The MINISTRY of TEACHER
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The fivefold ministries of Ephesians 4 were all contained in the person and ministry of Jesus and He has given these ministry gifts to countless individuals to continue and multiply His ministry to the world right up to the present moment.
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The best prototype for each of these ministries of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher is Jesus Himself.
There is no better example of the ministry of Teacher than Jesus:
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He taught in a way that brought people close to God
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Jesus constantly related people to God as their heavenly Father This teaching was something new for Jewish people at the time who related to God in a legalistic, distant, formal way. Here are just a few examples: Matthew 5:45-48, 7:11, 23:9, Mark 11:25, Luke 10:21, John 16:27-28.
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Being a teacher in the New Testament sense is not to educate people or impart theological knowledge but to help people to know God in the living reality of their everyday lives and consequently be inspired to love and please Him more and more.
The authentic ministry of teacher will do that, the same as Jesus did.
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He taught in a fresh relevant way
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The teaching of Jesus really connected with people in a way they could relate to and apply to their lives. It was not like the teaching of the rabbis which was constant debates about the law and the writings and not only of scripture but Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), and Jewish philosophy - Jewish traditions which must have been very arduous and often very boring and irrelevant to the majority of people. Matthew 7:29, 13:54, Luke 4:15.
He taught by telling stories/parables
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The word “parable” means ‘a placement side by side for the purpose of comparison.’ This method was used to compare familiar things with unfamiliar things, everyday things with spiritual things. Jesus used parables to teach His other great theme - which was the Kingdom of God/Heaven. Mark 4:2, 4:34
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He taught with humour
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We know Jewish people have a unique and very dry sense of humour - very often to rise above their sufferings. When I was a teenager, I came across a book entitled “The Humour of Christ” by an author with a very memorable name: Elton Trueblood. In this book the author points out how many of the things which people heard Jesus say would have made people laugh. For instance: If you read the following parables and imagine people hearing them told for the first time you will find the following ideas in them which people would probably have been amused by:
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Matt 7:3-5: the speck of sawdust and the plank
Mark 10:25: Camel through the eye of needle
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Matthew 13:44: “treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again”
Matthew 15:10-20: “If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit”
Mark 4:21-25: “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed?”
Luke 11:5-10: The parable of the friend at midnight:
“Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up.”
Luke 11:11-13 “Which of you fathers if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?”
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Luke 16:1-8 The parable of the dishonest steward:
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“What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.”
Luke 18:1-8: The parable of the unjust judge:
“This widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”
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All of these amusing pictures were used to get people’s interest and attention but really to make a serious point of teaching.
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He taught by having natural conversations with people
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It’s amazing the amount of profound teaching that came out of unrehearsed conversations that Jesus was confronted with, for example with Nathanael (John 1:47-50), Nicodemus (3:1-15) and the Samaritan woman (4:7-24).
He taught by answering questions that people asked
(Mark 12:14, 12:19, 12.28; Luke 10:25, 18:18 and 21:7)
New Testament Gift of Teacher
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“God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers.”
(1 Corinthians 12:28)
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This is not in order of importance but progression. Teaching is for believers and if apostles had not planted churches there would be no one to teach!
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The Purpose of teaching in the Church
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Teachers are given so that “We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:14
The Focus of teaching
“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:28
The Basis of teaching
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16
Correct Teaching is essential
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“Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” 2 John 1:9
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“Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” Hebrews 13:9
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False Teachers will be judged
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2 Timothy 3:8, 2 Timothy 4:3
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"There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them." 2 Peter 2:1
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“As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrine.” 1 Timothy 1:3-4
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Teachers have a great responsibility
“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James 3:1
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Having said that, what is needed today is “preaching” that expounds God’s word – breaking ‘the bread of life’ to people in a way that will feed them spiritually. So much preaching these days is and topical, ear tickling, ego inflating stuff (for the preacher or the audience, or both)!
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It may seem old fashioned, but what people really need is good solid food from a close EXPOSITION of God’s word. Great preachers like Spurgeon, Campbell Morgan and Martyn Lloyd Jones preached to packed congregations in London every Sunday in their day, because of that. We need teachers today who will expound God’s word verse by verse and very importantly help people to apply it to their lives.
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My definition of the gift of teacher (male or female by the way) is one who is gifted and anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring the written Word of God to life in such a way that helps people to understand what the Bible is saying and enables it to become the engrafted word in their lives.
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Early on in my ministry I had the privilege of meeting and being taken under the wing of Pastor Floyd McClung Snr. He very graciously invited me to stay in his home and to preach at his church in Orange California on a number of occasions. He was the father of Floyd McClung Jnr, the European Director of Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and the author of “The Father Heart of God” and many other books.
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Pastor McClung Snr had been the Pastor of the main Church of God congregation in Cleveland, Tennessee that was near to Lee, the Christian (CoG) University. A lot of the professors from the University attended that church. They all had doctorates in theology or other academic subjects, but they were happy to sit under the ministry of a man who did not have a degree.
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The reason for that was because Floyd fed them spirit and soul, with the Word of God.
That is the kind of teacher we still need today!
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