Teach the Word

From time to time, I’ll watch a YouTube channel called “So Be It!” The channel is sponsored by, I believe, Jews for Jesus. It is astonishing to me that in one of their segments, they read verses typically from Isaiah, and I recognize them from Isaiah, and I’m no OT scholar, but so many Jewish people believe it’s from the NT. I mean, they’re obviously references to Jesus from the OT, and the channel is making a point, but there is typically an ignorance to these passages.

Now, I’m not here to beat up on them. Part of their ignorance is from the emphasis that Judaism places on the tradition of the elders and the people’s reliance upon that tradition to understand Scripture. They don’t really believe you can always read and understand the text on your own. This would be odd for early believers, and it’s odd for those of us who embrace the tenants of the Reformation which boldly proclaimed sola scriptura.

Biblical literacy was an emphasis for the early church, and having even a basic grasp of fundamental doctrine is a vital part of making disciples. We must know facts about the Bible, but those facts have to translate to our feet. In short, we must be:

“Devoted…to the apostles’ teaching.”

The church’s commitment to teach the Word is can be seen throughout the Book of Acts.

Acts 6:4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”” The apostles insisted that they devote themselves to prayer and studying the word, and this is actually why the first deacons were called.

Acts 13:44 “The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.” This is in Pisidian Antioch as the Jesus movement continues to spread.

Acts 19:10 “This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” In Ephesus, people came from all over Asia as Paul stayed there and taught for two years.

Ultimately, we see this truth play out in Acts — as the word grew, so did the church (Acts 6:7 “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”)

If I were to guess, though, we’re already sold on the need to have God’s Word in a primary place. We labor under a pretty strong conviction here that exposure to God’s Word is paramount, and that His Word is our primary source for authority and truth. The Bible always gets the final say-so. But, it does raise a couple of other questions: how should we teach and who should teach?

Elders set the Pace

In the early church, in our passage, the apostles took the lead in teaching the church. These were men who’d personally been in contact with Jesus. And, they relied heavily upon the OT. So, for those who say that we should focus more on the NT because we’re NT Christians…well, so were the apostles and the early church — in the NT — and they taught Jesus from the OT.

Further, remember the passage we’ve mentioned before — Ephesians 4:11–13 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”

And what did they teach? Well, their reliance on Scripture is clear as well.

1 Peter 2:2 ESV

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

And…

Hebrews 5:12 ESV

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

Hebrews 5:13 ESV

for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

Hebrews 5:14 ESV

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

They knew the Bible was fundamental to living out their faith. And, as the apostles continued to teach, and as the church continued to grow, Gospels and letters and even a Revelation was produced that was authoritatively circulated among other churches, preserved, and handed down to us.

And, interestingly enough, these guys didn’t go to seminaries or Bible conferences (BTW, I love them and think they’re an invaluable asset to the church, but by no means necessary). They had heard Jesus, the Holy Spirit lived in them, and they had each other. These three, combined with a firm conviction around Hebrews 4:12 (“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”), and the church grew, in their understanding and in their obedience to Christ.

Think about today. Do you know of a church where the congregation loves the Word? That’s typically a church where the Bible is treasured and studied by leadership and congregation alike. There’s a commitment to living by the book above all else. And, almost without fail, those churches are healthy and growing, at least in their commitment to lovingly obey Jesus.

Therefore, let us be committed to deep study. Let us read His Word, not just books about His Word, and let us see how the Spirit might convict us and lead us into deeper truths, deeper obedience, and deeper surrender!

We Teach One Another

Dr. Black’s second point ruffled my own feathers a bit. I had to sit and stew a minute on what he was saying and what that might look like in a modern context. But, it needed to be done, because at the end of the day, what he says is biblical.

His second point is this — the teaching ministry in the early church was varied, whereas today, we nearly always focus on a pulpit-down approach to the church’s teaching. We see this even in the way that we refer to churches — I go to Pastor Tickle-ear’s church — and we become enamored even with the “pulpit ministries” of our favorite teachers. But, that idea is rather foreign in the NT. Quick, can anybody tell me the pastor of the church at Corinth? What about Galatia? Ephesus? Timothy is the closest thing we have to a “named” pastor of Ephesus, but remember why he was there in the first place — the church was in need of order in their worship, doctrinal correction, and for the appointment of elders and deacons in the church, which is why we have a lengthy section giving their qualifications. And, one of those qualifications for the elders, as we’ve seen already, is the ability to teach. Dr. Black even argues that we incorrectly call Titus and Timothy “pastors” in their roles.

But, why is this the case? Why wouldn’t Paul or Peter or John write to the pastor in the local church who is responsible for disseminating information to the church as a whole? Scripture does seem to indicate that there was shared ministry, or, a term coined by Michael Green, “a fellowship of leadership.” That’s why all of the elders in a church were all required to have the ability to teach. And, they would employ those gifts in a multitude of situations.

