. The covenant with their parents was not a covenant which they had made. It was necessary for them to affirm the covenant for themselves. This was the first of many times that Israel had to renew the covenant and rededicate themselves to the purpose of God.”[1] Christians can see from the Lord’s dealings with Israel that his promises are fulfilled from generation to generation, and “the Word of the Lord stands forever” (I Peter 1:25).
f.) ”Listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34:11). Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10) and the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). As such, fear of the Lord is intimately related to our Lord’s provision and protection for us. (Also see Item #117, below).
g.) “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:10). There’s a lot said herein. We have the Holy Spirit as teacher. We can see that it’s much easier to walk on level paths. And, we see that to do God’s will we must be taught how and what is His will. (Also, see Isaiah 2:3.)
h.) “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:28&29). This is a very important verse in itself because it explains the purpose of teaching under the New Covenant. See how this New Covenant purpose was first brought out in Colossians 1:22, “To present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- if you continue in your faith established and firm”. So in this regard we recognize Christians teachers as an extension of God’s own direct energy and power in their work in the Church (“pure gold” according to Prophecy Item#16).
i.) “Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise“ (Proverbs 19:20). The word instruction, herein, is the Hebrew “muwcar”, (Strong’s No. 4148)[2], which means chastisement or reproof. So wisdom is one of the end purposes of teaching.
These purposes all tie together in the above stated New Covenant purpose (Item#h), which is to “present everyone perfect in Christ”.
2.) God’s View of Teaching, Deuteronomy 32:2 “So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites. …’Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender grass’ “ (Deuteronomy 31:22, &32:2). Godly song has much to do with teaching; but that’s not what’s being brought out herein. (Please see Item#7 for singing as it’s related to teaching.) This is a statement of how the Lord perceives Godly teaching for Israel and also for the Church. This describes how the teaching is to be done and the effect it is to have. Here is my read on the aspects being brought out:
a) “Let my teaching fall like rain”. When it’s raining, the rain is all around us, but we appreciate it since we know it’s necessary for growth. The lawn or the garden or the trees are not just being watered, but everything is being watered all at once. Teaching in the Church is similar. All sorts of teaching for all facets of our lives are reaching us. We wrestle as to which areas to focus upon, yet we know that it’s all helpful for growth, and we know that it all comes from above.
b) “My words descend like dew”. Dew is much more subtle than rain. The condensation happens so slowly that we don’t notice it. This is sometimes how the Lord’s word works in our hearts; slowly condensing on the problem area, but thoroughly watering the area. (If you’ve ever had the Lord impress a verse on your heart, then you know just what’s being said here.) “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).
c) “Like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on new grass”. The “new grass” connotes new growth, either in a new believer, or perhaps in a new area of our soul which the Lord is just now exposing to the Himself and his teaching.
3.) Corporal Punishment, Judges 8:16 “He (Gideon) took the elders of the town and taught the elders of Succoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers”. This is, of course, teaching through the use of corporal punishment. I can’t see where corporal punishment would be used by Christian teachers, except in the case of children (“He who spares the rod hates his son”, Proverbs 13:24). The Lord, however, does use trials that vex our bodies so we’d learn from our mistakes, and sometimes just to get our attention. (Please see Ezekiel 23:48&49, also Hosea 10:11. These verses point out punishment to nations and cities, rather than individuals. However, they do illustrate the use of corporal punishment by the Lord.) If we don’t learn from God’s Word, or from Christian teachers, or from authorities in our lives, or from prophets that speak the Lord’s correction to us, then the Lord must turn to other means to get us to turn from our errors.
6.) Blessings through Teaching- Generational, II Chronicles 17:9-12 “They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the Lord; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people. The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks… Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah and had large supplies in the towns of Judah”. The blessing of God is a huge topic in Scripture. The United States, under the professing Christian president, George W. Bush, has seen a resurgence of power, and clear focused direction. Some media people relegate this to his view on family values. Michael Moore, one of the President’s severest critics, struck on a good point, though. Moore drew a map joining Canada with the states voting for Senator Kerry, the President’s opponent. He named this Northern portion of his map “the United States of Canada”; while naming the Southern portion of his map, all the way to Mexico, “Jesusland”. Moore was being irreverent to the President and to the Lord Jesus, but even in his Spiritual blindness, he perceived the Christian teaching and preaching being done throughout the United States. Indeed, the United States is becoming known as a nation of prophets to the world. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). The following items also discuss blessings through Godly teaching:
a) “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you … Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance” (II Chronicles 6:26&27).
b) “Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from days of trouble, til a pit is dug for the wicked” (Psalm 94:12). This verse discusses individual blessings rather than the national blessings as above. Herein, the man whom the Lord disciplines is spared judgment.
c) “From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you” (Deuteronomy 4:36). One of the greatest blessings of teaching is that we get to know God and his ways, and expand our personal walk with him.
d) “He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored” (Proverbs 13:18). This speaks of not just a sparing from judgment, but the blessing of being honored. In this world of disgusting lifestyles, where lewd speech and conduct has become “matter of fact”, a Godly, disciplined lifestyle is very honoring in and of itself. The benefits from others (employers, clients, peers, family) around us, and from the Lord (Spiritual gifts and reward bearing tasks), are also connoted herein.
e) “They were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline. But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials” (Jeremiah 17:23-25). This speaks of generational blessings by generational obedience to the Lord. Many fear that if this country, the United States, continues to pull away from the Lord’s teaching, we will lose our blessings and stature as a nation. But there’s another concept brought out herein, and that’s the concept of being stiff-necked. God still raises up prophets to preach correction to His Church, both to the local gathering and to the universal Church. Are the people of this age as stiff-necked as those of Jeremiah’s time? Deuteronomy 4:36, above, stated, “From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you”. Are we stiff-necked or are we listening for the Lord’s voice. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
f) “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words? Declares the Lord. Jonadab son of Racab ordered his sons not to drink wine and this command has been kept…. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me….’ Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them but they did not listen; I called to them but they did not answer.’ Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Recabites, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: ‘Jonadab son of Recab will never fail to have a man to serve me’ (Jeremiah 35:13-19). So here we see an example of generational blessing through obedience to the Lord, as opposed to judgment upon those who are fleshly.
9.) Consecrated Teachers, II Chronicles 35:3 “He (Josiah) said to the Levites, who had instructed Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord”. The concept of teachers being consecrated to the Lord’s work is brought out herein. Of course the Levites were consecrated by God to all the work in and around the tabernacle (Numbers 18:1-4). Ezra also is an example of a devoted teacher, from the lineage of Aaron (Ezra 7:5&10). Without such teacher priests Israel was without the law, and doomed to disobey God (II Chronicles 15:3). But under the New Covenant teachers were raised up by God’s Spirit (Ephesians 4:11). Who these consecrated teachers were would always be evident (Isaiah 30:20) in the Church. The elders themselves are to be men who are “apt to teach” (I Timothy 3:2).
11.) Ultimately God is the Actual Teacher, Psalm 71:17 “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me”. David knew this. Has this reality become obsolete with the availability of the Scripture to common man? Absolutely not! There, obviously, is a Spirit ability of teaching. However, even under the tutelage of the finest Christian teachers, God is the actual teacher. (“They will all be taught by God”. See Item#54 below). The following verses bring out this concept:
a) Psalm 119:102- “I have not departed from your laws for you yourself have taught me”. Here David is referring to the Lord’s precepts, the Law, but the teacher is the Lord, himself.
b) Ecclesiastes 12:9- “Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people….The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails- given by One Shepherd.” Who is this “One Shepherd”/ Well, it’s obviously the Lord (See Item#25a of the Shepherding Section.).
c) I Thessalonians 4:9- “For you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other”. By what means could the Lord teach us love? “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us… But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:5-8).
d) Psalm 132:12- “The Lord swore an oath to David,…if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever”. This constitutes motivational teaching. However, I’m immediately drawn to the point that it was the Lord who taught the Israelites.
e) John 14:26- “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. This is an important Scripture, and every believer should get a firm grasp of the teachings in John, Chapters 14 through 16, regarding the Holy Spirit. This verse states that the Holy Spirit is the teacher of all things to us. (Thank the Lord! He also reminds those of us with weak memories.)
f) Ephesians 4:11- “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers”. Teaching is a Spirit manifestation, just as the other gifts are. The Lord is still the teacher, though, since all these gifts are manifestations of the Lord, the Spirit. In the above reference to Psalm 132:12, David’s sons were taught the Law, and some understanding of it, by Levite teachers. However, the Lord had to also use life lessons to bring better understanding, insight, and prudence. So Christian teachers are from the Lord, and our life lessons are from the Lord, and so in all things the Lord is the Teacher.
g) II Samuel 22:35- “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze”. The Lord trains our minds and our bodies for the work that we have in life. I’m reminded of those great artisans of the Tabernacle. “See the Lord has chosen Bezalel…he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts…He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers- all of them master craftsmen and designers”.
h) Isaiah 48:17- “This is what the Lord says- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go”. This is the strongest statement that I’ve yet seen of the Lord as the Teacher.
i) John 8:28- “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me”. The actions of the Lord Jesus were taught him by the Father. The Lord will also supply our teaching needs as we do His will.
So, just as in the case of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors, the spiritual ability of teaching is work done by God through us; and God indwells his Church through us. (I drive home this point that the Spirit gifts are God indwelling the Church. However, please understand that this is not the only way the Lord indwells His Church. God is a real person, and He walks among his churches (Revelation 1:13).)
14.) Parental Teaching, Proverbs 4:4 “When I was a boy in my father’s (David’s) house, still tender and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, ‘Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.” Since we considered Deuteronomy 32:2, in Item#2 above (“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender grass”), we should note that not all teaching comes from Christian teachers. In fact parental teaching would fall in that portion of God’s teaching described as “abundant rain on tender grass”. Some other instances of parental teaching brought out in Scripture are as follows:
a) Bad parental teaching, Jeremiah 9:14- “They have followed the Baals as their fathers taught them”. I’ve seen non-believing parents teaching some very responsible Christian principles, from society, to their children. However, it’s improbable that a non-believing parent would teach their child the true way of salvation. Non-believing parents are even passing God’s judgment down to their offspring, “He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 34:7). (But anyone can break that chain of sin by believing in Christ.) We see people worshiping statues and created beings, whether man or animal, or even idols or the moon God (Allah); and we’d like to say, “They’re not such bad people, they just learned that from their parents and from their grand parents”. However, God says, “Whoever rejects the son will not see life for God’s wrath remains on him” (John3:37).
b) Proverbs 1:8- “Listen my son to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck”. Some people live a fairly functional lifestyle, even being a great help to others. While others are just plain high maintenance individuals. I believe this passage speaks to this issue.
c) Proverbs 6:20-23 - “My son, keep you father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching….For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life”. Please note our lifelong need for correction. As long as we’re connected to our fallen flesh we will need occasionally to be corrected. Why?! Again, the flesh wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17).
d) Proverbs 13:1- “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke”. Heeding your parents’ instruction puts you among the wise.
e) Proverbs 15:5- “A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence”. Correction is always for our benefit. Although, it’s usually unpleasant to our minds, our bodies, and our egos.
15.) Bible Memorization, Proverbs 31:1 “The sayings of King Lemuel- an oracle his mother taught him:” This brief verse opens the door to the subject of Bible memorization. Psalm 1 gives us a very great promise of Christian prosperity. It says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.” So, Christian prosperity has four conditions, and the fourth condition, which complements the first three, is that “his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on his Law he meditates day and night”. So how do you meditate upon the Law? You must first memorize it. The purpose of Bible memorization is not to wow our friends and family. But rather, it enables us to meditate on the Scripture. When we meditate upon Scripture we can absorb the full meaning and get understanding and insight from the Lord. Scripture meditation is likened to a sheep digesting its food. The sheep has four stomachs, so it has to chew its food four times in order to fully digest it. So we, as Christians, need to fully take in God’s Word that we may be blessed by it; and Bible memorization and meditation is one of the best ways to take in God’s Word. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). Isn’t it great that King Lemuel was encouraged in his memorization by his mother? (Oh the empowerment of parents and their teaching! I searched the Scripture to find what great things King Lemuel did. But I only could find this 31st Chapter of Proverbs. I can conclude that the greatest accomplishment in Lemuel’s life was to listen to his mother’s instruction, memorize this oracle, and pass it on to us.)
17.) Excellent Overall Definition of Teaching, Ecclesiastes 12:9 “Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.” Here are four things which we can expect to find in a wise Christian teacher:
a) “He imparted knowledge to the people”. I suppose that the other functions of a teacher are subservient to this function. Teachers must seek to impart knowledge, else you’re not teaching, you’re just meeting.
b) “He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs”. This is akin to a process which we used to call, in past days, “breaking it down small”. A teacher, after searching out the substance of his message, must then package the message in the best way to be absorbed by those to whom he’s speaking. (In this grace study, there were and are matters that need to be searched out and set in order, then proclaimed so that they can be taught correctly. And, by the grace of God, this is exactly what the Lord has led me to do. This need is obvious to any who take an honest look at this situation. However, I was led by the Lord to do this, even before I took an honest look at the situation. I am not proceeding from logic, but rather from the Lord’s leading (Proverbs 3:5&6). ) “Breaking it down small”, or setting things in order for teaching, doesn’t merely refer to teaching children, or even speaking to less mature Christians. It is merely a process of organizing the subject matter for proper communication, and is necessary at all levels of teaching.
c) “The Teacher searched to find just the right words”. At first glance, this subject seems the same as Item#b, above. However, in this item we’re looking at the presentation aspect more so than the organization of information aspect of teaching. I’m reminded that, whether a puppet show or a Sunday morning message, the speaker is to be searching for “just the right words”; because it’s the Word of God which is the “sword of the Spirit”, not just our words.
d) “What he wrote was upright and true”. Let’s think about this. What’s the value of insisting upon the truth in what we teach? I worked in government, coordinating a program for years. One big rule that we had was, “If you don’t know the answer, say so, and find someone who has the answer.” We knew that wrong answers cause more problems than the original problem. If you give out the wrong answer to a question, then not only is the original problem still in place, but you’ll usually have to take additional action to undo the incorrect action taken as a recourse to the wrong answer. The situation among Christian teaching is similar, and often with eternal consequences to the wrong teaching. Also, please consider that the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Truth” (John14:17). If you’re a serious Christian, then you know exactly why I’m saying this. Because, people are always trying to soften what we say in order to accommodate their own lifestyles. Of course, since the Spirit of Truth is “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29), his Word and his presence will never accommodate worldly lifestyles.
23.) Teaching by Repetition, Jeremiah 9:5 “No one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie”. While this verse is an example of wicked teaching, it begins a discussion of teaching by repetition. This type of teaching is all around us and is very powerful. Much of the worldly teaching is by repetition: from peers, from work, from the TV. These facts cause much frustration from parents and Christian teachers. However, thanks be to God that there is power in God’s Word! Some other example follow:
a) Jeremiah 32:32&33, “The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done…Though I taught them again and again they would not listen or respond to discipline”. This shows that teaching by repetition doesn’t always work.
b) Deuteronomy 6:6-8, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” As I read this I’ve consigned myself to go to my favorite Christian store today and obtain some more Scripture plaques for my and my children’s homes. This is teaching by repetition at its best. “Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender grass” (Deuteronomy 32:2).
It’s also important to realize that the repetitive teaching in TV, the movies, and rock music is teaching by notoriously ungodly people. The artists and managers in these industries are famous for lifestyles replete with adultery, divorce, drugs, alcohol, and mental instability. Contrast this with the qualifications of Christian teachers, per Item#137 below.
26.) False Teaching and Punishment for False Teaching, Jeremiah 28:15&16 “Listen Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’ “ This opens up two topics- false teaching, and punishment for false teaching. Rather than giving my own opinions, which I try not to do, the following are excerpts from the Lord’s Word on these two topics beginning with false teaching, itself:
a) Acts 15:1- “Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved’ “. I suppose I could not have picked a better example of the devastation that can be wrought by false teaching. There’s a fairly contemporary Christian saying: “Grace plus works equals no grace at all”. By slightly twisting the gospel message, these Judaizers were causing souls to reject the true gospel. To the destruction of their hearers they were giving out a gospel “which is really no gospel at all” (Galatians 1:7).
b) I Timothy 1:3-8, “Stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work- which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.” It’s impossible to discuss all that this passage contains in so little space, so here are some brief, succinct points:
i) The particular false teachers herein were Judaizers- legalists.
ii) The false teachers’ goal was not love, the most excellent way (I Corinthians 12:31). They wanted to be teachers, esteemed in society, thereby increasing their position in the religious and social pecking order. Note the use of genealogies, probably used to enhance their social position.
iii) The controversies and the meaningless talk, exhibited by those who had wandered away from God’s grace work in their life, are sure sign of walking in the flesh. I Timothy 6:4 verifies this, and connotes that money is behind such fleshly conduct. This passage cites that the wandering away from “a pure heart a good conscience and a sincere faith” preceded the bad teaching. The cure for this is always, “Live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (the flesh)” (Galatians 5:16).
c) Romans 2:20- “You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You, who preach against stealing, do you not steal?...Circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code”. These teachers were Judaizers teaching a false gospel and rules that they themselves couldn’t follow. “They do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Matthew 23:3&4). All Christian teaching must be practical and doable, else it’s hypocrisy.
d) Titus 1:10&11 “For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things that they ought not to teach- and that for the sake of dishonest gain.” This passage then describes that the households are ruined by the teaching of myths and commands that are not of God, which destroy the faith in such households. The reason for these false teachers is again cited as money/ dishonest gain. No matter how much we love people who push such religious teachings, we must silence them by sound teaching. They’re “ruining whole households”.
The following excerpts are regarding punishment for false teaching:
a) Jeremiah 9:14- “ ‘They have followed the Baals as their fathers taught them. ‘ Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have destroyed them’ “. (There is typology in these judgments, which we haven’t time to explore. Christ is the bread of life in the wilderness and the Holy Spirit is the true spiritual water, as opposed to bitter food and poisoned water. The people of Judah turned to the false gods of unknown origin, and will be given over to slavery in such nations. God’s sword is the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, which endures forever; and every person will be judged according to God’s Word.) But consider the judgment which comes so subtly upon these parent teachers. That is, that their error is passed on to their children. “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation to those who hate me” (Exodus 20:5).
b) Revelation 2:20- “By her (Jezebel’s) teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and will repay each of you according to your deeds”. We should realize that false teaching affects the minds and hearts of the hearers, and that they and the teacher will be judged according to what proceeds from their hearts- their actions.
c) II Peter 2:1-22, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them- bringing swift destruction on themselves.” This is an extensive passage dealing with false teachers. They following points are brought out:
i) Destructive heresies- Heresies are teachings that split the brethren in a destructive manner.
ii) Some will even deny Christ and his work. Some say Christ isn’t God. Some say he didn’t really die on the cross. Some speak against God’s hand in a situation (III John 9&10). Some despise prophecies (I Thessalonians 5:20).
iii) “Many will follow their shameful ways and bring the truth into disrepute” (vs. 2). So, the false teachers will have many followers, and these splits will and already do bring questions to the truth of Christ.
iv) “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories” (vs. 3). Again the money issue is seen as the motivating factor, not love, in the use of false spiritual gifts.
v) “Their condemnation has long been waiting for them…The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment” (vs. 3-9). Judgment is imminent and eminent for false teachers. The phrase “continuing their punishment” connotes judgment in this life. Sickness, early death, and an extremely confused and dysfunctional lifestyle accompanies such false teaching (my personal observation).
vi) Verses 10-12. Some of the worst false teachers, “despise authority”, “are not afraid to slander” (authorities), they “blaspheme in matters they do not understand”. They “follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature”.
vii) “They seduce the unstable; they are expert in greed”. They know how to coerce money from the non-discerning. Again the money issue, not love, is the motivating factor.
d) Revelation 2:14- “You have people there (in Pergamum) who hold to the teaching of Balaam who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin…Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth”. From here we see that Balak had a New Testament Age equivalent in the fallen deacon named Nicholas. Historically, Nicolaitans are compared to Christians who feel it’s okay to claim to be a believer, yet live an immoral life. (There are various theories regarding who the Nicolaitans were. Some say that they were the first clergy, which would also fit the comparison to Balak.) The judgment, though, is what I’m focusing upon. That is, that the Lord Jesus, “who has the sharp double-edged sword”(Revelation 1:16, and 2:12), “will fight against them with the sword of my mouth”(vs.16). The Lord Jesus, who is among the churches (Revelation 1:13), fights/ judges false teachers right now through those with speaking gifts: prophets, teachers, preachers, and even evangelists. The Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit of Truth are a consuming fire against false teaching and false teachers. Some people don’t really care, because they don’t actually realize, how they and their teaching appear before the throne of God. I say this from experience. However, teaching obviously does matter to the Lord Jesus, who must still correct false teaching in His Church through speakers (prophets) who bear the “sword” of His mouth. We must, not only have a personal walk with Christ, but also, our personal walk must include Christ’s Kingdom Agenda, with a view toward Christ’s throne. “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1&2).
e) Isaiah 9:14&15- “So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail…the elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.” The Lord is not averse to taking error ridden teachers from this earth, lest they affect the Church with their bad teaching.
33.) The Sermon on the Mount- Discipleship Training, Matthew Chapters 5, 6, & 7 “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…When Jesus had finished these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the Law.” As a new believer, at thirty, I was challenged at a Christian seminar to memorize and meditate on Scripture, beginning with the Sermon on the Mount. I accepted that challenge and have absorbed this great passage as a fundamental part of my Christian teaching. I heartily encourage, and now challenge, all others to do the same. The sermon on the mount is obviously meant as teaching to the Lord’s disciples, those who would follow him. One of the most important things that this sermon does is that it teaches us God’s viewpoint, and therefore what our attitude should be on such issues. This is especially valuable for new believers. I’ve also found, since I memorized this passage, that much of Paul’s writing carries the teaching of this Sermon, except in different words. The following are some critical concepts:
a) The eight beatitudes- We can go down this list and see that these are attributes of Christ, and therefore Godly attributes: “poor in spirit” (Christ was lowly, on earth), “those who mourn” (man of sorrows), “the Meek” (he was meek), “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (the righteous branch), “the merciful” (Calvary), “pure in heart” (a consuming fire), “the peacemakers” (atoning sacrifice), “persecuted because of righteousness” (the flesh wars against the Spirit of God).
b) “The prophets who were before you” (vs.12)- In this passage the Lord is giving those who are persecuted for him the same status as the Old Testament prophets, and the same reward. And why not! When a person is used by the Lord Jesus, “who has the sharp double-edged sword”(Revelation 1:16, and 2:12. See Item 26d above.) coming out of his mouth, to get His message out, that person is a prophesying. When a believer understands and uses the unction of the Lord to speak for him, and does that often as one of that person’s principal works for the Lord, that person is a New Testament prophet. (Also see Prophecy Item 401b.)
c) “You are the salt of the Earth…You are the light of the world” (vs. 13-15). The Christians must be the preservative (salt) in this dying world, and also light in this world of darkness. The Lord will cause this to come about, even if it’s only through persecution- “If the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men”. The Lord would rather have us speak out boldly, and sometimes just to live in a Godly fashion before men. But if we can’t, then we can still be a witness through persecution- “trampled by men”. The need for Christian salt and light in this world is great. God can magnify just a few words or acts done for Christ. We’ve been taught, in terms of the gospel, that there are only two groups of people, the saved and the lost. That’s true; however, in between the categories of those that are obviously saved and those that are obviously lost, there are other subgroups. As an example, there are those that are saved but walking in the flesh, and those that are unsaved but close to believing. So our lifestyle is important to God and to those around us who need salt and light. Our lifestyle should never cause a question as to the efficacy of Christ’s blood, rather our lifestyle should demonstrate Christ’s new nature in us.
d) Christ as fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets- Matthew 5:17-20.
e) New Testament viewpoints on hateful speech, adultery, divorce, oaths, revenge, and loving our enemies- with the endpoint of being perfect like Christ. – Matthew 5:21-48.
f) Do service for God, only for God, not to be seen by men. - Matthew 6:1-18.
g) Living and working focused on God’s Kingdom agenda. Matthew 6:19-34.
h) Notable concepts for discipleship- “Do not judge”, “Ask and it will be given to you”, “Enter through the narrow gate”, “Watch out for false prophets”. Matthew 7:1-23.
i) “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Protection and discipleship proceed from Christ’s Truth- Matthew 7:24-27.
j) Jesus “taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the Law” (Matthew 7:29). Who really has the authority to teach in Christianity? There are only three groupings: the Lord Jesus, Christians with the Holy Spirit gift of teaching, and The Holy Spirit, Himself, working through other believers or other situations. The Lord Jesus transferred this authority to teach to the Church for all ages at the Great Commission, when he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). He spoke this to the eleven, but note that he said that it was for the Church age. So, he is communicating that apostleship and teaching and, really, every grace that’s needed to reach the world for Christ is available to the Church until the very end of the age. This is because Christ who portions out such grace is with us, interceding at God’s right hand. The Church has many grace gifts available to it, but teaching is not given to all members, just as apostleship is not given to all members (I Corinthians 12:29).
46.) Where to Teach, Luke 4:15 “He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him”. Certain Scriptures tell us where to teach. Some of these are as follows:
a) Luke 4:15- Jesus went into the synagogues of the Jews. He was a Jew and had access to them. Should we then go to other gatherings, and teach and seek to correct. Yes! If you have access, and if you are strong enough not to fall for their false teaching (and this is a very important condition), then go as the Spirit leads, but carefully follow only the Spirit’s leading! And remember that there’s a false spirit which is driving the false teaching (See Prophecy Items#327, & 447).
b) John 8:20- “He spoke these words while in the temple area.” We must understand that, in Scripture, speaking for God, was rarely done in a sanctuary at a pulpit. Our speech today has all to do with the fact that we are a member of the Church of the Living God, and little to do with whether our bodies are located at a pulpit in the sanctuary room. Don’t worry as to whether there’s a large enough crowd to make your speaking worthwhile. We are continually “surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). The important thing, is to speak forth as the Lord leads, and let Him work through your words, which have become “the very oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11), if you’ve been faithful to His message. (Please see Item #53 below, and also #c below.)
c) John 18:20- “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me?” Let’s consider carefully what the Lord Jesus is saying. Primarily he’s communicating to the Sanhedrin that they have no authority to do a mock questioning, or trial, when they already know what his views are. Secondly, he’s stating that he hasn’t taught in secret, but openly in the center of the Jewish people. Thirdly, he’s stating that he taught in places where he knew his target audience came together. Why speak to one person when you can speak to twenty or more, all at once. Some would be tempted to say that this verse allows us to go to other religious services in order to make acquaintances. To this I’m led to explain that you must be very careful in that conclusion. If the Lord is leading you to be a light in a theater of darkness, then go and aggressively share the bright fire of the gospel. But many return from such religious services remarking how such people’s darkness isn’t really so bad and that the people are probably saved, even though they don’t accept and preach the true gospel. Remember that the Lord was first “sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). The operative word herein is “sent”. Sent means God is involved and so one is definitely not walking in the flesh (according to your own whim).
d) Acts 20:20- “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.” Paul taught publicly during his evangelical efforts and at the coming together of the larger assemblies of believers. House to house teaching went on in the smaller assemblies and during day to day visits with believers.
e) Matthew 4:23- “Jesus went throughout Galilea, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” I’ve been seeking the verse that describes the Lord Jesus as teaching from town to town. I note, however, that the Lord Jesus did not go on any whirlwind tours. He did preach from town to town, but he obviously spent time in these towns. His method allowed his message to sink deep into the people’s souls, and they got to know him.
f) Luke 4:31- “He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilea, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people.” The point here is that he made use of the religious feasts. I believe that this is practically the only value of our Christian feasts today. They are an excellent forum for getting out the true gospel, and other teaching as the Lord leads. However, regarding the acceptability of these feasts before God (even Christmas and Easter), such fellowship with God through feasts became obsolete when Christ died on the cross (Galatians 4:9-11).
50.) How to Pray- to the Father, through the Son, Luke 11:1. “Lord teach us to pray”. Some people pray to statues. Some pray to idols. The Jews try to pray directly to God, hoping that he’ll hear their requests. But Christians have been taught by the Lord Jesus, the manner in which to approach God’s throne. So, this is an item which should be clearly taught by Christian teachers. Here are some basics:
a) We pray to the father in the name of the Son. Jesus said, “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 16:23). We should be careful to realize that “in my name” means praying according to Christ’s kingdom agenda, not just mentioning the word “Jesus”.
b) We pray through Jesus because one of the Lord Jesus’ main works right now is intercession for us at the right hand of God. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess…Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16). “He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
c) This fact of Christ as our great high priest, always interceding for us before the Father’s throne is brought out in the typology of the tabernacle. The teaching regarding the altar of incense (also called the golden altar) as a picture of Christ brings this out. (Please see Item#16 in the Prophecy Section.) Hebrews 9:24 says, “For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence”. This verse, and others, tells us that the tabernacle is a pattern or type of God’s presence in heaven. The verse also tells us that the Lord Jesus serves as our intercessor before God’s throne. Revelation 5:8 intimates, “Each one (of the twenty four elders) had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints”. Revelation 8:3&4 explains further, “Another angel (Christ), who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” It’s not enough to merely pray to God. Christ must add his sweet perfume (his incense) to our prayers; and he does so if we’re one of his. Then our prayers are glorious and acceptable before God’s throne. So, this is why we pray to the Father through the Son.
d) The Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 shows us how to pray and what to ask for: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” We should start our prayer praising the Father and extolling his majesty and his name. We should ask that his kingdom and will should be accomplished, and our prayers should be in line with his kingdom agenda. We should ask for the small things, as well as the great, that we need, whether material, spiritual, or for the soul.
