You Can Teach!

By Susie Frederick

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt. 28:19-20

Many Christians make the honest mistake of believing that they cannot teach other people the word of God. But since God commanded us to teach the gospel, we can be sure that He will help us if we ask Him. Women are not to teach men in the public assembly (1 Tim. 2:12), but there are many other times and places when we will have opportunities to teach. Let us examine some of the “reasons” we may give for not teaching, and see what the Bible says about those “reasons.”

Like Moses, some will say, “I am not eloquent!” (Ex.4:10). God does not require us to be eloquent (fluent, forceful, and persuasive in speech), but He does require us to teach. He asked Moses, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?” (Ex. 4:11). God, who made us, knows our strengths and our weaknesses. He never demands that we do something of which we are not capable. So, since He does command us to teach, we must believe that He will help us to obey that command. Nothing is too hard for God!

Others are uneducated and untrained, like the apostles Peter and John (Acts 4:13). But that did not stop them from boldly teaching Jesus’ will. They knew what God wanted people to do, and that was enough education for their task. If we have been taught enough to know how to become a Christian, we can teach that much to other people. As we grow in knowledge, through study of the Bible, we will be able to teach the truth more fully.

Some people think that no one will listen to them because they are poor in worldly possessions. Do you remember these words of Jesus? “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20). The very Son of God did not even have a home to call His own. The riches of this world are not important to God. He wants us to “be rich in good works” (1 Tim. 6:18). If we are good examples, people will respect us, and they will be more willing to listen to our teaching.

We should not wait until we believe that everything is exactly right before we begin to teach. Begin now to teach what you know. Study more to be able to teach more as you learn. And remember that Jesus promised, “...I am with you always...” (Matt. 28:20), and God said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).