By This Time You Out to be Teachers
fulling the role of a disciple

At around 1997, the church my wife and I had been attending for the past 20 some years left us.  That’s right – the church up and left us.   It left us in that it began to abandon many long-standing beliefs about God, Jesus, and the Torah-based lifestyle that I had been brought up in. Thankfully before it left us, we had become well-grounded in a number of areas, especially in structure.  Our church was very structured and it taught me a number of things about how to organize meetings and make preparations for large groups of people.  But one of the most important things it taught in regards to structure, was how to structure a speech or message so as to make an impact on the audience.

Though I never thought I would ever use that training, I later found myself organizing a number of Sabbath meetings and events - some of which included guest speakers. At one of those events, one of the guest speakers gave a message entitle “By This Time, You Ought to Be Teachers!” taken from Hebrews 5.  Though the title caught my ear, I knew his message did not apply to me because – even though I had had a small amount of speech training, I was a cabinet maker – not a preacher.  Why would I ever want to teach the Bible?

But as time went on, and my excitement about this ‘Hebraic’ view of the Bible grew, my wife and I did find ourselves hosting home fellowships and small meetings for a number of years - and from time to time actually teaching the Bible at those meetings.

Then in 2003, we started the Ami Yisrael fellowship.  At first it was just Angie and I meeting in a rented community center.  After a couple of Sabbaths being by ourselves, people began to trickle in and eventually we had to move to a bigger facility. In the beginning we found ourselves leading dance and teaching the Bible just about every Sabbath.  Because I was in many ways ‘biblically ignorant’, it was a struggle for me to find topics I felt I could effectively teach.  So instead of spending my evenings studying for a message, I focused on leading a Torah discussion using the traditional Jewish weekly Torah Portions. These studies became the foundation of our fellowship meetings.

I believe we should all strive to become teachers, for it is through teachers that God’s word is spread.

In this message I want to show why we should strive to be teachers, then answer some common questions such as 1) ‘Who Can Teach?’,  2) ‘Who To Teach?’, and 3) ‘What To Teach?’

Let’s begin by seeing why it is important that we – believers In the God of Israel and His sent one - Messiah Yeshua.

Why Be a Teacher?

If for no other reason, preparing a message is a great way to learn God’s word. When you prepare a message or speech for any type of meeting, you will learn more from the preparation than you will be able to convey to your audience.  I know that to be true because as I’m studying a specific topic, I find myself going down rabbit trails all the time.  Before I know it, I’ve spent an hour studying a word or phrase that will probably not make it into my message. In fact, in most cases I use only about half of the information or scriptures that I’ve dug up pertaining to the topic I intend to present.

Besides the benefit to ourselves, there is a need for those who are able and willing to teach.  The apostle Philip understood this when YHVH sent him to the Ethiopian eunuch -

^NKJ Acts 8:30-31 -  So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"  ³¹ And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

Though I believe any serious Bible student can understand the scriptures IF THEY BEGIN THEIR STUDY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK and read it like they would any other book, most people do need a little help understanding what they are reading.  Thus Paul instructed his student Timothy to –

^ESV 2 Tim. 4:2 - &helip;  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Peter, in his letter to the non-Jewish Hebrews1 who were turning to YHVH, said –

^NKJ 1 Pet. 3:15 - &helip; sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,

How many times has someone asked you a question about your belief, and you try to explain it, but you don’t have the scriptures in mind to help you do so?  Teaching will help you with that by causing you to focus on key scriptures that help you make your point.

Another reason you might consider teaching is that ‘teaching’ is actually our calling.

I believe that God is beginning to call his Hebrew people out of darkness and bring them to the light of the scriptures not just for their own salvation, but to glorify the God of Israel.  When addressing the ‘new’ generation of Israelites who had not witnessed the Hebrew exodus from Egypt, Moses said -

^ESVDeuteronomy 4:5-9 See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.⁶ Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' ⁷ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? ⁸ And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? ₉ Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—

If the nations are going to hear these statutes, then someone is out there proclaiming them!

