📚 The Third Motivational Gift – Teaching

Romans 12:5 – Amplified Bible, “So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ, the Messiah, and individually we are parts one of another – mutually dependent on one another.”

Romans 12:7 – Amplified Bible, “ . . . he who teaches [let him give himself], to his teaching;”

The third Motivational Gift listed in Paul’s letter to the Romans – and preserved for you and me – is that of “teaching.” The Greek word used to designate this Motivational Gift is “didasko,” which means “to give instruction.”

The primary use of this Motivational Gift of Teaching is the God-given ability to understand the principles and teachings of God’s Word and to clarify them to others. The spiritual impetus of those with this gift is that the Word of God go forth with understanding.

The motivation of a teacher is to make sure that the facts of his teachings are accurate so that the decisions that are based upon these truths will be correct also.

Guidelines for the teacher, given in Romans 12:11, are:

1. To be diligent in research
2. To have a fervent (literally: “glowing on fire”) spirit
3. To seek to serve God

CHARACTERISTICS OF A TEACHER

1. HE WILL VALIDATE INFORMATION

The teacher feels disturbed in his spirit when Scripture is used out of context and he will seek to validate truth by checking out the facts. When he hears important statements, whether given privately or publicly, he will desire to verify them. Feeling concerned that truth be established in every situation, his motivation will be to confirm that the statements are true, and accurate, so that they will, therefore, have the authority to bring spiritual freedom.
  
As Luke’s instructions to Theophilus, “my purpose is that you may know the full truth and understand with certainty and security against error the accounts 
(histories) and doctrines of the faith of which you have been informed and in which you have been orally instructed.” (Luke 1:4 – Amplified Bible).  The teacher cannot imagine anything more important than studying the Bible and feels that Bible study is foundational to the operation of all the gifts.

2. HE WILL DISCERN OTHER TEACHERS

A person with the gift of teaching will be alert to false teachers and will check out the sources of knowledge of others who teach. Because he assumes that others will want to know his qualifications, he often tends to give these before speaking – as Luke does – “It seemed good and desirable to me [I have determined] also after having searched out diligently and followed all things closely and traced accurately the course from the highest to the minutest detail from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3 – Amplified Bible).

3. HE WILL RELY ON ESTABLISHED RESOURCES

The teacher will gladly drop what he is doing to investigate a new area of knowledge. He loves to study and do research and he will go to primary sources to 
validate truth, as well as using accepted works of recognized authorities to further confirm statements that others make. (As those of Berea who “received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so” – Acts 17:11) 

4. HE WILL PRESENT TRUTH SYSTEMATICALLY

A teacher presents truth in a logical, systematic way and will feel more comfortable when material is laid out in an orderly sequence because he will want to know the events in the order in which they occurred (Luke 1:3). He will seek to develop, and use, a large vocabulary in order to present truth in a clear manner to others. 

5. HE WILL GATHER MANY FACTS

The teacher enjoys word studies and will often have a greater delight in researching facts than he does in teaching them. When he speaks, or writes, he feels 
constrained to give as many facts as possible. Luke had the Motivational Gift of Teaching, and his Gospel is the longest of the four Gospels; he includes information left out by the other writers, and he emphasizes the completeness of his account – (Acts 1:1). 

The teacher solves problems by starting with Scriptural principles. .

6. HE WILL BE THOROUGH

A teacher enjoys giving details that are not noticed, or mentioned, by others. Luke gives precise descriptions of events, conversations, circumstances and physical conditions, and he details more names, titles, cities, dates, events, and sidelights, than any other Gospel writer. 

7. HE WILL BALANCE SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE TRUTH

A teacher is concerned that truth be presented in balance and prefers to use Biblical illustrations rather than life illustrations, recognizing the danger of using personal experience as a foundation for truth. A teacher tends to remain silent until information has been heard, observed, and verified. Luke’s silence is conspicuous in the New Testament; none of his own statements are recorded. 

8. HE WILL PERSEVERE WITH ACCEPTED TEACHERS

A teacher tends to remain loyal to a mentor or a school as long as the truth of that mentor or school proves to be reliable, and he will do what he can to promote that truth. Luke demonstrated amazing loyalty to Paul, and his message, even though Paul was in prison and others had deserted him (2 Timothy 4:11).  

