My husband was a teacher of the Word of GOD. My son has a godparent who is also a teacher of the Word. What makes teachers tick? Why does a Bible teacher teach?
Background
When I met my husband Alan, he was 34.
The LORD had told him when we first met to “take care of this woman” as I was newly arrived in England to study. As our friendship developed, Alan shared with me some things about his calling to teach. He had devoured Bible resources as well as the Word itself during undergraduate university days, often ignoring his courses of academic study (engineering) preferring to study GOD’s Word.
He wasn’t particularly diplomatic with people when I first met him, because the Word was his priority. But he loved the LORD and knew he was called to teach His Word. He met with opposition, and I suppose as a trained barrister, didn’t mind a good conversational scrap! I thought it was because he wasn’t great with people. But it would prove not his imperfect social skills — which GOD in him would later come to perfect — that held him back. What prevented his teaching from advancing at a relatively young age was his “unorthodox” perspective. He did not teach wrongly, for the call of a teacher is very strict and woe to any who misstep.
James writes, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” (James 3:1)
No compromise
No, Alan’s teaching has proved to be rock solid, though his thinking was often unconventional rather than neatly fitting into the Evangelical box. He looked at scripture: not at what was taught by others as convention but what was actually there. He made no common assumption, but rather challenged assumption to see what the Word said, no more no less. That attitude has always reminded me of the texts about maintaining the accuracy of the Bible text.
In Revelation 22:18-19, John writes, “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
What a Bible teacher teaches
Alan and other teachers may not always go with the flow of common interpretation of scripture or rely on Sunday School perspective. What Alan and others who are called to teach (which is not the same as preaching) is revelation of the Word of GOD, no more, no less. Their motivation is to make the Word more accessible to others and never to compromise.
Something palatable can be dangerously close to something untrue; a called forth teacher will devote time and attention to every thought before sharing. Just as there were false prophets in times of the Jewish Covenant as we read in the Old Testament, so were there also false teachers in the New.
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies,” (2 Timothy 2:1)
Look for simple but deeply profound truths
A teacher of GOD’s Word will challenge, encourage, and convict those who have listening ears to hear. The teacher wants his audience to discover for themselves what mysteries are within the Word.
Never underestimate the depth of GOD’s Word or doubt the unveiling of new thought to our old minds. As Jesus said, “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” (Mark 2:21-22)
We need to be open to what GOD’s Word actually says, rather than what we think it says based upon sermons or Sunday School. We need to study to show ourselves approved and a good, godly teacher will enable us to do that.
Challenge yourself to read the Word
What is really there? Concepts exist in the Bible that are not actually stated. And some belief systems are built upon misconception and false assumption.
For example, did you know the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible? And nowhere does it say “God the son”? Did you know that the animals in the ark were not a single pair each of every animal type? There were 7 pairs of some and not of all. Why not all the same?
Did you know the single verse “wives submit to your own husbands” is followed by “husbands love your wives” followed by eight more verses outlining how men are to do that?
Do you know that every significant marker in Jesus’ calendar was preceded by Old Testament law and feasts?
Look for yourself…
It is possible to learn, simply by reading the Bible. If you listen enough to how Alan teaches, you’ll catch how to read for profound truths and relationship for yourself. You can hear some teachings here:
https://tmc-church.org.uk/preacher/tun-alan/
Or go to www.revelationtv.com and look up old Bible Study programmes where Alan is part of a group of three men, looking deeply into the Word of our God.
So all, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)