Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #24431 - Spiritual Gifts - Gift of Teaching - Acts 6:1-6 & Romans 12:6-8

Transcript

#24431 - Spiritual Gifts - Gift of Teaching - Acts 6:1-6 & Romans 12:6-8 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
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Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
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Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
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through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
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Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
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dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Open your Bibles to Romans
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chapter 12? Romans chapter 12.
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We are on this sub-series. This miniseries within our
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verse-by-verse, study of the book of Acts.
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We've paused at Acts chapter 6 at a very critical and crucial
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time in the early church. It had the potential to really
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wreck the progress of the church because there was this sense of
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feeling neglect as things were being distributed among the
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widows and Had some racial issues that had gossip, it had
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complaining and the apostles they said we cannot leave what
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God has called us to do and the solution of solving the problem
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where other people serving really exercising their
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spiritual gifts. And we're reminded in the
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spiritual gifts here in Romans, chapter 12 that there is a place
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for you in the body. There's a place for you in the
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body of Christ, no matter the size of your church, small, or
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Large or multi-site, whatever it might be.
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There's a place for you. Why?
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Because God has uniquely gifted you and we need you, I can just
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speak for our own church. We need you.
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God has brought you here for many reasons and one of the
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reasons is that your gift will be exercised in the context of
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this church family and so you can have that assurance that God
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has put you right where he wants you to be.
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He doesn't want you on the sidelines.
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Don't want you watching things he wants.
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You involved in fully engaged in serving him and so far, we've
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studied two of the Seven Gifts. The first gift, we studied, well
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let's read beginning in verse 6 of Romans chapter 12, by way of
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review, Paul writes to the Romans he says having then gifts
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differing. According to the grace, that's
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given to us. Let us use them if prophecy, let
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us prophesy in proportion to our faith.
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Or Ministry. Let us use it in are
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ministering, he who teaches and teaching, he who exhorts in
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exhortation, he who gives with liberality, who he who leads
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with diligence and he who shows Mercy with cheerfulness.
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The first gift we looked at was the gift of Prophecy and we
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Define that as declaring the truth.
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Remember, we're going to take each gift.
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We're going to attach it to truth with a verb and so the
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verb Prophecy is declaring the truth.
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God has given some men and women in the church.
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The supernatural ability to take his word and cause it to shine.
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We learned that it is not the Old Testament Office of the
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Prophet that has been done away with.
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It's been replaced with the indwelling of the holy spirit in
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every believer and some Believers have the supernatural
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gift of speaking forth. The word of God, not only that
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but often you will find someone with the gift of Prophecy as
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they're speaking forth. The word of God also see the
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manifestation of the Holy Spirit of the word of wisdom or the
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word of knowledge come to enhance that gift.
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So it's very precise and laser-focused and we studied
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that in a previous study secondly we study the gift of
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service, the gift of service, in the new King James, they
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translated that word ministry but it's often remembered as the
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gift of service. And this gift we learned is
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practicing the truth that God has given some men and women in
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the church. The supernatural ability to
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serve serve and serve some more. It comes naturally, but also
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supernaturally that you see a need and fill it with.
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Nobody needs to ask you just take care of things and you
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don't really care who gets the credit you just were made to
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serve the Lord. We come to our third study
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today, our third gift. And that is the gift of Teaching
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the gift of teaching and we're going to follow the same pattern
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we did and all the other studies.
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First of all, number one, what is the definition?
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What is the gift of teaching? Well, we place this gift in the
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category of verbal gifts. Remember the gifts are in either
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a verbal or nonverbal, sometimes they overlap, but teaching is
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primarily a verbal gift. The gift can be defined as
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explaining the truth, explaining the truth.
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With the original word here in the Greek language, the original
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language of the New Testament is DDOS Co and it literally means
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to instruct or to teach by the word of mouth.
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And the idea is of a person who has information and did desires
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to deliver it in such a way that influences and changes the mind
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of the person, hearing it, or receiving it.
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It's an interesting word to because it points to both the
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giving of Nation but also the learning of the information to
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give. And so, here's the definition.
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God has given some men and women in the church, the supernatural
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ability to teach the Bible in a way.
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They can be understood in its meaning and also understood in
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how to apply it to our lives. So the Christian who teaches is
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divinely, gifted with that, special ability to interpret
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Tippett and present God's truth understandably.
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While the gift of Prophecy, the gift of Prophecy is God's
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ability to Proclaim his truth through someone.
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The gift of teaching is God's ability to systematically and
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regularly instruct someone. So the distinction is between
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proclaiming and instructing, someone through the word of God,
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and I thank God, we thank God for the many teachers.
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Is that he's put in our lives. They have helped us grow
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tremendously. I think of the many men and
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women who have given teachings in my life that have helped me.
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They've taken some of the hardest topics and simplified
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them so that I can understand them and apply them in my life.
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And I would say that teaching has changed your life as well,
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teaching has changed your life. The teaching of God's word has
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dramatically changed your life and your Mind you have been
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washed and cleansed by the water of his word, you have now
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approached life. So differently you have learned
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where you are going in One Direction.
