Introduction
Preaching and teaching the Word are sometimes thought to be synonymous, but is this correct? Let’s see what the Bible says, both by way of biblical instruction, and by inference from various examples.
Teaching under the Old Covenant
The Rabbi
Rabbis were Jewish scholars and teachers who held a central position in interpreting and transmitting religious knowledge. Their primary function was to study, interpret, and teach the Law of Moses (the Torah – the first 5 books of the Bible) to the Jewish community – both young and old.
Rabbis often served as local leaders, guiding their congregations in matters of faith, ethics, and ritual observance. Rabbis were responsible for legal decisions (halakhah) and moral guidance, emphasizing the practical application of biblical principles.
Under the Old Covenant the role of the rabbi in teaching Jewish children the Torah was crucial. Rabbis were not only spiritual leaders but also educators responsible for imparting religious knowledge and moral values. This included:
Moral and Ethical Instruction: derived from the Torah. This included lessons on justice, charity, and proper conduct, which were integral to Jewish identity and community life. Beyond the legal aspects, rabbis also focused on teaching moral and ethical principles.
Use of Oral Tradition: Much of the teaching was done through oral tradition. Rabbis would recite and explain the scriptures, ensuring that the children memorized and understood the texts. This method helped preserve the teachings across generations.
Community Involvement: Education was not limited to formal settings. Rabbis often taught in synagogues, homes, and community gatherings, making religious education a communal responsibility.
While rabbis played a significant role parents were also seen as primary educators. The family was considered the first school, and parents were responsible for instilling religious values and practices in their children from a young age.
Teaching the Children
A bar mitzvah (masc.), or bat mitzvah (fem.) is a coming-of-age religious ritual and family celebration in Judaism that commemorates the religious adulthood of a boy when he turns 13, and a girl 12. The term “bar mitzvah” literally translates to “son of commandment” in Hebrew, signifying that the boy is now subject to the religious laws and responsibilities of an adult. Once Jewish children reach that age, they are said to “become” b’nai mitzvah, at which point they begin to be held accountable for their own actions. Traditionally, the father of a bar or bat mitzvah offers thanks to God that he is no longer punished for his child’s sins.
Theological Schools
While rabbis focused on practical aspects, theological schools or circles emerged around prominent thinkers where students gathered to study and discuss religious ideas:
Pharisees: Among the most influential theological groups were the Pharisees. They emphasized oral tradition alongside written Scripture and believed in resurrection, angels, and divine providence.
Sadducees: In contrast, the Sadducees were more conservative and adhered strictly to the written Law. They rejected oral traditions and denied concepts like resurrection.
Note that Jesus found fault with aspects of both of their theologies: See e.g. Matthew 16:11-12 Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’” Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Essenes: The Essenes, although not explicitly mentioned in the Old Testament, were an ascetic Jewish sect. (An ascetic lifestyle involves strict self-denial, where individuals intentionally refrain from pleasure, comfort, and self-indulgence.) They withdrew from mainstream society, focusing on communal living, ritual purity, and apocalyptic expectations.
Schools of Thought: These theological schools debated theological questions, ethics, and interpretations. Gamaliel, under whom Paul studied, belonged to the school of Hillel, known for its more moderate and flexible approach. Paul claimed to be a Pharisee. See Acts 23:6-8.
The study of the Torah, also known as the Pentateuch, the foundational text of Judaism consisting of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and in later years along with the Talmud (an extensive commentary and discussion on the Mishnah, a central work of rabbinic literature compiled around 200 AD which documents a multiplicity of legal opinions within the oral tradition) all of which are regarded as Judaism’s religious texts, is considered of paramount importance among religious Jews. Torah study is counted among the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. In addition to full-time Torah study, Jews around the world often attend Torah classes in a contemporary academic framework.
Schools of Prophets in the Old Testament
Several prophetic schools existed in Old Testament times. Samuel, the prophet and judge, is often attributed as their founder. There were several locations where these prophetic schools existed:
Ramah (Samuel’s hometown), Bethel, Gilgal, Jericho, Carmel and Samaria.
The purpose of these schools was to train and nurture individuals who felt called to prophetic ministry. They provided education, spiritual formation and practical guidance for those who sought to serve as prophets. Students in these schools learned various aspects of prophetic ministry:
- Spiritual Disciplines: Prayer, fasting, and seeking God’s guidance.
- Scriptural Study: Delving into the writings of earlier prophets and understanding God’s word.
- Community Life: Living together in close-knit communities, fostering mutual support and accountability.
- Practical Training: Developing skills in prophecy, interpreting dreams, and delivering messages.
Prophets who emerged from these schools played pivotal roles in guiding the nation, challenging kings, and proclaiming God’s word.
Summary
Every Jew was taught the Torah, commencing at 5 years old, with their studies continuing throughout their lives. Training for the prophetic ministry was available for all who felt this calling.
