What is the Teaching gift?

March 15th 2026

Series: Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Sermon Title: What is the Teaching gift?

Topic: What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and in this part, specifically APEST gifts.

Key Passages: ADD

Topic: Holy Spirit, Gifts, Teaching

Sermon Blurb: In today’s message, we will look at people who are gifted by the Holy Spirit to be a teacher and how that plays out in their lives.

***1st week ODD months add communion & target message at 15 pages.

***1st week EVEN months add space for dedication, baptism, or ministry highlight & target message at 15 pages.

***Green in sermons means illustration, something we are looking for a response from, and/or a picture that goes on the screens.

***Yellow means what is yellow will be on the screens and in the handout.

Dedication, Baptism, or Ministry Highlight (1st Sunday, every even month):

Sermon:

Hello, Family Church!

        Welcome, whether you are here in person or online.

Family Moment –

Start with something personal from your family life recently to help people get to know you.

Celebrate salvation/rededications/baptisms last week.

Celebrate new disciples and disciple-makers.

PAUSE

If you are new to Family Church, we are SO happy you are here today!

Today, we wrap up part of our series on the ways the Holy Spirit gifts us in the New Testament.

Today, we wrap up talking about the APEST gifts that we have spent the last 5 weeks on.

And to give you a little view of where we will go from here.

        Next week, we will start our Easter series leading up to Easter morning.

        ADD MORE ABOUT IT…..

The week after Easter, we will jump back into this series on the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.

        This part will shift away from the APEST gifts to other ways we are gifted.

        We will get into that passage we learned as kids in Sunday School if you grew up in church!

        The fruit of the Spirit…

        Hence why that tree behind me has fruit and presents on it!

PAUSE

But let me show you the APEST gifts one more time and do a brief review of them.

        And then we will dive into that last gift today.

Holy Spirit APEST Gifts: A-Apostolic P- Prophetic E- Evangelist S- Shepard T- Teacher

Four weeks ago, we spent the entire message looking at the Apostolic gift.

High level….

        Apostolic people are the leaders of leaders.

        The people who start new companies.

        Launch new initiatives.

        Bring new sports to a school.

        And so on.

Three weeks ago, we looked at people who are gifted prophetically.

High level….

        Prophetic people hear God and speak God’s heart

They call people to account

They reveal God’s perspective

They discern spiritual reality

And so on.

Two weeks ago, we talked about people gifted evangelistically.

High level…

        Evangelistic people are God’s salespeople.

        Or salespeople in general.

        The gather people.

        Cast vision.

        And so on.

Last week, we talked about people who are gifted to shepherd.

High level…

        Shepherds love to guide people.

Share people’s burdens.

Help other people.

        And so on.

This week we wrap up this series talking about people gifted as teachers and how that will play out in school, at work, and in church.

This gift is probably the easiest one to understand and explain…

        Because we all know teachers!

        And we all have been to some sort of school and delt with people with this gift.

PAUSE

For me…(Adjust for you)

This was my third gift.

Again, I was an Apostle.

Evangelist.

Teacher.

Prophetic.         Shepherd.

And if memory serves me…

        Interestingly, NONE of our Pastors on staff had this as their #1 gifting…

        Maybe that is why none of us are TV preachers!

PAUSE

And one last reminder…

If you were NOT here when we took the test to see all that…after service ADD PLACE TO GO…   

        Pick up that super short and easy test, and that will help you as we continue in this series.

        And if you are watching this online you can download this test under the resources tab on our website.

PAUSE

And if this is NOT your primary gifting…

Stay dialed in and take good notes today because this will help you!

Everyone has aspects of each gift, but most people have one or two dominant areas.

Your gifting can develop over time.

And all roles are equally valuable to the community.

PAUSE

So, jump into the Bible.

If you have your Bible with you —and I hope you do —open it to

Ephesians 4

New Person Bible Connection:

If you do not have a Bible, that is ok!

        After service, we will give you an AMAZING leather-bound study Bible!

Just go to ADD YOUR CAMPUS PLACE and get one for FREE!!!

Or you can always download the Family Church app and follow along on your phone as well.

Simply download the app and click "Sermon Notes" on the main page.

Here is something interesting about the APEST gifts…

These are all gifts given by Jesus.

Here is what the Bible says.

Ephesians 4:11-16

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,

And what church?

        Teachers…

That is the gift we are going to talk about today.

12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Let me remind you one last time…

Look at what Jesus said…

These APEST gifts have a clearly defined purpose by Jesus.

        Look at verse 12 in your Bible.