These are just the basics. It’s clear, though, “that how to pray” is a necessary subject for Christian teaching.
53.) Golden vs. Wooden Pulpit, Luke 20:1 “One day as he (the Lord Jesus) was teaching in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, together with the elders, came up to him. ‘Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,’ they said. ‘Who gave you this authority?’ “. Gold, in the Scripture, is a picture of Godliness; while pure gold is a picture of God own right hand of power working in a situation or person. (Please see the Prophecy Section, Item#16). Wood, on the other hand, is a picture of that which was seemingly done for God, but gets burned up in the Judgment when “the fire will test the quality of each man’s work” (I Corinthians 3:12&13). The chief priests and teachers of the Law tried to be preachers for God, and were given an audience by the people, and no doubt a pulpit. But their preaching was not from God, so their pulpit was only wood (Mark 7:7). The Lord Jesus, on the other hand, spoke from God and was God (John10:30). His pulpit was pure gold, even if no physical pulpit was present. Well this is the same for us today. We should speak out from God as he gives us opportunity. In fact he gives us a pure gold pulpit to speak from. The angels carefully prepare these pulpits in their places, by setting up the circumstances for us to speak, whether the gospel or perhaps some correction or edification to the Church. Do you doubt this? Consider that Lazarus’ death was staged solely so that the Lord Jesus could teach us regarding the resurrection. (John 11:4-6, &42). Once you get used to speaking from the golden pulpit, speaking from a wooden pulpit will leave you feeling cheated. George Muller knew this, although he didn’t express this in the same terms. George Muller wouldn’t speak unless he knew he had a message from the Lord to impart for which he carefully prayed, and sometimes fasted.[3] There is obvious value to having regular gatherings in which the Scriptures are read and preached. This is taught in the Scripture (I Timothy 4:13). Even if a person is not particularly led by God to speak on a topic, just the public reading and correct teaching from Scripture still constitutes “the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11, KJV). What we should understand is that the oracles of God, historically, have gone far beyond any wooden pulpits; and that Christ, His apostles, and the Old and New Testament prophets had few wooden pulpits from which to speak. There are , then, “pure gold” pulpits which are the opportunities that we are given to speak, in which careful preparation by the Lord has been made. These speaking engagements probably will not be at pulpits of wood.
I had an old friend who was asked to speak at the church, but his aged mind caused him to forget his task. When the time came, he was announced as the speaker. He had to go up before the entire church only to tell them that he had forgotten, and had nothing prepared to say. He was obviously embarrassed and felt that he had failed. How much more so, if the Lord prepares a circumstance for us to speak, and we either forget our calling or deliberately side-step the opportunity. How do we feel, “since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1)? I say these things from experience. If you’re serious, and pray, really looking at things from God’s viewpoint, you’ll begin to recognize numerous golden opportunities to speak out for the Lord. Your flesh, guaranteed, will resist your recognition or your resolve to make use of these speaking engagements, which are set up in advance by God and his angels. However, praise the Lord, God is patient and we will recognize and make use of some of these golden opportunities. As well, those whom we failed to reach with God’s Word, can usually be reached later through others. However, it’s evident that the rewards for such service would, of necessity, go to the others, as well. So, if we’re serious servants of God, we should expect and seek numerous opportunities to speak from the Lord’s “pure gold” pulpit.
54.) The Holy Spirit as Teacher, John 6:45 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God’. Everyone who listens to the father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life”. This is, of course, the Lord’s famous statement that He is the Bread of Life. The “grace study” perspective brings out a new view of many passages of Scripture, and herein is an example. Here we see that the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah is all part of God’s presentation of the Lord Jesus as the Bread of Life. That is that the people at the coming of the Messiah (his 1st coming) “will all be taught by God”. This opens up, for our purposes, the broad topic of the Holy Spirit as our teacher. (Item#11, above, contains the similar topic of God as teacher. Item#77, below, contains the topic, Semantics of Holy Spirit Teaching.) Since semantics are covered in Item#77, below, this immediate topic is merely to show that the Holy Spirit is a believer’s teacher in life. And a great teacher he is, since he already knows our paths and what teaching we’ll need to travel those paths. There are two main passages that state that the Holy Spirit is our actual teacher in all things that are of God (There are plenty of false teachers, not of God, in the world.).
a) I John 2:20-27. “But you have an anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the truth. … See that what you’ve heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us- even eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and just as that anointing is real, not counterfeit- just as it has taught you, remain in him”. When we received Christ, we also received the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit is the antithesis of deception and false teaching, “the Spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely” James 4:5). The Holy Spirit wars against all fleshly actions (Galations 5:17). The Spirit also wars against our friendship with the world (James 4:4); and the “Spirit of Truth” also wars against falsehood (John 14:17). Therefore, when we are confronted with errors, either in teaching, or just plain lies, or the practice of sin, since all these items are sin, the Holy Spirit works from within us to resist these sins. God and the Holy Spirit will eventually have the victory in each one of us, even if the Lord has to take us from this world (physical death). The victory is inevitable because our new nature is of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5), and no person or situation can defeat the Holy Spirit of God (Romans 8:37-39).
b) John 14:25&26. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything that I have said to you”. In many considerations of God it’s hard to separate the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We could also have difficulty discerning which person of God does the teaching, in any given situation. However, our discernment is made much easier, since the Word states that God’s Holy Spirit “will teach you all things”. God’s Spirit will work through trials and situations, worldly education, and especially Spirit led Christian teachers, to teach us what we need in order to serve out the Lord’s purposes in our life.
58.) Serious Prayer Accompanies Teaching and all Christian Work, John 8:2 “Each went to his own home. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.” As a fairly new believer I once taught a Sunday school class for 3rd and 4th graders. One weekend I could feel the depression, that only Satan brings, disturbing me in the middle of the night. I prayed and prayed, and finally I could feel that spirit of depression and self doubt lift from me. I remember that it felt like a thousand invisible butterflies suddenly let loose from me. The next morning a friend, who taught in the Sunday school class above me, was complaining that he had lost sleep to Satan that night, and also that a father of a girl in my class had experienced the same. Guess what? That was the day that that girl asked Christ into her heart and got saved. The throne of grace is where all the power is generated in Christianity, but also in all creation. A radio preacher remarked just last night, “If we knew the absolute power and necessity of our prayers, we would try to spend all our time in prayer”. That’s exactly how the Lord Jesus lived. While others were sleeping, he was praying all night.
67.) Apollos- a New Testament Teacher and Preacher, Acts 18:25 “Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He was instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately.” Some basic qualifications for teaching are brought out herein:
a) “Thorough knowledge of the Scriptures”, a learned man. No doubt there is an irretrievable story behind how Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria, became learned in the Scriptures and became a Christian. He was probably learned in a worldly sense, as well as learned in the Scripture. A serious, Christian teacher, though needs to be learned in the Scriptures, and not necessarily in the world.
b) “Instructed in the way of the Lord”. Many of the Jews searched the Scriptures for knowledge of the Messiah, and once they found him, they followed Christ’s teaching. Somewhere in Apollos’ journey, he learned, not just the Scriptures, but the way of the Lord Jesus. Before the believers were called Christians, they were known as “The Way” (Acts 9:2). The Lord Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). If you’re a geometry teacher, you teach geometry. If you’re a Christian teacher, you teach the way of the Lord.
c) “Spoke with great fervor”. I attended a Bible study at a certain denomination’s gathering; but they studied the Bible as a history book and as a work of literature. How sad! A teacher should be excited about his teaching, and his delight and ours should be in the teachings of Christ (Psalm 1:2). If we keep in mind that Christ’s way is the only way of victory, and all other ways bring lifelong pain and eternal destruction, then we’ll be bubbling over with fervor.
d) “Taught about Jesus accurately”. At my previous job we had a saying, “If you don’t know it, don’t say it”. If you take a position that you are knowledgeable regarding some situation, and you give bad advice, then you’ve damaged the recipient of your advice. However, if you advise and teach only the points of which you’re certain, then you’re teaching/ advice is still accurate. The gospel and basic Christian truths are not complicated. (However, Satan has “blinded the minds of unbelievers” (II Corinthians 4:4).) Apollos teaching was accurate and led some to salvation, even though “he knew only the baptism of John” (vs.25), as opposed to the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-6). This Grace Study is an exhaustive study of Scripture as it relates to God’s power manifested as grace. By exhaustively studying Scripture, I can teach the power of God accurately, and can say that “the Scripture says this”, or “the Scripture says that”. Therefore, I’m proclaiming accurately the power of God to his Church. We see many miraculous things in Christianity, and there’s an explanation for them. However, we should not try to explain such happenings by speculating beyond what we know from Scripture. Such speculation causes damage to our understanding of the “way of the Lord” because it’s not accurate teaching.
70.) Teaching versus Revelation, Galatians 1:11&12 “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man , nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” So, Paul cites a difference between teaching and revelation from God. Sometimes this difference is hard to recognize. As an example, Paul obviously did receive a certain amount of knowledge regarding the gospel from those whom he persecuted. However, it’s clear that Paul saw Christ and was blinded by His glory, so there was also special revelation involved. Of note is the fact that some Christians believe that there is no longer any revelation from God except through the Scripture or the teaching of the Scripture. I obviously disagree. (Please see Item #1 in the Prophecy Section of this Grace Study.) Judges 13:8 tells the interesting story of Samson’s parents being taught by an angel.
73.) Worldly Teaching and Philosophy vs. the Truth of Jesus, Colossians 2:6-14 “So then, just as you received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. …When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and stood opposed to us; he took it away nailing it to the cross.” So we are shown the main difference between worldly teaching, philosophy, and even the religions of the world; that is, the cross. These other viewpoints involve a righteousness based upon performing to some standard, whether the standard is God’s Law or the teacher’s philosophy. True Christianity, however, produces an imputed righteousness from God, not an earned righteousness. God’s righteousness is based upon forgiveness of sins through the cross. In fact a good way to quickly get the gospel out to a religious person, whether a Muslim or Hindu or a nominal Christian, is took ask them how they deal with the sin question. Only Christianity has sin paid in full at the cross. All other religions depend upon mankind somehow paying for their own sins, or pretending the sin question isn’t really a problem. “Religion says: ‘Do. Do. Do.’. Christianity says: ‘Done. Done. Done.’ “(Anonymous).
Another type of worldly teaching that I perceive is what I call pseudo-faith. II Kings 17:24-41 tells the story of how the Lord made the land itself, in the Northern Kingdom of Israel (a.k.a. Samaria), reject the people that the King of Assyria sent to settle there. So the King of Assyria gave this order, “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the God of the land requires” (vs. 27). “They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own Gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they have been brought” (vs. 33). Many people call themselves Christians. However, they don’t really trust in Christ’s death for their salvation, and so they’ve come up with patterns of living as an attempt to satisfy God. God doesn’t accept this. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him”.
When a person believes and turns to Christ a glorious transformation in their lifestyle occurs which is attributed to both the new nature and also to the blessing of true Christian teaching. Ephesians 4:17-21 discusses the blessing of true teaching versus worldly teaching: “You must no longer live as the gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus”. Praise the Lord that we can live in Christ, rather than in a futile, dark, unproductive lifestyle.
76.) Requirements of Elders- Apt to Teach, Titus 1:5-9 “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless- not overbearing, not quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” Timothy 3:2 cites the same qualifications of elders, but adding the phrase “apt to teach”. The elders are the overseers (same as bishop) of each local church. That is, the leadership of the local gathering is to be a plurality of teaching elders. This plurality of elders concept is further explained in the Shepherding Section, Item#1, and in the Summary in the Shepherding Section- Item#7. Regarding these teaching elders, the following three points are noted:
a) “He must be blameless”. He must be a man as opposed to a female, according to Scripture; and he must be a man that the local gathering and the community will respect. This is regarding the elder as an appointed office holder in the local church (Titus 1:8), as opposed to merely an elder mature Christian (I Peter 5:1).
b) “Trustworthy message as it has been taught”. He must stick to the truth, so that what is passed on to succeeding generations in that gathering will be the truth of Christ. Also, true teaching is the sword of the Spirit, through which the Lord can encourage and help others. But watered down truths don’t hold down the power of God’s Word.
c) “Hold firmly to the trustworthy message …refute those who oppose it”. Paul goes on in Titus 1:10-14, “There are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers,… They must be silenced because they are ruining whole households by teaching them things they ought not to teach- and that for the sake of dishonest gain…. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.”
Our trustworthy message is the true gospel. God’s will is the salvation of souls through the gospel, and also that his Church on earth should be edified. There are many who refute the true gospel. There are many others who don’t refute the gospel head-on but provide a distraction to it. Such distraction groups nominally claim to be Christians but upon questioning will immediately go to some separating concept such as when to meet, how to be baptized, or some other non-critical premise, which causes them to be separate from other groups. These distractions don’t stop us from spreading the true gospel, but take up our time arguing and discussing unimportant matters. At the local gathering level, the elders must confront and refute, both the opposition to the gospel (including false gospels), and the distraction groups. Sound teaching by the elders is a must.
77.) Semantics of Holy Spirit Teaching, I John 2:20-27 “But you have an anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the truth. … See that what you’ve heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us- even eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and just as that anointing is real, not counterfeit- just as it has taught you, remain in him”. The hope that I have in presenting this item is that, by study, we can understand how the Holy Spirit teaches, and therefore we can be better Spirit led teachers. The following are passages that I found noteworthy regarding Spirit led teaching:
a) Exodus 4:11&12. This is an absolute nugget when considering how the Spirit teaches. “The Lord said to him (Moses), ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say.’ “ The Lord is saying that he doesn’t just teach us what to think or speak; but he teaches our vocal chords and nerve system and brain how to perform their bodily functions. I had a close acquaintance with a speech impediment, who had to go through speech therapy in grammar school. As a young engineer he had much better verbal communication skills than I, since he went through training to speak. So some of us have impediments to our sensual or motor activities, and many times this is caused by inabilities to receive nerve or other signals within the body. I have a very minor condition in one eye, so I have some insight into this. The point that’s brought out here, though, is that the Holy Spirit is the complete teacher, from top to bottom: from the Spiritual (“those who by grace had believed”, Acts 18:27) to the sub-atomic (“The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light”, Genesis 1:2&3).
b) Mark 4:2. “He taught them many things in parables”. The Lord Jesus explained his use of parables when he said, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving…’ “ (Mark 4:111&12). This reminds me that to the unsaved we are to give out the gospel, not general Christian teaching; and we should be circumspect to whom we are teaching and which teaching is being given out. There are many sects which are denying the efficacy of the blood of Christ and love to mimic Christian teachings with their own teachings; which are slightly off, because they aren’t able to be corrected by the Spirit of Truth. So, why show such people what the Lord’s true teaching is, since they refuse to obey the gospel and they only intend to impress their religious acquaintances with half understood truths which they’ll use to captivate others. Never the less, it is necessary to give out sound teaching regarding all Christian topics within the church, even when unsaved people are present. Else the teaching work would never be done. It’s also important to note that God is the one who saves, and that not everyone will be saved. As was stated in Item #58, prayer goes hand in hand with teaching and the other spiritual gifts.
c) Mark 6:30. “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught.” Apostleship, evangelism, and even teaching is to be a coordinated, team effort (not so, prophecy). Teaching should obviously be administered at the local gathering level in such a manner that all vital topics should be well covered. This is why most gatherings will eventually go to a curriculum put together by a Christian publishing house, and administered by a deacon.
d) Acts 11:26. “So for a whole year Barnabus and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.” The point here is that basic Christian teaching is to spread far and wide, to all who would receive it. These great numbers of people were Gentiles, who would have been in need of much teaching, even of basic knowledge of Mosaic principles. From the sequence of events we see that the church at Antioch was becoming a center for Christian teaching, especially evangelism of the Gentiles. Barnabus was sent fromJerusalem, and obviously knowing Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:27), brought Paul from Tarsus.
e) Galatians 6:6. “Anyone who receives instruction in the Word must share all good things with his instructor”. This short verse is very important because it tells us that Scriptural understanding is a learning system, and it relies on direct and indirect feedback from the Holy Spirit. This feedback to one person’s understanding is to affect the whole body of Christians, through feedback to the teacher; who can then feedback the information to others. Examine the context of this verse. Paul is writing concerning an individual’s testing of himself regarding his or her walk with the Lord. “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (vs. 3). “We have the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16), but we don’t have the intellect of Christ. “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16). So, the whole Church of Christ on earth is growing in its understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Word (II Peter 3:18). Do you doubt this? Look back to what was being taught and understood by the early Reformers. Did they understand and directly teach eternal security? Did you know that Luther didn’t even include James and Revelation in the Canon of his Bible? The above verses intimate that we are to grow as the Body of Christ. Examine these verses. They can mean nothing else.
f) Exodus 24:12. “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commands I have written for their instruction”. This is the first instance of written doctrine in the Scripture. The reason for the written doctrine is plainly stated. It’s for instruction. Paul and we Christians of today are led by the Lord that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”.
g) Exodus 35:30-34. “The Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts…. And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.” This is a very insightful verse regarding the gifting by the Holy Spirit and God’s manifested grace. The following three points are noted: First, they were filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Second, skill, ability and knowledge all need to be developed over time. Third, they were given the ability to teach others. We can see that the Lord meets his need by the gifting of the Holy Spirit, and also that He works for long periods of time to bring about events in His long-term plan.
h) John 14:25&26. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything that I have said to you”. In this verse, the Greek word “paracletos” has been translated comforter. “Para” means with or along side, “cletos” means one who walks. So, “paracletos” describes the Spirit as one who walks along side us, which gives much insight into the Spirit’s method of counseling. Strong’s[4] cites “pneuma” as the Greek word for Spirit in practically all occurrences of the word spirit in the New Testament. “Pneuma” is translated by Strong’s to mean breath of air, or breeze. So, the Spirit as counselor actually connotes a Spiritual presence that we can’t touch or see but that we can feel and experience. The Holy Spirit is actively teaching us things; and there’s no limit to what the Spirit can use to do this teaching. Hopefully, we can use Scripture, Godly teachers, or authorities to obtain God’s instruction, rather than persecution and trials. However, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). The verse above also states that the Spirit “will remind you of everything”. The Spirit has power to put things in our minds.
i) John 16:8-15. “When he comes he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. I have much more to say to you more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will only speak what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” So, the Spirit is convicting the world of guilt. That alone should show us that the Spirit must use most of God’s creation to do His bidding, as well as the spiritual realms that we are blind toward. The Spirit uses these same resources to guide us into all truth, but in a different way, since the end result is different than the work of conviction. Those in need of guilt are the world, not the believers who are being guided into truth. “He will not speak on his own” means that he doesn’t originate the Word. The Word comes from the Father and the Son. (The Spirit does, however, speak audible words- Acts 13:2.) “Take from what is mine and make it known to you”- this is teaching that body of knowledge which is from the Father, and it’s not limited to Scripture or preaching. (Please see Items # 15 & 16 of the Word of Knowledge Section.) The Lord has a kingdom agenda, and he’ll use what’s necessary to prompt individuals (both saved and unsaved) to do what’s necessary for His Kingdom Agenda.
j) I Corinthians 2:13-16. “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit of God does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to judgment: ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” This passage fully agrees with what God told Moses in Exodus 4:12, “Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say.” Understand, though, that Paul prefaces all this with his explanation in I Corinthians 2:2, wherein Paul says that his speaking and knowledge is all centered at “Jesus Christ and him crucified”. Recall that the context of much of the Corinthian letter is regarding speaking and knowledge gifts, per I Corinthians 1:4-7. So Moses was taught by God to speak concerning the Mosaic Covenant, while we are taught by the Spirit to speak and know the New Covenant of Christ, just as Paul was. ‘For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). Note that once we’re saved by receiving the Savior at the Cross, spiritual leadings in our lives that allow us to follow Christ are still spiritually discerned. These leadings and spiritual judgments are not subject to any man’s judgment, and neither will God judge us for them. “There is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1&2). In fact we are encouraged to make spiritual discernments (“Test the spirits”- I John 4:1), and to “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
k) Teaching, preaching, and healing. Matthew 4:23. “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease among the people. News about him spread all over Syria…” Luke 5:17 is a similar statement of God’s technique in spreading the truth. “One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who had come from every village of Galilee and in Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.” Miracles always accompany believers (Matthew 16:17). I believe that it’s fitting and necessary for Christians, when they come together, to formally thank and praise God by sharing each week the miracles and blessings that they’ve received from the Lord. And this is one of the big reasons why this is fitting and necessary; because teaching and preaching are historically accompanied by miracles. It’s the Lord’s way. (Also see Item#34c&e of the Apostleship Section.)
l) Luke 23:5 “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching.” The reason for this is that the Spirit of Truth is a person of God and he is a consuming fire. So, when the Lord Jesus taught the truth, it grated against the Judeans’ man made doctrine. In short, the flesh wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17). So, the Holy Spirit working in each of us should always make our old nature feel uncomfortable. And when you hear the unsaved or some Christians complain concerning someone’s preaching or statement, be on guard and carefully discern what the truth is. Many people, saved and unsaved, reject the Spirit’s carefully prepared correction under the guise that it makes them feel uncomfortable, or that it seemed inappropriate. Please accept the fact that the Holy Spirit is never inappropriate, but usually makes our old nature feel uncomfortable.
m) Colossians 3:1-17. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your heart on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. … Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”. Teaching, admonishing, singing, they are all part of the package that comes to those who have God’s Holy Spirit in them. I suppose it’s easy to see that teaching and singing stem from God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in us. But admonishing! If you have Jesus love bubbling over in your soul, you will seek to admonish other believers if they need it; and when you’re in the wrong you’ll say thank you to the believer who God has led to correct you. However, if people’s stubborn flesh gets in the way of the Lord’s correction, don’t get discouraged; the Lord will work his correction in His time. (Also, see Item#278.)
n) Nehemiah 9:20. “You gave them your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.” This is one of the few direct statements of the working of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. And wouldn’t you know, he’s presented as the Teacher. (Also see Item# 141i.)
o) Psalm 16:7. “I will praise the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me”. Regarding semantics, then, the Lord uses the heart, which is the center of our soul, to instruct us. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases” (Proverbs 21:1). Since David was a king as well as a believer, both of these passages obviously refer to him. However, I’ve been instructed by the Lord through my heart at night and so this method is not exclusively reserved for kings. I remember struggling over various decisions, and praying and laboring over them. Then the answer comes sometimes at night. The answer involves the realizing of what your goal in the Lord is. Sometimes we get counsel from friends and worldly advice, but these counselors don’t know our heart, but the Lord does. So, we have to struggle through that bad advice, in order to get to where the Lord can instruct us to proceed on his path, which he’s been preparing all along. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5).
p) Daniel 11:33. “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered”. Here we see Christian teaching in the Tribulation period. I believe it will not be teaching as we know it, but rather a gospel that looks back to the day of God’s grace, and also looks to Christ’s work on the cross and his coming to reign (rather than our hope in the rapture), with a stern warning regarding the mark of the beast. It’s surprising to see Spirit led, Christian teaching in the Tribulation. This is because most of us recognize that II Thessalonians 2:7 tells of the Holy Spirit being “taken out of the way”, so that the power of lawlessness will prevail in the Tribulation. However, It never seemed plausible to me that the Spirit could be taken totally out of God’s creation. Who would do the work of the Father and the Son regarding maintaining creation? Who would hold the molecules together, as an example? And if the Holy Spirit is totally taken from the earth, how do the two last prophets prophecy (Revelation 11:3)? And how is the eternal gospel proclaimed “to those who live on the earth- to every nation, tribe, language, and people” (Revelation 14:6)? We need to understand succinctly what “taken out of the way means”. The Spirit is obviously taken out of the way as the restrainer of general lawlessness on the earth. “The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1) will not be true in the Tribulation. God doesn’t establish the AntiChrist. Also, the Spirit is “taken out of the way” in his grace workings through the Church, since the Church is taken up in the rapture. However, to add anything to these two points, without a direct statement from Scripture regarding what is taken away, is not good teaching and doesn’t add to a succinct understanding.
“TEACH”
92.) Taught to Sin, Deuteronomy 20:16-18 “However, in the cities of the nations that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them- the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites- as the Lord your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their Gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.” This passage contains a direct statement regarding teaching sin. And, it also contains the typology of sin as used by the Scripture.
The passage directly states that acquaintance with ungodly people will cause us to sin. The world in its unregenerate state must sin. Face it! The world wallows in sin. If you fraternize with the world, the world will teach you to sin. God concludes: “Friendship with the world is hatred toward God” (James 4:4).
This passage also contains the well repeated typology regarding our need to destroy sin in our lives. Explaining, since the travels of the Children of Israel are a type of the believer’s journey (I Corinthians 10:3-11, also see Item#67 of the Evangelism Section, and Item#74 of the Apostleship Section.), this discussion of the destruction of these Canaanite peoples (sometimes referred to as the “Ite’s”) has a definite typology. In order to claim the promised land (the type of the promises of God) the Israelites had to defeat the local pagans (the “Ite’s”) in each section of promised land. So, we believers, in order to claim each promise of God, must defeat sin in our lives, for each and every promise. As an example, the promise of Psalm 1 is Christian prosperity. Per the Psalm, though, we must first: “not walk in the counsel of the wicked”, not “stand in the way of sinners”, not “sit in the seat of mockers”, and also meditate day and night on God’s Word. Well, this psalm spells out four areas of entrenched sin that has to be dealt with in order to claim the Christian prosperity promise of Psalm 1. Taking just one area, in order to meditate, we must first memorize. And, in order to memorize, we must first take God’s Word seriously enough to even accept and consider Psalm 1, then we must also make the time to memorize the Scripture.
So, the Lord wants us to utterly defeat all sin in our lives in order to bless us with the promises that are ours in Christ. But unless we take a serious, diligent approach to sin, the sin will defeat us. Then, not only will we not obtain God’s promised blessings, but this passage says that the world will teach us to sin. So, it’s either total victory, with sin destroyed, or defeat, with us walking by the flesh and the world.
95.) Knowledge, Understanding, Insight, Wisdom, and Prudence; Deuteronomy 33:10 While these terms sound similar, they are definitely not the same. My definitions of these virtues, which I’ve learned over time are as follows:
a) Knowledge- The compiling of information. As an example, a book has knowledge in it. If you read the book, some of that knowledge will be retained by you.
b) Understanding- The gaining of the premises lying under a matter. As an example, a child is taught to never cross the street alone. Later, with age, the child learns the danger of auto accidents, and understands why he was told to never cross the street alone.
c) Insight- The ability to see into a situation, behind the scenes, and grasp what’s actually occurring.
d) Wisdom- The ability to use knowledge, understanding, and insight in the determining of correct decisions.
e) Prudence- The ability to actually do what wisdom is showing you to be the correct action. We’ve all heard the slogan, “Say ‘No’ to drugs”. So, everyone agrees that drugs cause damage, still, many people don’t have the prudence to refuse drugs, particularly when pressured by peers. Prudence is the icing on the cake for Christians. The world, since it resists the Holy Spirit, has coined the term “prude”. If you don’t drink or do drugs you’re a prude. If you don’t have sex outside marriage, you’re a prude. If you don’t use cuss words you’re a prude. What the world’s opinion boils down to is, if you have a serious lifestyle you’re a prude. But, “Listen to what the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints- but let them not return to folly” (Psalm 85:8).
