Spiritual Gift: Teaching

I decided to add an extra day to the spiritual gifts series. I will only do teaching today and add shepherding to August 4th.

In the American church, a lot of "pastors" have limited themselves by fulfilling the role of pastor and teacher. Some might view these as the same spiritual gift, but scripture would say different. Now, people can have both gifts but the problem arises when a person only has one gift and tries to fulfill both.

The spiritual gift of teaching is the God-given ability and desire to study and explain the truths of Scripture. The person with this gift is usually very passionate about the scriptures but has an ability to make them clear and understandable to others. One of the clearest examples of this is Acts 7, please read this chapter. Also, read Matthew 5-7; 24-25; Acts 18:11; 19:8-10; and 18:24-28.

I would like to look at one verse specifically from above, Acts 18:11. It says Paul stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Key point: Paul made sure that the people knew the scriptures. Teaching God's word is not for the encouragement of the teacher (although it should bring tremendous joy to study it), and should not be a tool to draw attention to himself. Teaching is to be used for the encouragement of the Church! Teaching should not be limited to a man standing on stage, it should be an investment of those in the Church.

Caution: Teaching can cause pride (1 Corinthians 8:1; 13:1-3). It can also cause the teacher an over-emphasis on their importance in the Church. If you have the gift of teaching, seek opportunities to teach in youth ministry, small groups, be a student of other teachers, go to seminary, do what is necessary to maximize your gift.