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| JAMES LESSON #48 James warns: Don�t become many teachers! A teacher is to be a �servant� to you. It was a big �status� deal to be a teacher. Two types of teachers became prevalent. The first type of teacher was a �Kerigma� teacher. A Kerigma teacher was one who proclaimed the message of the gospel. Their message was one that focused on the fact that a) Jesus had come, b) had died for their sins and c)had risen from the dead. They explained that we had forgiveness of sin. This proclamtaion of the message laid the �foundation� for faith. Read I Corinthians 3:11 What is the �foundation� of faith? Jesus Christ. This is the beginning of salvation. The is not the �end� of salvation. What follows �meeting and inviting Jesus to take control of my life� is a journey on � to maturity � to Christlikeness. I have to grow in understanding. I have to learn what it is to be a �child of God.� It takes more � much more, than just �being saved.� It takes some pretty tough growing. �Desire the sincere milk of the Word� so that you may what? Grow there by. Obviously they needed teachers that taught �beyond� the initial moment of salvation. The second kind of teacher was a �Didache� teacher. �Didache� means �instruction.� The people would begin with a �Kerigma� teacher and end up working with a �Didache� instructor. People rushed to the forefront to be teachers. I want to teach! I want to teach! But God knew that in the authority of a teacher standing there as an explainer of the Christian walk - great influence was held � influence for good � influence for bad. The power would come through their �tongues� � in what they said � and what they taught. READ II Timothy 1:11Paul is writing to Timothy here explaining why he is a teacher. Get this: You should only be teaching if you have been appointed as a teacher � if you have the �gift� of teaching. You�ve got to understand that you will be held accountable for every word you teach. Why? Because what your tongue speaks can change the course of a person�s faith � for good � for bad. Titus 1:10-11 I watched a movie once where an �evangelist� would get up, proclaim the gospel and watch people stream to the altar. He�d leave the service, sift through the offering and wonder out loud � �How can people believe this stuff? It�s more than a movie- it happens. I�ve watched teachers get up and tell very broken people, �If it feels ok � go ahead �� only to watch husbands leaves wives � wives leave husbands because the �pastor� the �teacher� told them it was ok. We live in a society that longs for someone to tell them what to do � to take the responsibility for who they are off of their shoulders and just �tell them what to do, how to be, where to go� � to �fix� life for them. THAT, is a very vulnerable position to be in. The �tongue� can do a lot of damage in situations like that � steering the ship down a very very dangerous and wrong course. Matthew 15:7-9 Jesus is talking about teaching the �traditions of men.� - Doctrines in what you are �supposed� to believe. There are some people that have been so indoctrinated by wrong teachers that they will believe the traditions of that particular �church� or �denomination� over the Word of God. I asked a question several lessons back as to how to �know� which god is the real God? - The answer to that rests in using the Word of God as a �plumb line.� If you truly believe that the Word of God is just that, the Word of God, and you filter everything you�re learning through that sieve, it will clarify what is of God, and what is of man. How do I know that the Word of God is the Word of God? Personally I�ve studied it for years � and found no error of any kind. Historians have studied with great scrutiny it�s text and found no contradictions, no errors. It�s survived the test of time and withstood the scrutiny of man. Bottom line, I chose to �believe� that it is the Word of God � and have based my life choices on it because God �said� it was His Word. I have found that when I deviate from it, I get into inner trouble quickly. I have also found that when I don�t check out what I�m hearing with it�s truth prior to receiving it, I get into trouble. Whether you�re Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Zen, - fill in the blank: if you�re deeply searching and wondering � �Am I on track?� Line up what you�re looking at with the Word of God and see if it�s in agreement. If it�s not, pitch it before it �locks� you into �traditions of men.� If you don�t know �truth� you are extremely vulnerable to being misled � and when misled �spiritually� � you�re nearly destroyed in every other area of your life. I Corinthians 3:4-15 In the area of �teaching� � one man lays the �foundation.� Another man comes and �builds� on it. Notice that �gold, silver, and precious stones� are NOT man made � they are dug out of the depths of the earth with great work, sweat and toil. Also notice that �wood, hay and stubble� are easy to grow and not worth much. If you put all this stuff in the fire �what survives the heat? Certainly not the wood, hay and stubble. The gold, silver, and precious stones withstand the heat. He�s saying here that one man lays the foundation � another man comes and builds on it. BE CAREFUL how you build. This is a strong warning to teachers. Why be careful? Because every man�s work will be tested to see of what quality it is. As a teacher what did I build with? Did I study? Was I aware I would be held accountable for every word? Was I aware of the influence I had? Did I use the time I was �given� wisely � or just throw something together at the last minute to �fill in the hour?