Some Scripture passages dealing with these important abilities follow:
a) Knowledge, understanding, insight, wisdom, and prudence- Proverbs 1:1-7. “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young- let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance- for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” This passage is an important passage since it describes the purpose of the Book of Proverbs. For our purposes, it really brings together the five terms that we’re studying, and shows how these five attributes work together to shape a complete Christian. There are some important other Christian attributes listed in this passage, that we’ll touch on lightly in other passages. These are: discipline, righteousness, justice, fairness, discretion, learning, guidance, and fear of the Lord. From all this you see, though, that we need to understand and differentiate these terms in order to understand many passages of Scripture.
b) Understanding- Deuteronomy 33:10. “He teaches your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel.” The word “precept” connotes understanding, because precepts deal with the reasoning behind rules or conduct. The command, “Honor your father and mother, so that you will live long in the land” Exodus 20:12, carries a precept within the commandment. Why honor your parents? To live a long life! So, there are precepts involved in the way the Lord does things. Here is another command with a precept built in, “Do to others what you would have them to do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
c) Understanding- Psalm 119:25-28. “I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your Word. I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your Word.” The psalmist’s soul is laid low. He recounted his steps and realizes that he’s erred. His conclusion is to cry out to the Lord to teach him God’s decrees, and give him understanding of God’s precepts. In so doing he knows that then he’ll be strong in the Lord.
d) Knowledge and wisdom- Psalm 119:66&67. “Teach me knowledge and good judgment for I believe in your commands. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your Word.” The psalmist went away and so opened himself up to this affliction (vs. 71). Then he understood the value of knowledge of God’s decrees and precepts, and the wisdom to make good judgments.
e) Understanding- Psalm 119:103&104. “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.” Titus 1:11 speaks of false teachers, “They must be silenced because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach”. As I get older and see the destruction due to false teaching that has occurred in people’s lives, I am learning to hate false teaching (not the teachers, but the teaching). I agree that they must be silenced. And we can silence them through patiently consistent, sound teaching.
f) Understanding and discernment- Psalm 119:125. “I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.” Discernment is the ability to separate or categorize information. We talk about discerning right from wrong. However, discernment also includes separating information into more than two categories. As an example, in this particular topic of study (Item#95) we are discerning between knowledge, understanding, insight, wisdom, and prudence. One common item of discernment, that people pray for and seek to do, is “rightly dividing the Word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). Paul cites this discernment as necessary for Timothy to be an effective Christian worker.
g) Prudence- Psalm 119:133&134. “Direct my footsteps according to your Word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.” The psalmist felt that he could not obey God, due to oppression from men and from entrenched sin in his life. Prudence is the ability to walk as God would have us to walk. Much of this ability of prudence has to do with good Christian training. However, sometimes we get all fouled up so that every path seems like the wrong one. This is when prayer is essential, and God loves to answer such prayers. The psalmist was evidently caught in such a situation, and his solution was the prayer that we see in verses 133 & 134. We are allowed to walk prudently by the Lord, through His teaching, and many times merely by His intercession (many times he bails us out).
h) Insight, understanding, and wisdom- Psalm 119:97-100. “Oh how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.” This is a nugget of Scripture to those of us who try to claim the promise of Psalm 1, that is, the promise of a prosperous Christian life. It’s valuable because it ties in the “delight in the law of the Lord” and Scripture meditation according to Psalm 1, with the reality of how the prosperous life promise is brought to fruition. Getting away from the Psalm 1 promise, though, additional explanations of insight, understanding, and wisdom are as follows:
i) Insight- When we meditate on God’s Word, then the Word can work into our soul, and we gain insight. Bill Gothard, who still coordinates Christian seminars known as the Institute in Basic Life Principles out of Oak Brook, Il, challenges people to meditate on Scripture, particularly on Scripture that deals with a problem area in their life. Many attendees of these seminars have done this with tremendous success, including myself. At thirty years old I had had some very nice jobs, but never one for more than three years. I hired on to what I thought would be a short term government job, took Bill Gothard’s challenge memorizing Romans 13 (which deals with governmental authority). I recently retired from that same governmental agency after 20 years service. God’s promises are true, now, and for eternity.
ii) Understanding- From the above, we see that obedience to precepts brings understanding. This understanding through obedience surpasses the understanding gained through observational experience even of some elders. You can explain to a person how to ride a bike, and even observe many people riding bikes. However, until you actually get on the bike and successfully ride one, you still don’t know how to ride the bike. The same is true for God’s precepts, per the above passage. And really, this is how I’ve seen teachers, some of them being elders, teach incorrectly regarding spiritual gifts. Recently, Christians in West Aceh, Indonesia were warned of the coming tsunami by a revelation to a brother. Taking heed they went to a high hill, and were spared the injury that others had to endure in the tsunami. Yet, elders here in the U.S. would teach such revelation is obsolete since the completion of Scripture (Please see Item#1 of the Prophecy Section.). The difference is that the Indonesian Christians have been under persecution their entire Christian lives and are forced to walk by faith, while in the U.S. believers are actually somewhat financially rewarded for their Christian professions. Obedience to God’s precepts brings understanding.
iii) Wisdom- God’s commands make us wiser than our enemies. This life has rules and it’s God who makes the rules, because this is his creation. So, since we know the rules and our enemies don’t, we can make informed decisions, while worldly people are left groping for answers in the dark.
i) Knowledge and understanding- I Timothy 1:7. “They want to be teachers of the Law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” In Ephesus there were Judaizers which taught false doctrine, which had no power to save the hearers. They didn’t know the gospel and didn’t understand how the Law worked in conjunction with the gospel to bring new life. Many supposedly Christian groups today teach the same dead principles- a gospel of grace plus works. They try to rehab the old nature rather than bringing new life through the power of the Lord’s gospel.
j) Wisdom- Proverbs 16:23. “A wise man’s heart guides his mouth and his lips promote instruction.” This wise man is speaking what he believes in, rather than merely selling a point for self advancement. Contrast this with a foolish man who tries to trick people and eventually gets caught thus proving that his word has no value.
k) Knowledge- Proverbs 21:11. “When a wise man is instructed he gets knowledge”. Just this past weekend I had a conversation with some in-laws related to the content of this passage. I wasn’t discussing from a Scriptural perspective, and two men were trying to get me to agree that teaching in general doesn’t usually work, particularly in the moral plain. I suppose what my in-laws and I should have concluded is that a person has to want to learn in order to grow in knowledge. This is essentially what this passage is saying. Some people are incapable of learning due to their attitude; teaching bounces off of them, like water off a ducks back. In that case my in-laws were right. However, there is obviously the Spirit’s gift of teaching, and the Spirit knows how and when, who and what, to teach.
l) Understanding- Jeremiah 31:19. “After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.” Understanding of God’s ways causes us to reflect on our conduct. From this understanding proceeds repentance, deep sorrow, and a feeling of shame and humiliation due to our disgrace. This word “disgrace” is an interesting word since this treatise is the study of God’s grace. “Disgrace” can be defined as the state of being obviously not in favor with God, or with society.
m) Knowledge and wisdom- Proverbs 8:10. “Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion.” From this, some points are derived as follows:
i) “I possess knowledge and discretion”. Since wisdom is the ability to make correct decisions, you must have knowledge and discretion in order to have wisdom.
ii) “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence”. Wisdom is the ability to make the correct decision, but prudence is the ability to act on that decision. What good is wisdom without action? Or worse, what if you have wisdom to know what should be done, and instead of doing right, or even doing nothing, instead you do evil?
iii) I’m looking back on my life and looking ahead to my children’s lives, and I would tell my children exactly what’s written here. Instruction, knowledge, wisdom, and prudence far exceed wealth as keys to a prosperous life.
iv) “Instruction” is a term that’s studied heavily and particularly in the Book of Proverbs. Regarding this, please see Item#278 below.
m) Prudence- Proverbs 15:5. “A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.” Looking at the semantics of this statement, consider that there are five attributes coming into play herein: discipline, knowledge, instruction, wisdom, and prudence. The father’s discipline shows the person that there’s something wrong and in need of correction, which brings knowledge of the offense. Wisdom allows the person to accept the instruction (same as correction herein) as being valid. Prudence allows the person to act on his wisdom, and therefore act correctly in the future, thus displaying prudent behavior. This verse deals with a father and his child, but Item#297, below, states that instruction and correction are a necessary part of a Godly life for all believers, young and old, wise and unwise.
n) Understanding- Proverbs 16:22. “Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but folly brings punishment to fools.” Understanding is contrasted to folly. Do you have a lot of time to waste on work that is not focused on your needs, and sometimes harmful to you and your family. Well, understanding helps us focus our efforts, which is pleasing to God and brings grace; and it helps us to sidestep needless harm.
96.) Testing as Part of Teaching, Judges 3:2. “These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.” Regarding Christian teaching, then, we can expect the Lord to test our ability to absorb His teaching into our lives. Also, we conclude that testing is a part of teaching.
110.) Correctly Partitioning the Scripture, Job 33:33 “Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;…be silent and I will teach you wisdom.” It’s important to understand that not all Scripture is to be taken as direct Godly counsel for us. We know that “all Scripture is God-breathed” (II Timothy 3:16), but we still have to consider the context of what’s said. Here are some points regarding this:
a) “Rightly dividing the Word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15, KJV). The NIV renders II Timothy 2:15 as: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a work man who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of truth.” This verse has historically been used to warn believers that, at the very least, we should realize that the Scripture is divided into the Old and New Testaments, and that we should know the difference. Then, of course, we could separate the Old Testament into the Law and the Prophets, poetry books, and history. Then the New Testament could be divided into the four gospel books, history (Acts), epistles, and Revelation (prophecy). Or, one could devise other categorizations. Truthfully, though, II Timothy 2:15 is in a context that not only points out the need for correct contextual handling of the Word, but also, a need to handle the Word solemnly and appropriately so as to avoid arguments. (Please see II Timothy 2:14, 16, &23-25). So, the point brought out is that we are to be careful in how we apply the Scripture.
b) Job’s counselors. There are some very famous verses quoted from Job’s counselors and used to give various advice. However, I must say that such advice will always be quoted out of context, since Job’s counselors are not considered by Scripture as Godly counselors, but rather, as examples of bad counsel. So we cannot use these passages by Job’s counselors, except to say, “Here’s an example of bad advice.” Are these passages God-breathed? Yes, but they are God-breathed examples of bad advice. In our subject passage, above (Job 33:33), Elihu isn’t really teaching Job wisdom, he’s tempting Job to give up his faith. Job’s counselors are a part of Satan’s temptation of Job. If you quote them, you should quote them as you would quote the words of Satan. So, we obviously must watch the context of Scripture. Satan certainly twisted the Scripture out of context when he tempted the Lord Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).
c) I chose the term “correctly partitioning Scripture”, to try and lend some understanding to the concepts presented here. But since selecting those words I’ve been having some partitioning problems on the hard drive memory of my computer. When I first set up the computer, it was partitioned with 20 GB in one partition of my 120 GB hard drive and 100 GB in the other partition. But I haven’t paid attention to the rules of where to store my files, and I’ve been storing everything in the 20 GB partition. There’s very little room left in that partition, 3GB; and this is starting to cause serious problems as to what I can and can’t do. Well, the same is true in our Christian walk. God’s Word empowers us: by our understanding of His will; by our conduct before angels, demons, God’s throne, and before worldly principalities; and by the grace He gives us to accomplish His will. So, if we misunderstand God’s Word in some area, this error will play itself out in our lack of accomplishment for the Lord. We cannot live out the full abundant life that the Lord would have us to live (John 10:10), and we settle for much less on the eternal scale. So it is with grace. We are given the capacity to be used greatly for Christ and be given great rewards in heaven (Ephesians 4:7). However, bad teaching, particularly regarding God’s grace gifts, can severely hamper our capacity to be useful for the Lord.
d) Pre-Pentecost Peter. In Acts 1:26 we see Peter pushing to select by lot a replacement for Judas. Peter was told by the Lord to “wait for the gift my Father promised you…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”. However, instead we see Peter replacing Judas, with Matthias, by lot. Most, of those who claim apostleship is obsolete today, do so using Pre-Pentecost Peter’s definition of apostleship. I’m not trying to slam Peter, or accuse him, but prior to Pentecost Peter made some large errors (and I refuse to list them, but if you’re a Bible scholar, you already know his errors). Now I ask you. Can we rely on Pre-Pentecost Peter’s terms for selecting Judas replacement, as our definition of New Testament apostleship, or for any other teaching? No, he’s obviously not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, our Teacher! Neither Paul, nor Barnabus, nor any other apostle cited in Scripture as an apostle, except for “the twelve”, fits Peter’s criterion for the replacement of Judas. Of truth Peter was merely replacing Judas as one of “the twelve”. The fact that there were twelve apostles of Jesus Christ does not diminish the fact that seven other apostles were listed as such in Scripture. (Please see Items#4 & 29 in the Apostleship Section.)
So, we must conclude that correctly noting and understanding, through study, the context of Scripture is part and parcel to being a disciple.
114.) Who’s and Why’s of Instruction, Psalm 25:4-12. “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, for my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant. For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity for it is great.” Who does God instruct?- those who pray to him as David did, sinners who repent, the humble, those who are under his covenant. Why does the Lord instruct them? God is our Savior and our hope is in him, and without his instruction we’re in trouble. God is good and upright and loving! That’s why he instructs sinners. Without the Lord’s instruction we would have a miserable time in this life, and even if a soul is saved, how can that person store up rewards in heaven without God’s instruction. We’d probably store up judgment, instead, if we don’t follow God’s instruction.
117.) Fear of the Lord, Psalm 34:4-16. “I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongues from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” When Paul quoted the Prophet Isaiah in Romans 3:10-18, he selected a phrase at which to end his quotation. The phrase that he selected encapsulated all the wickedness intrinsic to the old nature: “no one righteous…all have turned away…their tongues practice deceit…mouths are full of cursing and bitterness…their feet are swift to shed blood…the way of peace they do not know”. The ending phrase which encapsulated all that wickedness was this: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” David is cited as writing Psalm 34 when he pretended to be insane before Abimalech who drove him away. I suppose he was concerned by the fact that he was fearing Abimalech, when he knew he was only to fear God. This Psalm clearly and succinctly explains why we are to fear God: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” However, the following are other points, brought out during this Grace Study, regarding fear of the Lord:
a) “He delivered me from all my fears” (vs. 4). When you fear the Lord, you needn’t and shouldn’t have other fears. “Do not be afraid of those that kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One that can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). I don’t believe that we, as believers, should be in fear of hell-fire, but if you’re not saved you should be in fear of hell. And that’s certainly one form of Godly fear. How a believer is to fear God, depends on the situation, and really at what level the believer is walking with the Lord in a given situation. “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). Knowing that our Lord, with whom we walk closely, is a consuming fire, we should seek his approval in all we do. In doing so, we’ll realize that it’s his will that we should deal respectfully with other authorities and concerns in our lives ( Romans 13:7.).
b) “Those who look to him are radiant” (vs. 5). I’ve had many opportunities to bring others to court, but I practice that verse that says, “Agree with your adversary quickly while you are in the way with him” (Matthew 5:25, KJV). It’s just plain not worth the hassle for me to bring someone to court. I’ve been to court and seen others with prolonged court battles, and I’ve never seen anyone say that it was a pleasant experience, even the attorneys and judges. I had one judge as a client. He said, “David, the world I live in is like nothing you’ve ever seen. You wouldn’t want to be there, even for a minute”. So, God’s Word tells us how to forego such court troubles, by coming to quick settlements. The point is that God knows how to protect and provide for his own; but we must revere his will to stay within his provision and protection from troubles. And this should be a daily walk, a personal relationship with our loving Lord. When we have such a walk our countenance will be radiant, to the unsaved and to the Lord.
c) ‘The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them” (Vs 7). If you’re a believer you know that there are times when Satan is going to attack you, whether by finances, or sickness, or any other possible weakness, but God’s angel permanently protects us. The angel does not just visit us. The angel is encamped around us, for permanent protection. Of course there will be trials, but they will be trials carefully monitored by the Lord, in which Satan will not be able to merely have his way with us.
d) “Lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who fear the Lord lack no good thing” (vs. 10). Worldly or fleshly strength won’t save us from poverty, or famine, or mental and physical failings. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). Our Father is our constant and consistent provider.
e) “These are the commands decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children, and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all of His decrees and commands that I give you, so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you”. If you fear the Lord, pass this on to your children, so that they also can be blessed. Generational fear of the Lord is a great blessing.
f) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). If a person doesn’t even know that he should be concerned about pleasing God, let alone knowing how to please God, then this Scripture says that he is not even at the base level of knowledge. In other words, “How smart is a person who’s going to hell, and isn’t even concerned?”
g) “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). So, as much as we know about God, his purposes and his majesty and anything concerning him, this all adds to our understanding. When this knowledge of God causes us to fear the Lord, as holy and as a consuming fire, then we can begin to have the wisdom to make right decisions. I suppose this also explains Proverbs 15:33, which says, “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom”.
120.) Teaching through Desperate Times, Psalm 60:3&4. “You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger. But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.” The title for this psalm prescribes the psalm as being “A miktam of David, for teaching”. Desperation definitely can be used to teach us. “These (trials) have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (I Peter 1:7). I remember hearing of a Christian worker who had fallen on hard times, of whom it was said, “All that is left of him is Jesus Christ”. Through desperate trials we learn what’s really true, and what is to be our true banner to lead us through life- our life purpose and our God given grace gift. Through desperation we can also discover the difference between needs and wants. If you don’t really need it, it’s a want. God has promised to provide all our needs, not our wants.
124.) Results of Learning God’s Decrees, Psalm 119:12-135. “Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.” This section of Psalm 119 contains many results to learning God’s decrees. Some of these results are:
a) “With my lips I recount” (vs. 12). When you get in a confusing situation, you can call up God’s Word, so that you can have knowledge and counsel in making the right decisions. Then, in knowing that we’re making right decisions, and living in a manner acceptable to the Lord, we can rejoice in that fact.
b) “I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees…. Keep from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law….I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end” (vs. 26-33). This is the plea of a person who does not want to walk in sin anymore. He’s had enough shame, and knows the solution is to know and walk according to the Lord’s decrees.
c) “I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts. The earth is filled with your love, O Lord; teach me your decrees.” (vs. 63&64). Students go through exorbitant hazing in order to join fraternities and sororities. And for what?! They do that to supposedly associate with the right group of people. Well, the right group of people constitutes those who are serious about the Lord, and who follow His precepts. Well, to have nice friends, associates, and even a spouse, we have to live up to certain standards. Christian standards don’t include how fast you can chug a glass of beer, but rather Godly living by abiding by the Lord’s decrees.
d) “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your Word. You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees” (vs. 66-68). From the Lord’s decrees we obtain knowledge and good judgment that can spare us from the afflictions of bad decisions.
e) “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (vs. 104&105). From this famous passage, we see that we learn to hate the wrong path; and therefore use the light of God’s Word to guide every small footstep, and also our long and medium term planning, as well.
f) “Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees. I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes” (vs. 124&125). When we really understand the depravity of our old nature and our old lifestyle, then we really understand that the Lord’s decrees, and the fact that the Lord cares enough to give us such decrees, are a manifestation of His love for us. (This prayer requests knowledge through teaching, as well as discernment and understanding. A fleshly person, such as myself, might ask for enough prudence to act upon this knowledge, discernment, and understanding.)
g) “Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees. Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed. Righteous are you, O Lord, and your laws are right….Trouble and distress have come upon me but your commands are my delight. Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live” (vs. 135-144). The writer understand the righteousness of God, while tears are brought to his eyes because of the disobedience of worldly people. But, even in distress we take our joy in the Lord’s commands and, really, his presence in our lives.
137. Lifestyle Qualifications of a Teacher, Isaiah 28:7-9. “Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions. All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth. Who is it he is trying to teach?” Most New Testament teachers are elders or deacons. Deacon is from the Greek word “diakoneo”[5] (Strong’s Number 1247), which merely means servant or attendant. So if a person serves in some capacity in the local gathering such as a Sunday School teacher, that person is a deacon, or deaconess. The point is that the lifestyle qualifications of a teacher are the same as for a deacon. “Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.” (I Timothy 3:8-12). From the necessities of history we see that a teacher can obviously be a woman. However, women should not be teaching men (I Timothy 2:12). The above are the lifestyle qualifications of a teacher. However this list of deacon qualifications still leaves one question unanswered. Does this person have the Spirit-given ability of teaching?
138.) Teaching by Trial and Error and by Common Sense, Isaiah 28:24-29. “When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? ...His God instructs him and teaches him the right way. Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick. …All this comes also from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.” This shows us that God does teach by trial and error, and that His teaching has common sense to it. This passage also shows us that Godly teaching also includes instruction in how to make a living, and focusing on work goals. When I was very young (7th or 8th grade) my father used us kids to dig up the rear garden for planting (roto tillers were not commonly available yet). As well, from a very young age, we were made to pull weeds around our home. My brothers and I hated that work. It was boring; and if you did it right, it was back-breaking. But, guess what! I have a heavenly Father, who through those mini trials, taught me how to stick with a tough job and bring it to completion, even when my coworkers were goofing off. Now, I work as a consultant. I have no one trying to take credit for my work product. But, there are times when I have to exhaust enormous effort to finalize my submittals. I can cite many earthly teachers in my life, and most weren’t Christians, or even very nice people, but the Lord had me learn from them. But, if I have to go back and consider the major teaching of my work habits, I have to go back to my childhood, pulling weeds and breaking dirt in the hot sun and mosquitoes. From that I learned what’s called “stick-to-it-ivness”. I suppose the Lord can use many things to teach us what we need to do his work. I’m glad I didn’t have to beat caraway with a rod or cumin with a stick in order to learn perseverance.
141.) Teaching the Difference between the Holy and the Common, What to Teach; Ezekiel 44:23. “They (the Levitical priests) are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean”. This verse opens a broad topic within this Grace Study of Teaching- the topic of “What to teach”. In that regard the following are topics of teaching brought out by Scripture which help describe what should be taught by Christian teachers:
a) II Timothy 3:16 declares that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”. So Scripture is to be the primary tool for the Christian teacher. And, I don’t see any reason why all good Christian teaching shouldn’t fall under the content of the Scripture. Even given that much teaching is by example, our lifestyles should follow the pattern of righteousness contained in Scripture. So, even teaching by example follows the guidelines of Scripture.
b) Praise and singing- “All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and singers with musical instruments were leading the praising” (II Chronicles 23:13). The word “leading” in this verse is actually the Hebrew word “yada”[6], which means to teach. So the teaching of praise and singing is definitely part of solid Christian teaching.
c) Discipleship and God’s viewpoint, particularly as contained in the sermon on the Mount- “and he began to teach them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…’ “ (Matthew 5:2&3). The Sermon on the Mount contains an explanation internally as to why we should teach and study it- “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Also see Item #33, above.
d) The disturbing Truth of the gospel- “They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the Resurrection of the dead” (Acts 4:2). We are to teach the truth, especially the gospel, fully knowing that it will disturb people. After all, the flesh wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17).
e) Teaching = fully telling. “ ‘Go stand in the temple courts,’ he (an angel) said, ‘and tell the people the full message of this new life’. At daybreak they (the apostles) entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people” (Acts 5:20&21). We are communicating the gospel, and we are to fully communicate it. Sometimes we can only get out a vague blurb, when we try to share. But that’s okay, the Holy Spirit can use that along with teaching and evangelism from other sources to teach and save an individual.
f) Rooting, growth, and strengthening in the faith through teaching, as opposed to worldly culture; Colossians 2:6-8. “So then, just as you received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” True Christian teaching doesn’t just get us saved but strengthens and helps us grow in the Lord. But, beware of the religious culture which can take you captive. I talk to religious people all the time, and each one of them claims that their religion is the true religion. And each one of them cannot claim that they’re saved. Except, once in a while some religious person will be puffed up enough to claim that he’s lead a righteous life and that his lifestyle will get him into heaven. Well, we know that our salvation is only through the blood of Christ, and that we can know that we’re saved, once we’ve received Christ (Romans 10:9, Titus 3:5, & many other verses). But religious people, whether nominal Christians or idolatrous people, are bound by the culture surrounding their religion. They’ve been taken “captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends upon human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ”. “For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world” (I John 2:16).
g) Teach grace and Law; Item # 146, below, shows why we should teach grace and Law, knowing that ultimately we are to live under grace through faith.
h) There’s a right and a wrong way to live. In I Kings 8:36 Solomon prayed, “Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance”. The teachers and the elders of the local gathering must teach doctrine which allows the Body to live Godly lives. Remember that the teachers, along with the apostles, prophets, evangelists and shepherds of the Church, have a calling to “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and becoming mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12&13).
i) “Teach me your way, O Lord, lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors”. Psalm 27:11. When we can see the troubles in life, we’re not looking for the easiest path or a wealthy path, we’re looking for the Lord’s path. We want to know that we’re under the Lord’s protection by doing His will. Christian teaching, then, should teach how to recognize the Lord’s path and how to stay on His path, through repentance, through Bible study, through acceptance of Godly correction, through a plain life and uncomplicated life. Psalm 143:10 says, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground”. Again, note that God’s way and His will involve an easy path and level ground, upon which it’s not easy to stumble. This verse contains a couplet in which the second part of the verse is merely an alliterative form of the first part of the verse. So, the “level ground” equals staying within God’s will, or “to do your will”. But, then, look at who the Teacher is in that alliterative second part of the couplet. It’s the Holy Spirit! (Also see Item# 77n.)
j) “I will teach you fear of the Lord”. Psalm 34:11. As is shown in Item#117, above, fear of the Lord is something a believer must learn in order to have a functional life.
k) “Teach me your way and I will walk in the truth”. Psalm 86:11. Jesus Christ said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John14:6); and before Christians were known as Christians they were known as the Way (Acts19:23, 9:2, etc.). The Way is not just a name or term, but rather, a lifestyle that a Christian lives that sets them apart as the followers of Jesus. This lifestyle can and must be taught, by God’s Holy Spirit, through Christian teachers, and whatever other means the Spirit would use to teach us.
l) “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. Psalm 90:12. Intrinsic to Christian teaching is the concept of Stewardship. That is, that we are to be good stewards of our time and effort, with money being only an indicator of our time and effort. (Luke 16:8-15).
m) “Teach me your decrees”. Psalm 119:26. Christians are not under Law, but under grace. Still, a thorough knowledge of God’s decrees and commands allows us to understand God’s will in our lives. Psalm 119:124&125 says, “teach me your decrees…give me discernment that I may understand your statutes”. (See Item#95-c& #95-f, above.) Also, the Law is still the manner to bring a lost sinner to the Cross for salvation.
n) “Teach me knowledge and good judgment”. Psalm 119:66. (Also see #95, above.) As elders these are the torches that we must pass on to the next generation of Christians. The psalmist went astray and was afflicted, and then he realized the value of Godly knowledge and good judgment. The Scripture is saying that it’s possible to teach knowledge and good judgment before a person goes astray and becomes afflicted. This, then, is a major goal of Christian teaching.
o) “Teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians”. Daniel 1:4. It’s usually necessary for a Christian to learn a reasonable amount of worldly knowledge in order to function in society, particularly in making a living. When I chat with young people and their schooling, I try to remind them that education is a means to make a living, and that knowledge just for knowledge’s sake is a form of folly. Actually, the same can be said of Bible knowledge. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says”. Also, James 1:26 shouts out, “Faithwithout deeds is dead”.
p) Teaching is part of the Great Commission. The Lord Jesus transferred His authority to teach to the Church for all ages at the Great Commission, when he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). He spoke this to the eleven, but note that he said that it was for the Church age. So, he is communicating that apostleship and teaching and, really, every grace that’s needed to reach the world for Christ is available to the Church until the very end of the age. So, the Church can and should teach, evangelize and practice apostleship. (Also see Item#33j, above.)
q) “Command and teach these things”. I Timothy 4:11. Timothy is told by Paul in verse 4:6, “If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed”. What are “these things” which should be taught? Well, verse 6 is sandwiched between some things which are cited as “taught by demons” or otherwise just plain bad teaching. Such wrong teaching is cited as: false teaching, myths and endless genealogies, forbidding to marry, abstaining from certain foods, teaching godless myths and old wives tales, and teaching physical training as a form of godliness (yoga, martial arts, Spartan philosophies, etc.). Paul contrasts these wrongful teachings with the teachings of the true faith which should be taught. Make no mistake! Consider that these items are still teachings of concern today! Paul is commanding Timothy and us to teach the true faith which contains: intercessory prayer seeking peaceful and quiet lives (vs. 2:1); submissive and godly womanhood (vs. 2:9-15); a committee of godly elders (men) taking the oversight of the local assembly, and as opposed to clergy (vs. 3:1-7, & 4:3); insistence on godly servants, of good repute, performing church duties (vs. 3:8-13, and 5:22); the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus as its foundational truth (vs. 3:15&16); and also those rules for godly living regarding widows, elders, servants, and financial gain (vs. 5:1-6:21). So, all these things (vs. 4:6, 4:11, and 6:2) are commanded to be taught as the true faith, with Jesus Christ being the Chief Cornerstone of the Church, and the “foundation of the truth” (vs. 3:15).
r) “These then are the things that you should teach”. Titus 2:15. In Chapters 2 and 3 of Titus, Paul gives practically the same instructions to Titus as he does to Timothy, as summarized in subparagraph #q, above. Humility, temperance, respect for authority, all “these things” should be taught and practiced “while we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Only the gospel can save you, but godly living can influence the salvation of others. We must walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Paul charged Timothy and Titus to command and teach “these things”, not just the gospel and glory of Christ, but Godly living as well.
143.) Receiving Pay for Spiritual Abilities, Micah 3:9-12. “Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zionwith bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us’. Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.” This is a nugget of Scripture, because it communicates to us the Lord’s opinion of those hirelings cited in the New Testament, in John 10:11-13. Please see also Item#55 in the Apostleship Section, Item#106, in the Evangelism Section, and Item#1 in the Shepherding Section.
This passage clearly shows that the leaders, teachers, and prophets were not to take pay for their work. Not the Lord’s heart, nor His righteousness, has changed in this regard. A New Testament elder, teacher, or prophet/ preacher is not to work for money; and John 10 tells us to add pastors to this list. If such people work for money, the Lord’s opinion is clear. Such a person is despising justice, distorting what is right, and involved in wickedness. The prophet/ preacher, being cited, obviously must live on faith if he’s a traveling preacher. (But the prophets cited in Micah 3:11 were taking money as fortune tellers, and wouldn’t do anything except for money.) The New Testament teaching is that evangelists, apostles/ missionaries, and traveling preachers/ prophets must live on faith; that is provision by the Lord, particularly through the local gatherings and other donations. There’s no Scriptural record of pastors and deacons receiving financial support for doing the Lord’s work; but such support is clearly spoken against in the Scripture.
Admittedly, there’s a difference between accepting donations and working for money. A person working for money won’t do the work, except for pay. However, this distinction is not a viable excuse for the practice by pastors, elders, teachers, or deacons, of accepting donations. The Lord will certainly provide for their needs through some other means such as employment or investment, if they are indeed doing the Lord’s work. The Lord provides for my needs over-abundantly. And if He called me to a full time ministry, I’m sure he’d provide for my needs. But my full time ministry ought not to be what the elders of the local gathering ought to be doing. Else, how can I say that it’s the Lord’s will or work.
The impressive point of this passage, though, is that, except for those designated to earn their living by the gospel (See Item#106 of the Evangelism Section.); believers are not to take money for their Christian efforts. Else, they are despising justice, distorting what is right, and practicing wickedness.
144.) Teaching in the Millennium, Micah 4:2. “Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” There’s not a lot said about heaven, but we know that there’ll be a New Jerusalem, where “the Lamb is its lamp” (Revelation 21:2 &10). I don’t see any evidence of any teachers in the millennium, except for the Lord, Himself. However, there will be pastors there. (See Item#3 in the Shepherding Section.) Also, there seems to be a more purified knowledge in heaven which is spoken of and alluded to in places of Scripture. I Corinthians 13:12 promises the believer such knowledge: “Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am known.” Jeremiah 3:15 speaks of Millennium shepherds leading with such knowledge and understanding. I believe this knowledge has to do with our future separation from this sin ridden flesh, and our direct sharing in the Lord’s glory. The reason for this is I John 3:2, which promises, “But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”. This connects our ability to see and recognize Christ with our more purified state of existence in heaven; we’ll be separated from our old nature. (Praise the Lord!) The above statement that the Lamb is the lamp of heaven, also is relevant; because Matthew 5:14 says, “Ye are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”. This light then is not just the glory of God, but also the knowledge of God given off by the Lord Jesus, and also by us when we’re doing God’s work. It’s been said that, (on earth) “We believers merely reflect the light and glory of the Lord Jesus.” However, in heaven we’ll have no need of reflectors, for we’ll have the direct light of the Lord’s presence. Perhaps this is why I don’t hear mention of any teachers in heaven, other than the Lord, Himself.