Corporate gatherings? Sure, there would be times of formal instruction.

House gatherings? Yep, the church met regularly from house to house.

Interactive dialogues? Those happened, too. Notice Acts 20:7 “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.” This is in Troas, and Paul didn’t launch into a lengthy monologue. He simply “talked with them…and…prolonged his speech until midnight.” They sat around, drank coffee, and shared the word.

Day to day interactions? Without a doubt.

Finally, and here’s where it gets really unsettling — 1 Corinthians 14:29 “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.” Paul’s giving instruction on how to maintain order in a worship service, and he says let two or three prophets speak. We’re like, “There’s no way we’re having open mic night in the pulpit!” But, if we’ve identified leaders who are able to teach, why wouldn’t we welcome a word from them during our gatherings. Even now, there are guys in our congregation that I feel rather confident in both their understanding of the Word and their ability to teach. You mean to tell me that if Robby or Kyle or Mike Murphy or Mike Chisholm…all of these guys are, I believe, ordained guys…you mean to tell me that if the Spirit gave them a word to speak, we shouldn’t listen and weight what they say?

Then, there’s the matter of mutual edification as well. Here’s two passages to remind us of this morning:

Colossians 3:16 ESV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Mutual ministry. Shared teaching. Building one another up. Not passively sitting and possibly listening. Again, this does NOT diminish the formal teaching or the role of pastor/teacher. After all, remember the words of 1 Tim.5:17.

1 Timothy 5:17 ESV

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

But, it does mean that we all have a responsibility to one another to get our noses in our Bibles so that we may edify one another according to the truths of Scripture.

Everyone Studies Scripture

Let’s consider this powerful verse in 1 John.

1 John 2:27 ESV

But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you.

1 John 2:27 ESV

But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

Notice the first part. The Spirit dwells in us so that we have “no need that anyone should teach” us. John is letting us know that if you have the Holy Spirit…and anyone who has surrendered their life to Jesus in faith HAS the Spirit…then ultimately, the ball is in your court.

But, that does give us reason to pause. Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? Have you heard and responded to the good news about Jesus? (SHARE THE GOSPEL)

When we come to Jesus and we surrender our lives to His rule, something amazing happens. We are born again. We pass from death to life. We receive a new heart with brand new desires, chief among them is the desire to know Jesus more and more. That’s a big reason why Paul writes what he does in Philippians 3:10 (“that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”).

What about us? Do we know Christ? Do we hunger and thirst for the things of Christ and His Word? I want to encourage you with something beautiful that happens by the Spirit and in our lives:

As the Spirit personally teaches us — not through a mediated relationship, but a personal relationship — He causes us to grow and remain faithful, until the day that Christ returns.

We are children of God (1 John 3:1), and

we have the assurance that we will see Him as He is (1 John 3:2), even

face to face (1 Cor.13:12).

Once we understand this, that the Spirit is leading this and empowering this and working in us to bring this about, we begin to see Bible study not as a burden, but a blessing, not as a task impossible for us, but necessary and powerful for us.

Learning to listen to the Spirit becomes paramount as we study our Bibles and seek to live according to its truth. He teaches us. He guides us. As Dr. Black points out:

He’s “a teacher who is resident within us to show us the mind” of Christ, leading us to live like Him.

Don’t feel overwhelmed. Don’t feel like it’s too much. Don’t feel like you’re not smart enough. You know what, I haven’t talked to all of your 1st grade teachers, but you know what, there was a time when you didn’t even know your A, B, C’s and 1, 2, 3’s, and now look at us all. Some of us can even count to twenty if we take our shoes off! But, it wasn’t always that way. You started somewhere. And that’s what we do with Bible study.

Listen, I get that the task can be daunting, but get started. Then, take what you learn and share with your family of believers, around the table at home or in Sunday School or a Life Group. If you have a question, find one of the people you respect in the faith and ask them about it. And as you get going in the process, here’s a quick series of questions to ask that’ll get you going on the journey. These are all based on

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Am I being taught something new to believe?

Am I being corrected on an wrong belief?

Is there an action or attitude that needs to be dropped?

Is there an action or attitude that need to be adopted?

So as we consider the example of the early church, the call is clear: we too must be people who are deeply devoted to God’s Word. It’s not enough to know verses in theory—we must allow Scripture to shape our beliefs, correct our errors, guide our actions, and fuel our obedience. The Spirit Himself dwells in us to teach, convict, and lead us into truth, but we must open the Bible and listen. A healthy church is one where leaders set the pace in treasuring Scripture, and where every believer takes responsibility to study, share, and encourage one another in the Word. Let us then commit ourselves — both individually and together — to read it, apply it, and live it, so that like the early church, our lives and our witness might multiply to the glory of Christ.