We all understand that we should be teaching God’s way to our children, and to the best of our ability – to our grandchildren.  But this passage implies we are to make them known to the nations as well.  As a result, those same nations will want to know more. Then when they ask – as mentioned earlier – we will be able to give them an answer. 

Along that same line, we have been called to be priests of YHVH.  Peter also said to his audience -

^ESV1 Peter 2:9 … you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This – of course – is a quote from Exodus 19 where YHVH betrothed Himself to Israel and stated that they would become a nation of priests.  As priests we should be able to explain God’s ways -

^NKJ Malachi 2:7 - "For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law (torah) from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

So yes – teaching is our calling.  Not necessarily in front of a group, but by teaching others, we learn God’s word more clearly so that we can explain it more clearly.

Bear Fruit (so as to have a reward) -

This next reason may sound somewhat selfish, but as I explain it I believe you will agree that it is something we should work toward.

In Yeshua’s words to His disciples on the night He was betrayed, He admonished His disciples to fulfill the job for which they had been called, which was “to bear fruit for the kingdom.”  He said to them –

^ESV  John 15:1-2, 8, 16 -  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit … ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples … ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide …

What was the fruit Yeshua was expecting from them? He was expecting them to –

^NKJ Matt. 28:19-20 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  ²⁰ "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."

We then should want to bear fruit, and by bearing fruit, we are building up for ourselves and our family a reward. The proverbs say -

^ESVProverbs 11:18 - The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. 

The Hebrew word for ‘reward’ is ‘seker’ (שֶׂכֶר – 7938) which means ‘wages’, and yes, God is implying that He intends to reward us – pay us wages – when we spread His word to those in whom we come in contact. Though most Christians focus on salvation, YHVH shows that you are saved by grace, but you earn a reward by how you fulfill your role as a disciple. 

How will YHVH pay me my wages in the kingdom?  I don’t really know.  Maybe I’ll be a gate keeper.  But what I would like to do is be one who is sent out to a nation when it begins to turn to the God of Israel and His ways. I would like to work with that king who refuses to come up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.  I want those from the nations to learn to really LOVE YHVH our god so they can enjoy the blessings that many of us have received.

Yeshua said –

^ESVJohn 4:35-36 - Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. ³⁶ Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.

As YHVH continues to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, there are those who are working to help them understand what they are seeing.  Whereas just a few decades back, it would have been very difficult for a person to find help understanding the scriptures, now – thanks to the internet - people are able to find help in their own home.  But the Internet is not a replacement for having a person who will listen to your questions and provide you with the understanding that God intends.

Nothing can replace a person who knows the scriptures and is available to you so that you can just give them a call or chat with them on the Sabbath to answer questions.  Unfortunately, those people are few and far between.  Yeshua spoke of that in his day as He was beginning His ministry.  He said –

^ESV Matt. 9:37-38 - "&helip; The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

It is clear to me that as a result of the disciple’s work, the exiles of Israel were showing up in synagogues all over Asia Minor, but there were not enough teachers available to help nurture them in the walk.  Thus many fell prey to rabbinic Judaism.  This seems to be what the book of Romans, Galatians, and most of Paul’s epistles was about.  As YHVH was calling His people back, they had no one to turn to for answers, so they began to attend the synagogue.  Unfortunately, this only became a source of contention between the Jewish believers in Yeshua and the non-Jewish believers.

This could also become a problem today.  Without teachers, the people YHVH is calling have nowhere to go for answers. And in a culture like we have here in America where people are accustomed to having a church on every corner, a person’s zeal could fade quickly if they cannot find a group to fellowship with and go to for answers.  With that point, let’s talk about community.

Hebraic Communities

A strong Hebraic Community provides a place where everyone can learn.  It’s a place where “iron sharpens iron”.  It’s a place where children can learn that they are not the only ones walking this walk.  For them, it provides a strong community of peers who are battling the same challenges – specifically challenges relating to the Sabbath.