146.) Teach Grace and Law, Matthew 5:19. “Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” This can be a difficult passage, particularly when being challenged by a legalist.
First, understand that the Lord Jesus taught grace and Law. But the Law was to be our schoolmaster to bring us to the cross and grace. Galatians 3:24&25 says, “So the Law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the Law.” But if we teach or preach, we must stress the immutability of God’s Law, else how will people come to Christ?
Therefore, we must teach judgment to come due to God’s Law, with the only escape being grace by faith. “But now a righteousness from God, apart from the Law, has been made known, to which the Law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21&22). Also, “There is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death.” Can we conclude whether God, or a believer walking by the Spirit is above the Law? No, because such a righteousness from God was prophesied by the Law and the Prophets. Is a non-believer above the Law? Definitely not! There’s freedom from the Law through grace and walking by the Holy Spirit. But freedom without bounds is licentiousness. The boundary of a believer’s freedom is the will of God.
149.) When is a Pulpit Needed? Mark 4:1. “Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the waters edge.” Verse 2:13 says, “Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them”. In both instances Jesus was beside the same lake with a large crowd. But in the second instance the crowd was “so large” that he needed a device to help him speak to such a large crowd. So, a pulpit can be used if necessary. However, the best pulpit is a golden pulpit prepared for our use by the Lord, Himself. (See Item#53, above.)
158.) “To Do and To Teach”, Acts 1:1 “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach”. In Item #141-q, &r, it was noted that Timothy and Titus were charged not just to “command and teach these things”, but also be a Godly example (Titus 2:7&8, I Timothy 4:12). The point that’s being emphasized here, in Acts 1:1, and also by Paul’s charge to Timothy and Titus, is that teaching and living go together. And, if not, then a lack of integrity, even a charge of hypocrisy can be leveled at a Christian. There’s an old saying, “Right teaching brings about right conduct; and wrong teaching brings about wrong conduct”.
Please take note, though, that the first thing some people will do, when they find out that you’re a professing Christian, is to seek to discredit you. So, don’t be dismayed when some false charge of hypocrisy is leveled at you; some people are just plain enemies of God. Also see Item#28 in the Apostleship Section.
161.) Persistent Teaching = Effective Teaching, Acts 5:40- 6:1. “They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. In those days when the number of disciples was increasing…” The lesson here is to be persistent in teaching the truth, even in the face of persecution, or anything else that Satan will throw in our way.
167.) A Woman is not to Teach or Have Authority over a Man, I Timothy 2:11-15. “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” First, let me quickly note that this was not a passing fad in Christianity that changed with culture. This verse has as its precepts the authority and power of God being manifested in the Spirit gift of teaching, and God’s order within creation, and before his throne. Also, this verse is noted as being among the core teachings of Christianity, since it is among the teachings cited as “these things” which are commanded by Paul to be taught (per Items #141-q & 141-r, above). I note that this verse uses the same argument that Paul used in I Corinthians 11:7-12, when he taught whether men or women should have their heads uncovered or covered during prayer and prophecy. (Please see Item #56 in the Prophecy Section.) Is teaching listed as a Spirit gift in Ephesians 4:11? Yes! Was the authority to teach, and the command to do so, given to the Church at the Great Commission, Matthew 28:20? Yes! Is God very careful regarding the use of His authority and power- in government (Romans 13:1-7), in the local gathering (I Timothy 5:17), in His provision of employment (I Peter 2:16-19), in the family (Ephesians 5:21- 6:4)? Yes! Therefore, it should be obvious that God is careful and acts responsibly in His use of His authority and power in the Spirit gifts. God’s authority in teaching, then, follows God’s order in His creation, not usurping God’s order by allowing a woman to teach over a man. Women can teach over women, and women can teach over boys and girls, but not over a man, even a young man. (Please note that this concept extends to any authority, not just gifts; since the passage says, “or to have authority over a man”.)
168.) Elders as the Principal Teachers of the Local Gathering, I Timothy 3:2. “Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, apt to teach, …”. Here we see that the elders are expected to be the main teachers in the local church. From other passages we know that the oversight is to be made up of elders, principally I Peter 5:1&2, and Titus 1:6-9. Note that “apt to teach” is not a requirement of deacons, who are also officially recognized officers of the local assembly. (Please see Item#76 above.)
172.) The Spread of Christian Teaching, II Timothy 2:2. “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others”. Endure hardship…” Paul is commanding Timothy, his son in the Lord, to pass on the teachings of Christ to others so that the teachings will spread. This is the same concept as Christ’s Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations,… and teaching them everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19&20). This concept is also implicit in Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” This concept is also implicit in Paul’s charge to Timothy, and similarly to Titus, to “command and teach these things”, as noted in Item #141-q, above. The way to battle Islam is not with munitions, but with the gospel, with Christian teaching, and with Christian living. Even the Moslems know this. That’s why Islamic nations make it illegal to teach Christianity, even punishable by death. But if we “live by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), then we have all the authority that we need.
175.) Maturity Level for Teaching, Hebrews 5:11&12. “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s Word all over again” The Scripture distinguishes between those who are immature, and need to be taught elementary truths all over again, and those who are mature and capable of grasping higher truths such as the typology in the Word as typified in the priesthood of Melchizedek. The Scripture cites such elementary truths as being, “repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (Hebrews 6:1&2). So, the Word is actually connoting a maturity in the mind of the believer, and also a maturity level in the teaching itself. The maturity in the mind of the believer is explained further: “You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14). The writer is saying that to go on and grasp teachings beyond the elementary levels cited, a believer must “train themselves to distinguish good from evil” (vs. 14). I take that as good versus evil lifestyle and good versus evil teaching. Note that it says “train themselves”, not being trained by others. In other words, “It’s time to stand on your own two feet, as a Christian. The connotation in all this, though, is that a person has to get to this maturity level before attempting a ministry/ work as a teacher.
“TEACHERS”
191.) Ranking the Spiritual Abilities, I Corinthians 12:28-31. “And in the Church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. … But eagerly desire the greater gifts.” This ranking is further explained in the Apostleship Section, Item#56-b. Essentially, this ranking of gifts has to do with the ability of each the gift to edify Christ’s Church. I Corinthians 14:12 says, “Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the Church”. Of note is the point that teaching is ranked high on the list, in third position. So, we must take teaching very seriously.
194.) Itching Ears- the Opposite of Holy Spirit Teaching, II Timothy 4:1-3. “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage- with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths”. Some people have relegated the fulfillment of this prophecy to the Tribulation period. I perceive that it’s clear that the prophecy will be brought to fruition during Timothy’s lifetime, and these supposed Christian teachers are still present today. The following are items that I gleaned from this very important passage on teaching:
a) First note that Paul is fearful of God, solemnly making sure that he’s charged Timothy correctly to carry out his ministry, surmising that he, Paul, would be held accountable for what he passed on to Timothy.
b) The term “But you” in II Timothy 4:5 relegates the fulfillment of the itching ears prophecy to within Timothy’s lifetime.
c) The Greek[7] has this as “teachers tickling the ear”. I could say a lot about this perspective of teaching, but I won’t. I believe this type of teaching is obviously going on today. The way to make sure that you don’t allow your preaching to fall into this category is given by Paul: “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” (II Timothy 4:5). The way to not preach lukewarm doctrine is to submit to the Holy Spirit’s grace in your life: “discharge all the duties of your ministry”, even if you have to “endure hardship” to complete your ministry. The Holy Spirit is a fire. Don’t tickle people’s ears, fire up their ears with Holy Spirit fire. Practice your gift and let the Holy Spirit be the fire.
d) Myths- A myth is a false tale which seeks to explain reality, usually involving an ancestor’s fable or a point of historical culture (my definition). These ear tickling doctrines turn people aside to myths. Of course some denominations even state that cultural/ religious traditions carry the same weight as the Scripture in analyzing truth. We actually don’t have to stray that far to be turned aside to myths. If cultural pressure and exaltation of ancestors is being taught rather than the fire of God from the pulpit, beware!
e) This ear tickling concept merely brings me back to Galatians 5:17, where we’re reminded that the flesh wars against the Spirit of God. Preach and teach fire from God.
“TEACHEST”
202.) Christian Teaching versus Customs and Traditions, Acts 12:21. “They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs”. There are many Christian traditions among our society. These can be bad or good in various situations. Customs can be abused and misused, just as doctrine can be abused. I’ve always held the position that people are very open to the gospel, and their heart’s door is open, during such “holy days”. Of course the concept of a holiday is wrong teaching. God is holy, not a day. And the concept of a “holy day of obligation” (which requires church attendance, under threat of mortal sin) is spoken against in the Bible (Galatians 4:10). One big danger of putting emphasis on customs is that critical doctrine is replaced by falsehood. People think that merely practicing these so-called Christian traditions constitutes Christianity, rather than faith and a walk with Christ Himself. (I say this from much experience.) Another point brought out in Item#194-d, above, is the turning aside to myths once the Truth has been lost. This concept wherein God’s light in Truth is overshadowed by tradition is spoken against by Isaiah (29:13): “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up of only rules taught by men”. The Lord Jesus objected in the same way to such teachings and customs of men. In Mark 7:6-8 He says, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men’. You have let go of the commandments of God and are holding on to the traditions of men”. The Lord is concerned about heart issues, while people are concerned about pecking orders, and other appearance and fleshly items. To this I must agree with Isaiah and the Lord Jesus, they are worshiping the Lord in vain.
“TEACHETH
215.) The Romans List of Gifts- “Let Him Teach”, Romans 12:7. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” This passage contains one of the major lists of the grace gifts in Scripture. (See Apostleship Item#68 for a discussion of such lists.) I’m impressed by three words in this passage- “let him teach”. If a person has a Spirit gift, then it’s God’s will that that person should practice that gift. So by supporting, or even allowing such a person to manifest God’s gift, we’re sharing in the work of the Holy Spirit. “Let him teach”- or prophesy, or serve, or encourage, or give, or govern, or show mercy!
“TEACHING”
237.) Many Teachers within Each Congregation, Acts 15:35. “But Paul and Barnabus remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the Word of the Lord”. The gathering at Antioch had obviously been growing in size, and was a seed bed of Gentile Christianity immediately following the persecution at the time of Stephen’s death. When Paul and Barnabus began their first missionary journey, there were four prophets and teachers cited at the Antioch assembly. But at the time of this passage of Scripture, which is after Paul’s first missionary journey and after the Council at Jerusalem, there were many teachers. The point I note is that many people were given and practiced the Spirit ability of teaching within this congregation. How large was the congregation? We don’t know. How many teachers were preaching? We don’t know. However, we know that the teaching and preaching wasn’t relegated to an elite few. So, preaching and teaching in the local church should be done by many mature believers, who have the ability and the Spirit’s gift.
244.) Grace Teaches and Urges Self-control, Titus 2:11-14. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and Godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”. So, how does grace teach us self-control and how to say “No”. Just to drive the point home, here are a few ways that I see grace teaching us self-control:
a) First of all, the promised Holy Spirit is, by grace, given to every believer. And, God’s Holy Spirit guides us in all Truth (John 16:13). The Truth of the Bible has much to say regarding Godly conduct and holy lives (Ephesians 4:17-6:20, and other passages). In fact this very passage, in Titus 2, is encouraging Godly living by the teaching of core issues of Godly living (See Item#141-r).
b) Merely waiting for that “blessed hope” the second coming of Jesus Christ, purifies us. “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (I John 3:3).
c) Grace also empowers us and calls us to do great things for Christ (Ephesians 4:1&7). And we know that walking by the Spirit keeps our souls from fleshly failings, at least while we’re walking closely with the Spirit. “Live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:16). Experienced Christians, who have a work for Christ, know that saying “Yes” to temptations will, at the least, stymie and confound their work for the Lord temporarily. I like what one Christian teacher said recently on a Christian radio broadcast. He said, “ ‘No’ is not a negative word. It is a very positive word. It frees up our time to do what really needs to get done.”
“INSTRUCTED”
263.) Direct Instruction from the Lord, Isaiah 8:11. “The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people”. We can and should expect direct instruction from the Lord in our daily life. Some say this will only come when reading Scripture or hearing a preacher preach from Scripture, concluding that we live in the post-apostolic age. The problem with that conclusion is that it is not the teaching of Scripture; neither is it practiced in the Church, even in the assemblies of those claiming such conclusions. (Please see Item#1 of the Prophecy Section.) The New Testament book of Hebrews 12:6 says, “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth”. The word for “warning” (or “instructed” in the KJV) is “yacar”, Strong’s[8] #3256, rendered “chastised” by Strong’s Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary. A person cannot be chastened by the Lord, and realize such chastening is by the Lord and seek correction, except some revelation of the Lord’s hand, apart from Scripture, is present. Granted, the Scripture can show us the wrong, but relating the chastisement to the wrong is a revelation from God apart from the Scripture. So, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5). I Corinthians 12:8 says, “To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit”. Also, James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him”. When I ask God for wisdom for a decision, James 1:5 says to expect the answer. And, when the answer is received and the decision is made, I know that it’s from God, not as a revelation from Scripture, but rather through the practice of Christianity as taught in Scripture. The Holy Spirit is not the Bible within your mind and brain, although he will call up Scripture from time to time in order to “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit is a person of God and a spirit, and Scripture shows that you can recognize His leading (Acts 15:28, I John 2:27, etc.).
272.) Reality as Teacher, Philippians 4:12. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every and any situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Without digging into Paul’s secret of contentment, we see that he learned it from the realities of various situations. Sometimes people, myself included, won’t turn from bad conduct or folly without getting a healthy dose of the reality of their folly. That’s why it’s not usually a good idea to bail someone out of a situation, whether minor or major. The reality of their situation is the Lord’s rod of correction. “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death” (Proverbs 23:13&14). What I’m saying is that realities of situations combined with Christian teaching comprise teaching by the Holy Spirit. Many people, especially regarding wrong teaching ingrained into their personality, need real situations in order to accept the correct teaching already put into their minds by Christian teachers. How is God’s rod of correction used anyway? David said, “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). The “staff” is David’s realization of God’s authority. The “rod” is prodding from God. When a person realizes that an untenable situation has God’s rod or God’s staff involved, real progress can then be made in that life. I can readily say this from my own experience and that of others, as well as from the Scripture. Did you ever hear the term, “There are no atheists in foxholes”?
274.) Who to Imitate, I Corinthians 4:15&16. “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me” There are only two people that we are told to imitate in the Scripture. That is, Paul the apostle, and The Lord Jesus Christ. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (I Peter 2:21). So, when a question comes up as to what should be done, we can ask two questions in order to obtain knowledge for the decision. What would Paul do? And, what would Jesus do?
275.) Gentle Instruction, II Timothy 2:24-26. “And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” The point here is well taken, that teaching is not quarreling. We present the doctrine as gifted servants of the Lord Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit, who is the actual Teacher, to carry his message home to the souls of the listeners. So, even though Timothy, in II Timothy 4:2, is charged to “correct, rebuke, and encourage- with great patience and careful instruction”, he is warned not to quarrel. Quarreling gives the other person the feeling that they have the right to refute you. We can rebuke someone, by sharply admonishing them, and then walk away and let the rebuke sink in. A well done rebuke halts an error in its tracks, and makes the person in error consider that there’s a problem.
277.) Instruction as Chastisement and Reproof, Psalm 50:16&17. “But to the wicked, God says: ‘What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.’ “ This is the first use of the word “instruction” as derived from Strong’s number 4148- “muwcar”[9], which Strong’s also defines as chastisement or reproof. This is important to bring out since instruction as chastisement or reproof is taught extensively in Scripture particularly in the Proverbs, as noted in Item #278 below. So, when the word “instruction” occurs, it is seldom meaning the fine points of teaching, but rather admonition with a view to correction. Take note that Proverbs 4:13 says, ‘Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well for it is your life”.
278.) Proverbs is the Main Book of Instruction, Proverbs 1:2 through 24:32. The following are excerpts from Proverbs regarding instruction (“muwcar”, per Item#277 above), and from these points we see that instruction is important from beginning to end of our life. “Muwcar” is alternatively rendered discipline and correction in the NIV.
a) Fools despise wisdom and instruction, which give prudence to the simple.-“The Proverbs of Solomon the son of David, King of Israel: to know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; to give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:1-7 KJV).
b) Parental instruction- “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck” (Proverbs 1:8).
c) Constant instruction and correction is needed for life- “Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life” (Proverbs 4:13). (Also see Item#77-m.)
d) Lack of correction can bring ruin- “I would not obey my teachers, or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly” (Proverbs 5:13&14).
e) Value our reproof by God- “Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold,” (Proverbs 8:10).
f) Prudence is wisdom-in-action- “Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it” (Proverbs 8:33).
g) Instruction adds to wisdom- “Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still” (Proverbs 9:9).
h) Rule: No correction = Straying from the path of righteousness. “Stop listening to instruction my son and you will stray from the words of knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27). Our flesh will always necessitate some correction in our lives, since it wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17). Therefore, with no instruction/ correction from God, straying is inevitable. It’s intrinsic to our old nature. But we don’t have to be struck by a lightning bolt in order to be corrected by God. We are corrected continually by the Spirit working in and around us, particularly through the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).
i) Refusing correction leads others astray- “He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray” (Proverbs 10:17). Whether we like it or not, we teach by example. So, will we be a good example or a false example/ teacher.
j) Love of knowledge = love of correction/ instruction. “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). I suppose we could also define stupidity as the inability to be corrected. You might know someone who is slow mentally. Observe that they have a hard time adjusting to changes in their surroundings, showing a lot of stress in these situations. Well, the same with us! We need to be corrected in order to adjust to changes in life’s journey and God’s will for us. If we refuse such instruction, we’re merely going to have to be corrected in some other manner, or we’ll be doing ourselves harm.
k) Honor comes from correction. “He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored” (Proverbs 13:18). Honor, as opposed to poverty and shame, this should not be such a hard decision. Yet, Satan blinds people’s minds.
l) Prudence allows for correction. “A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence” (Proverbs 15:5). Prudence, which is the ability to act and live in an excellent manner, accepts correction. Really, we should go beyond this statement and realize that correction is vital to our Christian walk (per paragraph h, above).
m) We are lifelong students. “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge” (Proverbs 23:12). I tend to relegate this verse to young believers, but these proverbs are for all ages. And, we need to be continually growing in grace and knowledge (II Peter 3:18). Note that the way to do this is a heart issue. What is our attitude in taking correction? Are we offended or concerned about an excellent walk with Christ, our Head. Proverbs 24:32 is along the same lines: “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw”.
n) The value of instruction. “Buy the truth, and do not sell it; get wisdom discipline and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23). If you think about it, we go through a lot of stress to obtain the instruction that leads to discipline. So it has much value to us. You can’t go through the military without going through basic training (boot camp), then infantry training, then military occupational school. All that training isn’t fun, but you can’t go on in the military without it. The same with training by God. If we receive correction, we should apply our heart toward being corrected. Else, we’ll need to be corrected in a stronger fashion. If a drill instructor makes a recruit do push-ups because he dropped his rifle on the ground, the recruit learns to respect his weapon. We as Christians should cherish our discipline and training and not have to be retrained on the same items of conduct. Also, this is that famous verse that reminds us that we are not for hire as Christian workers (John 10:12). (Please also see Item#1 and #25, of the Shepherding Section.) This hired worker problem pertains, not just to hired pastors, but also to all aspects of selling the Truth, including those who write books. Now, if a person is a full time preacher, or teacher, and writes books, as well, such a person should be very careful of violating this principle. The Truth is not ours to sell. The Truth is the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. My read on this verse is that if we are to be rich, we are to get rich some other way, other than by getting rich supposedly doing the Lord’s work. And, there are many other ways that the Lord can bless us financially.
So instruction, also rendered discipline, correction and even chastisement, are extremely necessary facets of everyday Christian life.
305.) Instruction by Prophets or by Wrath? Zephaniah 3:7&8. “I said to the city, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction (instruction in the KJV)!’ Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. ‘Therefore wait for me’, declares the Lord, ‘for the day I will stand up and testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them- all my fierce anger.’ “ The Lord knows when correction is needed, because He knows his long term plan. Jerusalem should have listened to the many prophets that were sent to her. But they didn’t, and the Lord knew he had to pour out wrath on Jerusalem. Zephaniah explains why in verses 9 through 11, “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord”. Zephaniah is prophesying of the Millennial Reign of Christ, and explaining that the judgment upon Jerusalem was necessary for God’s long term plan. But the point is made that we can be corrected by prophecy or by persecution and chastisement; and this is true for the Church today. Obviously though, the Lord would rather we were corrected by prophecy. (Please see Prophecy Item #333).
306.) The God-breathed Scripture- Profitable for Teaching, Rebuking, Correcting, and Training in Righteousness. II Timothy 3:16. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” This, of course, is a mega verse in Scripture, especially as it applies to teaching. This verse has been expounded by many people. The main points as they relate to this study are as follows:
a) The Scripture is God-breathed. This means that we have something, here on earth, which connects us directly to heaven. (We have other things too: grace, Christ himself, the Church, etc..) The Lord Jesus said that, “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). All of the Bible is Scripture (II Peter 3:16), and nothing else except the Bible can be relied upon to be the God-breathed Scripture.
b) Teaching- Christian teaching is the ability to get students to accept and obtain Godly knowledge and principles into their brain and mind, and therefore their lifestyle. Remember that the Holy Spirit is the actual teacher.
c) Rebuking- “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline” (Revelation 3:19). “Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13). Rebuke allows a person to know that there’s something wrong, which needs correction. It’s meant to bring attention to the problem. What better way to bring attention to a problem than to confront a person with the Word of God!
d) Correcting- Item#278-h, above, cites a rule: No correction = Straying from the path of righteousness. “Stop listening to instruction my son and you will stray from the words of knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27). Knowing the correct path is what Scriptural training is all about.
e) Training in righteousness- “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a good soldier gets involved in civilian affairs- he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.” (II Timothy 2;2-5). The Scripture focus our attention on the things of God, including his will in our lives, and reminds us of fleshly and worldly items which we need to avoid.
f) “So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”- If we consider the Spirit’s armor of Ephesians 6:10-20, one of the items that we are to take up is the “sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). A believer needs a good working knowledge of the Scripture in order to do the Lord’s work in their lives, and also to fend off Satan. Historically, serious Christians seriously study the Scripture. Paul wrote Timothy from prison, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments” (II Timothy 4:13). We conclude that the parchments were his personal writings and Scriptural notes, while the scrolls were his personal copies of certain Scriptures. Paul, with all his duties as the apostle to the Gentiles, still found time to be a serious student of Scripture, even though he was also a writer of Scripture. The Bible is replete with Old and New Testament saints who were serious students of Scripture. As just one example, consider Mary, the Lord Jesus’ mother. What has been termed Mary’s Song (or Magnificat) in Luke 1:46-55 is a concatenation of various Old Testament Scripture, thus proving her abilities as a student of Scripture. Consider David’s encouragement in Psalm 119:15&16, “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word”. Some, though, have taken this phrase, “thoroughly equipped for every good work”, to mean that no other revelation is needed except the Scripture. This doesn’t make logical sense, however. As an example, Hebrews 12:6 says, “The Lord disciplines those he loves”. How can a person know that their chastening is of the Lord, except by revelation of God. And unless we connect our chastening to some misconduct, how can we be corrected to stop the misconduct. So, this notion of no revelation apart from Scripture has no foundation in Scripture, neither in practicality. (Please also see Item#1 of the Prophecy Section.)
Regarding these God-breathed Scriptures, let me pass on a challenge. As a new Christian in 1982 (having been saved in 1979), I was challenged to read the Scripture everyday even if for only 5 minutes on a busy day. I accepted that challenge and have been reading the Scripture everyday since 1982. (I miss a few days each year, but not many.) But I can say that, other than salvation, my daily study of Scripture has had the most impact on my Christian walk, more than any other training. God has promised His Holy Spirit as Teacher and Counselor. The Scripture is the Sword of the Spirit. I herein pass this challenge on to the reader. I, now herein, challenge you, the reader, to commit to reading the Scripture everyday, even if for only 5 minutes. Such a commitment will change your life forever.
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT POINTS
Lest someone misconstrue, or even deliberately twist, the results of what’s being concluded from this study, the following summary points are noted:
1.) The purpose of teaching is paramount in any study of teaching, since protection, edification, and provision of believers are intrinsic to teaching. (The above items reference this: Nos. 1, 6, 114, 117, 124, & 172.)
2.) Teaching is a manifestation of God’s grace, and is necessary for the growth of the Church. (The above items reference this: Nos. 9, 11, 53, 76, 77, 167, 168, 191, 194, 215, & 237.)
3.) The God-breathed Scripture must play the primary role as the curriculum of Christian teaching. (The above items reference this: Nos. 110, & 306.)
4.) Ultimately God is our teacher, especially the Holy Spirit. (The above items reference this: Nos. 11, 17, 54, 70, 120, 138, 144, 244, 263, 272, & 275.)
5.) Parents are important teachers in our lives. (The above items reference this: Nos. 14, & 15.)
6.) There are false teachings and false teachers, and there was and is harsh punishment for such false teachers. (The above items reference this: Nos. 26, 73, 76, 92, 110, 143, 194, 202, & 274.)
7.) We can study and understand the semantics of Holy Spirit teaching. (The above items reference this: Nos. 2, 15, 17, 23, 33, 54, 58, 67, 77, 96, 137, 149, 158, 161, 167, 175, 237, 272, & 275.)
8.) From Scripture we can conclude what to teach. (The above items reference this: Nos. 33, 50, 95, 117, 141, 146, & 244.)
9.) Instruction, in the form of chastisement or reproof from the Lord, is absolutely necessary in our Christian walk. And, correction from God is continually necessary throughout our life. We are to cherish instruction. (The above items reference this: Nos. 277, 278, & 305.)
END HOME
[1] Samuel Schultz, “Introduction to Deuteronomy”, The Open Bible (Nashvile, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers) p. 172.
[2] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 63 of his Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.
[3] George Muller, The Autobiography of George Muller (New Kensington. PA: Whitaker House, 1984) p. 30-35.
[4]James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 58 of his Greek Dictionary of the New Testament.
[5] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 22 of his Greek Dictionary of the New Testament.
[6] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 47 of his Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.
[7] Alfred Marshall, The Interlinear KJV-NIV Parallel New Testament In Greek And English (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975) p.629.
[8] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 50 of his Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.
[9] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 105 of his Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.
By D.M.M. 1/24/05
This treatise is a summarization of an exhaustive study which I did using Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (KJV). The following words and each of their occurrences in the Bible were exhaustively analyzed: “taught”, “teach”, “teacher”, “teachers”, “teachest”, “teacheth”, “teaching”, “instruct”, “instructed”, “instructer”, “instructers”, “instruction”, and “instructor”. While a KJV concordance was used, most of the Bible verses below are taken from the NIV.
The words were put on a grid. The grid was filled out longhand and contained the following column headings: “the bible verse used”, “Strong’s number”, “Who taught”, “method/ semantics”, “comment”, and “notes”.
The following are points of note with references to the listing number from my original longhand grid:
“TAUGHT”
1.) Purpose of Teaching, Deuteronomy 4:1-14 “Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land…. Do not add to what I command…and do not subtract from it….The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone that followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today….See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all of these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’. …Do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and their children after them….Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb…. The Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land you are crossing Jordan to possess.”
As was the case in the Apostleship, Prophecy, Evangelism, and Shepherding sections of this Grace Study, the main issue is coming out as the first item. (Please see Apostleship Item#1, Prophecy Item #1,Evangelism Item#1 & 3, and Shepherding Item#1.) If you want to see something amazing, take a peek at the last verse listed in this teaching study, Item#306, which is also the last verse of this five part study of apostleship, prophecy, evangelism, shepherding, and teaching. Some people put a lot of weight on the first and last things said, and some mistakenly on who has the last word said. With that in mind, I’m reminded that the last thing said in Scripture is, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen” (Revelation 22:21).