These gifts are “to build up or equip” the church…

        So, the people of the church can do “works of service.”

So, the PRIMARY reason we are gifted with these gifts by God is to build God’s church….

        Do not miss that in fact…

        Write it down one more time…

The primary purpose of the APEST gifts is to build up God’s church.

        (Repeat)

And it goes on to say….

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

You can stop reading there…

        Note those ending words.

“Each part does its work.”

We are all gifted differently by God, and that is GOOD!

PAUSE

So….

        Let’s talk about the gift of being a teacher.

PAUSE

The teacher is the person who loves to help others learn things.

The person who loves to see the light come on in another person.

The person who loves to elevate other people.

Teachers have a unique ability to care more about others' growth than their own personal growth.

Teachers:

Explain.

Clarify.

Defend.

And illuminate.

PAUSE

Look at the role description in your notes….

People who are gifted as a Teacher: • Transfers information and skills. • Shapes worldviews based on… • Form character, not just knowledge. • Revel truth grounded in research, not just opinion.

And those DOT DOT DOT’s are intentional because again…like we have talked about in prior weeks…

        Any gift can be used for God or not.

        Teachers can absolutely shape worldviews for God.

        OR culture.

This is why I pray for the teachers in our church and community SO MUCH…

        Because teachers have a MASSIVE influence on a child’s life.

        Most of our kids spend MORE time in school than with us!

        That is why we need to be VERY careful who we allow to teach our kids…

        AND US!!!

You need to be careful about which podcast you listen to.   

        What new stations you listen to.

        What books you read.

        What shows you watch.

        They are all guiding you…

ADD A PERSONAL EXAMPLE…

        This is why we homeschool our kids to be honest.

        We want to be the ones shaping our kids…not random other people.

I mean, I even saw this when I was getting my doctoral degree.

        Church…

        I had 3 professors teaching us.

        2 of the 3 I would NOT say had a historical Biblical perspective!

        In my entire class, I was by FAR the most Biblically conservative person.

        And if I was not strong enough to know my Bible and what it really teaches…

        I could have been guided away from a historical view of the Bible!!!

Teachers….you are SO important in life!!!

        You have no idea!!!!

A few more you will see in your notes and on the screens…

        Teachers:

• Form character, not just knowledge.

• Revel truth grounded in research, not just opinion.

PAUSE

Now if you are gifted this way as a student in school.

You’re the type of person who will help the other students who are struggling.       

You will help peers understand concepts.

You will enjoy school and learning.

You will help a coach’s let’s call it “passion”…translate into what someone needs to know to execute.

PAUSE

If you are gifted this way in the working world.

You will be the person a boss taps to train new employees.

You will clarify processes.

You will help teams understand the vision.

You create systems and documentation.

PAUSE

If you are gifted this way in the church world.

You will probably be a preacher.

Or a small group pastor.

Or discipleship pastor.

        You will want to be up front teaching.

Which funny side note (adjust for you).

        This is not me.

        I do NOT have the need to be up here weekly.

        But I know you are all use to me and how I preach and you do not like it when I am gone a lot…

        Which is true of the pastors at each campus.

        Which is why we try to have our pastors preach 3-4 weeks of the month.

PAUSE

So, let’s learn more about it from the Bible so you can better understand who God created you to be and what He created you to do.

Let’s start with what does “Teacher” mean Biblically?

        You will see the definition in your notes.

        Teacher: one who faithfully explains and applies God’s Word so that people grow in truth, obedience, and Christlike maturity (Matthew 28:20; 2 Timothy 2:2).

Their goal is not merely to inform the mind, but to transform the life by grounding believers in sound doctrine and wise living (Titus 2:1; James 1:22).

There are so many examples in the Bible of people who devoted their lives to learning to then teach others.

        Let me give you just a few.

A prophet in the Old Testament named Ezra…this was said about him.

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

A fun one from the New Testament was Apollos.

        He was a young passionate man…

        But still needed to learn more!

Acts 18:24-26 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus.

He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.

25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately,

though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.

Stop there for a second….

Let’s go back to what I said earlier…

Be careful who you learn from.

Apollos was a GREAT teacher.

Passionate for Jesus.

But he did not know the FULL story of Jesus…

So….

When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

When two other followers of Jesus heard this passionate teacher.

        They saw his gifting from God.

        They invited him over.

        And they taught someone who was ALREADY gifted by God what he did not know…

Because…again…you can teach anything.

        But if you want to be a Godly teacher…

        Well then, you need to teach from God’s perspective.