9. HE WILL SEEK TO CLARIFY MISUNDERSTANDINGS

If a teacher learns that his facts are wrong, he is willing to retrace his own investigation to determine at what point he got off the track. He will desire to use the same procedure in helping others who have strayed from the truth because his strong convictions, and opinions, are based on the investigation of faith – truth!

10. HE WILL PREFER TEACHING BELIEVERS TO EVANGELISM

11. HE WILL BE SELF-DISCIPLINED

Mix a good dose of seriousness with a lot of objectivity, add a love for truth and a inquiring mind, and you have the ingredients that make for the self-discipline, and emotional self-control, of the teacher. 

12. HE WILL HAVE ONLY A SELECT CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

Because common interest seem to be the prerequisite for the teacher’s development of close relationships, he is seldom drawn into superficial friendships. 
Because teachers prefer to be with close friends with whom they can discuss ideas and concepts, they tend to be aloof in situations of meaningless chit-chat. 

13. HE WILL USE TRUTH TO PRODUCE CHANGE

DANGERS THAT TEACHERS SHOULD BE ALERT TO:

1. BECOMING PROUD OF KNOWLEDGE

With the teacher’s thoroughness in checking out facts, he will acquire much knowledge and since – “knowledge puffs up” (1 Corinthians 8:11) – it is very easy for him to develop pride in his intellectual ability. He may display this pride by giving far more information than is needed to prove a point and by communicating as attitude, “It isn’t right until I check it our and say that it is right.” He is, also, slow to accept the viewpoints of others.

2. OVEREMPHASIZING CREDENTIALS

Many teachers attempt to control the dissemination of misinformation by requiring that other teachers take approved courses as part of their credentials. 
However, by depending only on formal courses, credentials can be overemphasized, and the practical wisdom of those whom teachers consider uneducated can be despised or minimized. In such cases, teachers make the mistake of concentrating on intellectual knowledge rather than on spiritual perception.

3. DEPENDING ON HUMAN REASONING

Since the teacher is able to use scholarly resources, he can easily give the impression that he is the only source of truth and that his “Motivational Gift” is more important than other Motivational Gifts. The teacher may resist the need to bring his intellect under the control of the Holy Spirit, and, thus, end up putting his scholarship ahead of the spiritual insight that comes through meditating on God’s Word.

4. CRITICIZING PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

A teacher may neglect the practical application of truth – and his motivation to verify all statements by the authority of Scripture may hinder him in making wider Scriptural application – because, as he focuses on textual studies, he may miss the underlying principles that tie all Scripture together (See 2 Timothy 3:16).

5. SHOWING OFF RESEARCH SKILLS

When a Christian with the Motivational Gift of Teaching shares a conclusion, he feels obligated to explain how he arrived at that conclusion because he often 
assumes, wrongly, that since he enjoyed the research so much, others will also. Concentration on research may also cause a teacher to live in an unreal world that he has created that, ultimately, excludes other people.

6. REJECTING SCRIPTURAL PRESUPPOSITIONS

If a teacher fails to subject his intellect to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, he will need to reexamine the “foundational truths of Scripture” that can only be understood by faith, because, if he does not understand Scriptural truths by faith, his theology will become the reorganization of Scripture around a philosophical basis of thought, and intellect.

7. PUTTING MIND ABOVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

The most effective way for anyone to keep his intellect under the control of the Holy Spirit is to meditate upon God’s Word day and night. Because the inspiration, and true meaning, of Scripture cannot be understood intellectually, but rather, must be discerned spiritually. For this reason, if a teacher fails to become might in Spirit, he will tend to become trusting of his own intellect. 

8. TAKING TEACHINGS TO EXTREMES

Truth out of balance leads to heresy and imbalance begins by studying doctrine out of its moral setting – (For instance: the second coming without its purifying hope – communion without self-examination – etc.) – as well as by separating related truths – (For instance, mercy without justice – grace without law – etc.). When a teacher teaches truth out of balance, argumentation and division are the result. The teacher may tend to be legalistic and dogmatic. 

9. ARGUING OVER MINOR POINTS

If a teacher depends on his own understanding, it is easy for him to reject an important spiritual truth based on his detection of a minor flaw in the presentation of this truth. He may further reject this truth because he is being asked to intellectually accept a conclusion without the knowledge of how the other person arrived at it.