The main concept, that is immediately coming out herein, is the Lord’s purpose in teaching. As was the case in apostleship, prophecy, evangelism, and shepherding, the Lord’s heart of love is spilling out in his protection and provision for his creation, and especially his people. God loves his creation so he sends out believers to distant peoples and cultures to build Churches (apostles). God loves his Church so he raises up people to speak for him in order to edify and correct the Church (prophecy). God loves the lost so he calls certain people to a life of evangelizing (evangelists). God loves believers so he exhorts and gifts mature believers to shepherd God’s flock which He has put under their care (pastors). We can connect this to the Scripture’s directives in I Corinthians 13 that gifts must be practiced and motivated by love, since God is love (I John 4:8) and the practice of the spiritual gifts is God indwelling His Church (Ephesians 4:8, and Psalm 68:18 , also see Apostleship, Section Item#68). The purpose of God’s teaching is not just that we should be taught in his ways, but ultimately that we should have loving protection, provision, and also eternal rewards/ riches. Throughout the Bible the Lord has said much concerning the purpose of teaching. The following are some of the points which I have gleaned from Deuteronomy 4 and other Scriptures:
a.) “Follow them that you may go in and take possession of the land” (vs.1). Israel is a type or a picture of the Church (See Evangelism Item#67). So when Scripture tells Israel to “go in and take possession of the land” the teaching for the Church is to take possession of the promises of God. The land of Canaan wasn’t vacant, though. So, wherever Israel went in Canaan they had to defeat and oust the Canaanites in order to take possession of the land. To the Christian these Canaanites are a picture of sin in our lives, sin that must be defeated in order to claim the promises of God. Since “all wrongdoing is sin” (I John 5:17), how do I know if sin is stopping me from claiming the promise of God; and how do I know which promise of God I should be claiming. Well, the answer is that sound Christian teaching tells us what we must do, and what we should not do; and gifted Christian teachers are needed to build up Christ’s Church. A very good example of this is my time as I’m currently writing this study. My favorite professional basketball team is on a winning streak, but even tonight I had to turn off the television and pick up this study. I know that God has given me his promised grace to do this study, and I know from previous Christian training that I must take up my work daily in order to properly follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). So, in this example, the wrongdoing of loving the world must be defeated in order to make room for God’s work in my life (and I would add that that’s a very common challenge to Christians). And, teaching allows us to take hold of God’s promises.
b.) “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you” (vs.2). In view of what was said regarding God’s love in giving us His teaching, we should accentuate the “that I give you” portion of this verse. He carefully gave us his commands because he loves us, so why do people change his careful loving directions by adding or subtracting from them? We can conclude that many different sects of true and false Christianity are split over differences of teaching (and there may be other unspoken fleshly causes of such splits, Galatians 5:20). I suppose if I tried to research all the different sects and why they believed that way, that study would be larger than this Grace Study. Besides, the Lord hasn’t led me to do that. But Moses, herein, is warning the Israelites not to change the Lord’s teaching. Because of Israel’s faithfulness of preserving the text of the Law and the Prophets, Jesus Christ could say 1400 years after Moses wrote Deuteronomy, “Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18).
c.) “The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today” (vs. 3&4). The example is cited of the Lord’s protection for those who truly trust Him, but there is wrath and destruction for those who follow idols. Correct teaching tells us to add the idols of this world- wealth, fame, or our heart’s desire to the list of man made images. The purpose of this teaching is to protect God’s people from wrath, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24).
d.) “See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all of these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’….What other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today” (vs.5-8)? The purpose of teaching brought out herein is that Godly teaching displays God’s attributes through His people, such as wisdom, understanding, and righteousness.
e.) “Do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb…. The Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land you are crossing Jordan to possess” (vs.9-14). The purpose of teaching is now brought out as generational promises and teachings. Samuel Schultz, in his introduction to “Deuteronomy”, in The Open Bible, stated, “Moses knew that the generation of Israelites which came out of Egypt would not enter the Promised Land. Not even Moses would be among those that would cross over Jordan and go into the “land flowing with milk and honey.” It was a new generation of Israelites which stood on the plains of Moab, before the gates of the Land of Promise. The covenant with their parents was not a covenant which they had made. It was necessary for them to affirm the covenant for themselves. This was the first of many times that Israel had to renew the covenant and rededicate themselves to the purpose of God.”[1] Christians can see from the Lord’s dealings with Israel that his promises are fulfilled from generation to generation, and “the Word of the Lord stands forever” (I Peter 1:25).
f.) ”Listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34:11). Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10) and the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). As such, fear of the Lord is intimately related to our Lord’s provision and protection for us. (Also see Item #117, below).
g.) “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:10). There’s a lot said herein. We have the Holy Spirit as teacher. We can see that it’s much easier to walk on level paths. And, we see that to do God’s will we must be taught how and what is His will. (Also, see Isaiah 2:3.)
h.) “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:28&29). This is a very important verse in itself because it explains the purpose of teaching under the New Covenant. See how this New Covenant purpose was first brought out in Colossians 1:22, “To present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- if you continue in your faith established and firm”. So in this regard we recognize Christians teachers as an extension of God’s own direct energy and power in their work in the Church (“pure gold” according to Prophecy Item#16).
i.) “Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise“ (Proverbs 19:20). The word instruction, herein, is the Hebrew “muwcar”, (Strong’s No. 4148)[2], which means chastisement or reproof. So wisdom is one of the end purposes of teaching.
These purposes all tie together in the above stated New Covenant purpose (Item#h), which is to “present everyone perfect in Christ”.
2.) God’s View of Teaching, Deuteronomy 32:2 “So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites. …’Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender grass’ “ (Deuteronomy 31:22, &32:2). Godly song has much to do with teaching; but that’s not what’s being brought out herein. (Please see Item#7 for singing as it’s related to teaching.) This is a statement of how the Lord perceives Godly teaching for Israel and also for the Church. This describes how the teaching is to be done and the effect it is to have. Here is my read on the aspects being brought out:
a) “Let my teaching fall like rain”. When it’s raining, the rain is all around us, but we appreciate it since we know it’s necessary for growth. The lawn or the garden or the trees are not just being watered, but everything is being watered all at once. Teaching in the Church is similar. All sorts of teaching for all facets of our lives are reaching us. We wrestle as to which areas to focus upon, yet we know that it’s all helpful for growth, and we know that it all comes from above.
b) “My words descend like dew”. Dew is much more subtle than rain. The condensation happens so slowly that we don’t notice it. This is sometimes how the Lord’s word works in our hearts; slowly condensing on the problem area, but thoroughly watering the area. (If you’ve ever had the Lord impress a verse on your heart, then you know just what’s being said here.) “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).
c) “Like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on new grass”. The “new grass” connotes new growth, either in a new believer, or perhaps in a new area of our soul which the Lord is just now exposing to the Himself and his teaching.
3.) Corporal Punishment, Judges 8:16 “He (Gideon) took the elders of the town and taught the elders of Succoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers”. This is, of course, teaching through the use of corporal punishment. I can’t see where corporal punishment would be used by Christian teachers, except in the case of children (“He who spares the rod hates his son”, Proverbs 13:24). The Lord, however, does use trials that vex our bodies so we’d learn from our mistakes, and sometimes just to get our attention. (Please see Ezekiel 23:48&49, also Hosea 10:11. These verses point out punishment to nations and cities, rather than individuals. However, they do illustrate the use of corporal punishment by the Lord.) If we don’t learn from God’s Word, or from Christian teachers, or from authorities in our lives, or from prophets that speak the Lord’s correction to us, then the Lord must turn to other means to get us to turn from our errors.
6.) Blessings through Teaching- Generational, II Chronicles 17:9-12 “They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the Lord; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people. The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks… Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah and had large supplies in the towns of Judah”. The blessing of God is a huge topic in Scripture. The United States, under the professing Christian president, George W. Bush, has seen a resurgence of power, and clear focused direction. Some media people relegate this to his view on family values. Michael Moore, one of the President’s severest critics, struck on a good point, though. Moore drew a map joining Canada with the states voting for Senator Kerry, the President’s opponent. He named this Northern portion of his map “the United States of Canada”; while naming the Southern portion of his map, all the way to Mexico, “Jesusland”. Moore was being irreverent to the President and to the Lord Jesus, but even in his Spiritual blindness, he perceived the Christian teaching and preaching being done throughout the United States. Indeed, the United States is becoming known as a nation of prophets to the world. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). The following items also discuss blessings through Godly teaching:
a) “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you … Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance” (II Chronicles 6:26&27).
b) “Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from days of trouble, til a pit is dug for the wicked” (Psalm 94:12). This verse discusses individual blessings rather than the national blessings as above. Herein, the man whom the Lord disciplines is spared judgment.
c) “From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you” (Deuteronomy 4:36). One of the greatest blessings of teaching is that we get to know God and his ways, and expand our personal walk with him.
d) “He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored” (Proverbs 13:18). This speaks of not just a sparing from judgment, but the blessing of being honored. In this world of disgusting lifestyles, where lewd speech and conduct has become “matter of fact”, a Godly, disciplined lifestyle is very honoring in and of itself. The benefits from others (employers, clients, peers, family) around us, and from the Lord (Spiritual gifts and reward bearing tasks), are also connoted herein.
e) “They were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline. But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials” (Jeremiah 17:23-25). This speaks of generational blessings by generational obedience to the Lord. Many fear that if this country, the United States, continues to pull away from the Lord’s teaching, we will lose our blessings and stature as a nation. But there’s another concept brought out herein, and that’s the concept of being stiff-necked. God still raises up prophets to preach correction to His Church, both to the local gathering and to the universal Church. Are the people of this age as stiff-necked as those of Jeremiah’s time? Deuteronomy 4:36, above, stated, “From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you”. Are we stiff-necked or are we listening for the Lord’s voice. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
f) “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words? Declares the Lord. Jonadab son of Racab ordered his sons not to drink wine and this command has been kept…. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me….’ Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them but they did not listen; I called to them but they did not answer.’ Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Recabites, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: ‘Jonadab son of Recab will never fail to have a man to serve me’ (Jeremiah 35:13-19). So here we see an example of generational blessing through obedience to the Lord, as opposed to judgment upon those who are fleshly.
9.) Consecrated Teachers, II Chronicles 35:3 “He (Josiah) said to the Levites, who had instructed Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord”. The concept of teachers being consecrated to the Lord’s work is brought out herein. Of course the Levites were consecrated by God to all the work in and around the tabernacle (Numbers 18:1-4). Ezra also is an example of a devoted teacher, from the lineage of Aaron (Ezra 7:5&10). Without such teacher priests Israel was without the law, and doomed to disobey God (II Chronicles 15:3). But under the New Covenant teachers were raised up by God’s Spirit (Ephesians 4:11). Who these consecrated teachers were would always be evident (Isaiah 30:20) in the Church. The elders themselves are to be men who are “apt to teach” (I Timothy 3:2).
11.) Ultimately God is the Actual Teacher, Psalm 71:17 “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me”. David knew this. Has this reality become obsolete with the availability of the Scripture to common man? Absolutely not! There, obviously, is a Spirit ability of teaching. However, even under the tutelage of the finest Christian teachers, God is the actual teacher. (“They will all be taught by God”. See Item#54 below). The following verses bring out this concept:
a) Psalm 119:102- “I have not departed from your laws for you yourself have taught me”. Here David is referring to the Lord’s precepts, the Law, but the teacher is the Lord, himself.
b) Ecclesiastes 12:9- “Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people….The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails- given by One Shepherd.” Who is this “One Shepherd”/ Well, it’s obviously the Lord (See Item#25a of the Shepherding Section.).
c) I Thessalonians 4:9- “For you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other”. By what means could the Lord teach us love? “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us… But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:5-8).
d) Psalm 132:12- “The Lord swore an oath to David,…if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever”. This constitutes motivational teaching. However, I’m immediately drawn to the point that it was the Lord who taught the Israelites.
e) John 14:26- “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. This is an important Scripture, and every believer should get a firm grasp of the teachings in John, Chapters 14 through 16, regarding the Holy Spirit. This verse states that the Holy Spirit is the teacher of all things to us. (Thank the Lord! He also reminds those of us with weak memories.)
f) Ephesians 4:11- “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers”. Teaching is a Spirit manifestation, just as the other gifts are. The Lord is still the teacher, though, since all these gifts are manifestations of the Lord, the Spirit. In the above reference to Psalm 132:12, David’s sons were taught the Law, and some understanding of it, by Levite teachers. However, the Lord had to also use life lessons to bring better understanding, insight, and prudence. So Christian teachers are from the Lord, and our life lessons are from the Lord, and so in all things the Lord is the Teacher.
g) II Samuel 22:35- “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze”. The Lord trains our minds and our bodies for the work that we have in life. I’m reminded of those great artisans of the Tabernacle. “See the Lord has chosen Bezalel…he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts…He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers- all of them master craftsmen and designers”.
h) Isaiah 48:17- “This is what the Lord says- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go”. This is the strongest statement that I’ve yet seen of the Lord as the Teacher.
i) John 8:28- “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me”. The actions of the Lord Jesus were taught him by the Father. The Lord will also supply our teaching needs as we do His will.
So, just as in the case of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors, the spiritual ability of teaching is work done by God through us; and God indwells his Church through us. (I drive home this point that the Spirit gifts are God indwelling the Church. However, please understand that this is not the only way the Lord indwells His Church. God is a real person, and He walks among his churches (Revelation 1:13).)
14.) Parental Teaching, Proverbs 4:4 “When I was a boy in my father’s (David’s) house, still tender and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, ‘Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.” Since we considered Deuteronomy 32:2, in Item#2 above (“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender grass”), we should note that not all teaching comes from Christian teachers. In fact parental teaching would fall in that portion of God’s teaching described as “abundant rain on tender grass”. Some other instances of parental teaching brought out in Scripture are as follows:
a) Bad parental teaching, Jeremiah 9:14- “They have followed the Baals as their fathers taught them”. I’ve seen non-believing parents teaching some very responsible Christian principles, from society, to their children. However, it’s improbable that a non-believing parent would teach their child the true way of salvation. Non-believing parents are even passing God’s judgment down to their offspring, “He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 34:7). (But anyone can break that chain of sin by believing in Christ.) We see people worshiping statues and created beings, whether man or animal, or even idols or the moon God (Allah); and we’d like to say, “They’re not such bad people, they just learned that from their parents and from their grand parents”. However, God says, “Whoever rejects the son will not see life for God’s wrath remains on him” (John3:37).
b) Proverbs 1:8- “Listen my son to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck”. Some people live a fairly functional lifestyle, even being a great help to others. While others are just plain high maintenance individuals. I believe this passage speaks to this issue.
c) Proverbs 6:20-23 - “My son, keep you father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching….For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life”. Please note our lifelong need for correction. As long as we’re connected to our fallen flesh we will need occasionally to be corrected. Why?! Again, the flesh wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17).
d) Proverbs 13:1- “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke”. Heeding your parents’ instruction puts you among the wise.
e) Proverbs 15:5- “A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence”. Correction is always for our benefit. Although, it’s usually unpleasant to our minds, our bodies, and our egos.
15.) Bible Memorization, Proverbs 31:1 “The sayings of King Lemuel- an oracle his mother taught him:” This brief verse opens the door to the subject of Bible memorization. Psalm 1 gives us a very great promise of Christian prosperity. It says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.” So, Christian prosperity has four conditions, and the fourth condition, which complements the first three, is that “his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on his Law he meditates day and night”. So how do you meditate upon the Law? You must first memorize it. The purpose of Bible memorization is not to wow our friends and family. But rather, it enables us to meditate on the Scripture. When we meditate upon Scripture we can absorb the full meaning and get understanding and insight from the Lord. Scripture meditation is likened to a sheep digesting its food. The sheep has four stomachs, so it has to chew its food four times in order to fully digest it. So we, as Christians, need to fully take in God’s Word that we may be blessed by it; and Bible memorization and meditation is one of the best ways to take in God’s Word. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). Isn’t it great that King Lemuel was encouraged in his memorization by his mother? (Oh the empowerment of parents and their teaching! I searched the Scripture to find what great things King Lemuel did. But I only could find this 31st Chapter of Proverbs. I can conclude that the greatest accomplishment in Lemuel’s life was to listen to his mother’s instruction, memorize this oracle, and pass it on to us.)
17.) Excellent Overall Definition of Teaching, Ecclesiastes 12:9 “Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.” Here are four things which we can expect to find in a wise Christian teacher:
a) “He imparted knowledge to the people”. I suppose that the other functions of a teacher are subservient to this function. Teachers must seek to impart knowledge, else you’re not teaching, you’re just meeting.
b) “He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs”. This is akin to a process which we used to call, in past days, “breaking it down small”. A teacher, after searching out the substance of his message, must then package the message in the best way to be absorbed by those to whom he’s speaking. (In this grace study, there were and are matters that need to be searched out and set in order, then proclaimed so that they can be taught correctly. And, by the grace of God, this is exactly what the Lord has led me to do. This need is obvious to any who take an honest look at this situation. However, I was led by the Lord to do this, even before I took an honest look at the situation. I am not proceeding from logic, but rather from the Lord’s leading (Proverbs 3:5&6). ) “Breaking it down small”, or setting things in order for teaching, doesn’t merely refer to teaching children, or even speaking to less mature Christians. It is merely a process of organizing the subject matter for proper communication, and is necessary at all levels of teaching.
c) “The Teacher searched to find just the right words”. At first glance, this subject seems the same as Item#b, above. However, in this item we’re looking at the presentation aspect more so than the organization of information aspect of teaching. I’m reminded that, whether a puppet show or a Sunday morning message, the speaker is to be searching for “just the right words”; because it’s the Word of God which is the “sword of the Spirit”, not just our words.
d) “What he wrote was upright and true”. Let’s think about this. What’s the value of insisting upon the truth in what we teach? I worked in government, coordinating a program for years. One big rule that we had was, “If you don’t know the answer, say so, and find someone who has the answer.” We knew that wrong answers cause more problems than the original problem. If you give out the wrong answer to a question, then not only is the original problem still in place, but you’ll usually have to take additional action to undo the incorrect action taken as a recourse to the wrong answer. The situation among Christian teaching is similar, and often with eternal consequences to the wrong teaching. Also, please consider that the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Truth” (John14:17). If you’re a serious Christian, then you know exactly why I’m saying this. Because, people are always trying to soften what we say in order to accommodate their own lifestyles. Of course, since the Spirit of Truth is “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29), his Word and his presence will never accommodate worldly lifestyles.
23.) Teaching by Repetition, Jeremiah 9:5 “No one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie”. While this verse is an example of wicked teaching, it begins a discussion of teaching by repetition. This type of teaching is all around us and is very powerful. Much of the worldly teaching is by repetition: from peers, from work, from the TV. These facts cause much frustration from parents and Christian teachers. However, thanks be to God that there is power in God’s Word! Some other example follow:
a) Jeremiah 32:32&33, “The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done…Though I taught them again and again they would not listen or respond to discipline”. This shows that teaching by repetition doesn’t always work.
b) Deuteronomy 6:6-8, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” As I read this I’ve consigned myself to go to my favorite Christian store today and obtain some more Scripture plaques for my and my children’s homes. This is teaching by repetition at its best. “Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender grass” (Deuteronomy 32:2).
It’s also important to realize that the repetitive teaching in TV, the movies, and rock music is teaching by notoriously ungodly people. The artists and managers in these industries are famous for lifestyles replete with adultery, divorce, drugs, alcohol, and mental instability. Contrast this with the qualifications of Christian teachers, per Item#137 below.
26.) False Teaching and Punishment for False Teaching, Jeremiah 28:15&16 “Listen Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’ “ This opens up two topics- false teaching, and punishment for false teaching. Rather than giving my own opinions, which I try not to do, the following are excerpts from the Lord’s Word on these two topics beginning with false teaching, itself:
a) Acts 15:1- “Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved’ “. I suppose I could not have picked a better example of the devastation that can be wrought by false teaching. There’s a fairly contemporary Christian saying: “Grace plus works equals no grace at all”. By slightly twisting the gospel message, these Judaizers were causing souls to reject the true gospel. To the destruction of their hearers they were giving out a gospel “which is really no gospel at all” (Galatians 1:7).
b) I Timothy 1:3-8, “Stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work- which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.” It’s impossible to discuss all that this passage contains in so little space, so here are some brief, succinct points:
i) The particular false teachers herein were Judaizers- legalists.
ii) The false teachers’ goal was not love, the most excellent way (I Corinthians 12:31). They wanted to be teachers, esteemed in society, thereby increasing their position in the religious and social pecking order. Note the use of genealogies, probably used to enhance their social position.
iii) The controversies and the meaningless talk, exhibited by those who had wandered away from God’s grace work in their life, are sure sign of walking in the flesh. I Timothy 6:4 verifies this, and connotes that money is behind such fleshly conduct. This passage cites that the wandering away from “a pure heart a good conscience and a sincere faith” preceded the bad teaching. The cure for this is always, “Live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (the flesh)” (Galatians 5:16).
c) Romans 2:20- “You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You, who preach against stealing, do you not steal?...Circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code”. These teachers were Judaizers teaching a false gospel and rules that they themselves couldn’t follow. “They do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Matthew 23:3&4). All Christian teaching must be practical and doable, else it’s hypocrisy.
d) Titus 1:10&11 “For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things that they ought not to teach- and that for the sake of dishonest gain.” This passage then describes that the households are ruined by the teaching of myths and commands that are not of God, which destroy the faith in such households. The reason for these false teachers is again cited as money/ dishonest gain. No matter how much we love people who push such religious teachings, we must silence them by sound teaching. They’re “ruining whole households”.
The following excerpts are regarding punishment for false teaching:
a) Jeremiah 9:14- “ ‘They have followed the Baals as their fathers taught them. ‘ Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have destroyed them’ “. (There is typology in these judgments, which we haven’t time to explore. Christ is the bread of life in the wilderness and the Holy Spirit is the true spiritual water, as opposed to bitter food and poisoned water. The people of Judah turned to the false gods of unknown origin, and will be given over to slavery in such nations. God’s sword is the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, which endures forever; and every person will be judged according to God’s Word.) But consider the judgment which comes so subtly upon these parent teachers. That is, that their error is passed on to their children. “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation to those who hate me” (Exodus 20:5).
b) Revelation 2:20- “By her (Jezebel’s) teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and will repay each of you according to your deeds”. We should realize that false teaching affects the minds and hearts of the hearers, and that they and the teacher will be judged according to what proceeds from their hearts- their actions.
c) II Peter 2:1-22, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them- bringing swift destruction on themselves.” This is an extensive passage dealing with false teachers. They following points are brought out:
i) Destructive heresies- Heresies are teachings that split the brethren in a destructive manner.
ii) Some will even deny Christ and his work. Some say Christ isn’t God. Some say he didn’t really die on the cross. Some speak against God’s hand in a situation (III John 9&10). Some despise prophecies (I Thessalonians 5:20).
iii) “Many will follow their shameful ways and bring the truth into disrepute” (vs. 2). So, the false teachers will have many followers, and these splits will and already do bring questions to the truth of Christ.
iv) “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories” (vs. 3). Again the money issue is seen as the motivating factor, not love, in the use of false spiritual gifts.
v) “Their condemnation has long been waiting for them…The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment” (vs. 3-9). Judgment is imminent and eminent for false teachers. The phrase “continuing their punishment” connotes judgment in this life. Sickness, early death, and an extremely confused and dysfunctional lifestyle accompanies such false teaching (my personal observation).
vi) Verses 10-12. Some of the worst false teachers, “despise authority”, “are not afraid to slander” (authorities), they “blaspheme in matters they do not understand”. They “follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature”.
vii) “They seduce the unstable; they are expert in greed”. They know how to coerce money from the non-discerning. Again the money issue, not love, is the motivating factor.
d) Revelation 2:14- “You have people there (in Pergamum) who hold to the teaching of Balaam who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin…Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth”. From here we see that Balak had a New Testament Age equivalent in the fallen deacon named Nicholas. Historically, Nicolaitans are compared to Christians who feel it’s okay to claim to be a believer, yet live an immoral life. (There are various theories regarding who the Nicolaitans were. Some say that they were the first clergy, which would also fit the comparison to Balak.) The judgment, though, is what I’m focusing upon. That is, that the Lord Jesus, “who has the sharp double-edged sword”(Revelation 1:16, and 2:12), “will fight against them with the sword of my mouth”(vs.16). The Lord Jesus, who is among the churches (Revelation 1:13), fights/ judges false teachers right now through those with speaking gifts: prophets, teachers, preachers, and even evangelists. The Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit of Truth are a consuming fire against false teaching and false teachers. Some people don’t really care, because they don’t actually realize, how they and their teaching appear before the throne of God. I say this from experience. However, teaching obviously does matter to the Lord Jesus, who must still correct false teaching in His Church through speakers (prophets) who bear the “sword” of His mouth. We must, not only have a personal walk with Christ, but also, our personal walk must include Christ’s Kingdom Agenda, with a view toward Christ’s throne. “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1&2).
e) Isaiah 9:14&15- “So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail…the elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.” The Lord is not averse to taking error ridden teachers from this earth, lest they affect the Church with their bad teaching.
33.) The Sermon on the Mount- Discipleship Training, Matthew Chapters 5, 6, & 7 “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…When Jesus had finished these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the Law.” As a new believer, at thirty, I was challenged at a Christian seminar to memorize and meditate on Scripture, beginning with the Sermon on the Mount. I accepted that challenge and have absorbed this great passage as a fundamental part of my Christian teaching. I heartily encourage, and now challenge, all others to do the same. The sermon on the mount is obviously meant as teaching to the Lord’s disciples, those who would follow him. One of the most important things that this sermon does is that it teaches us God’s viewpoint, and therefore what our attitude should be on such issues. This is especially valuable for new believers. I’ve also found, since I memorized this passage, that much of Paul’s writing carries the teaching of this Sermon, except in different words. The following are some critical concepts:
a) The eight beatitudes- We can go down this list and see that these are attributes of Christ, and therefore Godly attributes: “poor in spirit” (Christ was lowly, on earth), “those who mourn” (man of sorrows), “the Meek” (he was meek), “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (the righteous branch), “the merciful” (Calvary), “pure in heart” (a consuming fire), “the peacemakers” (atoning sacrifice), “persecuted because of righteousness” (the flesh wars against the Spirit of God).
b) “The prophets who were before you” (vs.12)- In this passage the Lord is giving those who are persecuted for him the same status as the Old Testament prophets, and the same reward. And why not! When a person is used by the Lord Jesus, “who has the sharp double-edged sword”(Revelation 1:16, and 2:12. See Item 26d above.) coming out of his mouth, to get His message out, that person is a prophesying. When a believer understands and uses the unction of the Lord to speak for him, and does that often as one of that person’s principal works for the Lord, that person is a New Testament prophet. (Also see Prophecy Item 401b.)
c) “You are the salt of the Earth…You are the light of the world” (vs. 13-15). The Christians must be the preservative (salt) in this dying world, and also light in this world of darkness. The Lord will cause this to come about, even if it’s only through persecution- “If the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men”. The Lord would rather have us speak out boldly, and sometimes just to live in a Godly fashion before men. But if we can’t, then we can still be a witness through persecution- “trampled by men”. The need for Christian salt and light in this world is great. God can magnify just a few words or acts done for Christ. We’ve been taught, in terms of the gospel, that there are only two groups of people, the saved and the lost. That’s true; however, in between the categories of those that are obviously saved and those that are obviously lost, there are other subgroups. As an example, there are those that are saved but walking in the flesh, and those that are unsaved but close to believing. So our lifestyle is important to God and to those around us who need salt and light. Our lifestyle should never cause a question as to the efficacy of Christ’s blood, rather our lifestyle should demonstrate Christ’s new nature in us.
d) Christ as fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets- Matthew 5:17-20.
e) New Testament viewpoints on hateful speech, adultery, divorce, oaths, revenge, and loving our enemies- with the endpoint of being perfect like Christ. – Matthew 5:21-48.
f) Do service for God, only for God, not to be seen by men. - Matthew 6:1-18.
g) Living and working focused on God’s Kingdom agenda. Matthew 6:19-34.
h) Notable concepts for discipleship- “Do not judge”, “Ask and it will be given to you”, “Enter through the narrow gate”, “Watch out for false prophets”. Matthew 7:1-23.
i) “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Protection and discipleship proceed from Christ’s Truth- Matthew 7:24-27.
j) Jesus “taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the Law” (Matthew 7:29). Who really has the authority to teach in Christianity? There are only three groupings: the Lord Jesus, Christians with the Holy Spirit gift of teaching, and The Holy Spirit, Himself, working through other believers or other situations. The Lord Jesus transferred this authority to teach to the Church for all ages at the Great Commission, when he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). He spoke this to the eleven, but note that he said that it was for the Church age. So, he is communicating that apostleship and teaching and, really, every grace that’s needed to reach the world for Christ is available to the Church until the very end of the age. This is because Christ who portions out such grace is with us, interceding at God’s right hand. The Church has many grace gifts available to it, but teaching is not given to all members, just as apostleship is not given to all members (I Corinthians 12:29).
46.) Where to Teach, Luke 4:15 “He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him”. Certain Scriptures tell us where to teach. Some of these are as follows:
a) Luke 4:15- Jesus went into the synagogues of the Jews. He was a Jew and had access to them. Should we then go to other gatherings, and teach and seek to correct. Yes! If you have access, and if you are strong enough not to fall for their false teaching (and this is a very important condition), then go as the Spirit leads, but carefully follow only the Spirit’s leading! And remember that there’s a false spirit which is driving the false teaching (See Prophecy Items#327, & 447).
b) John 8:20- “He spoke these words while in the temple area.” We must understand that, in Scripture, speaking for God, was rarely done in a sanctuary at a pulpit. Our speech today has all to do with the fact that we are a member of the Church of the Living God, and little to do with whether our bodies are located at a pulpit in the sanctuary room. Don’t worry as to whether there’s a large enough crowd to make your speaking worthwhile. We are continually “surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). The important thing, is to speak forth as the Lord leads, and let Him work through your words, which have become “the very oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11), if you’ve been faithful to His message. (Please see Item #53 below, and also #c below.)
c) John 18:20- “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me?” Let’s consider carefully what the Lord Jesus is saying. Primarily he’s communicating to the Sanhedrin that they have no authority to do a mock questioning, or trial, when they already know what his views are. Secondly, he’s stating that he hasn’t taught in secret, but openly in the center of the Jewish people. Thirdly, he’s stating that he taught in places where he knew his target audience came together. Why speak to one person when you can speak to twenty or more, all at once. Some would be tempted to say that this verse allows us to go to other religious services in order to make acquaintances. To this I’m led to explain that you must be very careful in that conclusion. If the Lord is leading you to be a light in a theater of darkness, then go and aggressively share the bright fire of the gospel. But many return from such religious services remarking how such people’s darkness isn’t really so bad and that the people are probably saved, even though they don’t accept and preach the true gospel. Remember that the Lord was first “sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). The operative word herein is “sent”. Sent means God is involved and so one is definitely not walking in the flesh (according to your own whim).
d) Acts 20:20- “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.” Paul taught publicly during his evangelical efforts and at the coming together of the larger assemblies of believers. House to house teaching went on in the smaller assemblies and during day to day visits with believers.
e) Matthew 4:23- “Jesus went throughout Galilea, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” I’ve been seeking the verse that describes the Lord Jesus as teaching from town to town. I note, however, that the Lord Jesus did not go on any whirlwind tours. He did preach from town to town, but he obviously spent time in these towns. His method allowed his message to sink deep into the people’s souls, and they got to know him.
f) Luke 4:31- “He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilea, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people.” The point here is that he made use of the religious feasts. I believe that this is practically the only value of our Christian feasts today. They are an excellent forum for getting out the true gospel, and other teaching as the Lord leads. However, regarding the acceptability of these feasts before God (even Christmas and Easter), such fellowship with God through feasts became obsolete when Christ died on the cross (Galatians 4:9-11).
