Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19940109.htm

TEACHING FROM THE BIBLE
Part II: The Teacher's Cooperation With His Overseer, The Chief Shepherd
(2 Tim. 1:6f,13f;1 Pet. 5:4; 1 Tim. 4:14; 1 Cor. 2; 2 Cor. 2:14ff; Rev. 3:14)
  1. Introduction
    1. When one gets involved teaching the Bible, he soon finds himself asking, "What just HIT me?!" He experiences stresses and fatigue that he was not anticipating before taking the task.
    2. There is a spiritual dimension to teaching that every Bible teacher must understand if he wishes to be blessed in effectively making disciples.
  2. The Teacher's Cooperation With His Overseer, The Chief Shepherd
    1. When Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:1-4, he mentioned the tears that Timothy shed over his work which included teaching, 1 Tim. 4:13. Accordingly, Paul encouraged Timothy to use his spiritual gift, cf. 2 Tim. 1:6-7; 1 Tim. 4:13-14. This command to Timothy reveals a principle in Bible teaching: one who teaches Scripture wars a spiritual warfare; thus, he must minister supernaturally to succeed!
    2. Accordingly, we look at the following dynamics for success in presenting the Word of God:
      1. Every Christian "shepherd" is accountable to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 5:4.
      2. That Chief Shepherd gave the following input for those who teach Scripture:
        1. Jesus Christ wants Bible teachers to utilize their unique spiritual gifts in presenting the Word, 2 T. 1:6f. One should not try to copy another teacher's actions, for he may not have the same spiritual gift emphasis as the one he copies, so such copying efforts will leave him using human ability, producing painful spiritual failure, cf. 1 Cor. 12:4-11,12-30.
        2. The teacher should always look to the indwelling Holy Spirit's power to preserve his doctrinal purity , 2 T. 1:13f. This equips the teacher to teach with confidence that he is correct in content!
        3. When he faces suffering in God's will, the teacher must handle those afflictions by depending upo n God instead of handling them in human strength, 2 Tim. 1:8. One can hand le any suffering coming his way if he serves in God's will, for God secures his ministry from eternity past, 2 Tim. 1:9.
        4. If the teacher is in God's will, God will equip him as the speaker and illuminate the mind s of those who hear him regardless of subjective events in the teaching process, 1 Cor. 2:1-5 (for the speaker's enabling when humanly unappealing) and 1 Cor. 2:9-13 (the hearer's illumination). The teacher must not gauge success or failure on events he sees in teaching. Though they produce visible results, spiritual advances themselves are not visible events, 1 Th. 3:5-8!
        5. The teacher must rest in the sovereignty of the Chief Shepherd over all who hear him teach, Rev. 3:14. (1) Jesus is the "Amen," the One who causes the godly to respond positively to teachers; (2) He is the "faithful and true Witness," the One who holds the carnal believer responsible to what the teacher says, cf. Jeremiah 42:5 (the only place in Scripture besides Rev. 3:14 where this expression is used, and there it is of carnal hearers who don't take Jeremiah seriously!); (3) Jesus is the "Head of the creation of God," the One rules over even unbelievers who hear Bible teachers!
        6. The Bible teacher must rest in the security of God's guaranteed ministry success for all of his efforts in God's will: in 2 Cor. 2:14-16, Paul reported that God always made him triumph in his ministry. 2 Cor. 2: 17 explains why: unlike many false teachers who corrupted the Word of God for unjust gain, Paul and his co-workers were honest in their lifestyles and teaching deliveries, and God consistently blessed this approach !
Lesson: If we teach without depending on the Holy Spirit, our best efforts will be of no eternal effect (Jn. 15:4-6), and we will suffer spiritual trauma in the teaching process. But if we teach a given party (1) in God's assignment , (2) focusing on using the spiritual gift God has given us in this effort, (3) depending on the Holy Spirit for our doctrinal accuracy preservation, for handling those afflictions caused in that teaching process, and for causing the disciple-making process to succeed no matter WHO hears us, and if we (4) deliver this lesson candidly, (4) God guarantees everlasting blessing !