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But actually, God's desire is for you to go in a totally
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different direction. Most likely, you learn that from
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a teacher for many of you, you heard the gospel proclaimed to
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you and you heard the gospel proclaimed through a teaching
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through a gifted teacher. That perhaps also had the role
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of an evangelist in his life. And here you are today, your
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life has been changed. And this gift is not limited.
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Merely to the teaching of the Bible.
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The spiritual Supernatural gift of teaching can be used in many
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different ways. The difference is, is that a
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Christian will approach all their topics with a worldview
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that honors God, that's the difference, no matter where you
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are. They take teaching in the public
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school compared to a That's cool.
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You will never shed your worldview and how God uses an
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applies. Your particular gift will be
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different based on the context of where you are, because you're
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the tool. You're the tool that God has
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chosen to use in weaving his word into everything that you
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teach. Now a person with the gift of
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teaching, often will have this love.
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You ready? A person that has the gift of
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teaching loves To read and learn and study.
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That's just part. So I'm not going to ask for any
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hands being raised but if you don't like to read or study you
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probably don't have the gift of teaching that doesn't mean you
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can't teach anything. It just means it's not going to
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be the primary spiritual gift in your life.
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Because a person that teaches and has that gift is always
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learning, always learning reading, studying doing Research
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digging deeper and they find joy.
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In that they just love like some of you are.
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It's like, okay, here's your future.
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You're going to sit behind a desk and read all day already,
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you're squirming. All I could never do that.
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Yeah, well, I love doing that and nobody could have really
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predicted, I think back to when I was in high school.
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And, and those times I didn't get to go to college, but in
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high school, like nobody would have ever predicted nobody not a
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person in the world, that would predict that, I'd Doing today.
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What I'm doing even though God already knew, I mean if you
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think about what I do and it's primary basically every week I'm
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reading and studying almost everyday and preparing to full
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term papers or essays every single week for the past, almost
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30 years. That's what I've been doing.
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And you know what? I love it.
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I love what I do. I love learning and growing I
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love wrestling with the textile of looking upwards.
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I I love praying through the text so I can apply it in a way
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that our church family will understand.
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And I love reading, I read and read and read, and I read some
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more, I love it. Now, many of you don't love that
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and that's okay. Because remember, you have a
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place in the body. It just may not be my place.
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Sometimes that's what we do. We compare ourselves like.
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Well, you know, Ed, you have the most important gift in the
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church. I don't, I don't have the most
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Gordon gift in the church. The most important gift in the
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church. Really the most important gift
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in your life, is the one you have.
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And the one you exercise, you're not supposed to be anyone else.
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You're not supposed to be me and I'm not supposed to be you.
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I'm to operate your to operate and how God's made you and
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gifted you for the church. So you love to read you.
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Love to research, you know, if it takes a hundred hours of
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study and research just to deliver one hour of Material the
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person with the gift of teaching, says that's fine.
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I like, I've takes 100 hours. That's what I'll give and others
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have you. If it takes one hour, you're
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like, oh, this is so hard, I don't like this.
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You probably don't have the gift of teaching teachers like to
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explain. That's the important word
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explanation. They love to explain how things
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work, and many times are very much into details like exactly
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what a word might mean or exactly History behind that or
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exactly the context because it will help them explain.
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It will help them. Explain what is being said.
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And what's to be learned? A person with the gift of
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teaching, generally doesn't want people to leave their presence
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without a clear meeting of the minds on the topic that they
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were talking about or they were discussing and with that, let's
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bring it down a little more personal.
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If you have the gift of teaching, you usually place a
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high High priority on accuracy and detail and it brings you
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great joy and happiness. When you notice that someone
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actually understood what you were trying to explain to them,
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and it's like, yes, it worked. You sometimes have a in that
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listen we'll get to some of the hazards a little bit later but
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consider this one right now. If you have the gift of teaching
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you sometimes have a hard time when asked a simple question
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giving a simple answer. Why?
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Because you want to explain it, you want to give the background
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of it, you want to lay the all the different layers that you
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can see when the person just want to know?
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Do you think the sky looks blue today and you're like well you
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will not you will not believe this with the refraction here in
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the ocean here and the blue, what color blue?
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That's that's Pantone color 68, you know, dude.
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Does the sky look blue to you? The answer is yes, but for a
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teacher, you like to explain and that's a good thing.
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You're gifted in that way, you will often with given a
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question. You'll often give a lot more to
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the answer than what was expected from the person asking
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you, you also on the other hand, if you're a teacher, you love to
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ask questions and you're very curious about things I'll tell
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Why? Because you value and understand
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that, in order to teach you also have to learn, you are a learner
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first. And, as you learn, then you're
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able to convey that information that you have grasped, and that
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you have learned. So, you ask a lot of questions
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you're very curious. You are always looking for
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deeper and illustrations or deeper explanations yourself.
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You might even be Used of being curious to a fault but that's
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how you learn and you have self-discipline which is very
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noticeable and apparent you also love looking as the spiritual
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gift, this is a spiritual gift. You also love looking for Bible
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answers and you will love applying the Bible answers to
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Aunt, two questions in people's lives at work or in your family.
