Scripture Focus (2 Timothy 4:1-4) – “[1] I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: [2] preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. [3] For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, [4] and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
“God has set teachers into the Body of Christ to ground believers in the Word of God, to get them deeply rooted and established in the Lord, and to help cure and purge ignorance. One indication of the teaching gift is a strong desire to impart illumination, knowledge, and understanding to other believers. Another sign of this gift is a demonstrated ability to present both simple and complex spiritual truths in an understandable manner.” – Robert Stone
I. The Priority of the Teacher (2 Timothy 4:1-4)
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: [2] preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. [3] For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, [4] and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
II. The Weaponry of the Teacher (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
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- Titus 1:9 – “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
- Requirement for elders: “Able to teach” – (1 Timothy 3:2; 2 Timothy 2:24)
- Every other elder qualification is about his character; the only skill required is being able to use Scripture to instruct others.
- Teaching is a supernatural spiritual gift (Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:28)
III. The Commitment of the Teacher (Ezra 7:6,10)
“Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him… 10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach His statutes and rules in Israel.”
“Teachers who stop growing in their own knowledge become stale. For those who have the ministry of teaching in the Church, this means being diligent, lifelong students of the Word of God.” – Robert Stone
IV. The Invitation of the Teacher (Proverbs 22:17-21)
“Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, 18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. 19 That your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to you today, even to you. 20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge, 21 to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?”
The most effective teachers have learned the powerful blend of precision and passion, inspiration, and information.