PAUSE

So, like with prior weeks…let me give you some markers from the Bible for Shepherd gifted people.

Let’s go back to our anchor verse…

Ephesians 4…

Verse 14 says:

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Ephesians 4:14

The church is always one generation away from confusion.

God gives teachers to anchor His people in truth.

So that faith is not built on emotion.

Trends.

Personalities.

Politics.

But on God’s Word and God’s Word alone.

Teachers help the church understand, believe, and live what God has spoke

        So let me give you some markers of teachers…

5 Marks of the Teaching gift: 1) You love to learn.

Hopefully you love to learn the Bible!

Teachers devour the Word.

Teachers are drawn to Scripture not out of duty, but delight.

They don’t skim the Bible—they soak in it.

Or any other subject they love.

Psalm 119:97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Matthew 4:4 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Teachers:

Read repeatedly.

Compare studies.

Ask what the text actually says.

Teachers hunger for the knowledge because they believe truth sets people free (John 8:31–32).

If you find joy studying—even when no one is watching—God may have given you a teaching gift.

2) You explain things clearly.

People “get it” when you speak

Teachers have a God-given ability to make complex truth understandable.

Nehemiah 8:8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.

Jesus modeled this constantly:

Luke 24:45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Teachers:

Break things down.

Use examples and repetition.

Bring clarity without dumbing down truth.

Teaching is not how much you say—it’s how much people understand.

3) You ask good questions.

Teachers see connections others miss

Teachers don’t just give answers.

They ask probing, thoughtful questions that lead people to discovery.

Jesus was the Master question-asker:

        Jesus often just asked questions of people.

Matthew 16:15 Who do you say that I am?”

Luke 10:26 What is written in the Law? How do you read it?

Teachers connect:

Scripture with Scripture.

Doctrine with life.

Old Testament with New Testament.

Theory with practicality.

Good teachers don’t just fill notebooks—they awaken minds.

4) Teachers love accuracy and depth.

Truth must be handled rightly

Teachers feel a holy responsibility to get it right.

Because truth shapes lives.

As I said…

        Teachers, you are far more critical than you realize.

That is also why Jesus' brother said this…

James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

AKA…

        Be careful what you teach teachers!

        Just because the school says you have to is not an excuse.

Rather…

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved… rightly handling the word of truth.

Teachers care deeply about:

Context

Sound doctrine

Biblical balance

Teachers don’t chase novelty...they steward truth.

If theological error bothers you, not because you want to argue, but because you want people grounded, you may be called to teach.

PAUSE

And let me give you one more…

5. You equip others to learn.

Teachers multiply understanding

The highest form of teaching is reproduction.

Biblical teachers don’t create dependence.

They create discernment.

        They create more teachers and leaders.

2 Timothy 2:2 What you have heard from me… entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

Ephesians 4:12 To equip the saints for the work of ministry.

Teachers help others:

Read Scripture for themselves

Ask good questions

Study with confidence

A true teacher is successful when people no longer need them...

PAUSE

So, let’s wrap this up talking about how this gift will show up in your life more...

Let’s start with the students.

If you are gifted this way as a student in school.

You’re the type of person who will help the other students who are struggling.       

You will help peers understand concepts.

You will enjoy school and learning.

You will help a coach’s let’s call it “passion”…translate into what someone needs to know to execute.

PAUSE

If you are gifted this way in the working world.

You will be the person a boss taps to train new employees.

You will clarify processes.

You will help teams understand the vision.

You create systems and documentation.

PAUSE

If you are gifted this way in the church world.

You will probably be a preacher.

Or a small group pastor.

Or discipleship pastor.

        You will want to be up front teaching.

PAUSE

Church, teachers give us the gift of clarity.

They protect us from falsehood,

guide us into truth,

and help us know God deeply.

Teachers keep our feet on the solid rock of the Word.

PAUSE

Let me give you a life application today.

        If you are new or newer to Family Church, we LOVE to end our messages with something for you to talk about with someone else.

        Something to help you apply the message to your life.

So here is this week’s Life Application…

Life Application: If you have the Teaching gift, pray about how you could use that to build God’s Kingdom more. If you do not, pray about how you could support someone who does in expanding God’s Kingdom. As a result of today’s message, I will….

Prayer:

        Make sure to do a salvation call!

Offering:

Thank you all for being here today!

        If you would like to continue your worship through giving, there are offering boxes by the doors as you exit, or behind me on the screens. You can also see other ways to give here at Family Church.

        You can also place any connection cards you filled out in there.

***Each week we want to highlight a different way to give.