What image comes to mind when you hear the word “teacher”? I think of Mr. Miller, my high school English teacher who busted my twin brother Roger and me for swapping seats in class so I could sit next to a girl I liked. Everything was fine until Roger raised his hand to ask a question and Mr. Miller said, “Yes, Ronald?” Startled, I replied, “What?” Ahhhh, the look on his face!

When you look in the mirror, do you see a teacher in the reflection? Should you?

In our current culture, we’ve reduced the word “teacher” to a profession and absolved ourselves of any responsibility to teach anyone anything. Sadly, many parents have defaulted to the public education system to train their children, ignoring this biblical mandate from Scripture: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, ESV).

How is that working out for us?

Let’s try another word — disciple. What image comes to mind? The 12 guys at the table with Jesus? When you look in the mirror, does the word “disciple” come to mind? If you are a Christian, it should.

The Greek word most often translated as disciple in the New Testament is mathetes. Vine’s Dictionary explains, “A disciple was not only a pupil, but an adherent; hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher.”

That fits with what we read in Acts 11:26: “And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” The disciples in this case were those who became believers in Antioch, not the 12 disciples who followed Jesus. They were called Christians because they were imitators of their Teacher, Jesus Christ.

While there is a spiritual gift of teaching (Romans 12:7 and 1 Corinthians 12:28), every disciple is called to a measure of teaching so that we can make other disciples. When He gave the Great Commission, Jesus told the Twelve, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Teaching may sound kind of scary to some of us, but we need to remember that God does not ask anything of us that we aren’t capable of doing with the help of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told us this:

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13)

It is incumbent upon us to become familiar with the material we are to be teaching. The Holy Spirit will make the Word of God “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Father, We ask that You, by Your Holy Spirit, would lead us into Your Word, teaching us those things You would have us learn so that we might be imitators of the greatest Teacher the world has ever known, Jesus, Your Son, and our Savior and King. We ask in His name and for His Glory. Amen!

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!