Teach This

“In the second place, combined with the earnest desire to become a pastor, there must be aptness to teach and some measure of the other qualities needful for the office of a public instructor.”  -Charles Spurgeon, Lectures To My Students

I remember the first time I walked up on stage at church to do anything.  I had done virtually no public speaking of any kind.  All I had to do was get up and read some scripture.  I was in high school, and to be honest I don’t know why I was asked.  I thought I was going to be really nervous, but as the time grew closer I grew more confident not less.  There were no butterflies, sweaty palms, or anything.  I went up there and read the scripture and sat down.  Over the years I have absolutely been nervous from time to time, I have messed up, I have done well, and everything in between.  Nervousness is not a measure of a person’s talent when it comes to teaching, there are many factors of which this may or may not be one.  For me though it was one of the clues that maybe I could teach and preach some day.  There have been several clues over the years.  Some however think they can teach when in fact they should not.

Over the years I have heard a lot of people who thought they could teach but in reality could not.  I have also heard some people who thought that they were not very good at teaching or preaching and still do a good job of that very thing.  Perhaps there is much more to determining our own ability to teach than our own thoughts and feelings about the issue.

I have watched the first couple shows of American idol for the last couple of seasons.  I always wondered why some of those people who were trying out didn’t first sing for a friend who would be honest with them about their own ability to sing and perform.  Perhaps it would have saved them a lot of trouble.  Sure it is entertaining for us, but I would think it is embarrassing for them.  Some of them just think the judges (especially Simon who is actually my favorite) are stupid and don’t know a good thing when they see it.  Maybe some of them go away and realize they are not as good as they thought they were and find something more productive with their life.

Scripture makes this demand for those who would be elders or “overseers” in 1 Timothy 3:2.  Of course a person can develop their ability to teach, but this is an important part of determining calling.  So how do we measure that?  I don’t know that I have a definitive answer, but here are some things to consider:

• Is the person able to understand Scripture
• Can this person help others understand scripture
• Can this person help others apply scripture in their life
• Humor and storytelling doesn’t necessarily make someone a good teacher
• Can this person keep the attention of the audience