TEACH AGAIN!
Terry R. Baughman

“If you will teach the believers these things, you will be known as a faithful and good minister of Jesus, the Anointed One. Nurture others in the living words of faith and in the knowledge of grace which you were taught” (1 Timothy 4:6 TPT).

We teach what we know. We know what we have learned. We learn what we were taught, either by instruction, example, or by our own mistakes. Life is a good teacher if we will continue to be a student.

Paul’s instruction to Timothy was to teach what he had been taught. He said, “You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus” (1 Timothy 4:6 MSG). The foundation was good. Lessons were valuable instruction from the true doctrine of Jesus. The commission continues to be, “Go teach.”

What should we teach? The Gospel that we have received, the declaration of truth we have heard, and the knowledge of grace which we have experienced. Simply teach what we have been taught! 

Faithful stewardship is not coming up with clever new lines and innovative expressions to impress others, but rather to communicate consistently the fundamental doctrine that we received from our elders. The words of Jesus were faithfully recorded and transmitted throughout the generations with purity and integrity. We can base our faith on the written Word of God, the truth communicated through preaching and teaching, and the community of faith living in fellowship with Jesus Christ. 

Our challenge is to nurture believers in this living word by teaching others what we have learned. If we accept the challenge and fulfill the commission, we, like Timothy, will be known as a good and faithful minister of Jesus. Let us teach what was taught! 


Theme passage:
“If you will teach the believers these things, you will be known as a faithful and good minister of Jesus, the Anointed One. Nurture others in the living words of faith and in the knowledge of grace which you were taught” (1 Timothy 4:6 TPT).

TEACH AGAIN!

Terry R. Baughman
“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, … made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:5-6 NIV).
Twice Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. Initially, he declared, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2 NIV). He determined to speak with these believers in simplicity, relying only on the power of the Spirit to convince and convict them of their wrongdoing. He came to them with the simple message of Jesus Christ.
This theme continued in Paul’s second letter as he appealed to God’s revelation to bring understanding to the darkened hearts of those who did not believe the Gospel. Paul said, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV). He was emphatic that if we teach Jesus spiritual illumination will come from the same God who spoke light into existence in Creation. This is the God of Glory who was revealed in the face of Jesus Christ!
When we teach and preach Jesus Christ is the source and supply of everything, He will bring revelation and understanding to those who previously did not have the ability to see. The ministry of Jesus was to bring vision and understanding. He revealed that He was sent, “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18 NIV). Though He healed many physical infirmities in His ministry, of greater significance was the spiritual healing that came. Jesus said, “Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear” (Matthew 13:16 NIV).
His light has come! Let us proclaim the good news: Jesus is the light of the world and He saves, so that all may see that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! 




Theme passage:
“If you will teach the believers these things, you will be known as a faithful and good minister of Jesus, the Anointed One. Nurture others in the living words of faith and in the knowledge of grace which you were taught” (1 Timothy 4:6 TPT).

TEACH AGAIN!
Terry R. Baughman

“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” (Matthew 28:20 NKJV).

Following the Great Commission, Jesus continued His instruction to teach the things He taught the disciples. It was personal. It was direct: “Go. Teach. Baptize. Then teach those you baptized.” This is the process. This is discipleship.

The Good News is not meant to be kept safe, guarded, and secretly shared to a closed membership. It was never intended to be exclusive, available only to those with the special handshake or a passcode. The Good News is not good or news if it is suppressed or preserved for regulated delivery. Rather, the good news is to be shared instantly, passionately, and consistently. 

The spread of the message of Christ was propagated by passionate new believers whose lives were transformed by the baptism of fire, the new birth of the Spirit. These followers who became disciples, became teachers of the things they had just learned and experienced. Others noticed that they were not trained in theology or those schooled as professional teachers. When the crowd who saw the healing of a lame man, “perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13 NKJ). Jesus makes the difference.

Jesus took twelve individuals from various vocations and backgrounds, taught them principles of the kingdom, challenged their traditions, and filled them with a passion to make an impact in their world. Then He commissioned them to teach others in the same way. This is our model and our message. Teach those who believe to teach. We can change our world!


Theme passage:
“If you will teach the believers these things, you will be known as a faithful and good minister of Jesus, the Anointed One. Nurture others in the living words of faith and in the knowledge of grace which you were taught” (1 Timothy 4:6 TPT).

TEACH AGAIN!
Terry R. Baughman

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19 KJV).

The passage is known as the Great Commission. It is some final instructions by the Lord to His disciples. The emphasis was to go, and teach, and baptize believers. The next verse further instructs Christ followers to teach again! Jesus said, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20 KJV).

In every account of the commission there is the intentional international focus. It was “make disciples of all nations,” “Go into all the world,” and “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations” (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47). Teaching and preaching was the mode of evangelism. Reach the world by teaching the things Jesus taught. Change the world by teaching the story of Jesus!

Sometimes the simplicity causes us to miss the power of the instruction. Just teach, and teach again! The world will be transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we simply tell His story over and over again. This is the good news. It is great news and will only be known as we share it to another individual … and another generation will rejoice in the revelation. 

We teach the nations by teaching individuals. Nations seems a little overwhelming, but we can teach a neighbor who is from another ethnic background. We can share the good news with someone we don’t really know, and someone who just dared to ask a question of you. Opportunities abound if we will just ask for His help and guidance. This was His plan and His instruction. He will not fail us as we attempt great things when we set out to Teach the Nations!


Theme passage:
“If you will teach the believers these things, you will be known as a faithful and good minister of Jesus, the Anointed One. Nurture others in the living words of faith and in the knowledge of grace which you were taught” (1 Timothy 4:6 TPT).

MID-YEAR RENEWAL!
Terry R. Baughman

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV).

Endurance is key to every success. Whatever we set out to accomplish will be met with resistance, obstacles, or times of discouragement. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Whatever is worth doing, is worth working at until success is achieved. These are all frequently shared motivational statements, but they echo biblical principles on the value of perseverance. 

Paul wrote about unseen hope and said that, “we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:25 NKJ). How do we eagerly wait? This waiting is not a passive pastime, but active involvement as we fill our time productively pursuing the things we desire. When we consistently work toward our goals, fulfillment will be seen in incremental accomplishments until the dream is fully revealed. Paul also said, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14 NKJ). The press is seen in perseverance. Paul encouraged believers in Romans, Philippians, and Galatians that we can succeed… if we do not give up!

Sometimes, perseverance is as simple as walking, placing one step in front of the other. If strength is limited and every step is an effort, we must keep walking, keep moving forward and never give up. Isaiah wrote that God, “Gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless” (Isaiah 40:29 NLT). 
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As we draw strength from on high, we will walk by faith, we will run with endurance, and we will sometime fly like eagles. We are assured a positive outcome if we will continue faithfully walking through life without giving up!



Theme passage:
“They will rise up on soaring wings and fly like eagles, run their races without growing weary, and walk through life without giving up” (Isaiah 40:31 TPT).