� As a teacher � how did I build? And, with �what� did I build? Did I build with what �I conceived?� � or with �truth� from God�s Word? Look at I Corinthians 3:15 Who will be saved? The teacher. What you teach is very important � it�s also very important that as a student you give �extreme caution� to who you listen to. If you constantly live under wrong teaching, it will eventually have an effect on you. The tongue of a teacher can change the course of a person�s faith. Read Revelation 2:20 Here he�s talking about a harlot teacher that has �led My people to sin� - This teacher has taught them in such a way that some of them have begun to eat things sacrificed to idols, and others have gotten involved in immorality. You say � well that was then, this is now. Nobody does that now. Wrong. I�ve heard story after story after story of women working with pastors and or priests and ending up in bed with them. Or women working with a psychiatrist and ending up in bed with them. Or men praying with women at the altar and ending up in bed with them. Ok � go figure. How can that happen? These are all well intentioned people � doing �good things.� Why is James �pounding home� this issue of accountability for the teacher? Because when you sit under a teacher you�re wide open to receive � you�re trusting � open � taking things to heart. After all, how could my pastor be wrong? How could my psychiatrist be wrong? How could my Sunday School teacher be wrong? They�ve studied � they know � who am �I� to doubt them? You are wise to question. Who are you to doubt them? According to Jesus? He said, �Don�t call him �Rabbi,� � I am your teacher. You..are both brothers. I�m the One with the answers. He�s merely the one with a calling. He has no �inside� advantage. I want to leave you with a short story, written by Max Lucado. Long ago, or maybe not so long ago, there was a tribe in a dark, cold cavern. The cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long they wailed. It was all they did. It was all they knew how to do. The sounds in the cave were mournful, but the people didn�t know it, for they had never known �joy.� The spirit in the cave was death, but the people didn�t know it, for they had never known life. But then, one day, they heard a different voice. �I have heard your cries,� it announced. �I have felt your chill and seen your darkness. I have come to help.� The cave people grew quiet. They had never heard this voice. Hope sounded strange to their ears. �How can we know you have come to help?� �Trust me,� he answered. �I have what you need.� The cave people peered through the darkness at the figure of the stranger. He was stacking something, then stooping and stacking more. �What are you doing?� one cried, nervous. The stranger didn�t answer. �What are you making?� one shouted even louder. Still no response. �Tell us!� demanded a third. The visitor stood and spoke in the direction of the voices. �I have what you need.� With that he turned to the pile at his feet and lit it. Wood ignited, flames erupted, and light filled the cavern. The cave people turned away in fear. �Put it out!� they cried. �It hurts to see it!� �Light always hurts before it helps,� he answered. �Step closer. The pain will soon pass.� �Not I,� declared a voice. �Not I,� agreed a second. �Only a fool would risk exposing his eyes to such light.� The stranger stood next to the fire. �Would you prefer the darkness? Would you prefer the cold? Don�t consult your fears. Take a step of faith.� For a long time no one spoke. The people hovered in groups covering their eyes. The fire builder stood next to the fire. �It�s warm here,� he invited. �He�s right,� one from behind him announced. �It�s warmer.� The stranger turned and saw a figure slowly stepping toward the fire, �I can open my eyes now,� she proclaimed. �I can see.� �Come close,� invited the fire builder. She did. She stepped into the ring of light. �It�s so warm!� She extended her hands and sighed as her chill began to pass. �Come everyone! Feel the warmth,� she invited. �Silence woman!� cried one of the cave dwellers. �Dare you lead us into your folly? Leave us! Leave us and take your light with you.� She turned to the stranger. �Why won�t they come?� �They choose the chill, for though it�s cold, it�s what they �know.� They�d rather be cold than change.� �And live in the dark?� �And live in the dark.� The now-warm woman stood silent. Looking first at the dark, then at the man. �Will you leave the fire?� he asked. She paused, then answered, �I cannot. I cannot bear the cold.� Then she spoke again. �But nor can I bear the thought of my people in darkness.� �You don�t have to,� he responded, reaching into the fire and removing a stick. �Carry this to your people. Tell them the light is here, and the light is warm. Tell them the light is for all who desire it.� And she took the small flame and stepped into the shadows. The only limits, as always, those of �vision.� Those who �direct our vision� can limit us to �traditions of men,� or release us into �intimate faith.� Be not many teachers � for every word you utter, will be called into accountability. More tomorrow! Loving you, Robin �copyright Jim and Robin Hibschman 2001 |
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