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You may also even be accused of always having your nose in that
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book because that's what you realize.
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This is the source of all, wisdom and knowledge for living
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life. Remember, in the knowledge of
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Jesus, the Bible says, we've been given all things pertaining
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to life and godliness. So the Bible is going to teach
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you and me, not only how to live our lives with each other, but
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it's going to teach us more importantly, how to live our
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lives with God. Exactly what we were taught.
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Jesus said that we're to love the Lord God with all our heart,
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soul and mind. Then we're to love our
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neighbors. Where do we learn that?
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From wheeler, not from the word. How do we understand it through
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a gifted Godly teacher? If you have the gift of
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teaching, you also notice when there's information that is
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lacking and you will immediately begin to plan on how to get the
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right information to the right people.
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You just kind of live in the realm of facts and information
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and it bothers you when you know someone could have been clearer
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or someone could have explained that better.
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And you may find yourself jumping in to try to fix that.
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It also seems like you can quickly figure things out like
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like when you're reading and you reading Intense.
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You're very quick to understand what that sentence means or if
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you're reading, you're very quick to understand what that's
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what the paragraph means. Whether people are unsure where
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it's sentences and paragraphs begin, and end you see them
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right away and you can grasp something very quickly and then
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process it and give it right back out quickly.
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That's the gift of teaching, you don't really like it.
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When people don't understand you.
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That's why you keep trying to explain it to them and explain
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it to them, and they're just like, not I didn't get it a half
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hour ago, I'm not going to get it now and yet you're frustrated
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and we'll get to the some of the dangers later.
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But it becomes very frustrating because you love teaching, you
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love people learning and then when someone doesn't learn from
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you, it really irritates you. And so you keep trying to
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explain it, explain it. Married couples would understand
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this and their arguments where this one spouse is.
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Like, I'm done. And you have, no, I need you to
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understand, I need you to understand.
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I'm not speaking from experience, I'm just telling you
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that that's possible in. Marriage.
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All right, how did it operate in the life of Jesus?
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How did it operate? Number two?
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Well, it's clear a very cursory reading of the New Testament and
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even a more in-depth reading of the new testament, which show
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you that. Jesus ministry was a Ministry of
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teaching, that is what he came to do.
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He came to teach us and bridge the gap between sinless, God and
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sinful, man. As a matter of fact, we've
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applied that principle here when we ask the question, whether
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it's Or Ministry or in a leadership training or among the
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pastor's. Even when I'm going out to teach
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others, I'll ask this question. Very open-ended for a lack of a
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better illustration I use it nonetheless and I'll say okay
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guys, what is the business of the church?
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I don't believe the churches of business but if it was what
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would be our business? What is the business of the
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church? A lot of different answers come
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back, evangelism love feeding the poor.
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A lot of great answers. Back.
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And they're all very applicable on why God has the church on the
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Earth today but it's not the answer I'm listening for it's
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not the answer I'm looking for if I ever ask you this question,
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are you ever want to have a discussion about it?
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Here's the business of the church.
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You ready? The business of the church is
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communication, everything you just described is a piece of
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communication that if we communicate well, when we give
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out food, we're going to bridge the gap to Jesus.
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If we communicate well if we step into so Social issues will
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bridge the gap to Jesus. If I communicate, well, the love
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of God for your life that because of sin, you are
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separated from God. And the Bible tells us that
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we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
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The Bible tells me in my life that the wages of sin is death.
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However, the Bible also tells me that the gift of God, the
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although the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
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eternal life through Jesus Christ that through his Death
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and his resurrection. The blood that was shed for you.
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Your sins can be forgiven and that today, if you'll confess
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with your mouth, the Lord Jesus, and believe, in your heart, that
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God raised him from the dead. You will be saved in order for
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you to come in a right relationship with God.
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Somebody needs to clearly communicate to you.
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The gospel. Everything about the church is
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communication and the better, we communicate, the better we can
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serve and, you know, as well as I do.
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Do how much damage, how much difficulty, how much confusion
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comes through miscommunication. I'm not even talking about bad
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communication, just miscommunication.
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And one of the ways that God addresses that in the church is
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through teachers. And Jesus, of course, this is an
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understatement. He was the master dozens of
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times. He's referred to as teacher or
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Rabbi we see him teaching. The time, if you're taking
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notes, Mark, chapter 1, Mark chapter 6 Mark chapter 12, he
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was a teacher. He had a couple of familiar
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tools that he used when he was teaching to one was to address
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it this way. You have heard it said, but I
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say to you, that's a teaching tool that's taking where you are
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right now and addressing the the information that you have is
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either completely incorrect or partially Incorrect.
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And once you Realize that, what did Jesus say?
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He says, you have heard it said, but I say to you and he spoke
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with authority and many times, that's how we will address.
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Sometimes you have been raised in a particular religion, maybe
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you weren't raised in church at all and as we're talking to you,
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maybe you live the life of sin and his were ministering to you
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with the word. We may, you may hear this
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phrase. You may hear this encouragement
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or this this direction in your life.
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We may say to you, you have a lot of things that you need to
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unlock. Learn.