So why are Hebraic Communities and Fellowships few and scattered?  I believe the primary reason is that there is a lack of men who are willing to lead them; and the reason they are unwilling to lead is because they do not believe they are qualified to teach God’s word.  There are a number of reasons one could think that.  They could have been told they should attend a particular seminary in order to be ‘qualified’ to teach the Bible.  Maybe they feel they must be ordained in order to teach outside their own home.  

One of passages I remember being stated over and over again in my formative years was this from James’ epistle where he said –

^ESV James 3:1 -  “… not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

I use the English Standard Version here because it is a better rendition of the Greek word ‘krima’ (2917) that the King James Version which states ‘condemnation’.  I believe it was translated ‘condemnation’ in the KJV because KING JAMES probably wanted tight control on what was being taught.  Though ‘krima’ does mean ‘judgement’, it implies that teachers will be judged on their intent rather than on their ability.  Nevertheless, this could certainly become an issue for a person who felt he was not properly qualified to teach … but it doesn’t  have to be.  The reason James gave for making that statement was because everyone makes mistakes from time to time, and as a teacher there are going to be times when you interpret a scripture or concept incorrectly and could possibly sway the congregation in the wrong direction. The chances of doing that from time to time are HIGHLY LIKELY!  After all, most of us are not Hebrew or Greek scholars, and ALL of us are separate from the first century Hebrew culture of the first century by nearly 2000 years.  So let’s not make that an excuse.  We should simply be willing to publicly correct ourselves when we find out we’ve been wrong.

Instead of avoiding the opportunity to teach, we should follow Paul’s admonition to become a teacher -

^NKJ 1 Cor. 12:27-31 -  Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.  ²⁸ And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers (didaskalos), after that miracle, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.  ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?  ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?  ³¹ But earnestly desire (burn with zeal) the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Though some believe Paul was creating a hierarchy, a little understanding of 1^st century Judaism will show that this order was how new congregations (synagogues) were established in foreign lands – especially in Asia Minor.  In that time in the Jewish culture, congregations became when an apostle (literally a ‘sent one’) was sent to a group who were asking questions about God’s way.  If the people were serious in their questions, a prophet (an inspired speaker) would be sent to show them what YHVH was doing in their day.  After that, teachers were sent to help them understand the scriptures.  As the congregation grew in understanding, the other positions would be added as needed.

The point is – there had to be teachers for the congregation to thrive.  Such is the case today.

Common Questions about Teaching

So with what I’ve shown, I think a good case can be made that not only are we allowed to be teachers of the Word, we are even encouraged to do so.  Nevertheless, we still have questions … and so did I when I was first approached to become a teacher. So, let’s address some of the most obvious questions – and we’ll start with the question –

Who Can Teach?

Like I said in the introduction, many of us have been discouraged from teaching simply because we believed we did not have the correct credentials. But what qualifies, or on the other hand, disqualifies a person from being a teacher?  If you were to read the Bible starting in Genesis; continurf through the Gospels; and stopped after the book of Romans, you would not find a single qualifier for who can or cannot be a teacher.  It’s only when Paul writes his epistles that we see statements that SEEM to disqualify a person from becoming a teacher.  So let’s look at some of them.  We’ll start by looking at Paul’s instruction to Timothy concerning women.

Women?

The scriptures give us examples of women who – for whatever reason – rose to positions of authority in Israel, and because they had authority, they obviously spoke to the congregation of Israel.  Though not listed as leaders necessarily, we have the examples of women who took it upon themselves to move the men in their lives to do the right thing.  Women like Rebecca who caused Isaac to put the blessing on Jacob rather than Esau; Tamar who caused Judah to provide the heritage for the Messiah, and Bathsheba who reminded King David to turn the Kingdom over to Solomon, to name a few.  These women changed the course of history by their words.

