The Joy of Teaching

THE JOY OF TEACHING

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Then Jesus took his disciples up the mountain and, gathering them around him, he taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the

kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil

against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven,

for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

Then Simon Peter said, "Are we supposed to know this?"

And Andrew said, "Do we have to write this down?"

And James said, "Are we going to be tested on this?"

And Phillip said, "Is there an answer guide in the library? or Cliff Notes?"

And Bartholomew said, "What came after 'poor'?"

And John said, "The other disciples didn't have to learn this?!"

And Mark said, "Don't take the overhead off yet."

And Matthew went to the bathroom.

One of the Pharisees who was present asked to see Jesus' lesson plan and inquired of

Jesus, "Where are your anticipatory set and your objectives in the cognitive domain?"

. . . And Jesus wept.

Come, Follow Me

Jesus said in Matthew 4:19 Come, follow me,...

There is a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower."

The Preacher

I read this on Bro. David Owen's Facebook and just had to share it.

"The Preacher Is A Special Person. He serves a master he has never seen with his eyes. He follows a voice he has never heard with his ears. He walks a path so narrow there is no room for turning around. He lives by a book that was written thousands of years ago. He stands at the cross roads of life and faithfully points the right way to go! He stands between humanity and hell and pleads with sinners to repent! He preaches about a hell he will never see, and a heaven that is already his. He is the target for every demon out of hell and the subject of ungodly gossip. He is hated by many." - Dr. Ed McAbee, Northside Baptist Church, Gaffney, SC

Feed the Flock

Peter said in 1 Peter 5:2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;

The KJV says, "Feed the flock of God that is among you." His encouragement to the elders was that even with the tough times that were ahead for the church, they were to be faithful to feed the flock that God had entrusted to them. After all, Peter was merely passing on the last words of council that he had received from the Lord himself when he said to him in three times in John 21:15-17 to feed the sheep. That is the primary responsibility of the elder in the church (Acts 6:1-7).

I believe that far too many elders get sidetracked with other things, i.e. counseling, church administration, etc… These can be snares of the enemy if they are placed on par to or over the primary responsibility of the elder which is to feed the flock of God that the Lord has entrusted Him with.

Notice that Peter also says, "But eager to serve": This literally means "Do your job!" In the original it says, "Discharge your duties." Too many pastors are lazy and do not faithfully feed the flock. May that never be said of you or me.

A Touch of Humility

I Peter 5:5-6 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."  (6)  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

In the House at Bonn occupied by Beethoven there still is preserved the piano upon which the great master played, and which he used in the composition of his great music. Years ago, an American girl visited the shrine. She waltzed airily to the instrument and began playing a careless tune; and then, turning to the custodian, said, "I suppose you have many visitors here every year?" "A great many," was the reply. "Many famous people, no doubt?" said she. "Yes, Paderewski came recently." "I suppose, of course, he played on the piano?" said the girl, her fingers still thrumming the keys. "No," said the custodian, "he did not consider himself worthy."

This is the reverence of the great in soul. The flippant enter the hallowed places, the sanctuaries of the world, with light laughter and careless jest; they feel nothing in their shallow souls, and reduce everything to the flippant and commonplace; but the high-souled enter with bared heads, they take the shoes off their feet, they stand awed and in silence. "They do not consider themselves worthy."

The Painful Trial

1 Peter 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.

As incense, when it is put into the fire, gives greater aroma; or as spice, when it is pounded and beaten, smells sweeter; as the earth, when it is torn up with the plow, becomes more fertile; the seed in the ground, after frost and snow and winter storms, blossoms into new life, the closer the vine is pruned to the stalk, the greater grapes it yields; the grape, when it is most pressed and beaten, makes the sweetest wine; and linen, when it is washed and wrung and beaten, is made so fairer and whiter: even so the children of God receive great benefit by persecution; for by it God washes and scours and educates and nurtures them, so that through many tribulations they may enter into their rest.