10. BEING EASILY SIDETRACKED BY NEW INTERESTS

Because the teacher’s prolific reading will take him into all kinds of areas, and his research extends to endless subjects, he may find it difficult to focus on any one specific area. 

SCRIPTURES TO STUDY:

- Apollos – Acts 18:24-28; 1 Corinthians 3:6
- Aquila and Priscilla – Acts 18:1-3; Romans 16:3-5; 2 Timothy 4:19
- Timothy – 1 & 2 Timothy; Acts 16:1-3; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 16:10-11
- Thomas – John 20:24-28
- Luke – Gospels of Luke and Acts

To cap this off, the description of someone with the motivational Gift of Teaching would be someone who:
 
1. Tends to make sure that statements are true and accurate 
2. Desires to gain as much knowledge as possible 
3. Reacts strongly to people who make unfounded statements 
4. Checks the credentials of one who wants to teach 
5. Uses his mind to check out an argument 
6. Enjoys spending hours doing research on a subject 
7. Likes to find as many facts as he can on a topic 
8. Pays close attention to words and phrases 
9. Tends to be silent on a matter until he checks it out 
10. Likes to study material in a systematic sequence

How would someone with the Motivational gift of Teaching react in certain situation? 

Let’s say that someone spills a plate of food on the carpet floor, a person with the Motivational Gift of Teaching would probably react by saying 
something like . . .“The reason that it fell is that it was too heavy on one side.”   

If, for instance, a person with the Motivational Gift of Teaching were to visit a sick person, they probably would respond with something like . . .“I did some research on your illness and I believe I can explain what’s happening.” 

Perchance a speaker accidentally spills a glass of water that was on the pulpit while he was speaking, the person with the Motivational Gift of 
Teaching might retort with something like . . .“Don’t put the glass in front of you. Put it out of your way”

Motivation of the Teacher is to discover why it happened!

The person with the Motivational Gift of Teaching loves word studies – Paul’s urgent request was, “Bring me my books” (2 Timothy 4:13). He is very protective of God’s Word and will accept a new truth – only if Scripture can validate it. He checks everything out with the what he has already learned from the Bible. 
The teacher will make great use of outlines, staying with the truths he has planned to present. He prefers Biblical sources in his teaching, applying them to everyday living. He will study a text within its context. 

THE PROBLEMS OF THE TEACHER

He can be easily irritated if he is interrupted in his studies – or his presentation of a message. He has a tendency to “check every thing out thoroughly” before accepting it as truth. He has a grave desire to teach truth and constantly will go to the Bible to verify his teaching. His learning can become a sense of pride. He has a urgent need to tell personal experience to get his points across. He can become a cold individual and more “hung up” on books, rather than people. 

BIBLICAL - TEACHERS 

In addition to those in the Bible with the Motivational Gift of Teaching, and, of course, the writers of the Gospels, there is a young man in the New Testament I would like to tell you of. 

He started out with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, however, when they got as far as Antioch, he was tired of the trip and homesick, so he forsook them and went back home. 

When Paul and Barnabas was starting their second missionary journey, Paul said that he would not take this young man along with them again, because he deserted them the fist time. There was such contention between Paul and Barnabas that – Paul took Silas with him instead – and Barnabas took this young man that had abandoned them on their first journey. 

Each couple went their own way on their missionary journey and was successful in establishing churches in various places. 

However, this young man – who turned out to have the Motivational Gift of teacher – turned out so victorious in his ministry that Paul, in prison and about to die, asked this young man to come and minister unto him.  

This young man was later to write the Gospel of Mark – his name – John Mark! 

Listed below are the titles of the seven Motivational Gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8. You can choose any one – or more of them – and click on it to download and study. 

MOTIVATIONAL GIFT #1 – PROPHECY, PERCEPTION 
MOTIVATIONAL GIFT #2 – SERVING 
MOTIVATIONAL GIFT #3 – TEACHING  
MOTIVATIONAL GIFT #4 – EXHORTATION 
MOTIVATIONAL GIFT #5 – GIVING 
MOTIVATIONAL GIFT #6 – ADMINISTRATING (ORGANIZING) 
MOTIVATIONAL GIFT #7 – COMPASSION