50.) How to Pray- to the Father, through the Son, Luke 11:1. “Lord teach us to pray”. Some people pray to statues. Some pray to idols. The Jews try to pray directly to God, hoping that he’ll hear their requests. But Christians have been taught by the Lord Jesus, the manner in which to approach God’s throne. So, this is an item which should be clearly taught by Christian teachers. Here are some basics:
a) We pray to the father in the name of the Son. Jesus said, “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 16:23). We should be careful to realize that “in my name” means praying according to Christ’s kingdom agenda, not just mentioning the word “Jesus”.
b) We pray through Jesus because one of the Lord Jesus’ main works right now is intercession for us at the right hand of God. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess…Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16). “He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
c) This fact of Christ as our great high priest, always interceding for us before the Father’s throne is brought out in the typology of the tabernacle. The teaching regarding the altar of incense (also called the golden altar) as a picture of Christ brings this out. (Please see Item#16 in the Prophecy Section.) Hebrews 9:24 says, “For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence”. This verse, and others, tells us that the tabernacle is a pattern or type of God’s presence in heaven. The verse also tells us that the Lord Jesus serves as our intercessor before God’s throne. Revelation 5:8 intimates, “Each one (of the twenty four elders) had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints”. Revelation 8:3&4 explains further, “Another angel (Christ), who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” It’s not enough to merely pray to God. Christ must add his sweet perfume (his incense) to our prayers; and he does so if we’re one of his. Then our prayers are glorious and acceptable before God’s throne. So, this is why we pray to the Father through the Son.
d) The Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 shows us how to pray and what to ask for: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” We should start our prayer praising the Father and extolling his majesty and his name. We should ask that his kingdom and will should be accomplished, and our prayers should be in line with his kingdom agenda. We should ask for the small things, as well as the great, that we need, whether material, spiritual, or for the soul.
These are just the basics. It’s clear, though, “that how to pray” is a necessary subject for Christian teaching.
53.) Golden vs. Wooden Pulpit, Luke 20:1 “One day as he (the Lord Jesus) was teaching in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, together with the elders, came up to him. ‘Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,’ they said. ‘Who gave you this authority?’ “. Gold, in the Scripture, is a picture of Godliness; while pure gold is a picture of God own right hand of power working in a situation or person. (Please see the Prophecy Section, Item#16). Wood, on the other hand, is a picture of that which was seemingly done for God, but gets burned up in the Judgment when “the fire will test the quality of each man’s work” (I Corinthians 3:12&13). The chief priests and teachers of the Law tried to be preachers for God, and were given an audience by the people, and no doubt a pulpit. But their preaching was not from God, so their pulpit was only wood (Mark 7:7). The Lord Jesus, on the other hand, spoke from God and was God (John10:30). His pulpit was pure gold, even if no physical pulpit was present. Well this is the same for us today. We should speak out from God as he gives us opportunity. In fact he gives us a pure gold pulpit to speak from. The angels carefully prepare these pulpits in their places, by setting up the circumstances for us to speak, whether the gospel or perhaps some correction or edification to the Church. Do you doubt this? Consider that Lazarus’ death was staged solely so that the Lord Jesus could teach us regarding the resurrection. (John 11:4-6, &42). Once you get used to speaking from the golden pulpit, speaking from a wooden pulpit will leave you feeling cheated. George Muller knew this, although he didn’t express this in the same terms. George Muller wouldn’t speak unless he knew he had a message from the Lord to impart for which he carefully prayed, and sometimes fasted.[3] There is obvious value to having regular gatherings in which the Scriptures are read and preached. This is taught in the Scripture (I Timothy 4:13). Even if a person is not particularly led by God to speak on a topic, just the public reading and correct teaching from Scripture still constitutes “the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11, KJV). What we should understand is that the oracles of God, historically, have gone far beyond any wooden pulpits; and that Christ, His apostles, and the Old and New Testament prophets had few wooden pulpits from which to speak. There are , then, “pure gold” pulpits which are the opportunities that we are given to speak, in which careful preparation by the Lord has been made. These speaking engagements probably will not be at pulpits of wood.
I had an old friend who was asked to speak at the church, but his aged mind caused him to forget his task. When the time came, he was announced as the speaker. He had to go up before the entire church only to tell them that he had forgotten, and had nothing prepared to say. He was obviously embarrassed and felt that he had failed. How much more so, if the Lord prepares a circumstance for us to speak, and we either forget our calling or deliberately side-step the opportunity. How do we feel, “since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1)? I say these things from experience. If you’re serious, and pray, really looking at things from God’s viewpoint, you’ll begin to recognize numerous golden opportunities to speak out for the Lord. Your flesh, guaranteed, will resist your recognition or your resolve to make use of these speaking engagements, which are set up in advance by God and his angels. However, praise the Lord, God is patient and we will recognize and make use of some of these golden opportunities. As well, those whom we failed to reach with God’s Word, can usually be reached later through others. However, it’s evident that the rewards for such service would, of necessity, go to the others, as well. So, if we’re serious servants of God, we should expect and seek numerous opportunities to speak from the Lord’s “pure gold” pulpit.
54.) The Holy Spirit as Teacher, John 6:45 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God’. Everyone who listens to the father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life”. This is, of course, the Lord’s famous statement that He is the Bread of Life. The “grace study” perspective brings out a new view of many passages of Scripture, and herein is an example. Here we see that the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah is all part of God’s presentation of the Lord Jesus as the Bread of Life. That is that the people at the coming of the Messiah (his 1st coming) “will all be taught by God”. This opens up, for our purposes, the broad topic of the Holy Spirit as our teacher. (Item#11, above, contains the similar topic of God as teacher. Item#77, below, contains the topic, Semantics of Holy Spirit Teaching.) Since semantics are covered in Item#77, below, this immediate topic is merely to show that the Holy Spirit is a believer’s teacher in life. And a great teacher he is, since he already knows our paths and what teaching we’ll need to travel those paths. There are two main passages that state that the Holy Spirit is our actual teacher in all things that are of God (There are plenty of false teachers, not of God, in the world.).
a) I John 2:20-27. “But you have an anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the truth. … See that what you’ve heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us- even eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and just as that anointing is real, not counterfeit- just as it has taught you, remain in him”. When we received Christ, we also received the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit is the antithesis of deception and false teaching, “the Spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely” James 4:5). The Holy Spirit wars against all fleshly actions (Galations 5:17). The Spirit also wars against our friendship with the world (James 4:4); and the “Spirit of Truth” also wars against falsehood (John 14:17). Therefore, when we are confronted with errors, either in teaching, or just plain lies, or the practice of sin, since all these items are sin, the Holy Spirit works from within us to resist these sins. God and the Holy Spirit will eventually have the victory in each one of us, even if the Lord has to take us from this world (physical death). The victory is inevitable because our new nature is of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5), and no person or situation can defeat the Holy Spirit of God (Romans 8:37-39).
b) John 14:25&26. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything that I have said to you”. In many considerations of God it’s hard to separate the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We could also have difficulty discerning which person of God does the teaching, in any given situation. However, our discernment is made much easier, since the Word states that God’s Holy Spirit “will teach you all things”. God’s Spirit will work through trials and situations, worldly education, and especially Spirit led Christian teachers, to teach us what we need in order to serve out the Lord’s purposes in our life.
58.) Serious Prayer Accompanies Teaching and all Christian Work, John 8:2 “Each went to his own home. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.” As a fairly new believer I once taught a Sunday school class for 3rd and 4th graders. One weekend I could feel the depression, that only Satan brings, disturbing me in the middle of the night. I prayed and prayed, and finally I could feel that spirit of depression and self doubt lift from me. I remember that it felt like a thousand invisible butterflies suddenly let loose from me. The next morning a friend, who taught in the Sunday school class above me, was complaining that he had lost sleep to Satan that night, and also that a father of a girl in my class had experienced the same. Guess what? That was the day that that girl asked Christ into her heart and got saved. The throne of grace is where all the power is generated in Christianity, but also in all creation. A radio preacher remarked just last night, “If we knew the absolute power and necessity of our prayers, we would try to spend all our time in prayer”. That’s exactly how the Lord Jesus lived. While others were sleeping, he was praying all night.
67.) Apollos- a New Testament Teacher and Preacher, Acts 18:25 “Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He was instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately.” Some basic qualifications for teaching are brought out herein:
a) “Thorough knowledge of the Scriptures”, a learned man. No doubt there is an irretrievable story behind how Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria, became learned in the Scriptures and became a Christian. He was probably learned in a worldly sense, as well as learned in the Scripture. A serious, Christian teacher, though needs to be learned in the Scriptures, and not necessarily in the world.
b) “Instructed in the way of the Lord”. Many of the Jews searched the Scriptures for knowledge of the Messiah, and once they found him, they followed Christ’s teaching. Somewhere in Apollos’ journey, he learned, not just the Scriptures, but the way of the Lord Jesus. Before the believers were called Christians, they were known as “The Way” (Acts 9:2). The Lord Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). If you’re a geometry teacher, you teach geometry. If you’re a Christian teacher, you teach the way of the Lord.
c) “Spoke with great fervor”. I attended a Bible study at a certain denomination’s gathering; but they studied the Bible as a history book and as a work of literature. How sad! A teacher should be excited about his teaching, and his delight and ours should be in the teachings of Christ (Psalm 1:2). If we keep in mind that Christ’s way is the only way of victory, and all other ways bring lifelong pain and eternal destruction, then we’ll be bubbling over with fervor.
d) “Taught about Jesus accurately”. At my previous job we had a saying, “If you don’t know it, don’t say it”. If you take a position that you are knowledgeable regarding some situation, and you give bad advice, then you’ve damaged the recipient of your advice. However, if you advise and teach only the points of which you’re certain, then you’re teaching/ advice is still accurate. The gospel and basic Christian truths are not complicated. (However, Satan has “blinded the minds of unbelievers” (II Corinthians 4:4).) Apollos teaching was accurate and led some to salvation, even though “he knew only the baptism of John” (vs.25), as opposed to the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-6). This Grace Study is an exhaustive study of Scripture as it relates to God’s power manifested as grace. By exhaustively studying Scripture, I can teach the power of God accurately, and can say that “the Scripture says this”, or “the Scripture says that”. Therefore, I’m proclaiming accurately the power of God to his Church. We see many miraculous things in Christianity, and there’s an explanation for them. However, we should not try to explain such happenings by speculating beyond what we know from Scripture. Such speculation causes damage to our understanding of the “way of the Lord” because it’s not accurate teaching.
70.) Teaching versus Revelation, Galatians 1:11&12 “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man , nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” So, Paul cites a difference between teaching and revelation from God. Sometimes this difference is hard to recognize. As an example, Paul obviously did receive a certain amount of knowledge regarding the gospel from those whom he persecuted. However, it’s clear that Paul saw Christ and was blinded by His glory, so there was also special revelation involved. Of note is the fact that some Christians believe that there is no longer any revelation from God except through the Scripture or the teaching of the Scripture. I obviously disagree. (Please see Item #1 in the Prophecy Section of this Grace Study.) Judges 13:8 tells the interesting story of Samson’s parents being taught by an angel.
73.) Worldly Teaching and Philosophy vs. the Truth of Jesus, Colossians 2:6-14 “So then, just as you received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. …When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and stood opposed to us; he took it away nailing it to the cross.” So we are shown the main difference between worldly teaching, philosophy, and even the religions of the world; that is, the cross. These other viewpoints involve a righteousness based upon performing to some standard, whether the standard is God’s Law or the teacher’s philosophy. True Christianity, however, produces an imputed righteousness from God, not an earned righteousness. God’s righteousness is based upon forgiveness of sins through the cross. In fact a good way to quickly get the gospel out to a religious person, whether a Muslim or Hindu or a nominal Christian, is took ask them how they deal with the sin question. Only Christianity has sin paid in full at the cross. All other religions depend upon mankind somehow paying for their own sins, or pretending the sin question isn’t really a problem. “Religion says: ‘Do. Do. Do.’. Christianity says: ‘Done. Done. Done.’ “(Anonymous).
Another type of worldly teaching that I perceive is what I call pseudo-faith. II Kings 17:24-41 tells the story of how the Lord made the land itself, in the Northern Kingdom of Israel (a.k.a. Samaria), reject the people that the King of Assyria sent to settle there. So the King of Assyria gave this order, “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the God of the land requires” (vs. 27). “They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own Gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they have been brought” (vs. 33). Many people call themselves Christians. However, they don’t really trust in Christ’s death for their salvation, and so they’ve come up with patterns of living as an attempt to satisfy God. God doesn’t accept this. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him”.
When a person believes and turns to Christ a glorious transformation in their lifestyle occurs which is attributed to both the new nature and also to the blessing of true Christian teaching. Ephesians 4:17-21 discusses the blessing of true teaching versus worldly teaching: “You must no longer live as the gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus”. Praise the Lord that we can live in Christ, rather than in a futile, dark, unproductive lifestyle.
76.) Requirements of Elders- Apt to Teach, Titus 1:5-9 “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless- not overbearing, not quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” Timothy 3:2 cites the same qualifications of elders, but adding the phrase “apt to teach”. The elders are the overseers (same as bishop) of each local church. That is, the leadership of the local gathering is to be a plurality of teaching elders. This plurality of elders concept is further explained in the Shepherding Section, Item#1, and in the Summary in the Shepherding Section- Item#7. Regarding these teaching elders, the following three points are noted:
a) “He must be blameless”. He must be a man as opposed to a female, according to Scripture; and he must be a man that the local gathering and the community will respect. This is regarding the elder as an appointed office holder in the local church (Titus 1:8), as opposed to merely an elder mature Christian (I Peter 5:1).
b) “Trustworthy message as it has been taught”. He must stick to the truth, so that what is passed on to succeeding generations in that gathering will be the truth of Christ. Also, true teaching is the sword of the Spirit, through which the Lord can encourage and help others. But watered down truths don’t hold down the power of God’s Word.
c) “Hold firmly to the trustworthy message …refute those who oppose it”. Paul goes on in Titus 1:10-14, “There are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers,… They must be silenced because they are ruining whole households by teaching them things they ought not to teach- and that for the sake of dishonest gain…. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.”
Our trustworthy message is the true gospel. God’s will is the salvation of souls through the gospel, and also that his Church on earth should be edified. There are many who refute the true gospel. There are many others who don’t refute the gospel head-on but provide a distraction to it. Such distraction groups nominally claim to be Christians but upon questioning will immediately go to some separating concept such as when to meet, how to be baptized, or some other non-critical premise, which causes them to be separate from other groups. These distractions don’t stop us from spreading the true gospel, but take up our time arguing and discussing unimportant matters. At the local gathering level, the elders must confront and refute, both the opposition to the gospel (including false gospels), and the distraction groups. Sound teaching by the elders is a must.
77.) Semantics of Holy Spirit Teaching, I John 2:20-27 “But you have an anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the truth. … See that what you’ve heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us- even eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and just as that anointing is real, not counterfeit- just as it has taught you, remain in him”. The hope that I have in presenting this item is that, by study, we can understand how the Holy Spirit teaches, and therefore we can be better Spirit led teachers. The following are passages that I found noteworthy regarding Spirit led teaching:
a) Exodus 4:11&12. This is an absolute nugget when considering how the Spirit teaches. “The Lord said to him (Moses), ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say.’ “ The Lord is saying that he doesn’t just teach us what to think or speak; but he teaches our vocal chords and nerve system and brain how to perform their bodily functions. I had a close acquaintance with a speech impediment, who had to go through speech therapy in grammar school. As a young engineer he had much better verbal communication skills than I, since he went through training to speak. So some of us have impediments to our sensual or motor activities, and many times this is caused by inabilities to receive nerve or other signals within the body. I have a very minor condition in one eye, so I have some insight into this. The point that’s brought out here, though, is that the Holy Spirit is the complete teacher, from top to bottom: from the Spiritual (“those who by grace had believed”, Acts 18:27) to the sub-atomic (“The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light”, Genesis 1:2&3).
b) Mark 4:2. “He taught them many things in parables”. The Lord Jesus explained his use of parables when he said, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving…’ “ (Mark 4:111&12). This reminds me that to the unsaved we are to give out the gospel, not general Christian teaching; and we should be circumspect to whom we are teaching and which teaching is being given out. There are many sects which are denying the efficacy of the blood of Christ and love to mimic Christian teachings with their own teachings; which are slightly off, because they aren’t able to be corrected by the Spirit of Truth. So, why show such people what the Lord’s true teaching is, since they refuse to obey the gospel and they only intend to impress their religious acquaintances with half understood truths which they’ll use to captivate others. Never the less, it is necessary to give out sound teaching regarding all Christian topics within the church, even when unsaved people are present. Else the teaching work would never be done. It’s also important to note that God is the one who saves, and that not everyone will be saved. As was stated in Item #58, prayer goes hand in hand with teaching and the other spiritual gifts.
c) Mark 6:30. “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught.” Apostleship, evangelism, and even teaching is to be a coordinated, team effort (not so, prophecy). Teaching should obviously be administered at the local gathering level in such a manner that all vital topics should be well covered. This is why most gatherings will eventually go to a curriculum put together by a Christian publishing house, and administered by a deacon.
d) Acts 11:26. “So for a whole year Barnabus and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.” The point here is that basic Christian teaching is to spread far and wide, to all who would receive it. These great numbers of people were Gentiles, who would have been in need of much teaching, even of basic knowledge of Mosaic principles. From the sequence of events we see that the church at Antioch was becoming a center for Christian teaching, especially evangelism of the Gentiles. Barnabus was sent fromJerusalem, and obviously knowing Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:27), brought Paul from Tarsus.
e) Galatians 6:6. “Anyone who receives instruction in the Word must share all good things with his instructor”. This short verse is very important because it tells us that Scriptural understanding is a learning system, and it relies on direct and indirect feedback from the Holy Spirit. This feedback to one person’s understanding is to affect the whole body of Christians, through feedback to the teacher; who can then feedback the information to others. Examine the context of this verse. Paul is writing concerning an individual’s testing of himself regarding his or her walk with the Lord. “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (vs. 3). “We have the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16), but we don’t have the intellect of Christ. “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16). So, the whole Church of Christ on earth is growing in its understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Word (II Peter 3:18). Do you doubt this? Look back to what was being taught and understood by the early Reformers. Did they understand and directly teach eternal security? Did you know that Luther didn’t even include James and Revelation in the Canon of his Bible? The above verses intimate that we are to grow as the Body of Christ. Examine these verses. They can mean nothing else.
f) Exodus 24:12. “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commands I have written for their instruction”. This is the first instance of written doctrine in the Scripture. The reason for the written doctrine is plainly stated. It’s for instruction. Paul and we Christians of today are led by the Lord that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”.
g) Exodus 35:30-34. “The Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts…. And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.” This is a very insightful verse regarding the gifting by the Holy Spirit and God’s manifested grace. The following three points are noted: First, they were filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Second, skill, ability and knowledge all need to be developed over time. Third, they were given the ability to teach others. We can see that the Lord meets his need by the gifting of the Holy Spirit, and also that He works for long periods of time to bring about events in His long-term plan.
h) John 14:25&26. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything that I have said to you”. In this verse, the Greek word “paracletos” has been translated comforter. “Para” means with or along side, “cletos” means one who walks. So, “paracletos” describes the Spirit as one who walks along side us, which gives much insight into the Spirit’s method of counseling. Strong’s[4] cites “pneuma” as the Greek word for Spirit in practically all occurrences of the word spirit in the New Testament. “Pneuma” is translated by Strong’s to mean breath of air, or breeze. So, the Spirit as counselor actually connotes a Spiritual presence that we can’t touch or see but that we can feel and experience. The Holy Spirit is actively teaching us things; and there’s no limit to what the Spirit can use to do this teaching. Hopefully, we can use Scripture, Godly teachers, or authorities to obtain God’s instruction, rather than persecution and trials. However, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). The verse above also states that the Spirit “will remind you of everything”. The Spirit has power to put things in our minds.
i) John 16:8-15. “When he comes he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. I have much more to say to you more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will only speak what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” So, the Spirit is convicting the world of guilt. That alone should show us that the Spirit must use most of God’s creation to do His bidding, as well as the spiritual realms that we are blind toward. The Spirit uses these same resources to guide us into all truth, but in a different way, since the end result is different than the work of conviction. Those in need of guilt are the world, not the believers who are being guided into truth. “He will not speak on his own” means that he doesn’t originate the Word. The Word comes from the Father and the Son. (The Spirit does, however, speak audible words- Acts 13:2.) “Take from what is mine and make it known to you”- this is teaching that body of knowledge which is from the Father, and it’s not limited to Scripture or preaching. (Please see Items # 15 & 16 of the Word of Knowledge Section.) The Lord has a kingdom agenda, and he’ll use what’s necessary to prompt individuals (both saved and unsaved) to do what’s necessary for His Kingdom Agenda.
j) I Corinthians 2:13-16. “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit of God does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to judgment: ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” This passage fully agrees with what God told Moses in Exodus 4:12, “Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say.” Understand, though, that Paul prefaces all this with his explanation in I Corinthians 2:2, wherein Paul says that his speaking and knowledge is all centered at “Jesus Christ and him crucified”. Recall that the context of much of the Corinthian letter is regarding speaking and knowledge gifts, per I Corinthians 1:4-7. So Moses was taught by God to speak concerning the Mosaic Covenant, while we are taught by the Spirit to speak and know the New Covenant of Christ, just as Paul was. ‘For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). Note that once we’re saved by receiving the Savior at the Cross, spiritual leadings in our lives that allow us to follow Christ are still spiritually discerned. These leadings and spiritual judgments are not subject to any man’s judgment, and neither will God judge us for them. “There is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1&2). In fact we are encouraged to make spiritual discernments (“Test the spirits”- I John 4:1), and to “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
k) Teaching, preaching, and healing. Matthew 4:23. “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease among the people. News about him spread all over Syria…” Luke 5:17 is a similar statement of God’s technique in spreading the truth. “One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who had come from every village of Galilee and in Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.” Miracles always accompany believers (Matthew 16:17). I believe that it’s fitting and necessary for Christians, when they come together, to formally thank and praise God by sharing each week the miracles and blessings that they’ve received from the Lord. And this is one of the big reasons why this is fitting and necessary; because teaching and preaching are historically accompanied by miracles. It’s the Lord’s way. (Also see Item#34c&e of the Apostleship Section.)
l) Luke 23:5 “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching.” The reason for this is that the Spirit of Truth is a person of God and he is a consuming fire. So, when the Lord Jesus taught the truth, it grated against the Judeans’ man made doctrine. In short, the flesh wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17). So, the Holy Spirit working in each of us should always make our old nature feel uncomfortable. And when you hear the unsaved or some Christians complain concerning someone’s preaching or statement, be on guard and carefully discern what the truth is. Many people, saved and unsaved, reject the Spirit’s carefully prepared correction under the guise that it makes them feel uncomfortable, or that it seemed inappropriate. Please accept the fact that the Holy Spirit is never inappropriate, but usually makes our old nature feel uncomfortable.
m) Colossians 3:1-17. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your heart on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. … Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”. Teaching, admonishing, singing, they are all part of the package that comes to those who have God’s Holy Spirit in them. I suppose it’s easy to see that teaching and singing stem from God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in us. But admonishing! If you have Jesus love bubbling over in your soul, you will seek to admonish other believers if they need it; and when you’re in the wrong you’ll say thank you to the believer who God has led to correct you. However, if people’s stubborn flesh gets in the way of the Lord’s correction, don’t get discouraged; the Lord will work his correction in His time. (Also, see Item#278.)
n) Nehemiah 9:20. “You gave them your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.” This is one of the few direct statements of the working of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. And wouldn’t you know, he’s presented as the Teacher. (Also see Item# 141i.)
o) Psalm 16:7. “I will praise the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me”. Regarding semantics, then, the Lord uses the heart, which is the center of our soul, to instruct us. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases” (Proverbs 21:1). Since David was a king as well as a believer, both of these passages obviously refer to him. However, I’ve been instructed by the Lord through my heart at night and so this method is not exclusively reserved for kings. I remember struggling over various decisions, and praying and laboring over them. Then the answer comes sometimes at night. The answer involves the realizing of what your goal in the Lord is. Sometimes we get counsel from friends and worldly advice, but these counselors don’t know our heart, but the Lord does. So, we have to struggle through that bad advice, in order to get to where the Lord can instruct us to proceed on his path, which he’s been preparing all along. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5).
p) Daniel 11:33. “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered”. Here we see Christian teaching in the Tribulation period. I believe it will not be teaching as we know it, but rather a gospel that looks back to the day of God’s grace, and also looks to Christ’s work on the cross and his coming to reign (rather than our hope in the rapture), with a stern warning regarding the mark of the beast. It’s surprising to see Spirit led, Christian teaching in the Tribulation. This is because most of us recognize that II Thessalonians 2:7 tells of the Holy Spirit being “taken out of the way”, so that the power of lawlessness will prevail in the Tribulation. However, It never seemed plausible to me that the Spirit could be taken totally out of God’s creation. Who would do the work of the Father and the Son regarding maintaining creation? Who would hold the molecules together, as an example? And if the Holy Spirit is totally taken from the earth, how do the two last prophets prophecy (Revelation 11:3)? And how is the eternal gospel proclaimed “to those who live on the earth- to every nation, tribe, language, and people” (Revelation 14:6)? We need to understand succinctly what “taken out of the way means”. The Spirit is obviously taken out of the way as the restrainer of general lawlessness on the earth. “The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1) will not be true in the Tribulation. God doesn’t establish the AntiChrist. Also, the Spirit is “taken out of the way” in his grace workings through the Church, since the Church is taken up in the rapture. However, to add anything to these two points, without a direct statement from Scripture regarding what is taken away, is not good teaching and doesn’t add to a succinct understanding.
“TEACH”
92.) Taught to Sin, Deuteronomy 20:16-18 “However, in the cities of the nations that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them- the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites- as the Lord your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their Gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.” This passage contains a direct statement regarding teaching sin. And, it also contains the typology of sin as used by the Scripture.
The passage directly states that acquaintance with ungodly people will cause us to sin. The world in its unregenerate state must sin. Face it! The world wallows in sin. If you fraternize with the world, the world will teach you to sin. God concludes: “Friendship with the world is hatred toward God” (James 4:4).
This passage also contains the well repeated typology regarding our need to destroy sin in our lives. Explaining, since the travels of the Children of Israel are a type of the believer’s journey (I Corinthians 10:3-11, also see Item#67 of the Evangelism Section, and Item#74 of the Apostleship Section.), this discussion of the destruction of these Canaanite peoples (sometimes referred to as the “Ite’s”) has a definite typology. In order to claim the promised land (the type of the promises of God) the Israelites had to defeat the local pagans (the “Ite’s”) in each section of promised land. So, we believers, in order to claim each promise of God, must defeat sin in our lives, for each and every promise. As an example, the promise of Psalm 1 is Christian prosperity. Per the Psalm, though, we must first: “not walk in the counsel of the wicked”, not “stand in the way of sinners”, not “sit in the seat of mockers”, and also meditate day and night on God’s Word. Well, this psalm spells out four areas of entrenched sin that has to be dealt with in order to claim the Christian prosperity promise of Psalm 1. Taking just one area, in order to meditate, we must first memorize. And, in order to memorize, we must first take God’s Word seriously enough to even accept and consider Psalm 1, then we must also make the time to memorize the Scripture.
So, the Lord wants us to utterly defeat all sin in our lives in order to bless us with the promises that are ours in Christ. But unless we take a serious, diligent approach to sin, the sin will defeat us. Then, not only will we not obtain God’s promised blessings, but this passage says that the world will teach us to sin. So, it’s either total victory, with sin destroyed, or defeat, with us walking by the flesh and the world.
95.) Knowledge, Understanding, Insight, Wisdom, and Prudence; Deuteronomy 33:10 While these terms sound similar, they are definitely not the same. My definitions of these virtues, which I’ve learned over time are as follows:
a) Knowledge- The compiling of information. As an example, a book has knowledge in it. If you read the book, some of that knowledge will be retained by you.
b) Understanding- The gaining of the premises lying under a matter. As an example, a child is taught to never cross the street alone. Later, with age, the child learns the danger of auto accidents, and understands why he was told to never cross the street alone.
c) Insight- The ability to see into a situation, behind the scenes, and grasp what’s actually occurring.
d) Wisdom- The ability to use knowledge, understanding, and insight in the determining of correct decisions.
e) Prudence- The ability to actually do what wisdom is showing you to be the correct action. We’ve all heard the slogan, “Say ‘No’ to drugs”. So, everyone agrees that drugs cause damage, still, many people don’t have the prudence to refuse drugs, particularly when pressured by peers. Prudence is the icing on the cake for Christians. The world, since it resists the Holy Spirit, has coined the term “prude”. If you don’t drink or do drugs you’re a prude. If you don’t have sex outside marriage, you’re a prude. If you don’t use cuss words you’re a prude. What the world’s opinion boils down to is, if you have a serious lifestyle you’re a prude. But, “Listen to what the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints- but let them not return to folly” (Psalm 85:8).
