In Matthew 28:19-20, we read the Great Commission.
“ 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.”
No greater commandment than to teach others about the love of God has been given to us. But do we do it? As the children’s education coordinator at our congregation, I have heard every excuse as to why we cannot teach.
“I don’t know enough.”
“That’s not really my age group.”
“I don’t have time.”
“Let the older ones who don’t have children in the classes do it.”
“I think their parents should do it.”
And the list goes on. Excuses can cover a multitude of reasons why we cannot do something, but God’s command should trump our desires, our fears, our laziness, and whatever else it is that hinders us. God didn’t call the best public speaker to speak to the pharaoh; he called a frightened Moses. God didn’t call the most educated Jew to be his disciple, he chose a rash fisherman named Peter. God didn’t call the Secretary of Education to be our children’s Bible class teacher; he called you.
When we choose not to teach, whether children or adults, we are choosing our own priorities over God’s command. If we don’t have time to teach, perhaps we should examine our priorities. If we don’t want to teach the rowdy third graders because that’s not really your age group, perhaps your perspective can change. You can build a relationship with those kids. If you don’t know enough, study more. If we think someone else should do it, we should remember God called all of us, young and old, male and female. He called every single one of us no matter our abilities or desires.
In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul is exhorting Timothy to stand strong in his faith so he can teach.
Paul wrote,
“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control”
This verse is often taken out of context to help us do hard things when this was Paul telling Timothy to teach boldly in the face of persecution. Our
When we have a spirit of power, we know that God can help us teach those whom we might be uncomfortable with. When we have a spirit of love, we will teach the children despite our time constraints. We will love them enough to perhaps change our priorities. When we have a spirit of self-discipline, we will study the Bible more accurately and use teaching methods to be the best teachers we can be.
Teaching is not just a command. It’s a reflection of our love for the people around us and the desire we have for all people to go to Heaven.
If we have a list of excuses as to why we cannot teach, perhaps we should examine our hearts as to why we do not want to.