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That's what Jesus is really saying.
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You have a lot of things to unlearn and the difficulty is
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that, that touches a part of our pride.
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Because, you know, especially if you're older, you're like, man.
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I spent my whole life and I have to all this on learn waste.
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I remember my dad, asking me looking me in the eye as I was
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sharing with him to choose of the word, I remember him.
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Asking me. Are you saying that?
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I've lived my whole life wrong? That's how he interpreted.
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I said, no doubt, I'm not saying that at all, but I am saying
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that there is a lot that You need to unlearn.
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And so trust me, you learned it the wrong way, it was given to
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you the wrong way, you adopted in your life the wrong way.
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And so this is the right way and you take them to the word.
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Another familiar tool that Jesus used in his teaching, remember
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was the to of Parables where he would carry, he would take a
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truth and and he would lay it aside a story so that if you
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remember the story, you remember the truth and that's what
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illustrations do, that's what examples do, you know.
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Get a familiar life, or we might get a chuckle out of it, but you
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remember that? And you attach that to the
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truth, Jesus use that masterfully.
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Another tool that Jesus used was just using everyday things.
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Can you imagine just walking with Jesus?
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And Jesus said, hey, you see the flowers over there.
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You're like, yeah, I see the flowers.
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They are so beautiful, aren't they?
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Yeah, they're amazing were, you know, Solomon.
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He was an Irate as good as that. You know, God takes care of the
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flowers, he takes care of the birds, he's going to Take care
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of you. How could you ever forget that?
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I mean, you know, I have that same familiar story in my house.
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Every animal in our neighborhood thinks, our house is theirs.
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They're tripping alarms all the time and eating all Murray's
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plants and like it's like they don't even pay rent, nothing.
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I leave a little mortgage statement out on the ledge and
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they don't they don't do anything with it.
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Why? Well because God has used and
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used my family and our particular home to take care of
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the birds that he's taken care of.
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Like, he takes care of the birds.
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And on top of that, like, you're, you know, that you think
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about, if God's going to take care of the birds, don't you
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think he's going to take care of you?
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That was Jesus teaching. He was a master at it.
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Let me show you an example. Go over to Luke chapter 24 even
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after his resurrection. Auction.
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He continues to teach, and we see this in Luke 24 with these
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men on the road home to Emmaus. They're bummed out, it's a
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difficult season for them. It's very emotional.
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They're interpreting everything in correctly, which is to be
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expected when you're grieving and when you're wrestling with
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things and Jesus comes and meets them there.
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There are a few miles away from Jerusalem.
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Notice in verse 25. It says O foolish ones, Jesus
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speaks them and slow of heart, to believe in.
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All that, the prophets have spoken ought, not the Christ to
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have suffered these things and enter into his glory.
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So he addresses the issue, the issue is Faith, they're lacking
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Faith, they're lacking understanding and he gives them
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a mild rebuke to get their attention and notice what he
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does in verse 27, beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, you
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know, how we would say that today.
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Beginning in Says and taking them through all the way into of
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Malachi, that's your entire Old Testament.
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So beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to
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them which is another word for teaching in all the scriptures
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of the things that concern himself.
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He basically did an overview of the Old Testament and reminded
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them of every place prophetically where he was what
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it pointed to all the way up to the resurrection.
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Because the resurrection is Token of in the Old Testament,
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as well. Unbelievable, Bible study.
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We all wish we could hear it. We all wish.
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You could post it up on the web and put it on our app, but we
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don't have it. Instead, we have God's word and
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other teachers that he is gifted with the gift of teaching.
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All right, thirdly our third question.
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We ask about these gifts as where did it operate in the
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early church? This is an easy one.
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Teaching was a primary focus of the early church.
24:47
Go over to Acts chapter 2. Now, you remember on the day of
24:49
Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit, It Came Upon those waiting,
24:53
Believers it, drew a large crowd, the Holy Spirit came and
24:58
empowered them, and it drew a large crowd and what happened
25:01
Peter immediately. Got up took advantage of all the
25:05
attention and what did he do? He taught them a Bible study.
25:10
It was Evangelistic in nature. But what did he do?
25:14
He explained to them from the Bible, what they were watching
25:20
and experiencing? See it says right in verse 1,
25:23
when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all in one
25:26
Accord in one place, then suddenly a sound came all this
25:29
activity. Then verse 5, there were people
25:32
there devout men. They're seeing their asking
25:34
questions, verse 14, Peter stands up with the eleven and he
25:39
raised his voice. Why the gift of teaching is a
25:41
verbal gift, he raised his voice and then notice in verse 16 but
25:46
this is that which was spoken of by the prophet.
25:50
Joel. So he started Should have a
25:51
Bible study about what they were seeing.
25:53
But he also even took it into the future where this Bible
25:57
study affects us today as well. Notice in verse 42 as the church
26:02
continues to grow, look at the emphasis it says that they
26:06
committed. This was the commitment of the
26:09
early church. They continued steadfastly.
26:12
And the very first thing that's mentioned here is what the
26:15
apostles Doctrine. We know that that is the
26:19
teaching of the Apostles Those Doctrine because when we get to
26:23
chapter 6, we see what a priority.