Some Scripture passages dealing with these important abilities follow:
a) Knowledge, understanding, insight, wisdom, and prudence- Proverbs 1:1-7. “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young- let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance- for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” This passage is an important passage since it describes the purpose of the Book of Proverbs. For our purposes, it really brings together the five terms that we’re studying, and shows how these five attributes work together to shape a complete Christian. There are some important other Christian attributes listed in this passage, that we’ll touch on lightly in other passages. These are: discipline, righteousness, justice, fairness, discretion, learning, guidance, and fear of the Lord. From all this you see, though, that we need to understand and differentiate these terms in order to understand many passages of Scripture.
b) Understanding- Deuteronomy 33:10. “He teaches your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel.” The word “precept” connotes understanding, because precepts deal with the reasoning behind rules or conduct. The command, “Honor your father and mother, so that you will live long in the land” Exodus 20:12, carries a precept within the commandment. Why honor your parents? To live a long life! So, there are precepts involved in the way the Lord does things. Here is another command with a precept built in, “Do to others what you would have them to do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
c) Understanding- Psalm 119:25-28. “I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your Word. I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your Word.” The psalmist’s soul is laid low. He recounted his steps and realizes that he’s erred. His conclusion is to cry out to the Lord to teach him God’s decrees, and give him understanding of God’s precepts. In so doing he knows that then he’ll be strong in the Lord.
d) Knowledge and wisdom- Psalm 119:66&67. “Teach me knowledge and good judgment for I believe in your commands. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your Word.” The psalmist went away and so opened himself up to this affliction (vs. 71). Then he understood the value of knowledge of God’s decrees and precepts, and the wisdom to make good judgments.
e) Understanding- Psalm 119:103&104. “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.” Titus 1:11 speaks of false teachers, “They must be silenced because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach”. As I get older and see the destruction due to false teaching that has occurred in people’s lives, I am learning to hate false teaching (not the teachers, but the teaching). I agree that they must be silenced. And we can silence them through patiently consistent, sound teaching.
f) Understanding and discernment- Psalm 119:125. “I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.” Discernment is the ability to separate or categorize information. We talk about discerning right from wrong. However, discernment also includes separating information into more than two categories. As an example, in this particular topic of study (Item#95) we are discerning between knowledge, understanding, insight, wisdom, and prudence. One common item of discernment, that people pray for and seek to do, is “rightly dividing the Word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). Paul cites this discernment as necessary for Timothy to be an effective Christian worker.
g) Prudence- Psalm 119:133&134. “Direct my footsteps according to your Word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.” The psalmist felt that he could not obey God, due to oppression from men and from entrenched sin in his life. Prudence is the ability to walk as God would have us to walk. Much of this ability of prudence has to do with good Christian training. However, sometimes we get all fouled up so that every path seems like the wrong one. This is when prayer is essential, and God loves to answer such prayers. The psalmist was evidently caught in such a situation, and his solution was the prayer that we see in verses 133 & 134. We are allowed to walk prudently by the Lord, through His teaching, and many times merely by His intercession (many times he bails us out).
h) Insight, understanding, and wisdom- Psalm 119:97-100. “Oh how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.” This is a nugget of Scripture to those of us who try to claim the promise of Psalm 1, that is, the promise of a prosperous Christian life. It’s valuable because it ties in the “delight in the law of the Lord” and Scripture meditation according to Psalm 1, with the reality of how the prosperous life promise is brought to fruition. Getting away from the Psalm 1 promise, though, additional explanations of insight, understanding, and wisdom are as follows:
i) Insight- When we meditate on God’s Word, then the Word can work into our soul, and we gain insight. Bill Gothard, who still coordinates Christian seminars known as the Institute in Basic Life Principles out of Oak Brook, Il, challenges people to meditate on Scripture, particularly on Scripture that deals with a problem area in their life. Many attendees of these seminars have done this with tremendous success, including myself. At thirty years old I had had some very nice jobs, but never one for more than three years. I hired on to what I thought would be a short term government job, took Bill Gothard’s challenge memorizing Romans 13 (which deals with governmental authority). I recently retired from that same governmental agency after 20 years service. God’s promises are true, now, and for eternity.
ii) Understanding- From the above, we see that obedience to precepts brings understanding. This understanding through obedience surpasses the understanding gained through observational experience even of some elders. You can explain to a person how to ride a bike, and even observe many people riding bikes. However, until you actually get on the bike and successfully ride one, you still don’t know how to ride the bike. The same is true for God’s precepts, per the above passage. And really, this is how I’ve seen teachers, some of them being elders, teach incorrectly regarding spiritual gifts. Recently, Christians in West Aceh, Indonesia were warned of the coming tsunami by a revelation to a brother. Taking heed they went to a high hill, and were spared the injury that others had to endure in the tsunami. Yet, elders here in the U.S. would teach such revelation is obsolete since the completion of Scripture (Please see Item#1 of the Prophecy Section.). The difference is that the Indonesian Christians have been under persecution their entire Christian lives and are forced to walk by faith, while in the U.S. believers are actually somewhat financially rewarded for their Christian professions. Obedience to God’s precepts brings understanding.
iii) Wisdom- God’s commands make us wiser than our enemies. This life has rules and it’s God who makes the rules, because this is his creation. So, since we know the rules and our enemies don’t, we can make informed decisions, while worldly people are left groping for answers in the dark.
i) Knowledge and understanding- I Timothy 1:7. “They want to be teachers of the Law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” In Ephesus there were Judaizers which taught false doctrine, which had no power to save the hearers. They didn’t know the gospel and didn’t understand how the Law worked in conjunction with the gospel to bring new life. Many supposedly Christian groups today teach the same dead principles- a gospel of grace plus works. They try to rehab the old nature rather than bringing new life through the power of the Lord’s gospel.
j) Wisdom- Proverbs 16:23. “A wise man’s heart guides his mouth and his lips promote instruction.” This wise man is speaking what he believes in, rather than merely selling a point for self advancement. Contrast this with a foolish man who tries to trick people and eventually gets caught thus proving that his word has no value.
k) Knowledge- Proverbs 21:11. “When a wise man is instructed he gets knowledge”. Just this past weekend I had a conversation with some in-laws related to the content of this passage. I wasn’t discussing from a Scriptural perspective, and two men were trying to get me to agree that teaching in general doesn’t usually work, particularly in the moral plain. I suppose what my in-laws and I should have concluded is that a person has to want to learn in order to grow in knowledge. This is essentially what this passage is saying. Some people are incapable of learning due to their attitude; teaching bounces off of them, like water off a ducks back. In that case my in-laws were right. However, there is obviously the Spirit’s gift of teaching, and the Spirit knows how and when, who and what, to teach.
l) Understanding- Jeremiah 31:19. “After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.” Understanding of God’s ways causes us to reflect on our conduct. From this understanding proceeds repentance, deep sorrow, and a feeling of shame and humiliation due to our disgrace. This word “disgrace” is an interesting word since this treatise is the study of God’s grace. “Disgrace” can be defined as the state of being obviously not in favor with God, or with society.
m) Knowledge and wisdom- Proverbs 8:10. “Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion.” From this, some points are derived as follows:
i) “I possess knowledge and discretion”. Since wisdom is the ability to make correct decisions, you must have knowledge and discretion in order to have wisdom.
ii) “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence”. Wisdom is the ability to make the correct decision, but prudence is the ability to act on that decision. What good is wisdom without action? Or worse, what if you have wisdom to know what should be done, and instead of doing right, or even doing nothing, instead you do evil?
iii) I’m looking back on my life and looking ahead to my children’s lives, and I would tell my children exactly what’s written here. Instruction, knowledge, wisdom, and prudence far exceed wealth as keys to a prosperous life.
iv) “Instruction” is a term that’s studied heavily and particularly in the Book of Proverbs. Regarding this, please see Item#278 below.
m) Prudence- Proverbs 15:5. “A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.” Looking at the semantics of this statement, consider that there are five attributes coming into play herein: discipline, knowledge, instruction, wisdom, and prudence. The father’s discipline shows the person that there’s something wrong and in need of correction, which brings knowledge of the offense. Wisdom allows the person to accept the instruction (same as correction herein) as being valid. Prudence allows the person to act on his wisdom, and therefore act correctly in the future, thus displaying prudent behavior. This verse deals with a father and his child, but Item#297, below, states that instruction and correction are a necessary part of a Godly life for all believers, young and old, wise and unwise.
n) Understanding- Proverbs 16:22. “Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but folly brings punishment to fools.” Understanding is contrasted to folly. Do you have a lot of time to waste on work that is not focused on your needs, and sometimes harmful to you and your family. Well, understanding helps us focus our efforts, which is pleasing to God and brings grace; and it helps us to sidestep needless harm.
96.) Testing as Part of Teaching, Judges 3:2. “These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.” Regarding Christian teaching, then, we can expect the Lord to test our ability to absorb His teaching into our lives. Also, we conclude that testing is a part of teaching.
110.) Correctly Partitioning the Scripture, Job 33:33 “Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;…be silent and I will teach you wisdom.” It’s important to understand that not all Scripture is to be taken as direct Godly counsel for us. We know that “all Scripture is God-breathed” (II Timothy 3:16), but we still have to consider the context of what’s said. Here are some points regarding this:
a) “Rightly dividing the Word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15, KJV). The NIV renders II Timothy 2:15 as: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a work man who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of truth.” This verse has historically been used to warn believers that, at the very least, we should realize that the Scripture is divided into the Old and New Testaments, and that we should know the difference. Then, of course, we could separate the Old Testament into the Law and the Prophets, poetry books, and history. Then the New Testament could be divided into the four gospel books, history (Acts), epistles, and Revelation (prophecy). Or, one could devise other categorizations. Truthfully, though, II Timothy 2:15 is in a context that not only points out the need for correct contextual handling of the Word, but also, a need to handle the Word solemnly and appropriately so as to avoid arguments. (Please see II Timothy 2:14, 16, &23-25). So, the point brought out is that we are to be careful in how we apply the Scripture.
b) Job’s counselors. There are some very famous verses quoted from Job’s counselors and used to give various advice. However, I must say that such advice will always be quoted out of context, since Job’s counselors are not considered by Scripture as Godly counselors, but rather, as examples of bad counsel. So we cannot use these passages by Job’s counselors, except to say, “Here’s an example of bad advice.” Are these passages God-breathed? Yes, but they are God-breathed examples of bad advice. In our subject passage, above (Job 33:33), Elihu isn’t really teaching Job wisdom, he’s tempting Job to give up his faith. Job’s counselors are a part of Satan’s temptation of Job. If you quote them, you should quote them as you would quote the words of Satan. So, we obviously must watch the context of Scripture. Satan certainly twisted the Scripture out of context when he tempted the Lord Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).
c) I chose the term “correctly partitioning Scripture”, to try and lend some understanding to the concepts presented here. But since selecting those words I’ve been having some partitioning problems on the hard drive memory of my computer. When I first set up the computer, it was partitioned with 20 GB in one partition of my 120 GB hard drive and 100 GB in the other partition. But I haven’t paid attention to the rules of where to store my files, and I’ve been storing everything in the 20 GB partition. There’s very little room left in that partition, 3GB; and this is starting to cause serious problems as to what I can and can’t do. Well, the same is true in our Christian walk. God’s Word empowers us: by our understanding of His will; by our conduct before angels, demons, God’s throne, and before worldly principalities; and by the grace He gives us to accomplish His will. So, if we misunderstand God’s Word in some area, this error will play itself out in our lack of accomplishment for the Lord. We cannot live out the full abundant life that the Lord would have us to live (John 10:10), and we settle for much less on the eternal scale. So it is with grace. We are given the capacity to be used greatly for Christ and be given great rewards in heaven (Ephesians 4:7). However, bad teaching, particularly regarding God’s grace gifts, can severely hamper our capacity to be useful for the Lord.
d) Pre-Pentecost Peter. In Acts 1:26 we see Peter pushing to select by lot a replacement for Judas. Peter was told by the Lord to “wait for the gift my Father promised you…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”. However, instead we see Peter replacing Judas, with Matthias, by lot. Most, of those who claim apostleship is obsolete today, do so using Pre-Pentecost Peter’s definition of apostleship. I’m not trying to slam Peter, or accuse him, but prior to Pentecost Peter made some large errors (and I refuse to list them, but if you’re a Bible scholar, you already know his errors). Now I ask you. Can we rely on Pre-Pentecost Peter’s terms for selecting Judas replacement, as our definition of New Testament apostleship, or for any other teaching? No, he’s obviously not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, our Teacher! Neither Paul, nor Barnabus, nor any other apostle cited in Scripture as an apostle, except for “the twelve”, fits Peter’s criterion for the replacement of Judas. Of truth Peter was merely replacing Judas as one of “the twelve”. The fact that there were twelve apostles of Jesus Christ does not diminish the fact that seven other apostles were listed as such in Scripture. (Please see Items#4 & 29 in the Apostleship Section.)
So, we must conclude that correctly noting and understanding, through study, the context of Scripture is part and parcel to being a disciple.
114.) Who’s and Why’s of Instruction, Psalm 25:4-12. “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, for my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant. For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity for it is great.” Who does God instruct?- those who pray to him as David did, sinners who repent, the humble, those who are under his covenant. Why does the Lord instruct them? God is our Savior and our hope is in him, and without his instruction we’re in trouble. God is good and upright and loving! That’s why he instructs sinners. Without the Lord’s instruction we would have a miserable time in this life, and even if a soul is saved, how can that person store up rewards in heaven without God’s instruction. We’d probably store up judgment, instead, if we don’t follow God’s instruction.
117.) Fear of the Lord, Psalm 34:4-16. “I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongues from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” When Paul quoted the Prophet Isaiah in Romans 3:10-18, he selected a phrase at which to end his quotation. The phrase that he selected encapsulated all the wickedness intrinsic to the old nature: “no one righteous…all have turned away…their tongues practice deceit…mouths are full of cursing and bitterness…their feet are swift to shed blood…the way of peace they do not know”. The ending phrase which encapsulated all that wickedness was this: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” David is cited as writing Psalm 34 when he pretended to be insane before Abimalech who drove him away. I suppose he was concerned by the fact that he was fearing Abimalech, when he knew he was only to fear God. This Psalm clearly and succinctly explains why we are to fear God: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” However, the following are other points, brought out during this Grace Study, regarding fear of the Lord:
a) “He delivered me from all my fears” (vs. 4). When you fear the Lord, you needn’t and shouldn’t have other fears. “Do not be afraid of those that kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One that can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). I don’t believe that we, as believers, should be in fear of hell-fire, but if you’re not saved you should be in fear of hell. And that’s certainly one form of Godly fear. How a believer is to fear God, depends on the situation, and really at what level the believer is walking with the Lord in a given situation. “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). Knowing that our Lord, with whom we walk closely, is a consuming fire, we should seek his approval in all we do. In doing so, we’ll realize that it’s his will that we should deal respectfully with other authorities and concerns in our lives ( Romans 13:7.).
b) “Those who look to him are radiant” (vs. 5). I’ve had many opportunities to bring others to court, but I practice that verse that says, “Agree with your adversary quickly while you are in the way with him” (Matthew 5:25, KJV). It’s just plain not worth the hassle for me to bring someone to court. I’ve been to court and seen others with prolonged court battles, and I’ve never seen anyone say that it was a pleasant experience, even the attorneys and judges. I had one judge as a client. He said, “David, the world I live in is like nothing you’ve ever seen. You wouldn’t want to be there, even for a minute”. So, God’s Word tells us how to forego such court troubles, by coming to quick settlements. The point is that God knows how to protect and provide for his own; but we must revere his will to stay within his provision and protection from troubles. And this should be a daily walk, a personal relationship with our loving Lord. When we have such a walk our countenance will be radiant, to the unsaved and to the Lord.
c) ‘The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them” (Vs 7). If you’re a believer you know that there are times when Satan is going to attack you, whether by finances, or sickness, or any other possible weakness, but God’s angel permanently protects us. The angel does not just visit us. The angel is encamped around us, for permanent protection. Of course there will be trials, but they will be trials carefully monitored by the Lord, in which Satan will not be able to merely have his way with us.
d) “Lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who fear the Lord lack no good thing” (vs. 10). Worldly or fleshly strength won’t save us from poverty, or famine, or mental and physical failings. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). Our Father is our constant and consistent provider.
e) “These are the commands decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children, and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all of His decrees and commands that I give you, so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you”. If you fear the Lord, pass this on to your children, so that they also can be blessed. Generational fear of the Lord is a great blessing.
f) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). If a person doesn’t even know that he should be concerned about pleasing God, let alone knowing how to please God, then this Scripture says that he is not even at the base level of knowledge. In other words, “How smart is a person who’s going to hell, and isn’t even concerned?”
g) “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). So, as much as we know about God, his purposes and his majesty and anything concerning him, this all adds to our understanding. When this knowledge of God causes us to fear the Lord, as holy and as a consuming fire, then we can begin to have the wisdom to make right decisions. I suppose this also explains Proverbs 15:33, which says, “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom”.
120.) Teaching through Desperate Times, Psalm 60:3&4. “You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger. But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.” The title for this psalm prescribes the psalm as being “A miktam of David, for teaching”. Desperation definitely can be used to teach us. “These (trials) have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (I Peter 1:7). I remember hearing of a Christian worker who had fallen on hard times, of whom it was said, “All that is left of him is Jesus Christ”. Through desperate trials we learn what’s really true, and what is to be our true banner to lead us through life- our life purpose and our God given grace gift. Through desperation we can also discover the difference between needs and wants. If you don’t really need it, it’s a want. God has promised to provide all our needs, not our wants.
124.) Results of Learning God’s Decrees, Psalm 119:12-135. “Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.” This section of Psalm 119 contains many results to learning God’s decrees. Some of these results are:
a) “With my lips I recount” (vs. 12). When you get in a confusing situation, you can call up God’s Word, so that you can have knowledge and counsel in making the right decisions. Then, in knowing that we’re making right decisions, and living in a manner acceptable to the Lord, we can rejoice in that fact.
b) “I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees…. Keep from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law….I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end” (vs. 26-33). This is the plea of a person who does not want to walk in sin anymore. He’s had enough shame, and knows the solution is to know and walk according to the Lord’s decrees.
c) “I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts. The earth is filled with your love, O Lord; teach me your decrees.” (vs. 63&64). Students go through exorbitant hazing in order to join fraternities and sororities. And for what?! They do that to supposedly associate with the right group of people. Well, the right group of people constitutes those who are serious about the Lord, and who follow His precepts. Well, to have nice friends, associates, and even a spouse, we have to live up to certain standards. Christian standards don’t include how fast you can chug a glass of beer, but rather Godly living by abiding by the Lord’s decrees.
d) “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your Word. You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees” (vs. 66-68). From the Lord’s decrees we obtain knowledge and good judgment that can spare us from the afflictions of bad decisions.
e) “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (vs. 104&105). From this famous passage, we see that we learn to hate the wrong path; and therefore use the light of God’s Word to guide every small footstep, and also our long and medium term planning, as well.
f) “Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees. I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes” (vs. 124&125). When we really understand the depravity of our old nature and our old lifestyle, then we really understand that the Lord’s decrees, and the fact that the Lord cares enough to give us such decrees, are a manifestation of His love for us. (This prayer requests knowledge through teaching, as well as discernment and understanding. A fleshly person, such as myself, might ask for enough prudence to act upon this knowledge, discernment, and understanding.)
g) “Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees. Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed. Righteous are you, O Lord, and your laws are right….Trouble and distress have come upon me but your commands are my delight. Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live” (vs. 135-144). The writer understand the righteousness of God, while tears are brought to his eyes because of the disobedience of worldly people. But, even in distress we take our joy in the Lord’s commands and, really, his presence in our lives.
137. Lifestyle Qualifications of a Teacher, Isaiah 28:7-9. “Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions. All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth. Who is it he is trying to teach?” Most New Testament teachers are elders or deacons. Deacon is from the Greek word “diakoneo”[5] (Strong’s Number 1247), which merely means servant or attendant. So if a person serves in some capacity in the local gathering such as a Sunday School teacher, that person is a deacon, or deaconess. The point is that the lifestyle qualifications of a teacher are the same as for a deacon. “Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.” (I Timothy 3:8-12). From the necessities of history we see that a teacher can obviously be a woman. However, women should not be teaching men (I Timothy 2:12). The above are the lifestyle qualifications of a teacher. However this list of deacon qualifications still leaves one question unanswered. Does this person have the Spirit-given ability of teaching?
138.) Teaching by Trial and Error and by Common Sense, Isaiah 28:24-29. “When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? ...His God instructs him and teaches him the right way. Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick. …All this comes also from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.” This shows us that God does teach by trial and error, and that His teaching has common sense to it. This passage also shows us that Godly teaching also includes instruction in how to make a living, and focusing on work goals. When I was very young (7th or 8th grade) my father used us kids to dig up the rear garden for planting (roto tillers were not commonly available yet). As well, from a very young age, we were made to pull weeds around our home. My brothers and I hated that work. It was boring; and if you did it right, it was back-breaking. But, guess what! I have a heavenly Father, who through those mini trials, taught me how to stick with a tough job and bring it to completion, even when my coworkers were goofing off. Now, I work as a consultant. I have no one trying to take credit for my work product. But, there are times when I have to exhaust enormous effort to finalize my submittals. I can cite many earthly teachers in my life, and most weren’t Christians, or even very nice people, but the Lord had me learn from them. But, if I have to go back and consider the major teaching of my work habits, I have to go back to my childhood, pulling weeds and breaking dirt in the hot sun and mosquitoes. From that I learned what’s called “stick-to-it-ivness”. I suppose the Lord can use many things to teach us what we need to do his work. I’m glad I didn’t have to beat caraway with a rod or cumin with a stick in order to learn perseverance.
141.) Teaching the Difference between the Holy and the Common, What to Teach; Ezekiel 44:23. “They (the Levitical priests) are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean”. This verse opens a broad topic within this Grace Study of Teaching- the topic of “What to teach”. In that regard the following are topics of teaching brought out by Scripture which help describe what should be taught by Christian teachers:
a) II Timothy 3:16 declares that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”. So Scripture is to be the primary tool for the Christian teacher. And, I don’t see any reason why all good Christian teaching shouldn’t fall under the content of the Scripture. Even given that much teaching is by example, our lifestyles should follow the pattern of righteousness contained in Scripture. So, even teaching by example follows the guidelines of Scripture.
b) Praise and singing- “All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and singers with musical instruments were leading the praising” (II Chronicles 23:13). The word “leading” in this verse is actually the Hebrew word “yada”[6], which means to teach. So the teaching of praise and singing is definitely part of solid Christian teaching.
c) Discipleship and God’s viewpoint, particularly as contained in the sermon on the Mount- “and he began to teach them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…’ “ (Matthew 5:2&3). The Sermon on the Mount contains an explanation internally as to why we should teach and study it- “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Also see Item #33, above.
d) The disturbing Truth of the gospel- “They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the Resurrection of the dead” (Acts 4:2). We are to teach the truth, especially the gospel, fully knowing that it will disturb people. After all, the flesh wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17).
e) Teaching = fully telling. “ ‘Go stand in the temple courts,’ he (an angel) said, ‘and tell the people the full message of this new life’. At daybreak they (the apostles) entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people” (Acts 5:20&21). We are communicating the gospel, and we are to fully communicate it. Sometimes we can only get out a vague blurb, when we try to share. But that’s okay, the Holy Spirit can use that along with teaching and evangelism from other sources to teach and save an individual.
f) Rooting, growth, and strengthening in the faith through teaching, as opposed to worldly culture; Colossians 2:6-8. “So then, just as you received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” True Christian teaching doesn’t just get us saved but strengthens and helps us grow in the Lord. But, beware of the religious culture which can take you captive. I talk to religious people all the time, and each one of them claims that their religion is the true religion. And each one of them cannot claim that they’re saved. Except, once in a while some religious person will be puffed up enough to claim that he’s lead a righteous life and that his lifestyle will get him into heaven. Well, we know that our salvation is only through the blood of Christ, and that we can know that we’re saved, once we’ve received Christ (Romans 10:9, Titus 3:5, & many other verses). But religious people, whether nominal Christians or idolatrous people, are bound by the culture surrounding their religion. They’ve been taken “captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends upon human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ”. “For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world” (I John 2:16).
g) Teach grace and Law; Item # 146, below, shows why we should teach grace and Law, knowing that ultimately we are to live under grace through faith.
h) There’s a right and a wrong way to live. In I Kings 8:36 Solomon prayed, “Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance”. The teachers and the elders of the local gathering must teach doctrine which allows the Body to live Godly lives. Remember that the teachers, along with the apostles, prophets, evangelists and shepherds of the Church, have a calling to “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and becoming mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12&13).
i) “Teach me your way, O Lord, lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors”. Psalm 27:11. When we can see the troubles in life, we’re not looking for the easiest path or a wealthy path, we’re looking for the Lord’s path. We want to know that we’re under the Lord’s protection by doing His will. Christian teaching, then, should teach how to recognize the Lord’s path and how to stay on His path, through repentance, through Bible study, through acceptance of Godly correction, through a plain life and uncomplicated life. Psalm 143:10 says, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground”. Again, note that God’s way and His will involve an easy path and level ground, upon which it’s not easy to stumble. This verse contains a couplet in which the second part of the verse is merely an alliterative form of the first part of the verse. So, the “level ground” equals staying within God’s will, or “to do your will”. But, then, look at who the Teacher is in that alliterative second part of the couplet. It’s the Holy Spirit! (Also see Item# 77n.)
j) “I will teach you fear of the Lord”. Psalm 34:11. As is shown in Item#117, above, fear of the Lord is something a believer must learn in order to have a functional life.
k) “Teach me your way and I will walk in the truth”. Psalm 86:11. Jesus Christ said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John14:6); and before Christians were known as Christians they were known as the Way (Acts19:23, 9:2, etc.). The Way is not just a name or term, but rather, a lifestyle that a Christian lives that sets them apart as the followers of Jesus. This lifestyle can and must be taught, by God’s Holy Spirit, through Christian teachers, and whatever other means the Spirit would use to teach us.
l) “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. Psalm 90:12. Intrinsic to Christian teaching is the concept of Stewardship. That is, that we are to be good stewards of our time and effort, with money being only an indicator of our time and effort. (Luke 16:8-15).
m) “Teach me your decrees”. Psalm 119:26. Christians are not under Law, but under grace. Still, a thorough knowledge of God’s decrees and commands allows us to understand God’s will in our lives. Psalm 119:124&125 says, “teach me your decrees…give me discernment that I may understand your statutes”. (See Item#95-c& #95-f, above.) Also, the Law is still the manner to bring a lost sinner to the Cross for salvation.
n) “Teach me knowledge and good judgment”. Psalm 119:66. (Also see #95, above.) As elders these are the torches that we must pass on to the next generation of Christians. The psalmist went astray and was afflicted, and then he realized the value of Godly knowledge and good judgment. The Scripture is saying that it’s possible to teach knowledge and good judgment before a person goes astray and becomes afflicted. This, then, is a major goal of Christian teaching.
o) “Teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians”. Daniel 1:4. It’s usually necessary for a Christian to learn a reasonable amount of worldly knowledge in order to function in society, particularly in making a living. When I chat with young people and their schooling, I try to remind them that education is a means to make a living, and that knowledge just for knowledge’s sake is a form of folly. Actually, the same can be said of Bible knowledge. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says”. Also, James 1:26 shouts out, “Faithwithout deeds is dead”.
p) Teaching is part of the Great Commission. The Lord Jesus transferred His authority to teach to the Church for all ages at the Great Commission, when he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). He spoke this to the eleven, but note that he said that it was for the Church age. So, he is communicating that apostleship and teaching and, really, every grace that’s needed to reach the world for Christ is available to the Church until the very end of the age. So, the Church can and should teach, evangelize and practice apostleship. (Also see Item#33j, above.)
q) “Command and teach these things”. I Timothy 4:11. Timothy is told by Paul in verse 4:6, “If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed”. What are “these things” which should be taught? Well, verse 6 is sandwiched between some things which are cited as “taught by demons” or otherwise just plain bad teaching. Such wrong teaching is cited as: false teaching, myths and endless genealogies, forbidding to marry, abstaining from certain foods, teaching godless myths and old wives tales, and teaching physical training as a form of godliness (yoga, martial arts, Spartan philosophies, etc.). Paul contrasts these wrongful teachings with the teachings of the true faith which should be taught. Make no mistake! Consider that these items are still teachings of concern today! Paul is commanding Timothy and us to teach the true faith which contains: intercessory prayer seeking peaceful and quiet lives (vs. 2:1); submissive and godly womanhood (vs. 2:9-15); a committee of godly elders (men) taking the oversight of the local assembly, and as opposed to clergy (vs. 3:1-7, & 4:3); insistence on godly servants, of good repute, performing church duties (vs. 3:8-13, and 5:22); the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus as its foundational truth (vs. 3:15&16); and also those rules for godly living regarding widows, elders, servants, and financial gain (vs. 5:1-6:21). So, all these things (vs. 4:6, 4:11, and 6:2) are commanded to be taught as the true faith, with Jesus Christ being the Chief Cornerstone of the Church, and the “foundation of the truth” (vs. 3:15).
r) “These then are the things that you should teach”. Titus 2:15. In Chapters 2 and 3 of Titus, Paul gives practically the same instructions to Titus as he does to Timothy, as summarized in subparagraph #q, above. Humility, temperance, respect for authority, all “these things” should be taught and practiced “while we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Only the gospel can save you, but godly living can influence the salvation of others. We must walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Paul charged Timothy and Titus to command and teach “these things”, not just the gospel and glory of Christ, but Godly living as well.
