Today is Graduate Recognition at FBC Ashland and what more appropriate time to teach on “The Gift of Teaching.” We’re so proud of the accomplishments that each of you has made and we applaud you for the milestones you have reached. However, you probably would not have been recognized for your achievements if you had not had TEACHERS. So it’s important for us to understand the spiritual gift of teaching.
Now, what we’re studying about in this series of sermons is each person’s motivational spiritual gift. Every born from above by the Holy Spirit child of God has been given a new spirit, a new heart which involves a specific heart gift. This drive, desire and motivation is “who you are” in Christ and you only have one of these 7 gifts as listed in Romans 12:7-8. This category of spiritual gifts gives you your spiritual personality. It makes you who your are and gives you motivation for what you do in serving the Body of Christ and in how God uses you in the outworking of His purposes.
As we look at the Gift of Teaching, I pray, “Holy Spirit we are dependent upon you to reveal to each believer the truth you want them to receive today. And specifically, I pray you will reveal to the members of this Body who have the Gift of Teaching that they have that gift – that’s who they are. We are completely yielding ourselves to you for you to do what only you can do. Amen.” Now, let’s look at:
I. The Characteristics of the Gift of Teaching
The Gift of Teaching is one who instructs, one who clarifies, and one who preserves the truth. Now, let me give a disclaimer to you who are Sunday School Teachers. When you hear this message and you say, “Well, I don’t hear that teaching is my gift, so I’m going to turn in my resignation today!” Remember, there are 3 categories of gifts – Motivations, Ministries and Manifestations. It doesn’t mean you can’t be a good Sunday School Teacher because you don’t have the gift of teaching. It doesn’t mean you can’t be effective. God needs some prophet hearts and server hearts and mercy hearts as well as teacher hearts in the Ministry of Teaching to effectively minister to the Body of Christ. So don’t plan to resign and don’t refuse to accept a teaching position when the nominating committee is led to you because you don’t have a particular gift. Just know that in the ministry the Lord calls you to be involved in, you will be serving out of who you are!
1. Emphasizes the accuracy of words
A person with the gift of teaching has a sensitivity to the accuracy of words, especially the Biblical definition and usage of terms. When a teacher heart comes to a passage of Scripture they won’t slip across words that you and I might be tempted to think are not all that important. You may read the word “exhortation” many times without really uncovering what it really means. A person with the gift of teaching is not going to take a passage and let some of these words slip by them. They’re going to get a concordance or an interlinear translation with the English and Greek side by side and check it out as best they can to find the real meaning of that word.
2. Researches and validates truth
A teacher heart just loves to study the Scripture. They love to read books about the Bible. They really and truly love spending time in the Word of God. Now, if you’re the kind of person who says, “I want to study the Bible, but I just can’t find time.” You don’t likely have the gift of Teaching. You don’t have to beg the person with a teacher heart to study the Scripture. They can’t read it enough, they want to read the Word to find out the truth. They delight in checking references and researching to validate the truth. That includes validating new information by established systems of truth. For example, when teaching on Eschatology, the coming of Christ and last things. They will check it out along established lines like say the 3 views of the millennial reign Pre, Post and Amillennial – Jesus is coming before, after or there’s not a literal reign. When some new truth comes along they’ll check it out along these established lines.
3. Tests the knowledge of teachers
A person with the gift of Teaching will not accept everything they hear just because someone says it to them. They will test it out for themselves. They will be very alert to false teachers and will want to find out a teachers background before listening to them and will want to know their qualifications. A teacher heart may pick up a Sunday School quarterly or read a commentary or book and immediately you know something isn’t right – you may not can put your finger on it, but there’s that quick sensitivity and discernment of error from the truth. You know whether a thing is liberal or conservative or whether it’s bordering on untruth, pure untruth or maybe when it headed to the extreme. A person with the gift of Teaching is going to test out in practicality and also with Scripture those who teach them.
4. Presents truth systematically
I’m sure you’ve heard sermons and Bible studies where a person says, “Here’s what we’re going to do this morning, you read the first verse and we’ll comment on it and you read the 2nd verse and we’ll talk about it” – that’s not what I’m speaking about. A person with the gift of Teaching is going to outline what they’re going to say. They’ll put it in some systematic sequence and ask what’s the central truth that I want to get across. Then they’ll put the main points that they’re going to communicate and present them in a systematic way that you and I might be able to follow. In other words, it’s not going to be a haphazard, conglomeration of facts they just throw out. Dr. Luke is probably the person in the NT who personifies the profile of a Teacher heart better than anyone else. In writing his Gospel Luke emphasized his chronological approach, “to set forth in order . . . from the beginning . . . the things believed among us.”
5. Greater joy in researching than presenting truth
Now this is one of those weaknesses of the person with the gift of Teaching. A seminary professor for example, ought to have the gift of Teaching, but some do and some don’t. Greater joy in researching truth than presenting it is where they fall down in their effectiveness. They spend all of their time in searching and researching the truth and finding the truth and they’re fulfilled in discovering it for themselves. They have little or no enthusiasm in presenting it and making it practical for someone else, unless others are prompted to do further study as a result of their teaching. Now, I think that’s an exception, and shouldn’t be true in the life of one who’s a gifted teacher. But, there will probably be greater joy in researching than in presenting the truth. Of course, all of these characteristics are by varying degrees. There are teacher hearts who are excited and enthusiastic about presenting the truth they’ve discovered and when they do speak, they feel compelled to give as many facts as possible as evidenced by Luke’s gospel being the longest and includes material left out by the others.
6. Use of Biblical illustrations
There’s a couple of things about a teacher heart here. A person with the gift of Teaching tends to avoid use of illustrations from non-biblical sources – secular magazines, newspapers and other materials outside the Bible. However, you can’t press this particular point too far. Nonetheless, the teacher who really gives oneself to the study of the Word will find most of their illustrations in the Scriptures. They can tend to get very narrow in their thinking about illustrations. When I say an avoidance of other type illustrations, it depends on the person. Some people may feel that way and some may not. Another thing about illustrations is they tend to have a resistance to Scriptural illustrations taken out of context. They have an unusual sensitivity to Bible verses and scriptural illustrations used out of context.
7. Other general characteristics
Tend to be interested in history or math because history is accurate, we know what happened, it’s detailed and you can often visit the site of history and research it. Teacher hearts tend to be collectors of things or stuff, though not all. They tend to give attention to details and may be good proof readers. They have a tendency to remain silent in a group discussion until information has been heard, observed and discussed. They have a need to exercise diligence and endurance. Most are quite good at exercise and taking care of themselves, they’re pretty disciplined, though that doesn’t include every teacher heart. When it comes to being led by the Spirit as opposed to walking after the flesh, a person with the gift of teaching looks like this:
SPIRIT vs. FLESH
Self-control vs. Self-indulgent
Reverence vs. Disrespect
Diligence vs. Slothfulness, laziness
Thoroughness vs. Incomplete
Dependability vs. Inconsistent
Security vs. Anxiety
Patience vs. Restlessness
The question is: Do you hear the Holy Spirit saying “That’s you, that’s who you are in Christ?” However you may have been hearing the Holy Spirit speak to you this week I invite you to respond. Do you hear Him saying to you it’s your time to receive Jesus into your heart? Do you need to reaffirm His Lordship in your life? Would you become a member of this Body to exercise your gift?