26:25
It was so go to chapter six, with me difficulty, enters the
26:29
church, the apostles assess it and what's their first
26:32
conclusion? Their first conclusion is in
26:35
verse 2. It is not desirable that we
26:38
should leave the word of God and serve tables.
26:42
Then in verse 4, but we will give ourselves continually to
26:47
prayer and to the ministry of the word, what is the ministry
26:50
of the word? The teaching of the word, they
26:55
had a place, the deacons and servants, how to place, and they
26:59
recognize that this must remain a priority and churches have
27:04
tanked people's Faith. Have tanked false doctrines have
27:09
taken root because pastors have abandoned their responsibility
27:13
to teach the Bible in its entirety.
27:17
What it says, what it means. And what it means today that
27:21
Believe is the essence and anyone that undermines teaching
27:26
of the Bible. Don't listen to them.
27:28
Anyone that tries to change it. Oh, we don't need that.
27:31
And that doesn't mean necessarily.
27:32
They taught every verse don't listen to them.
27:35
The primary purpose of the pastor teacher in the Pulpit is
27:39
to systematically, teach the Bible, you guys got done that I
27:44
raise my voice a little bit, sorry about that.
27:46
This is very important, this is your life, these are your kids,
27:49
your grandkids, your great grand kids, Kids, they don't need all
27:52
kinds of opinions. They don't need all pastors
27:55
trying to experiment with things and oh, I read a new book.
27:58
Let me tell you about it. You need the word of God as good
28:02
as books might be, and I have quite a few recommendations.
28:04
I love reading. They're not as important as a
28:07
Bible. You don't need me up here,
28:09
explaining all there's a brand-new movie.
28:10
Let me show you a moral story in the new movie.
28:13
Now, go watch the movie and make up your own mind.
28:15
Here, you get the word of God and you should be able if I do
28:19
my job. Well, God uses me.
28:21
You should be able to walk into any situation and use the word
28:25
of God and apply it to anything. You're in, you don't need it
28:28
here. You need the Bible here and
28:30
we've adopted the the methodology and I agree with it.
28:34
I fully agree with what's known as expository teaching, verse by
28:38
verse chapter by chapter in the whole context of what God has to
28:43
say, not just some hobbyhorse, I do like some topics more than
28:47
others. Personally, I'm sure you do as
28:48
well but but even my personal Onions, my personal opinions of
28:53
what doctrines. I like the most are not more
28:55
important than getting the whole word and then Allowing God to
28:59
the best of our ability. And so I don't like the trend
29:02
that's going on today. I don't like it at all.
29:04
It's not healthy for you, it makes me mad.
29:07
It makes me mad that people would think that their role as
29:09
Pastor teacher is to mess around and test things out and
29:13
experiment on the church. We don't need to experiment on
29:15
the church. Love God, with all your heart,
29:18
soul and mind love your neighbor as yourself.
29:20
It's that simple. Allow God to use you in the
29:23
giftings that you have first Timothy 3 verse 2.
29:25
It says a bishop, then must be blameless.
29:28
The husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, good
29:32
behavior hospitable. And we missed this one often,
29:35
but able to teach that's a requirement Titus Chapter 1
29:40
verse 9, Paul is writing to these young men and Leadership
29:44
and he says holding fast the faithful word as he has been
29:48
taught that he may be able by sound.
29:51
Doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict
29:55
again. Paul would write 2, Timothy
29:57
says, the things you have learned from me, commit them to
30:00
Faithful Men that they might teach others.
30:04
Also, the gift of teaching is of absolute importance in our
30:09
church, and by the way, that that sense between teaching and
30:12
learning, I do want to make a book recommendation to you a
30:15
book that truly changed the way I teach many, many years ago.
30:19
We have, it's required in our Ministry.
30:22
But those of you that teach it will it totally changed my
30:26
thinking, the book is titled, seven laws of the learner seven
30:31
laws of the learner, Bruce Wilkinson, an amazing book.
30:35
It's kind of a thick read because he goes through and he
30:38
doesn't just deal with the Greek word.
30:40
But he also deals with the Hebrew word, the Hebrew word for
30:43
teaching has in. Its definition, the idea of
30:46
causing someone to learn. And here's his whole direction
30:50
of his book. His besides all the
30:52
practicalities and tools that he gives, here's the direction.
30:55
The direction is this, if you're a teacher and you teach someone
31:00
and they don't learn anything from you, it's your fault as the
31:04
teacher. That's his point that our
31:07
responsibility is actually to take the time to learn to grow
31:11
to have the tool refined so that we can be the best vessel in
31:15
order to have the teaching actually caused people to learn.
31:21
And there's so many other tools in there.
31:23
It's just such a great book, I pulled it out.
31:24
I used to do it once a year, but I pull it out every couple of
31:27
years now, and just kind of review all the things that I've
31:30
learned, it's such a great tool. So, I recommend it to those of
31:33
you that like, to teach you feel like you have the gift of
31:36
teaching, it will be helpful a teacher.
