TEACHERS OF THE WORD

James 3:1 Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness.

This is a verse that needs to be taught in the church today. Most of us like to hear ourselves think. We like to make an impression on others with what we think we know. We like to be looked up to as knowledgeable. We want others to value our understanding of things. We feed off of the attention and respect that often comes our way. But, we need to understand that not all of us are qualified to be teachers of the Word.

Good teachers are good students of the Word who practice what they teach. Good teachers teach from experience as much as they do knowledge. They are people who are mature in faith and have gleaned much wisdom from the Word. Good teachers have compassion for those they teach. They are humble in spirit knowing that they don’t have all the answers to life and are striving to learn more than they know. Good teachers are growing in faith and teach with the goal of personal application of what they teach.

Teachers are everywhere, but not all teachers are good teachers in the church. Teaching should be sought after very carefully and prayerfully because God judges those who teach by a stricter standard than those who are listeners rather than teachers. A good teacher knows the art of listening to God even as they teach. It is good to have teachers who teach well the Word of God.

In all things we are to strive to give our best effort to the Lord. If you teach, be the best teacher you can be. If you listen, be the best listener you can be. In all things, strive to put into practice the Word proclaimed.

If you are a teacher in the church, teach humbly, compassionately, carefully and clearly. If you are not a teacher, pray faithfully for those who teach you for they are held accountable to God for what they teach and how they teach.