We’re continuing our thoughts surrounding the church in Jerusalem in our efforts to reignite our zeal and passion for being the Lord’s church. We know that all we say and do is in God’s service, and we also should recognize that we are always His church. In Acts 2:42-47, we read:
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Today, we’re going to look at that first verse, devoting ourselves to teaching. Teaching takes work. I’ve never heard someone say teaching is easy, that they have too much time to prepare, that they have too much help, that they receive too much praise, or that keeping students focused is too easy. Teaching methods change. Learning styles change, and anyone who has had experience teaching can attest to these challenges.
Growth Through Teaching
A part of being God’s church is caring about the spiritual growth of every member of our church family, and we have to care about those outside the church to want to bring them to Christ. In Acts 5:42, we the earliest of churches teaching day after day. Each day was seen as an opportunity, and Acts 28:23 shows them not only working daily but teaching all day as well. We are to never give up in our efforts to spread God’s word and encourage one another.
Ephesians 4:11 talks about our responsibility to work together to attain unity and spiritual maturity, and that teaching makes us spiritually stronger, less likely to be swayed by others. Then, Hebrews 5:11-14 reminds us that there are times when we should focus on teaching and times when we should focus on learning more. We attain knowledge, and we share that knowledge, always searching for more to know and share.
Taking Teaching Seriously
There is serious responsibility involved with teaching as we should. James 3 speaks to the strictness by which teachers will be judged. We have to take it seriously. Matthew 5:19 warns us against teaching from His word incorrectly. Also, I Timothy 4:11 tells us we should be an example when we teach. The things we teach should be seen in our lives, regardless of our age. Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, there is always someone you can help.
We will sometimes err when we teach, but we all need to be willing to help each others when we fall short of the mark. We need to be more like Aquila and Priscilla, helping each other spread the word more perfectly.
Being Responsible for Teaching
Ephesians 6:4 and II Timothy 3:15 speak to the responsibility of parents (and grandparents) to teach. We may look to others to teach our children, but ultimately, the spiritual health of my children come back to me. Still, we see that we all have responsibility for one another and each other’s children in Titus 2, training one another up to be better Christians. We teach each other God’s will, soundness of speech, self control, humility, and much more. Every one of us are teachers in some capacity, even when we don’t realize it.
People of that first church looked for every opportunity to build up and teach. Everywhere is the right place, and every time is the right time. We should always be helping each other and edifying one another however we can, however small or simple those moments are. Our actions speak more loudly than we realize, and our examples can spread a message you may not even know how to put into words. We want to help each other grow spiritually, and, even though we know its a difficult task, helping each other get to Heaven is worth it.
lesson by Ben Lanius