31:39
Someone once said effects, eternity, and she can never
31:43
really tell where her influence stops and isn't that true?
31:47
Can we look back and think I have one teacher in particular,
31:51
that I'm I'm still connected with that.
31:53
I first met in junior high and he followed us in the high
31:55
school that profoundly affected, my life Fruit from this
32:00
ministry, goes to his account because he taught me English and
32:05
wouldn't let me get away with any of the shortcuts in slang or
32:08
anything. And quite frankly, I didn't like
32:11
him for a while because he was always writing me.
32:14
I was like how about everybody else.
32:16
But now that we took back in like, you know, I know why he
32:18
was writing me because God had him, write me.
32:21
All God's fault. That's why it's all his fault or
32:25
for my benefit. It's amazing.
32:26
What God does. Okay, that's fine.
32:28
Finish up today with a few of the hazards, few of the dangers
32:32
of the personality of this person that has the gift of
32:35
teaching. Number one, you want to watch
32:38
out for this. You may show a lock in
32:41
preparation, you may not prepare as much as you should, and I'll
32:46
tell you why, because learning and teaching comes so easy for
32:50
you, you You falsely conclude, you don't have to study as much
32:54
that you can just give whatever surface level information you
32:57
have and because you it'll teach and people won't realize, you
33:00
know, won't tell the difference anyway.
33:02
No, they actually will tell the difference and God tells the
33:05
difference when you're not faithful to the gift, he's given
33:07
you. There's a there's a word for
33:09
that and that is don't be lazy just because you have a gift.
33:15
Does not give you permission to be lazy laziness when it comes
33:20
to teaching. And just about anything else
33:22
related to God is sinful and you don't want to enter in with a
33:26
lack of preparation. And to spend the adequate time,
33:30
what you may call just flying by the seat of your pants is
33:33
actually just you winging It In the Flesh and the people you do,
33:37
you teach deserve better, they deserve your best because they
33:42
are coming, not for you as the teacher, but they're coming to
33:45
worship God. So don't get in the way prepare
33:48
well and make the way so they can.
33:51
An get to Jesus number two, here's another danger for the
33:54
one with the gift of teaching and that is you just are a fact
33:59
dumper. A fact dumper.
34:01
You say, what do you mean? What teachers Can often confuse
34:07
the giving of facts with teaching, just the giving of
34:12
facts. As a matter of fact, in the
34:13
book, I recommended he revealed something to me that I was doing
34:17
years ago and that was, I had a relationship more with my notes
34:21
than I did with the people in front of me and my thought was
34:24
this. I thought it was a good thought.
34:26
My thought is I'm spending all this time, putting all these
34:28
notes together. I better give them every single
34:31
thing I did all week trying to cram hours of Just a quick Bible
34:36
study. So what would happen is, I
34:38
wouldn't pay attention with the people in front of me, I was
34:40
just my notes, my notes, my notes, what did I miss?
34:43
And you're not a fact dumper. When you teach the Bible, you
34:47
are teaching for life change and it's very important to remember
34:51
that. It's not not, not so important
34:53
of what you teach, although you want to be factually accurate,
34:57
but also, it's important of how you teach, so that you can help
35:00
people apply these truths, not just getting up there and
35:04
dumping a bunch of information. Ation that you might have picked
35:08
up along the way. Number three, another danger for
35:11
the gift of teaching is you become extremely arrogant.
35:16
And prideful or you could say it another way.
35:19
You begin to lack humility. This is such a huge danger for
35:24
teachers because those with the gift of teaching live in the
35:27
realm of facts, information and knowledge and because you live
35:33
in that world and you spend more time in that world than other
35:38
people do. You have to be very careful that
35:41
you don't become a know-it-all because you live in the realm of
35:47
facts and knowledge, you're always studying, you're always
35:49
looking, you're always learning. And then you start to feel good
35:54
about yourself and you start to feel smarter than everyone and
35:57
then you get impatient. Why don't people know?
35:59
But the Bible is clear, it's routed to the scriptures.
36:02
First Corinthians chapter 8, The Bible says, I now concerning
36:06
things offered to Idols. We know that we all have
36:09
knowledge, knowledge, puffs up makes you arrogant, but love
36:15
edifies. And you need both.
36:17
You, you live in the realm of knowledge.
36:19
Make sure you live more in the realm of love and love.
36:22
Will temper anything in our lives?
36:24
Any misuse you just walk in love.
36:27
It's super important that as you walk in love.
36:29
God the holy spirit will lead you.
36:31
It's been said again I learned this from Seven laws of the
36:34
land. First place I ever read this,
36:35
I've heard it many times since then, but he said people don't
36:39
care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
36:43
That's super important especially in the realm of the
36:45
church. Number for those, with the gift
36:49
of teaching, you need to be careful, not to lack Integrity,
36:53
not to lack Integrity. A teacher needs to be walking
36:57
what he or she is talking or they should sit down and stay
37:02
quiet. Now I soften that phrase up from
37:04
the brother. I got it from, I'll say it to
37:06
you. The way he wrote it, you a
37:08
teacher needs to be walking what he or she is talking or they
37:11
should sit down and shut up. That's what he said.