The impact of the prophetic ministry on the Jewish nation was immense, and is clear to everyone who reads the books of the Old testament. The schools of prophets no doubt played their part in this regard. Their spiritual strength is illustrated in the following passage:
1 Samuel 10:10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group (or company – as if tied together) of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy.
The New Covenant
Whilst the Jewish nation accepted everyone who wanted to become a believer in Yahweh and committed themselves to obey all their laws as recorded in the Torah (also called the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Old Testament) and as amplified and explained in the Talmud (a collection of theological writings by their scholars) they never actively sought to convert anyone to their faith.
The commencement of the New Covenant, when Jesus died on the cross, threw open the door to salvation for everyone and, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to people from all nations on the day of Pentecost, a whole new approach to the leadership and content of religious services, as well as the recruitment of fellow believers, was set in place. Furthermore, Jesus gave his disciples a clear and direct instruction, the great commission to: ..go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Religious meetings on the Sabbath, typically held in synagogues, with prayer, reading of scriptures, and teaching were replaced with informal meeting of believers, with Jesus undertaking to be present amongst such believers wherever two or more gathered in His name (Matthew 18:20). The earliest meetings appeared to be very informal – Acts 2:46-47 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Later, Paul felt the need to encourage more order in the meetings – such as in instructing them not to all speak in tongues without waiting for the interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:27). The activities at such meetings, or at least the instructions for ideal activities at such meetings, seems to be best summarised in 1 Corinthians 14:26 Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. So there was to be worship, teaching of the Word, prophesy, the speaking of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. This should still apply today.
In Matthew 16:18 Jesus told Peter and the others disciples that He (Jesus) would build His Church, and later in Ephesians 4 we learn how this was to be done: as a gift to the church (all of us) Jesus gave us (the church) five gifts – the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and the teachers, whose joint responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and to build up the church, the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-12 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Let’s take a look at these five functions:
Apostles: ‘apostolos’ – an ambassador of the Gospel, one who is sent
Prophets: ‘prophētēs’ – a foreteller
Pastors: ‘poimēn’ – a shepherd
Evangelists: ‘euaggelistēs’ – a preacher of the gospel
Teachers: ‘didaskalos’ – an instructor, a doctor, master or teacher.
Apostles are typically the ones who plant churches in new regions, appoint elders to take over, and move on. They maintain contact with the churches, watch over them, and guide them in their doctrine. The first apostles had, of necessity, to initially fulfil all 5 of the above functions.
Plant churches: Paul established churches in places like Galatia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus. His letters to these churches, like Galatians, Ephesians, and Corinthians, also reveal his work in having founded them. Apostles are concerned with the welfare of the churches which they have planted, or that accept their oversight, in contrast with pastors who are concerned with the welfare of their own individual churches.
Watch over and care for churches: Acts 15:36 After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.” Acts 15:41 Then he travelled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there. See also 2 Corinthians 11:28; Galatians 4:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:11.
Guide their doctrine: Paul had to correct Peter who had gone back to the Jewish laws of not eating with Gentiles (Galatians 2:12) and to reprimand the Galatians for their morals (Chapter 5) and their ethics (Chapter 6) and to give them practical instructions about living as Christians (Chapters 7-11).
See also Galatians chapters 1 to 7 generally, especially 1:1-9, and 1 Timothy 4:16, where Paul encouraged Timothy to continue the good work and to take his responsibilities seriously for the sake of both his own and others’ salvation: 1 Timothy 4:16 Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.
Prophets act as God’s spokesmen, telling us the Lord’s plans in advance: Amos 3:7 Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until He reveals His plans to His servants the prophets. With the apostles, they help to guide the leadership of churches and to give direction to its members.
They also strengthen, encourage and help members identify their particular callings and functions in the church. 1 Corinthians 14:3-4 But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. 4 A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.
Evangelists spread the gospel, always on the lookout for who they can lead to Christ. Philip in Acts 8:5-40 led the Ethiopian treasurer to Christ and, after baptising him, was taken by the Spirit to the town of Azotus from where he preached the message all the way to Caesarea; he never stayed on to teach the Ethiopian the Gospel, or apparently anyone else.
Pastors are the shepherds of the church. Their job is to make sure their members are both fed the true Word and are protected from false teachers of the Word and all that is ungodly.
Acts 20:28-29 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock – his church, purchased with his own blood – over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. 29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.
Leaders’ here in Acts 20:28 is ‘episkopos’ – person in charge, leader or overseer – the leaders generally, so it is actually a joint responsibility of the elders to protect their congregations.
This concept of shared responsibility is echoed by Peter in 1 Peter 5:1 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: 2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly – not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. 4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honour.
