Teaching others
to teach
Purpose: To
understand that as a Christian that is no our walk to walk alone. We must train
up a child in this case a new Christian so that they can walk in the light and teach others. We are to be disciples and disciplers!
Key verse: Matthew 10:26-27
“26"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will
not be made known. 27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim
from the roofs.”
How are you at using your power of speech? Think about it do you wag your
tongue a lot but never back up your words with actions?
One lesson my Father taught me was that I would have a hard time going it alone.
It is better for me to teach another what I know and let him be a co laborer than to try to the task at hand by myself
and fail. Of course this will take some humility I my part because I must admit
that I need help from others. I also must admit that part of my purpose for being
here is to not only help myself but to also help others.
What is you definition of empowerment?
Christ was good at empowering others. He saw the benefit in teaching the
word and then through encouragement to follow the pattern set before go into all the land teaching and preaching whoever they
cam into contact with so they may do the work set forth by the Father and also by the Son.
Empowerment is helping others see their full potential and then acting upon that potential. In essence helping them see the vision God has set for them and then helping them to carry out their calling.
Read Matthew 10:8 and then let God help you carry out the essence of the verse with fellow believers.
God’s Help in Helping Others
What is your attitude towards helping or empowering others?
Do you feel that you are obligated to empower others? Why or Why Not?
Do you feel that God calls us to go forth and not only teach others but also to empower others to do the same?
Read 1 John 3:18 and write down what this verse means to you.
As Christians we know that God calls us to do things we might not ordinarily do.
For some people this means that they will have to come off the bench and help those people that they come in contact
with. A Christian’s ministry of helping others can be as simple a task as mending a fence or as complex a task as discipleship
of a new believer. We are all called by God to empower others as we are empowered
ourselves. The word empowerment can strike fear into the hearts of many
a poor soul mainly due to people’s misconception over the definition of the word.
What does the word empower mean to you?
To empower someone means giving others the ability to succeed and grow at whatever they are doing.
God helps us help others. God empowers us to do His work here by
using the knowledge and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that when
He went back home to be with the Father that He would leave behind one who would be our strength and guide. It is through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that we can empower others.
What does the idea of God’s empowerment mean for us?
Pray for Ways to Empower Others
Being confident of
this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ . . . " (Philippians
1:6).
"That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death . . . " (Philippians
3:10).
If you look at these
two verses you might think that they do not have anything to do with our empowerment by God to do His work here on earth. If you look at Philippians 1:6 it states, “he hath or has begun a good work
in you”. This verse clearly shows that God has begun a good work in us
through not merit or work of our own but as Philippians 3:10 through the “power of his resurrection”. Our empowerment comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without
the resurrection of Jesus we have no ground on which to stand but the sinking sand.
Our empowerment is
built upon that which Christ performed and it is through that empowerment that we must go forth and empower others. This does not mean that we somehow transfer power from one person to another like some electrical current
when two wires touch. No, it means we must use the gifts that God gives us and
through His power help others reach their full potential for the Lord. The problem is that on the surface we
do not know or have the power ourselves to do this
Read the following verse to discover what God says about how we are to discern what to do when you feel you are called
to empower or help a fellow believer. After your read each verse write down the
main idea of each verse as it pertains to your outward life for Christ.
Maybe there is some aspect of your outward life that you may find that you have been ignoring or putting on the back
burner for a number of years.
Colossians 4:2-4
1 Timothy 2:1-4, 8.
Colossians 4:12
Ephesians 1:16-19a
Ephesians 3:14-21
What do all these verses have in
common?
The idea that we are to pray for
others so that they may be built up and remain strong in God. These verses
also bear with them the idea that we are to ask for specific ways in which we can help others in their daily walk. You could also, as you pray for others, ask God to give you specific ways in which you can empower others
so that they may also pass on their faith and knowledge to those Christians they come in contact with so that no believer
can work up to their full potential in their daily walk with Christ.
Pay Attention and Enhance
We fail to see because we don’t take the time to look. Jesus
was the best at seeing what was in front of Him. If you and I were going
to choose the 12 disciples would we have picked Peter or James or John? I don’t
think so. Think about it Jesus chose a bunch of guys who were fishermen. Why? Because Jesus saw the potential
in each of the 12 disciples and was able in the time He had with them to empower them to greater heights then they expected.
I want you to take a good look at another person around you. What do
you see, many different descriptions right??? Some about clothing, some about
personal appearance, some about what I do.
