The Teaching and Perceiving Gifts

The Teaching and
Perceiving Gifts
Romans 12: Romans 12:6, 7

Would you want to spend hours here?

The Teaching Gift
Teacher: to teach or give instruction

4 Steps of a Teacher
1. To Guard
2. To Study
3. To Do
4. To Teach

1. To Guard
Responsibility of Teachers

James 3:1 - Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Teachers communicate truth

Communicating the Word of God should be done in fear and awe

Teachers are entrusted with the very words of God!

Guard Knowledge: Worship & Teaching Work Together Malachi 2:5-7 My covenant with him [Levi] was one of life and peace, and I gave them [life and peace] to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong way was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

Teach Sound Doctrine: Titus 1:10,11,16; 2:1-7 Titus 1:10, 11 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Titus 2:1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

Titus 2:3, 4 [Older women] are to teach what is good…that the word of God may not be reviled.

Titus 2:7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned.

1. To Guard

- Teacher’s responsibility → guard knowledge
- Life and teaching must not revile God’s word
- People seek instruction from teacher’s mouth (and life)
- Teacher teachers WORD OF GOD
not own knowledge

Ezra (steps 2-4) Ezra 7:6-10 6 - This Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the
Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

7-10 And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants. And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For on the first day of the month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

2. To Study

- Before studying, - Know your material
teacher MUST set his - Achieve mastery
heart on God - Most of teaching is
- God anointed Ezra
preparation (25/75)
- Ezra recognized need
for Word of God - Goal isn’t to impress
- Israelites in captivity - Goal is to present
for last 70 years Jesus (worship)

2. To Study
Apollos - Acts 18:24-28
Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of *Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the
Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
*Alexandria - intellectual center with world-renowned library

Apollos - Master Teacher Merges Teaching & Worship

Eloquent Skilled, trained in intellectual center, gifted by God

Competent in the Scriptures (dynatos - powerful) in the Scriptures (mastered material)

Fervent in Spirit Passionate about material (my favorite!)

Spoke and Taught Accurately “Guard knowledge” “true instruction was on his lips” (Mal. 2:6,7)

Spoke boldly in the synagogue Confidence comes from knowing what he teaches is truth

Greatly helped believers Used gift to serve and edify body of Christ

Powerfully refuted false teaching “Guard knowledge” taught “sound doctrine” (Mal. 2:7; Titus 2:1)

Showed by Scriptures Jesus was Christ “Guard knowledge” teaching became opportunity for salvation

3. To Do
This step set Jesus apart
- Many teachers skip
- Enjoy studying / researching Mark 1:21,22
- no application And they went into Capernaum, and
- “Do as I say, not as I do” immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And
- Ezra LIVED what he taught
they were astonished at his teaching,
- Titus 2:7 - “a model of good for he taught them as one who had works” authority, and not as the scribes.

Jesus DID what he taught; scribes didn’t
understand Jesus’ authority came from
relationship with Father

3. To Do Jesus’ actions accompany his
teaching Matthew 4:23-25 - Teaching in their synagogues
- Proclaiming the gospel of the
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their kingdom synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the - Healing every disease kingdom and healing every disease and every among the people affliction among the people. So his fame spread Jesus throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the - guarded knowledge sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, - studied (memorized Pentateuch, listened for God’s voice) those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, LIVED what he taught and paralytics, and he healed them. And great - Doing is what astonished crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, - Words had authority and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the
Jordan.

4. To Teach
1. Once you learn how to GUARD True teachers inspire
knowledge - Luke 24:32 Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he
When set your HEART towards God opened to us the Scriptures?
- As teachers our job is to open and interpret
2. After you STUDY your material the Scriptures for others AS THE LORD
OPENS IT TO US
3. When you DO it - Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses
4. THEN you are ready to TEACH it and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures things concerning himself.

Quiz Time!

Are you a teacher?

Perception: What do you see?

Perception: What do you see?
An old woman or a young woman?

Perception
“To separate mentally
or distinguish”

Prophecy vs. Perceiver
Greek word for “prophecy” - Perceiver - one who readily propheteia
- Perceives
- an inspired speaker
- Prominent idea of prophecy - Prays about
the inspired delivery of warning, - Proclaims
exhortation, instruction, judging - Promotes
and making manifest the secrets
The will of God
of the heart

Discern & Perceive
Discern Perceive
- bene - “to separate mentally - “To hear intelligently” or distinguish” - “To Stare”
- Dokimazo (dok-im-ad-zo) - Prophets stare :)
“to test; prove” - Staring / seeing into the
Spirit

Purposes of Prophecy
1. Build up the Church 2. Convict the Unbeliever 1 Corinthians 14:3, 4 1 Corinthians 14:24, 25 The one who prophesies speaks If all prophesy, and an unbeliever to people for their upbuilding or outsider enters, he is and encouragement and convicted by all, he is called to consolation. The one who speaks account by all, the secrets of his in a tongue builds up himself, but heart are disclosed, and so, the one who prophesies builds falling on his face, he will up the church. worship God and declare that
God is really among you.

Old Testament Example: Nehemiah 6:10-14
Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple.
Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” And I understood (perceived) and saw that
God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. Remember
Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

Old Testament Example: Nehemiah

What do you do when you perceive something?
1. Act on it
a. Nehemiah doesn’t give into fear about threats
b. Nehemiah doesn’t sin by going into temple
c. May not always act (ask God what to do)
2. Pray about it
a. Nehemiah asks God for justice against the false prophets / prophetess b. Nehemiah prays for God’s will in the situation, not for revenge

New Testament Example: Luke 3: 1-14
1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar…2 the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.”
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?”
Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise
12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
Collect no more than you are authorized to do
14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?”
Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages

New Testament Example: John the Baptist
What do you do when the Word of God comes to you?
1. Call out sin / Invite to repentance
a. John the Baptist recognizes sin and calls for repentance b. Remember 1 Corinthians 14 - prophecy calls the unbeliever to repentance
“convicted,” “called to account,” “secrets of his heart are disclosed”
2. Instruct in righteousness
a. John the Baptist doesn’t condemn but gives practical ways to live righteously b. REMEMBER that 1 Corinthians 13 - Love Chapter - is sandwiched between the motivational gifts and the gifts of tongues and prophecy, speak in LOVE

Attribute from Quiz: Easily perceives the character of others

Jesus Jesus
- Luke 20:23-36 But he perceived their
- Mark 2:8 And craftiness, and said to them, “Show
immediately Jesus, me a denarius. Whose likeness and
perceiving in his spirit inscription does it have? They said, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then that they thus questioned render to Caesar the things that are within themselves, said to Caesar’s, and to God the things that them, “Why do you are God’s.” And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch question these things in him in what he said, but marveling at your hearts?” his answer they became silent.

Attribute from Quiz: Has strict personal standards
- Isaiah 8:11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people
- Certain shows you can’t watch, activities you can’t do (Don’t judge others; just obey!)
- Called to a higher standard
- Psalm 24:3,4 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.

- Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Must keep your eyes, ears, mouth clean to hear and speak the Word of the Lord

Additional Biblical References 1 Kings 3:5-10 - Solomon asks for discernment 1 Chronicles 12:32 - Sons of Issachar had understanding of the times and knew what to do Isaiah 29:13,14 - God can hide discernment Luke 12:54-56 - Pharisees cannot discern times 1 Corinthians 2:14 - Discernment is Spiritual

Quiz Time!

Are you a perceiver?