Teachers
Teachers share the responsibility of the 5-fold leadership of helping to equip the members of the church to do His work and of building up the members, by teaching them the Word of God, effectively taking over this function from the rabbis. The apostles, and Paul in particular – as is evident from his letters, had to originally take on the role of explaining and teaching the message of the good news and all about the new covenant to everyone who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour but, as we see in Ephesians 4:11-12, Jesus has especially entrusted the teachers in the church with this function.
Paul states in 1 Timothy that elders should all be capable of teaching, and repeats this in 2 Timothy. This does not mean that every elder is called to the office of being a ‘teacher’ – or else there would have been no need for him to designate ‘teachers’ as a specific calling and function in Ephesians 4:11, along with the other leaders – the apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors.
1 Timothy 3:2 So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach.
2 Timothy 2:24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
Preaching
John the Baptist
In Matthew 3:1-3 we read that John the Baptist began ‘preaching’ a message of repentance, to prepare the hearts of the people for the coming of Jesus. The Greek word used for ‘preaching’ is
kērussō – to herald or proclaim, as a public crier, especially divine truth (the gospel), which occurs 61 times in the New Testament. The same word is, for instance, used concerning Jesus, as in Matthew 4:17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
Jesus
Jesus instituted a new order, the New Covenant, between God and Man. Salvation was no longer earned by obedience to the laws of Moses, but by grace – the unearned and undeserved gift of God, through repentance of sins and the belief in and acceptance of Jesus as one’s personal Lord and Saviour, and salvation from eternal judgment was now open to people of all nations.
Acts 15:11 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”
Ephesians 2:8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
This was the message Jesus brought, as He both preached or proclaimed the gospel, and taught the masses about the gospel – the good news of this new dispensation, as in Matthew 4:23 Jesus travelled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.
Teaching
The Greek word for ‘teaching’ is ‘didasko’ – to teach, which is used 97 times in the New Testament.
Jesus
We frequently read that Jesus both proclaimed the message of salvation, and taught everyone – in the towns and villages, in the Temple, in the synagogues, from the side of a mountain (Matthew 5 and 6 – the Sermon on the Mount), and from a boat besides the lake (the Sea of Galilee) (Matthew 13:2 and Luke 5:3).
Here are a selection of some of the scriptures that all refer to Jesus teaching the people – crowds of people, as in Luke 21:38 and in the story of the crippled man who had to be lowered through the roof to receive his healing because of the crowds (Mark 2:4). Jesus’ teaching was clearly not just for a select few!
Matthew 5:1 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them.
Matthew 9:35 Jesus travelled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing (proclaiming) the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.
Matthew 11:1 When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region.
Matthew 21:23 When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
Matthew 26:55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day.
Luke 5:17 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.
Luke 13:22 Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem.
Luke 21:37-38 Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. 38 The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him.
After His crucifixion Jesus appeared to his eleven disciples in Galilee and gave them His final instruction: to go and make disciples of all the nations, to baptise them, and to teach them to obey all His commands. From this we can clearly see that the teaching, especially the ‘new disciples’, was of utmost importance. Jesus did not tell the apostles to just go and preach the gospel to all the nations, or to encourage everyone to join and to become active members of a local church, implicit though each of these may be as part of the great commission, but to go and make disciples, and to teach them all of His commands.
Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The Apostles
The apostles, having been commissioned by Jesus to carry on His work as we have just seen in Matthew 28:19-20, and having received the power and the gifts to do so with the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), wasted no time in commencing with their work – starting with Peter’s bold speech to the crowd that was present, explaining what had occurred (Acts 2:14-41). The apostles then started to teach all the believers, who it is recorded ‘devoted themselves to the apostles teaching’. Acts 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. Imagine if we could say the same about our churches today!
As we read through the book Acts we can see how dedicated and energetic the apostles were in carrying out the great commission. In Acts 5 we read that the apostles were arrested and imprisoned and, having been freed by an angel, they went straight back to the Temple and ‘began teaching’ the people’ again.
Acts 5:18-21 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!” 21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching. When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council – the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial.
Acts 5:25 Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail (Peter and John, see Acts 4) are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!”
After this the apostles were arrested and brought before the High Council, who ordered them to be flogged, not to speak again of Jesus, and released. See Acts 5:17-22. This did not deter them at all; ‘they left rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus’ and ‘every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”’ See Acts 5:41-42.
In time more apostles emerged, such as Paul, Barnabas and Timothy, who continued to both preach the message of salvation and to teach the believers. Their teaching could not have been elementary or superficial, as we read for instance in Acts 11:26 Barnabus and Paul taught the believers in Antioch for a whole year.
A little later on (about 35AD) we see that a more formal church had been established in Antioch (which is in located in south-central Turkey) and that more recognised leaders had emerged, some as prophets and some as teachers. Note that prophets and teachers are both in the plural.
