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One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about teaching is witnessing the “a-ha!” moment. It is when the student has the lightbulb go on and suddenly a mysterious concept becomes plain to them. The teacher has just opened the door for the student, and the student now has the keys themselves. There is blessing for the student, but also blessing for the teachers. The teachers will be blessed themselves by the way they deliver that truth. Notice a blessed teacher and their qualities:
Blessed Teachers Will Explain. A teacher that is blessed by teaching will look at a passage and say, “What does the passage say and mean?” but then also say, “so what do I (and my students) need to know about this passage?” They are not content just to read the word of God to their students but explain the meaning (See Ezra 7:10).
Blessed Teachers Will Make It Plain. A teacher that is blessed will consider themselves in their students shoes and ask, “if I were sitting there, how would I want someone to explain it to me?” They consider age, maturity, response, potential questions, and responsibility with the word to make it plain for their students (Nehemiah 8:8).
Blessed Teachers Will Not Complain. Some students are more challenging than others. A blessed teacher will not grumble and complain against the student, but realize that patience is needed. “Longsuffering” is just that, and is an essential quality of a teacher that loves teaching and wants their students to do well (Col. 3:12).
Blessed Teachers Will Not Be Mundane. Think about the best teachers you’ve ever had. What made them great? With few exceptions, I believe, enthusiasm for the subject matter is probably #1 or #2 on the list. In Bible teaching we are teaching not only accounts, but true accounts. We’re teaching the God of heaven to minds who need to know Him better. What a great thing to be enthusiastic about!
Blessed Teachers Will Always Train. Great teachers don’t retire from teaching but always seek to find ways to encourage and help more people see more clearly. As we grow in Christ and never stop learning, surely the grace He’s given compels us to never stop teaching as long as we have life and breath (2 Tim. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).
Andy Baker
Graeber Road church of Christ
Rosenberg, TX