Read the following Bible verses
Hebrews 9:11-14,
Psalm 146
Mark 12:28-34
Now, think about the people you come in contact with in a typical day, or if you like you can pick a close friend or
friends, then write out a vision statement on how you can begin to see them as Jesus would see them and on how you can help
empower them to do there best.
Then take the time to meditate on specific ways you can put your vision statement to work. I took my vision and turned it into this Bible study and companion website. teachmyneighbor.com. With prayer, vision and God’s power you can empower others to do likewise.
In the end you need to be aware of what you are doing, because you actions can help guide or they can help hinder someone’s
abilities.
Be Aware, Be Very Aware
We don’t see, because we aren’t looking. I recently attended
the funeral of a 16-year-old girl. In life this girl appeared to be your typical
outspoken teenager, but at her funeral service I found out what a faithful, dedicated servant she was. She was always helping out around church and helping her friends whenever she could. This girl exhibited in her life all the attributes we should love, and kindness and the ability to see
others for who they could be.
She saw the world around her and was not afraid to step in when there was a need that had to be met. This is a good
example of how we fail to see the truth that is set before us. When we saw this girl we saw a teenager when God saw her heart
he saw someone who could be empowered and in turn could empower other. Jesus
had a lot to say about failing to see what is right in front of our own eyes.
Read the following verses and in your own words describe how they relate to you and your life.
Mt 13:13 -
For this reason I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do
not listen or understand.
Lu 8:10 -
So He said, "To know the secrets of the kingdom of God has been granted to you, but to the rest it is in
parables, so that Looking they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.
Jesus says in these two verses that He was using parables because when the people went looking they would not see. This was due to the hardened heart of all but a chosen few who saw Jesus for who He
is, the Son of God. Though these verses do not directly pertain to our
spiritual eyes because we understand who Jesus is and have given our lives to Him. If
we look at the abstract of these verses we will see that many times we fail to see the needs of others over our own because
we do not open our hearts to the leading of the Holy Spirit. This means
all that we don’t see and don’t understand what is going on around us.
Live as Though You Are Alive
To many Christians live as though they were dead. Each day they fail to
see the futility in living a life separate from Christ. These are the type of
people who do not feel the joy of life and wonders of God’s love. We cannot
live our lives on our own. If you don’t believe me try and see what happens.
To empower others we must first be empower ourselves. In modern psychology
there are thousands of books that talk about how we are the center of our own little universe and that we can empower ourselves
by simply believing that we have the power to change in and of ourselves. While
it is true that we do have to make a conscious decision on whether we want to change or not, that decision is centered on
the empowerment of God. It is through Him that all change is relevant and positive. It is also though God that we will the alive and useful and this enthusiasm will carry
over into our relationship with others. We have to believe that it is through
the power of God that we empower others.
Now on the flip side is the idea that if we go around feeling as the writer of Lamentations did that everything is
useless and not worthwhile then others will see that we have a pessimistic view of our relationship with Christ. This pessimism will lead to a negative empowerment towards others, which will draw them away from the Lord. So you need to think about your relationship in light of the question:
What does it really mean to me to live as though I were alive? This
requires you to look deep inside and to brutally analyze why you live your life. Don’t
hold anything back because how you see yourself in this exercise may be how others see you.
What that means is that people see us for whom we act as not who we are. That
is why the Bible stresses the importance of living like we are alive not like we are still dead. Too many Christians think that they can live like the walking spiritually dead people around them. These are the type of people who would rather blend in then become leaders who empower
and enrich the others around them. Part of empowerment is acting like you want
others to act. Sound familiar. How
do you act, alive or dead?
Read the following verses and write down the actions of a live person.
1 Corinthians 13
Galatians 5:22
Philippians 4:8
Colossians 3:12-16
All of these lists are describing
the traits of a person who is alive, alive in Christ. Are you the type
of person described in these verses or are you still trying to do things your own way.
The Bible tells us through out, (Mt 7:16, 20) that one knows us 'by our deeds”,
that the Roman’s 7:4 that the church bear fruit for God , James 3:17 about being full of mercy and good fruit or Proverbs
11:30 which says that "the fruit of righteousness is a tree of life".
True empowerment is using the gifts
and talents that God has given us to assist others in becoming more intoned to what their God given gifts are and to help
them use those gifts in service to the Lord.
