Good morning,
The
week end can be a very challenging time for those of us who are
involved with teaching or preaching to people who expect us to be a
reliable source of truth. The Bible is very clear that God has given us
his truth in written form so that we can know what he wants us to know
about his truth from generation to generation. Some folks get very
uptight about which translation they should use while forgetting that
the most important issue isn’t the Book itself, that’s from God, but
what the teacher of the Book does with what he is teaching from the
Book. Some of us teachers spend a lot of time trying to get the
information right while forgetting about the needs and problems of those
who listen to us. Others of us do a lot of study to determine what
people need to hear and then do our best the get the approval of those
who come and pay us. Whatever our approach to preparation and
presentation, almost all of us are tempted to forget what Jesus pointed
out was more important than anything else.
When Jesus was talking
about the religious teachers of his day in Matthew 23,(vs.3-5) he
warned his listeners “to practice and obey whatever they tell you, but
don’t follow their example.” We forget that teaching isn’t just giving
information. What the teacher does with the information on a teaching
level will have little or no effect unless our lives are being
controlled by what we teach. The Pharisees didn’t practice what they
were teaching. Our Enemy wants us to function like accusers rather than
lovers. The Pharisees were quick to tell people what they should be
doing, or stop doing, without any real concern for how they were going
to get from their sin and blindness to the light and love that God was
offering them. They were good at making demands and quick to see their
followers as losers if they didn’t get it right. More than that, Jesus
pointed out that, “Everything they do is for show.” I would guess that
most of us have been known to ask a friend or partner after our sermon
or lesson, “What did you think of what I just said?” or feel deeply hurt
that no one said anything to us after doing all that hard work to get
ready. And then Jesus mentioned in Matthew 12:36,37 that we were going
to be held accountable some day by the Judge for what we said, including
our idle words, and our rewards or our regrets would be a part of that
process. I think that that is why James reminds us that “not many of
you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be
judged more strictly.” (3:1) Dear Lord, please teach us how to teach
and preach your truth in love, by the power of your Holy Spirit, for the
glory of God, and for the benefit of those who hear us.
James 3:1
Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in
the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.
Roy Wisner