143.) Receiving Pay for Spiritual Abilities, Micah 3:9-12. “Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zionwith bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us’. Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.” This is a nugget of Scripture, because it communicates to us the Lord’s opinion of those hirelings cited in the New Testament, in John 10:11-13. Please see also Item#55 in the Apostleship Section, Item#106, in the Evangelism Section, and Item#1 in the Shepherding Section.
This passage clearly shows that the leaders, teachers, and prophets were not to take pay for their work. Not the Lord’s heart, nor His righteousness, has changed in this regard. A New Testament elder, teacher, or prophet/ preacher is not to work for money; and John 10 tells us to add pastors to this list. If such people work for money, the Lord’s opinion is clear. Such a person is despising justice, distorting what is right, and involved in wickedness. The prophet/ preacher, being cited, obviously must live on faith if he’s a traveling preacher. (But the prophets cited in Micah 3:11 were taking money as fortune tellers, and wouldn’t do anything except for money.) The New Testament teaching is that evangelists, apostles/ missionaries, and traveling preachers/ prophets must live on faith; that is provision by the Lord, particularly through the local gatherings and other donations. There’s no Scriptural record of pastors and deacons receiving financial support for doing the Lord’s work; but such support is clearly spoken against in the Scripture.
Admittedly, there’s a difference between accepting donations and working for money. A person working for money won’t do the work, except for pay. However, this distinction is not a viable excuse for the practice by pastors, elders, teachers, or deacons, of accepting donations. The Lord will certainly provide for their needs through some other means such as employment or investment, if they are indeed doing the Lord’s work. The Lord provides for my needs over-abundantly. And if He called me to a full time ministry, I’m sure he’d provide for my needs. But my full time ministry ought not to be what the elders of the local gathering ought to be doing. Else, how can I say that it’s the Lord’s will or work.
The impressive point of this passage, though, is that, except for those designated to earn their living by the gospel (See Item#106 of the Evangelism Section.); believers are not to take money for their Christian efforts. Else, they are despising justice, distorting what is right, and practicing wickedness.
144.) Teaching in the Millennium, Micah 4:2. “Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” There’s not a lot said about heaven, but we know that there’ll be a New Jerusalem, where “the Lamb is its lamp” (Revelation 21:2 &10). I don’t see any evidence of any teachers in the millennium, except for the Lord, Himself. However, there will be pastors there. (See Item#3 in the Shepherding Section.) Also, there seems to be a more purified knowledge in heaven which is spoken of and alluded to in places of Scripture. I Corinthians 13:12 promises the believer such knowledge: “Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am known.” Jeremiah 3:15 speaks of Millennium shepherds leading with such knowledge and understanding. I believe this knowledge has to do with our future separation from this sin ridden flesh, and our direct sharing in the Lord’s glory. The reason for this is I John 3:2, which promises, “But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”. This connects our ability to see and recognize Christ with our more purified state of existence in heaven; we’ll be separated from our old nature. (Praise the Lord!) The above statement that the Lamb is the lamp of heaven, also is relevant; because Matthew 5:14 says, “Ye are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”. This light then is not just the glory of God, but also the knowledge of God given off by the Lord Jesus, and also by us when we’re doing God’s work. It’s been said that, (on earth) “We believers merely reflect the light and glory of the Lord Jesus.” However, in heaven we’ll have no need of reflectors, for we’ll have the direct light of the Lord’s presence. Perhaps this is why I don’t hear mention of any teachers in heaven, other than the Lord, Himself.
146.) Teach Grace and Law, Matthew 5:19. “Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” This can be a difficult passage, particularly when being challenged by a legalist.
First, understand that the Lord Jesus taught grace and Law. But the Law was to be our schoolmaster to bring us to the cross and grace. Galatians 3:24&25 says, “So the Law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the Law.” But if we teach or preach, we must stress the immutability of God’s Law, else how will people come to Christ?
Therefore, we must teach judgment to come due to God’s Law, with the only escape being grace by faith. “But now a righteousness from God, apart from the Law, has been made known, to which the Law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21&22). Also, “There is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death.” Can we conclude whether God, or a believer walking by the Spirit is above the Law? No, because such a righteousness from God was prophesied by the Law and the Prophets. Is a non-believer above the Law? Definitely not! There’s freedom from the Law through grace and walking by the Holy Spirit. But freedom without bounds is licentiousness. The boundary of a believer’s freedom is the will of God.
149.) When is a Pulpit Needed? Mark 4:1. “Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the waters edge.” Verse 2:13 says, “Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them”. In both instances Jesus was beside the same lake with a large crowd. But in the second instance the crowd was “so large” that he needed a device to help him speak to such a large crowd. So, a pulpit can be used if necessary. However, the best pulpit is a golden pulpit prepared for our use by the Lord, Himself. (See Item#53, above.)
158.) “To Do and To Teach”, Acts 1:1 “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach”. In Item #141-q, &r, it was noted that Timothy and Titus were charged not just to “command and teach these things”, but also be a Godly example (Titus 2:7&8, I Timothy 4:12). The point that’s being emphasized here, in Acts 1:1, and also by Paul’s charge to Timothy and Titus, is that teaching and living go together. And, if not, then a lack of integrity, even a charge of hypocrisy can be leveled at a Christian. There’s an old saying, “Right teaching brings about right conduct; and wrong teaching brings about wrong conduct”.
Please take note, though, that the first thing some people will do, when they find out that you’re a professing Christian, is to seek to discredit you. So, don’t be dismayed when some false charge of hypocrisy is leveled at you; some people are just plain enemies of God. Also see Item#28 in the Apostleship Section.
161.) Persistent Teaching = Effective Teaching, Acts 5:40- 6:1. “They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. In those days when the number of disciples was increasing…” The lesson here is to be persistent in teaching the truth, even in the face of persecution, or anything else that Satan will throw in our way.
167.) A Woman is not to Teach or Have Authority over a Man, I Timothy 2:11-15. “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” First, let me quickly note that this was not a passing fad in Christianity that changed with culture. This verse has as its precepts the authority and power of God being manifested in the Spirit gift of teaching, and God’s order within creation, and before his throne. Also, this verse is noted as being among the core teachings of Christianity, since it is among the teachings cited as “these things” which are commanded by Paul to be taught (per Items #141-q & 141-r, above). I note that this verse uses the same argument that Paul used in I Corinthians 11:7-12, when he taught whether men or women should have their heads uncovered or covered during prayer and prophecy. (Please see Item #56 in the Prophecy Section.) Is teaching listed as a Spirit gift in Ephesians 4:11? Yes! Was the authority to teach, and the command to do so, given to the Church at the Great Commission, Matthew 28:20? Yes! Is God very careful regarding the use of His authority and power- in government (Romans 13:1-7), in the local gathering (I Timothy 5:17), in His provision of employment (I Peter 2:16-19), in the family (Ephesians 5:21- 6:4)? Yes! Therefore, it should be obvious that God is careful and acts responsibly in His use of His authority and power in the Spirit gifts. God’s authority in teaching, then, follows God’s order in His creation, not usurping God’s order by allowing a woman to teach over a man. Women can teach over women, and women can teach over boys and girls, but not over a man, even a young man. (Please note that this concept extends to any authority, not just gifts; since the passage says, “or to have authority over a man”.)
168.) Elders as the Principal Teachers of the Local Gathering, I Timothy 3:2. “Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, apt to teach, …”. Here we see that the elders are expected to be the main teachers in the local church. From other passages we know that the oversight is to be made up of elders, principally I Peter 5:1&2, and Titus 1:6-9. Note that “apt to teach” is not a requirement of deacons, who are also officially recognized officers of the local assembly. (Please see Item#76 above.)
172.) The Spread of Christian Teaching, II Timothy 2:2. “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others”. Endure hardship…” Paul is commanding Timothy, his son in the Lord, to pass on the teachings of Christ to others so that the teachings will spread. This is the same concept as Christ’s Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations,… and teaching them everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19&20). This concept is also implicit in Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” This concept is also implicit in Paul’s charge to Timothy, and similarly to Titus, to “command and teach these things”, as noted in Item #141-q, above. The way to battle Islam is not with munitions, but with the gospel, with Christian teaching, and with Christian living. Even the Moslems know this. That’s why Islamic nations make it illegal to teach Christianity, even punishable by death. But if we “live by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), then we have all the authority that we need.
175.) Maturity Level for Teaching, Hebrews 5:11&12. “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s Word all over again” The Scripture distinguishes between those who are immature, and need to be taught elementary truths all over again, and those who are mature and capable of grasping higher truths such as the typology in the Word as typified in the priesthood of Melchizedek. The Scripture cites such elementary truths as being, “repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (Hebrews 6:1&2). So, the Word is actually connoting a maturity in the mind of the believer, and also a maturity level in the teaching itself. The maturity in the mind of the believer is explained further: “You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14). The writer is saying that to go on and grasp teachings beyond the elementary levels cited, a believer must “train themselves to distinguish good from evil” (vs. 14). I take that as good versus evil lifestyle and good versus evil teaching. Note that it says “train themselves”, not being trained by others. In other words, “It’s time to stand on your own two feet, as a Christian. The connotation in all this, though, is that a person has to get to this maturity level before attempting a ministry/ work as a teacher.
“TEACHERS”
191.) Ranking the Spiritual Abilities, I Corinthians 12:28-31. “And in the Church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. … But eagerly desire the greater gifts.” This ranking is further explained in the Apostleship Section, Item#56-b. Essentially, this ranking of gifts has to do with the ability of each the gift to edify Christ’s Church. I Corinthians 14:12 says, “Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the Church”. Of note is the point that teaching is ranked high on the list, in third position. So, we must take teaching very seriously.
194.) Itching Ears- the Opposite of Holy Spirit Teaching, II Timothy 4:1-3. “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage- with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths”. Some people have relegated the fulfillment of this prophecy to the Tribulation period. I perceive that it’s clear that the prophecy will be brought to fruition during Timothy’s lifetime, and these supposed Christian teachers are still present today. The following are items that I gleaned from this very important passage on teaching:
a) First note that Paul is fearful of God, solemnly making sure that he’s charged Timothy correctly to carry out his ministry, surmising that he, Paul, would be held accountable for what he passed on to Timothy.
b) The term “But you” in II Timothy 4:5 relegates the fulfillment of the itching ears prophecy to within Timothy’s lifetime.
c) The Greek[7] has this as “teachers tickling the ear”. I could say a lot about this perspective of teaching, but I won’t. I believe this type of teaching is obviously going on today. The way to make sure that you don’t allow your preaching to fall into this category is given by Paul: “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” (II Timothy 4:5). The way to not preach lukewarm doctrine is to submit to the Holy Spirit’s grace in your life: “discharge all the duties of your ministry”, even if you have to “endure hardship” to complete your ministry. The Holy Spirit is a fire. Don’t tickle people’s ears, fire up their ears with Holy Spirit fire. Practice your gift and let the Holy Spirit be the fire.
d) Myths- A myth is a false tale which seeks to explain reality, usually involving an ancestor’s fable or a point of historical culture (my definition). These ear tickling doctrines turn people aside to myths. Of course some denominations even state that cultural/ religious traditions carry the same weight as the Scripture in analyzing truth. We actually don’t have to stray that far to be turned aside to myths. If cultural pressure and exaltation of ancestors is being taught rather than the fire of God from the pulpit, beware!
e) This ear tickling concept merely brings me back to Galatians 5:17, where we’re reminded that the flesh wars against the Spirit of God. Preach and teach fire from God.
“TEACHEST”
202.) Christian Teaching versus Customs and Traditions, Acts 12:21. “They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs”. There are many Christian traditions among our society. These can be bad or good in various situations. Customs can be abused and misused, just as doctrine can be abused. I’ve always held the position that people are very open to the gospel, and their heart’s door is open, during such “holy days”. Of course the concept of a holiday is wrong teaching. God is holy, not a day. And the concept of a “holy day of obligation” (which requires church attendance, under threat of mortal sin) is spoken against in the Bible (Galatians 4:10). One big danger of putting emphasis on customs is that critical doctrine is replaced by falsehood. People think that merely practicing these so-called Christian traditions constitutes Christianity, rather than faith and a walk with Christ Himself. (I say this from much experience.) Another point brought out in Item#194-d, above, is the turning aside to myths once the Truth has been lost. This concept wherein God’s light in Truth is overshadowed by tradition is spoken against by Isaiah (29:13): “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up of only rules taught by men”. The Lord Jesus objected in the same way to such teachings and customs of men. In Mark 7:6-8 He says, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men’. You have let go of the commandments of God and are holding on to the traditions of men”. The Lord is concerned about heart issues, while people are concerned about pecking orders, and other appearance and fleshly items. To this I must agree with Isaiah and the Lord Jesus, they are worshiping the Lord in vain.
“TEACHETH
215.) The Romans List of Gifts- “Let Him Teach”, Romans 12:7. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” This passage contains one of the major lists of the grace gifts in Scripture. (See Apostleship Item#68 for a discussion of such lists.) I’m impressed by three words in this passage- “let him teach”. If a person has a Spirit gift, then it’s God’s will that that person should practice that gift. So by supporting, or even allowing such a person to manifest God’s gift, we’re sharing in the work of the Holy Spirit. “Let him teach”- or prophesy, or serve, or encourage, or give, or govern, or show mercy!
“TEACHING”
237.) Many Teachers within Each Congregation, Acts 15:35. “But Paul and Barnabus remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the Word of the Lord”. The gathering at Antioch had obviously been growing in size, and was a seed bed of Gentile Christianity immediately following the persecution at the time of Stephen’s death. When Paul and Barnabus began their first missionary journey, there were four prophets and teachers cited at the Antioch assembly. But at the time of this passage of Scripture, which is after Paul’s first missionary journey and after the Council at Jerusalem, there were many teachers. The point I note is that many people were given and practiced the Spirit ability of teaching within this congregation. How large was the congregation? We don’t know. How many teachers were preaching? We don’t know. However, we know that the teaching and preaching wasn’t relegated to an elite few. So, preaching and teaching in the local church should be done by many mature believers, who have the ability and the Spirit’s gift.
244.) Grace Teaches and Urges Self-control, Titus 2:11-14. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and Godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”. So, how does grace teach us self-control and how to say “No”. Just to drive the point home, here are a few ways that I see grace teaching us self-control:
a) First of all, the promised Holy Spirit is, by grace, given to every believer. And, God’s Holy Spirit guides us in all Truth (John 16:13). The Truth of the Bible has much to say regarding Godly conduct and holy lives (Ephesians 4:17-6:20, and other passages). In fact this very passage, in Titus 2, is encouraging Godly living by the teaching of core issues of Godly living (See Item#141-r).
b) Merely waiting for that “blessed hope” the second coming of Jesus Christ, purifies us. “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (I John 3:3).
c) Grace also empowers us and calls us to do great things for Christ (Ephesians 4:1&7). And we know that walking by the Spirit keeps our souls from fleshly failings, at least while we’re walking closely with the Spirit. “Live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:16). Experienced Christians, who have a work for Christ, know that saying “Yes” to temptations will, at the least, stymie and confound their work for the Lord temporarily. I like what one Christian teacher said recently on a Christian radio broadcast. He said, “ ‘No’ is not a negative word. It is a very positive word. It frees up our time to do what really needs to get done.”
“INSTRUCTED”
263.) Direct Instruction from the Lord, Isaiah 8:11. “The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people”. We can and should expect direct instruction from the Lord in our daily life. Some say this will only come when reading Scripture or hearing a preacher preach from Scripture, concluding that we live in the post-apostolic age. The problem with that conclusion is that it is not the teaching of Scripture; neither is it practiced in the Church, even in the assemblies of those claiming such conclusions. (Please see Item#1 of the Prophecy Section.) The New Testament book of Hebrews 12:6 says, “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth”. The word for “warning” (or “instructed” in the KJV) is “yacar”, Strong’s[8] #3256, rendered “chastised” by Strong’s Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary. A person cannot be chastened by the Lord, and realize such chastening is by the Lord and seek correction, except some revelation of the Lord’s hand, apart from Scripture, is present. Granted, the Scripture can show us the wrong, but relating the chastisement to the wrong is a revelation from God apart from the Scripture. So, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5). I Corinthians 12:8 says, “To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit”. Also, James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him”. When I ask God for wisdom for a decision, James 1:5 says to expect the answer. And, when the answer is received and the decision is made, I know that it’s from God, not as a revelation from Scripture, but rather through the practice of Christianity as taught in Scripture. The Holy Spirit is not the Bible within your mind and brain, although he will call up Scripture from time to time in order to “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit is a person of God and a spirit, and Scripture shows that you can recognize His leading (Acts 15:28, I John 2:27, etc.).
272.) Reality as Teacher, Philippians 4:12. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every and any situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Without digging into Paul’s secret of contentment, we see that he learned it from the realities of various situations. Sometimes people, myself included, won’t turn from bad conduct or folly without getting a healthy dose of the reality of their folly. That’s why it’s not usually a good idea to bail someone out of a situation, whether minor or major. The reality of their situation is the Lord’s rod of correction. “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death” (Proverbs 23:13&14). What I’m saying is that realities of situations combined with Christian teaching comprise teaching by the Holy Spirit. Many people, especially regarding wrong teaching ingrained into their personality, need real situations in order to accept the correct teaching already put into their minds by Christian teachers. How is God’s rod of correction used anyway? David said, “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). The “staff” is David’s realization of God’s authority. The “rod” is prodding from God. When a person realizes that an untenable situation has God’s rod or God’s staff involved, real progress can then be made in that life. I can readily say this from my own experience and that of others, as well as from the Scripture. Did you ever hear the term, “There are no atheists in foxholes”?
274.) Who to Imitate, I Corinthians 4:15&16. “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me” There are only two people that we are told to imitate in the Scripture. That is, Paul the apostle, and The Lord Jesus Christ. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (I Peter 2:21). So, when a question comes up as to what should be done, we can ask two questions in order to obtain knowledge for the decision. What would Paul do? And, what would Jesus do?
275.) Gentle Instruction, II Timothy 2:24-26. “And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” The point here is well taken, that teaching is not quarreling. We present the doctrine as gifted servants of the Lord Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit, who is the actual Teacher, to carry his message home to the souls of the listeners. So, even though Timothy, in II Timothy 4:2, is charged to “correct, rebuke, and encourage- with great patience and careful instruction”, he is warned not to quarrel. Quarreling gives the other person the feeling that they have the right to refute you. We can rebuke someone, by sharply admonishing them, and then walk away and let the rebuke sink in. A well done rebuke halts an error in its tracks, and makes the person in error consider that there’s a problem.
277.) Instruction as Chastisement and Reproof, Psalm 50:16&17. “But to the wicked, God says: ‘What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.’ “ This is the first use of the word “instruction” as derived from Strong’s number 4148- “muwcar”[9], which Strong’s also defines as chastisement or reproof. This is important to bring out since instruction as chastisement or reproof is taught extensively in Scripture particularly in the Proverbs, as noted in Item #278 below. So, when the word “instruction” occurs, it is seldom meaning the fine points of teaching, but rather admonition with a view to correction. Take note that Proverbs 4:13 says, ‘Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well for it is your life”.
278.) Proverbs is the Main Book of Instruction, Proverbs 1:2 through 24:32. The following are excerpts from Proverbs regarding instruction (“muwcar”, per Item#277 above), and from these points we see that instruction is important from beginning to end of our life. “Muwcar” is alternatively rendered discipline and correction in the NIV.
a) Fools despise wisdom and instruction, which give prudence to the simple.-“The Proverbs of Solomon the son of David, King of Israel: to know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; to give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:1-7 KJV).
b) Parental instruction- “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck” (Proverbs 1:8).
c) Constant instruction and correction is needed for life- “Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life” (Proverbs 4:13). (Also see Item#77-m.)
d) Lack of correction can bring ruin- “I would not obey my teachers, or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly” (Proverbs 5:13&14).
e) Value our reproof by God- “Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold,” (Proverbs 8:10).
f) Prudence is wisdom-in-action- “Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it” (Proverbs 8:33).
g) Instruction adds to wisdom- “Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still” (Proverbs 9:9).
h) Rule: No correction = Straying from the path of righteousness. “Stop listening to instruction my son and you will stray from the words of knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27). Our flesh will always necessitate some correction in our lives, since it wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17). Therefore, with no instruction/ correction from God, straying is inevitable. It’s intrinsic to our old nature. But we don’t have to be struck by a lightning bolt in order to be corrected by God. We are corrected continually by the Spirit working in and around us, particularly through the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).
i) Refusing correction leads others astray- “He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray” (Proverbs 10:17). Whether we like it or not, we teach by example. So, will we be a good example or a false example/ teacher.
j) Love of knowledge = love of correction/ instruction. “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). I suppose we could also define stupidity as the inability to be corrected. You might know someone who is slow mentally. Observe that they have a hard time adjusting to changes in their surroundings, showing a lot of stress in these situations. Well, the same with us! We need to be corrected in order to adjust to changes in life’s journey and God’s will for us. If we refuse such instruction, we’re merely going to have to be corrected in some other manner, or we’ll be doing ourselves harm.
k) Honor comes from correction. “He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored” (Proverbs 13:18). Honor, as opposed to poverty and shame, this should not be such a hard decision. Yet, Satan blinds people’s minds.
l) Prudence allows for correction. “A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence” (Proverbs 15:5). Prudence, which is the ability to act and live in an excellent manner, accepts correction. Really, we should go beyond this statement and realize that correction is vital to our Christian walk (per paragraph h, above).
m) We are lifelong students. “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge” (Proverbs 23:12). I tend to relegate this verse to young believers, but these proverbs are for all ages. And, we need to be continually growing in grace and knowledge (II Peter 3:18). Note that the way to do this is a heart issue. What is our attitude in taking correction? Are we offended or concerned about an excellent walk with Christ, our Head. Proverbs 24:32 is along the same lines: “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw”.
n) The value of instruction. “Buy the truth, and do not sell it; get wisdom discipline and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23). If you think about it, we go through a lot of stress to obtain the instruction that leads to discipline. So it has much value to us. You can’t go through the military without going through basic training (boot camp), then infantry training, then military occupational school. All that training isn’t fun, but you can’t go on in the military without it. The same with training by God. If we receive correction, we should apply our heart toward being corrected. Else, we’ll need to be corrected in a stronger fashion. If a drill instructor makes a recruit do push-ups because he dropped his rifle on the ground, the recruit learns to respect his weapon. We as Christians should cherish our discipline and training and not have to be retrained on the same items of conduct. Also, this is that famous verse that reminds us that we are not for hire as Christian workers (John 10:12). (Please also see Item#1 and #25, of the Shepherding Section.) This hired worker problem pertains, not just to hired pastors, but also to all aspects of selling the Truth, including those who write books. Now, if a person is a full time preacher, or teacher, and writes books, as well, such a person should be very careful of violating this principle. The Truth is not ours to sell. The Truth is the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. My read on this verse is that if we are to be rich, we are to get rich some other way, other than by getting rich supposedly doing the Lord’s work. And, there are many other ways that the Lord can bless us financially.
So instruction, also rendered discipline, correction and even chastisement, are extremely necessary facets of everyday Christian life.
305.) Instruction by Prophets or by Wrath? Zephaniah 3:7&8. “I said to the city, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction (instruction in the KJV)!’ Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. ‘Therefore wait for me’, declares the Lord, ‘for the day I will stand up and testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them- all my fierce anger.’ “ The Lord knows when correction is needed, because He knows his long term plan. Jerusalem should have listened to the many prophets that were sent to her. But they didn’t, and the Lord knew he had to pour out wrath on Jerusalem. Zephaniah explains why in verses 9 through 11, “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord”. Zephaniah is prophesying of the Millennial Reign of Christ, and explaining that the judgment upon Jerusalem was necessary for God’s long term plan. But the point is made that we can be corrected by prophecy or by persecution and chastisement; and this is true for the Church today. Obviously though, the Lord would rather we were corrected by prophecy. (Please see Prophecy Item #333).
306.) The God-breathed Scripture- Profitable for Teaching, Rebuking, Correcting, and Training in Righteousness. II Timothy 3:16. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” This, of course, is a mega verse in Scripture, especially as it applies to teaching. This verse has been expounded by many people. The main points as they relate to this study are as follows:
a) The Scripture is God-breathed. This means that we have something, here on earth, which connects us directly to heaven. (We have other things too: grace, Christ himself, the Church, etc..) The Lord Jesus said that, “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). All of the Bible is Scripture (II Peter 3:16), and nothing else except the Bible can be relied upon to be the God-breathed Scripture.
b) Teaching- Christian teaching is the ability to get students to accept and obtain Godly knowledge and principles into their brain and mind, and therefore their lifestyle. Remember that the Holy Spirit is the actual teacher.
c) Rebuking- “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline” (Revelation 3:19). “Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13). Rebuke allows a person to know that there’s something wrong, which needs correction. It’s meant to bring attention to the problem. What better way to bring attention to a problem than to confront a person with the Word of God!
d) Correcting- Item#278-h, above, cites a rule: No correction = Straying from the path of righteousness. “Stop listening to instruction my son and you will stray from the words of knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27). Knowing the correct path is what Scriptural training is all about.
e) Training in righteousness- “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a good soldier gets involved in civilian affairs- he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.” (II Timothy 2;2-5). The Scripture focus our attention on the things of God, including his will in our lives, and reminds us of fleshly and worldly items which we need to avoid.
f) “So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”- If we consider the Spirit’s armor of Ephesians 6:10-20, one of the items that we are to take up is the “sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). A believer needs a good working knowledge of the Scripture in order to do the Lord’s work in their lives, and also to fend off Satan. Historically, serious Christians seriously study the Scripture. Paul wrote Timothy from prison, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments” (II Timothy 4:13). We conclude that the parchments were his personal writings and Scriptural notes, while the scrolls were his personal copies of certain Scriptures. Paul, with all his duties as the apostle to the Gentiles, still found time to be a serious student of Scripture, even though he was also a writer of Scripture. The Bible is replete with Old and New Testament saints who were serious students of Scripture. As just one example, consider Mary, the Lord Jesus’ mother. What has been termed Mary’s Song (or Magnificat) in Luke 1:46-55 is a concatenation of various Old Testament Scripture, thus proving her abilities as a student of Scripture. Consider David’s encouragement in Psalm 119:15&16, “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word”. Some, though, have taken this phrase, “thoroughly equipped for every good work”, to mean that no other revelation is needed except the Scripture. This doesn’t make logical sense, however. As an example, Hebrews 12:6 says, “The Lord disciplines those he loves”. How can a person know that their chastening is of the Lord, except by revelation of God. And unless we connect our chastening to some misconduct, how can we be corrected to stop the misconduct. So, this notion of no revelation apart from Scripture has no foundation in Scripture, neither in practicality. (Please also see Item#1 of the Prophecy Section.)
Regarding these God-breathed Scriptures, let me pass on a challenge. As a new Christian in 1982 (having been saved in 1979), I was challenged to read the Scripture everyday even if for only 5 minutes on a busy day. I accepted that challenge and have been reading the Scripture everyday since 1982. (I miss a few days each year, but not many.) But I can say that, other than salvation, my daily study of Scripture has had the most impact on my Christian walk, more than any other training. God has promised His Holy Spirit as Teacher and Counselor. The Scripture is the Sword of the Spirit. I herein pass this challenge on to the reader. I, now herein, challenge you, the reader, to commit to reading the Scripture everyday, even if for only 5 minutes. Such a commitment will change your life forever.
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT POINTS
Lest someone misconstrue, or even deliberately twist, the results of what’s being concluded from this study, the following summary points are noted:
1.) The purpose of teaching is paramount in any study of teaching, since protection, edification, and provision of believers are intrinsic to teaching. (The above items reference this: Nos. 1, 6, 114, 117, 124, & 172.)
2.) Teaching is a manifestation of God’s grace, and is necessary for the growth of the Church. (The above items reference this: Nos. 9, 11, 53, 76, 77, 167, 168, 191, 194, 215, & 237.)
3.) The God-breathed Scripture must play the primary role as the curriculum of Christian teaching. (The above items reference this: Nos. 110, & 306.)
4.) Ultimately God is our teacher, especially the Holy Spirit. (The above items reference this: Nos. 11, 17, 54, 70, 120, 138, 144, 244, 263, 272, & 275.)
5.) Parents are important teachers in our lives. (The above items reference this: Nos. 14, & 15.)
6.) There are false teachings and false teachers, and there was and is harsh punishment for such false teachers. (The above items reference this: Nos. 26, 73, 76, 92, 110, 143, 194, 202, & 274.)
7.) We can study and understand the semantics of Holy Spirit teaching. (The above items reference this: Nos. 2, 15, 17, 23, 33, 54, 58, 67, 77, 96, 137, 149, 158, 161, 167, 175, 237, 272, & 275.)
8.) From Scripture we can conclude what to teach. (The above items reference this: Nos. 33, 50, 95, 117, 141, 146, & 244.)
9.) Instruction, in the form of chastisement or reproof from the Lord, is absolutely necessary in our Christian walk. And, correction from God is continually necessary throughout our life. We are to cherish instruction. (The above items reference this: Nos. 277, 278, & 305.)
END HOME
[1] Samuel Schultz, “Introduction to Deuteronomy”, The Open Bible (Nashvile, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers) p. 172.
[2] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 63 of his Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.
[3] George Muller, The Autobiography of George Muller (New Kensington. PA: Whitaker House, 1984) p. 30-35.
[4]James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 58 of his Greek Dictionary of the New Testament.
[5] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 22 of his Greek Dictionary of the New Testament.
[6] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 47 of his Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.
[7] Alfred Marshall, The Interlinear KJV-NIV Parallel New Testament In Greek And English (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975) p.629.
[8] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 50 of his Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.
[9] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 105 of his Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.