37:14
He said, I said stay quiet. But think about this, the kind
37:20
of impact that you have on people's lives if you're not
37:23
living what you're teaching, you're a hypocrite.
37:27
If you're not living what you're teaching, you're a hypocrite.
37:31
It's true in the Pulpit. It's also true in home.
37:34
You really think your kids are going to be more influenced by
37:37
your words then by your actions. That you need to live out what
37:44
you're saying. You and I, we need to have lives
37:47
every single Pastor. You have ever heard of that has
37:51
fallen into disgrace and disqualifying sin at some point
37:56
stopped walking what they were talking.
38:00
It might have started small but then they got away with it and
38:03
then it's got bigger and it got bigger and and you're like,
38:06
well, Ed, why didn't the Lord just take him out, right?
38:08
Right away. Well, because God is gracious
38:10
and merciful and he loves his church, he loves people.
38:15
And so for a teacher, when you have that Authority and you're
38:18
standing in the presence of God, you have to walk.
38:21
You have to live it out. Here's here's how teaching
38:23
works. First of all, knowledge comes to
38:26
you so you open up the Bible then it's deposited.
38:30
You so it begins to change, then it comes through you.
38:35
You just don't take it and give it right back out.
38:38
It's not just barking off a bunch of information.
38:40
You read in a book or a commentary or something.
38:43
The word of God I needs to come to you.
38:45
It needs to get in you and then it needs to come from you,
38:49
that's effective teaching that's the spiritual gift.
38:52
It's not just repeating information and it's definitely
38:55
not living a life that lacks Integrity Titus Chapter 2 verse
38:59
7. Paul tells Titus likewise,
39:02
exhort the young men to be sober-minded in all things
39:06
showing yourself to be a pattern of Good Works, in Doctrine
39:11
showing Integrity, reverence and incorruptibility number five,
39:17
another big mistake that teachers can fall into as you
39:20
forget your audience, You forget your audience, a teacher?
39:25
Can take something complicated and make it really simple into
39:28
that. We say Amen.
39:29
But you know I met a few teachers that can take something
39:32
simple and make it very complicated and so that we don't
39:35
say, Amen, you need to know your audience.
39:38
I was thinking of a Bible study like this, if I went down and
39:40
taught your third graders, those of you have third graders and I
39:43
went down to teach them as exact study.
39:46
I could use the same exact notes I used to deliver here, but for
39:51
your third graders, I'm You need to deliver it very differently.
39:55
The illustrations I use the offered the way, I explain it,
39:59
the eye contact, most likely I take your third grade if I had
40:02
to do that right now, that was the child's most.
40:04
Like, I go downstairs, I move all the desks.
40:06
We'd all sit on the floor, if they like candy, I'd probably
40:09
give him some candy. So they automatically like me,
40:11
make sure that there's, you know, no peanuts for all the
40:14
allergies, all of that. And, and you know what I would
40:16
do? I probably wouldn't immediately
40:17
start teaching. You know what I do at probably
40:19
immediately start talking. And just asking them questions
40:22
and learning about them. What's your name?
40:25
How's your family? Where do you go to school?
40:28
What are you struggling with? That's what we, that's what I
40:31
do. You know, whenever in before any
40:34
service here, I want the pastor's out.
40:37
Greeting you, I want them praying with you.
40:38
I want them learning your story. That's what I do.
40:41
I know it might be interpreted as small talk.
40:42
It's not small talk, I'm fascinated by your stories.
40:46
I'm fascinated. How your day was, you know, tell
40:48
me how your day and somebody go ah, wasn't much.
40:50
I will tell What it was and when you tell me, I'm like, oh man,
40:53
that's pretty cool. Because my day was boring
40:55
because you already know what I'm doing all day.
40:58
Reading and studying, that's what I do but you're out doing
41:01
this and you have this and then we're talking about your
41:03
hospital visit and then we're praying about your marriage and
41:06
like man, you know what that's going to do, it's not only going
41:08
to help me minister to you. It's going to help me, teach
41:11
better. It's going to remind me of
41:14
who's, in our church, it's a very big challenge when I go
41:17
teach when I teach at a conference or I teach at another
41:20
church. Church because, you know,
41:22
teaching here, you guys have been with me for a while so I
41:25
can almost count on all your courtesy laughs.
41:27
You're going to give them to me, to some degree.
41:30
You're going to follow my dumb stories.
41:32
You know, pretty much what's going on my wife and I, so,
41:34
you'll follow along. But when I guess teach
41:37
somewhere, I can't use any of those tools because nobody knows
41:40
me. So I've got about three minutes
41:43
or so to gain people's trust to. And way I do that is before I
41:49
don't want to hide in the green room and Out with people.
41:51
I know I want to meet the people that I don't know, the people
41:56
I'm about to teach what's this community.
41:58
Like, how are they, if it's a conference, what are the
42:01
churches? What are you struggling with
42:02
what's happening? So that not only do I have my
42:04
notes but I can be open to the Holy Spirit and know my
42:09
audience, the way that this is most often applied.
