Teachers ... that's the best influence you can be. Whether it's a mentor, pastor, or preacher - that's a way you a disciple people (we're told in Matthew 28:19 to "make disciples of all nations") - through teaching!
A friend and I were talking about this over email a long time ago. Is it just me, or do many people think that teachers are to be held up in pedestals? I'm not saying it's wrong to honor them, because they are doing an important job and have accomplished much, but perhaps, we've left all the work to them and not doing our own part? Shouldn't it be - when we learn anything new, we share it with someone, anyone, everyone(!!!) who doesn't know it? Isn't that the essence of teaching?
verb, taught, teach·ing, noun
Teaching is to impart knowledge. It doesn't have to be knowledge that nobody knows yet or to a great crowd or spoken with eloquence in a suit and tie. Neither are there rules as to how you teach. It doesn't have to be with a chalkboard and a ruler in hand for discipline or even in a classroom. Start cranking up those ideas ;-) .
Well, there you have it - you have to teach whether you like it or not (assuming you're a child of God and co-heir with Christ). But it's not just teaching anything. You have to teach people to observe the commands Jesus gave while on earth. Like - the sermon on the Mount and stuff.
But what do you do when ... you're a nobody? You're the youngest in your "group" ... or you're generally a "follower" and not a "leader"... or to put it bluntly - you have NO INFLUENCE? That's what I feel like whenever I hear sermons of how we need to impact the world around us. Umm, how? No one listens to me.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! Unless you're still an infant, that's no excuse. There's always someone younger than you (whether physically or spiritually) looking up to you (unless you're a hermit or if you are currently living in sin and stubbornly refusing to conform into the likeness of Christ). They are watching you and learning from you. Is it positive or negative passive instruction? That's up to the way you live. Believe it or not - most kids will hang on every word you say. They will quote you and question you. Don't you think you had better prepare yourself for those times? They admire you. No, they might not worship you, but they assume when they get to your age, that's what they're supposed to act like. Literally - you're molding their minds; you're building the foundation for how they will cogitate as they grow. In conclusion - just living your life in society is teaching!
Ok, that still doesn't make you feel like you're being a teacher. You hate working with kids or younger people (which I hope you don't!) and you want to reach your peers or even those "above" you.
But - it always seems like the people you know are at a stage in the Christian walk that don't need any of your discoveries. Well, how do you know those people have made the exact same discoveries when delving into God's word? How do you know they don't need a refresher/reminder moment right when you find it? Perhaps, that one little morsel you share with them provides them with just enough encouragement to move on to the next step closer in their walk with Christ, giving them the necessary momentum? You might never get feedback on what you've shared, but at least you did your part.
What to do... Share your thoughts, discoveries, conclusions... every single one of them. I hear the internet is a great venue for that. What you just learned has got to be new to at least one other person in the big, wide world. If nothing else, it helps you to ground and strengthen your own faith by writing out everything. Win-win situation, so why not give it a try? :)
~CJ
A friend and I were talking about this over email a long time ago. Is it just me, or do many people think that teachers are to be held up in pedestals? I'm not saying it's wrong to honor them, because they are doing an important job and have accomplished much, but perhaps, we've left all the work to them and not doing our own part? Shouldn't it be - when we learn anything new, we share it with someone, anyone, everyone(!!!) who doesn't know it? Isn't that the essence of teaching?
teach
verb, taught, teach·ing, noun
1. to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in
Teaching is to impart knowledge. It doesn't have to be knowledge that nobody knows yet or to a great crowd or spoken with eloquence in a suit and tie. Neither are there rules as to how you teach. It doesn't have to be with a chalkboard and a ruler in hand for discipline or even in a classroom. Start cranking up those ideas ;-) .
Matthew 28:19-20 (English Standard Version)Why do I keep coming back to this passage? I think I should make it my Life verse or something :) .
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Well, there you have it - you have to teach whether you like it or not (assuming you're a child of God and co-heir with Christ). But it's not just teaching anything. You have to teach people to observe the commands Jesus gave while on earth. Like - the sermon on the Mount and stuff.
But what do you do when ... you're a nobody? You're the youngest in your "group" ... or you're generally a "follower" and not a "leader"... or to put it bluntly - you have NO INFLUENCE? That's what I feel like whenever I hear sermons of how we need to impact the world around us. Umm, how? No one listens to me.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! Unless you're still an infant, that's no excuse. There's always someone younger than you (whether physically or spiritually) looking up to you (unless you're a hermit or if you are currently living in sin and stubbornly refusing to conform into the likeness of Christ). They are watching you and learning from you. Is it positive or negative passive instruction? That's up to the way you live. Believe it or not - most kids will hang on every word you say. They will quote you and question you. Don't you think you had better prepare yourself for those times? They admire you. No, they might not worship you, but they assume when they get to your age, that's what they're supposed to act like. Literally - you're molding their minds; you're building the foundation for how they will cogitate as they grow. In conclusion - just living your life in society is teaching!
Ok, that still doesn't make you feel like you're being a teacher. You hate working with kids or younger people (which I hope you don't!) and you want to reach your peers or even those "above" you.
But - it always seems like the people you know are at a stage in the Christian walk that don't need any of your discoveries. Well, how do you know those people have made the exact same discoveries when delving into God's word? How do you know they don't need a refresher/reminder moment right when you find it? Perhaps, that one little morsel you share with them provides them with just enough encouragement to move on to the next step closer in their walk with Christ, giving them the necessary momentum? You might never get feedback on what you've shared, but at least you did your part.
What to do... Share your thoughts, discoveries, conclusions... every single one of them. I hear the internet is a great venue for that. What you just learned has got to be new to at least one other person in the big, wide world. If nothing else, it helps you to ground and strengthen your own faith by writing out everything. Win-win situation, so why not give it a try? :)
~CJ
Good post, and good reminder! I often forget how many people look up to me until I see or hear myself in them! Even if I'm not a "big-time" teacher, I can still make a difference in my little corner of life :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mac! Yeah, in fact, you might not even want to be addressed as a teacher!
ReplyDeleteJames 3:1 - Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
But that does not alleviate our responsibility to teach.