5-Fold Ministry - Part 5 - The Teacher

REVIEW

Ephesians 4:11–16 The Message

11 filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher 12 to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, 13 until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. 14 No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. 15 God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. 16 He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

The Importance of 5-Fold Church Government

Gifting vs. Office

We are all called to operate in all of the governmental offices at varying levels from time to time.

THE TEACHER

One who teachers, imparts knowledge, instructs how to to something.

What is the purpose of education?

1 Here are kingdom revelations, words to live by, and words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life,[a] written as proverbs by Israel’s King Solomon,[b] David’s son.

2 Within these sayings will be found the revelation of wisdom[c] and the impartation of spiritual understanding. Use them as keys to unlock the treasures of true knowledge.

3 Those who cling to these words will receive discipline to demonstrate wisdom in every relationship[d] and to choose what is right and just and fair.

4 These proverbs will give you great skill to teach the immature and make them wise, to give youth the understanding of their design and destiny.

5 For the wise, these proverbs will make you even wiser, and for those with discernment, you will be able to acquire brilliant strategies for leadership.

6 These kingdom revelations will break open your understanding to unveil the deeper meaning of parables, poetic riddles, and epigrams, and to unravel the words and enigmas of the wise.

7 How then does a man gain the essence of wisdom? We cross the threshold of true knowledge when we live in obedient devotion to God.[e] Stubborn know-it-alls[f] will never stop to do this, for they scorn true wisdom and knowledge.

To choose knowledge before choosing a relationship with God is what ushered in original sin.

Tree of the knowledge of good and evil - they chose knowledge over life.

More obedience needed than knowledge.

The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 9:9–10 NLT

9 Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more. 10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

9 Teach a wise man what is right and he’ll grow even wiser. Instruct the lovers of God and they’ll learn even more. 10 The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship Jehovah-God. To receive the revelation of the Holy One,[g] you must come to the one who has living-understanding.

Knowledge puffeth up. Knowledge fills our carnal, or natural mind, breeding independence.

FALSE TEACHERS

Matthew 7:15 NLT

15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.

Wolf in sheep's clothing

Acts 20:28–30 NLT

28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. 29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30 Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.

2 Peter 3:3–16 NLT

3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” 5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. 7 And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. 8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. 11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. 14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. 15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— 16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.

Cautions to the Would-Be Teacher

James 3:1–2 The Message

1 Don’t be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. 2 And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.

Matthew 5:19 NLT

19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.