42:12
Wrongly is, when you have a teacher that just teaches over
42:16
your head, have you ever had anyone that has just over your
42:19
head as one person put it? In the Bible, Jesus said to feed
42:23
my sheep, not feed my giraffes. Yeah, every other service didn't
42:28
get it, either. Let me explain it to you.
42:31
Let me explain it to you. When you feed with the point is
42:33
this when you're feeding sheep, you're down at their level, you
42:36
know, giraffes their heads of much higher.
42:37
You remember that big neck and much higher.
42:39
So, if you're feeding the giraffes, you are not your over
42:42
the head of the sheep, you guys get it.
42:44
That's the gift of teaching right there, a little
42:46
explanation, little explanation. So the idea is to know your
42:49
audience. And so if it was third graders,
42:52
the whole goal is, I want the third graders to know that as a
42:55
born-again third grader, they have a To gift.
42:57
They don't need to wait to big people church or whatever they
43:00
are gifted by God. As a born born again, kid.
43:04
And God throughout the Bible uses kids and he wants to use
43:08
your kids but I would use different language.
43:11
I would use different techniques.
43:12
I would use because I want to know my audience.
43:15
The goal isn't just to give them all this information.
43:17
The goal is life change, even in a third grader, Some people said
43:23
that some teachers that go over your head or like Pilots or
43:27
aviators, they announced a text, taxi for a short distance, then
43:32
take off from the earth and disappear into the clouds.
43:36
And after that, all you hear is the sound of them flying way
43:40
over your head. And so the gift of teaching,
43:43
you've got to know your audience, couple more and then
43:45
we have communion number six, number six, at each person with
43:49
the gift of teaching can get irritated.
43:51
Very quickly irritated very quickly because teachers can
43:56
often lack patience with those who are slow learners.
44:03
And some of you are slow Learners.
44:04
You might even feel bad about that, but don't, that's how God
44:09
Made You. You may not ever refer to
44:10
yourself as a slow learner, but let me, let me just shift it a
44:14
little bit because I met people like this.
44:16
And I've worked with people like this.
44:17
You may not refer to yourself as a slow learner, but you might
44:20
say, it takes you time to process things.
44:25
And that's a similar. It just takes time or somebody
44:28
can get it right away and grasp it others, I've worked with
44:31
people here, I can give a direction, somebody gets it runs
44:34
off. But when I give directions to
44:35
this other person, I have to remember, he's going to take a
44:39
little bit of time to process this and I've got to give them a
44:41
few days so he's going to come back with a bunch of questions
44:44
to clarify and then he'll be good and you just got to learn
44:48
not to be irritated with different learning styles and
44:51
different abilities and and it is And that we walk in patients.
44:56
That's what second Timothy 2 verse 25 says that we're to be
44:59
patient able to teach patient and in humility.
45:04
Then the final one you want to watch out for is a teacher or
45:07
someone with the gift of teaching can get easily
45:09
discouraged, easily discouraged. If you're a perfectionist, then
45:14
you get very discouraged because you don't think you did a very
45:17
good job. You never think you do a good
45:20
job teaching. And the days that you do do a
45:23
good job, someone who's always there to Humble you.
45:25
And you're like, ah, all right, I missed that, or I missed that
45:28
word or whatever it might be, you know, for pastors, when you
45:31
praying, you really need to pray for pastors, on Mondays,
45:35
sometimes even Sunday night because they just get beat up.
45:37
We just get all beat up from the pulpit.
45:39
We get beat up and you know maybe missed a phrase, missed
45:42
that point missed that and you just kind of walk away going man
45:45
that was the worst Bible study. I ever had but you know,
45:48
somebody got safe. So it was the best Bible study
45:50
that they ever had. So, you know, Just got to
45:52
remember that transformation is not your job and you can always
45:57
improve, always, you're always going to be able to improve on
46:01
teaching. It's always going to be
46:02
sharpening the tool that make you a better teacher, but
46:06
transformation is not your business.
46:08
It's God's business. You just be faithful, put in
46:13
your time in studying, put in your time, praying, put in your
46:17
time delivering and then the power of the Holy Spirit living
46:20
through your life, just let God do his work and so when you
46:24
think of postures on Monday mornings, just pray for them.
46:27
Pray that the Lord wouldn't that the Lord would encourage them.
46:29
At the enemy, wouldn't beat them up, or they look back and all I
46:32
was a horrible message. I'll tell you right now, you're
46:35
a pastor listening in, I'll tell you right now.
46:36
If you walked into that Pulpit, you did your study, you did your
46:40
preparation, you have, you prayed over it.
46:42
And you delivered it, you did a good job and you can just go to
46:47
bed, trusting, God. That he's going to use his word,
46:50
right? Because his words, never going
46:51
to Turn empty. So just give forth his word in
46:55
summary. God has given some men and women
46:57
in the church. The supernatural ability to
47:00
teach the Bible in a way that can be understood and its
47:03
meaning and also understood and how to apply it to our lives.
47:08
Amen, we pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible.
47:13
Study delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for
47:16
prayer. Call us at 877, 30 Grace.
47:21
That's eight, 77304 723 to listen to this message in its
47:27
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