Acts 13:1 Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is traditionally believed to have been written while he was imprisoned in Rome, around 60-61 AD, or some 30 years after the events of the day of Pentecost. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, expands on the five distinctive callings or functions of church leadership – the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers, and their joint responsibility to equip the church to serve God. This was a radical change from the essentially single-person leadership of the rabbi in the Old Testament – with the addition of the priests and Levites who were responsible for conducting worship, maintaining the temple and ensuring religious rites were properly carried out.
Ephesians 4:11-12 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
This is to be the pattern for the church right up until the until the end of the church age.
Colossians 3:16 (Paul’s instructions to the church at Corinth). Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
Practicalities of Teaching
Knowing the scriptures is not the same as understanding what they mean
The difference between simply knowing the scriptures and understanding what they actually mean, and one may add in on how to apply them, is well illustrated in the example of Apollos, who taught with enthusiasm and accuracy, but whose knowledge was limited, and he himself needed more instruction, which once received proved to be of great benefit to the church.
Acts 18:24-28 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25 He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. 26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately. 27 Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed. 28 He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.
The Responsibilities of a Teacher
Teaching others is both a gift and a weighty responsibility, and is not to be taken lightly. Paul admonishes us with the instruction that teachers are to ‘teach well’, and warns that speaking out may take courage – to say what needs to be said. Paul demonstrated this when he rebuked Peter in public for not acting in accordance with the message of the gospel. James warns that the lives of those who teach will be judged more strictly on the day of judgment than others.
Acts 20:20 (Paul speaking to the Ephesian Elders) I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.
Romans 12:7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.
Galatians 2:14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?
James 3:1 Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.
Dedication
A teacher needs to be dedicated. Even after having just been flogged, we read that the apostles continued to teach and to preach the good news: Acts 5:42 And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”
We read earlier in Acts 11:36 that Paul and Barnabas took Jesus’s command to; ‘…equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church’ very seriously – they devoted a whole year to teaching the disciples in the church at Antioch the gospel.
We also read in Acts that on one occasion (at least) Paul continued to teach until midnight.
Acts 20:7 (NIV) On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
(This was when Eutychus fell asleep, dropped 3 stories to his death, and Paul raised him up).
The Greek word used here for ‘spoke ’ is not the same word generally used for preaching, but ‘dialegomai’ which is interpreted as being to explain thoroughly, to discuss or to reason with – which aligns more with ‘teaching’.
And on another occasion we read how Paul spoke to the Jewish leaders in Rome from morning until evening (Acts 28:17-31).
Our objective in teaching must align with the Great Commission; to go and make disciples – believers who are on fire – trained and equipped to do the works that each of us are called to, and to equip other believers to do the same; to do God’s work and so to build up the church, so that everyone will come into relationship with Christ, and will ‘produce much fruit’ –
Colossians 1:28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.
John 15:8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
2 Timothy 2:2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
Authority of Teachers
Pual gave Timothy some very direct and clear instructions regarding teaching, and confirmed his spiritual authority in this regard. Those who have been called and ordained to teach the Word today will carry the same authority.
1 Timothy 4:11 Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them.
Titus 2:15 You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them. You have the authority to correct them when necessary, so don’t let anyone disregard what you say.
These scriptures are in line with the general instruction given in Hebrews and that Paul gave in Thessalonians.
Hebrews 13:17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
1 Thessalonians 5:12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.
1 Thessalonians 5:13-14 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Rewards
The apostles soon realised that the calling to teach the Word required time and dedication – and hence the need to appoint deacons to whom they could delegate some of the practical duties – and that in consequence of their dedication to teaching they needed to be financially supported.
Acts 6:2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program.
1 Timothy 5:17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.
Conclusion
Let’s summarise what we have learnt:
Preaching: Proclaims the gospel with passion, aiming to evoke a response.
Teaching: Imparts knowledge, clarifies truths, and equips believers for daily living.
Both preaching and teaching are essential for the growth and maturity of the church. While preaching announces the Gospel, teaching ensures that believers understand and apply its transformative power. Preaching is to inspire people to accept and to live by the gospel; teaching educates the believers on how to live in accordance with the gospel. Preaching is inspirational, teaching is educational. We all need both. Believers need to be taught both what is in the Word, what it means and how to apply it, and to be encouraged to live their lives by the Word. Jesus spelt this out very clearly in the Great Commission by saying; ‘teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.’
A good place for everyone to start their study of the Bible may be the six foundational teachings listed in Hebrews 6:1-2, of repentance from sin, faith in God, the three baptisms, laying on of hands (ministering to others), the resurrection of the dead (end times) and eternal judgment (judgment and rewards) which are referred to in Hebrews 5:12 as the ‘basic things about God’s word’.
All of these will be found under ‘Foundations’ in my website https://voiceofone.co.za under the Content Index.
Dr Brian Drury