The most prominent example of a woman who led Israel is that of Deborah.  We don’t know why Deborah became a judge over Israel, but she did. I would assume it was because Israel was probably filled with WEAK men at that time in Israel’s history.  As judge, she had the responsibility to govern the people, judge the people, and apparently even command the army of Israel (Judges 4:14).  As the judge of Israel, it would be foolish to think that she never spoke in front of an audience that included men, or that she did not have authority of men – especially those in the army.

So on what basis did Paul tell Timothy -

^NKJ 1 Timothy 2:12 - And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.

When you consider the context (1 Tim. 2:1-15) Paul is imploring Timothy to ‘live peaceably with all men’ – which would include the Jews as well as governmental officials.  Thus, because Timothy’s job was to raise up congregations - mostly amongst the Jews, and probably in the pattern of the synagogue - it would not be culturally prudent for women to be teaching.  But think about it … if Paul had the authority to make an edict that applied to all women down through the ages, it would be (according to vs. 9) prudent for women today to fix their hair (or cover it) so as to not draw attention to themselves.  It would also be forbidden for women to wear expensive clothing, or to wear expensive jewelry.

So, what was Paul doing? Better yet, “what COULD Paul do”?  As his student, Paul could instruct Timothy to do things a certain way, but he could not make an edict that would be binding on anyone other than those he was personally responsible for.  Why?  Because Paul – as a Torah scholar - knew that not he, nor anyone else, could add to or take away from the Torah.

^ESV Deut. 4:2 - You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.

That’s a very clear instruction, and it is stated twice in the book of Deuteronomy.  What Paul was actually doing was giving instructions to Timothy, and to Timothy alone.  His instruction here, as well as to the Corinthians2,  were just that – HIS instructions, not God’s.

Young People?

Paul said to Timothy –

^CJB 1 Tim. 4:12 - Don't let anyone look down on you because of your youth; on the contrary, set the believers an example in your speech, behavior, love, trust and purity.

When you take into account the example of Samuel, David, Josiah, and Yeshua - who at 12 years old was challenging3 the Jewish leadership of His day – there is apparently no problem with young people teaching.  Obviously, all these were well versed in the ways of God.  Of course, an unmarried teenager should not be instructing older people about marriage or childrearing, but when a young person has studied a certain Biblical topic, I see no reason why he or she should be restricted from teaching about it..  On the other hand - what about those new to the walk?

Novices?

Here again, Paul gives instruction –

^ESV1 Tim. 3:6 - He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

In this case, Paul’s instructions pertain to the one who would be the overseer of the congregation – the ‘episkope’, not a teacher.  Paul’s concern was that being “newly planted’ (as the Greek word implies4) in the congregation, the person would become prideful and soon fall away.  As for being a teacher - I believe that the sooner a new person shows the understanding and desire to teach, the quicker he will learn.

To summarize – I see no qualifications for teachers other than their zeal for God’s word and their ability to deliver the message in a clear and concise manner.

Who to Teach?

When YHVH reveals understanding that is new to us, we oftentimes want to share that understanding with our friends.  But that’s not necessarily what we are supposed to be doing.

One of the most puzzling stories in the scripture is that of Yeshua – after His resurrection - approaching some of His disciples as they are out fishing.  The story is found in John 21.  As the story goes, the disciples had been fishing all night, but had caught nothing.  Yeshua called out to them from the shore and recommended that they cast their net on the other side of the boat.  After doing so, they caught exactly 153 fish, which was so much they were hardly able to bring them in.

Though we often focus on the number of fish, I believe the story behind the story is simply that they were fishing on the wrong side of the boat.

Yeshua’s disciples were called to be fishers of men5, but they were fishing on the Jewish side of the boat.  They were hoping to convince their Jewish brothers that Yeshua was the promised Messiah, and that He was going to usher in the Kingdom of God.  But the Jewish people were not the ones Yeshua wanted them to ‘fish for’.  The disciples were to – as He had previously told them – “go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’. 

^NKJ Matt. 10:6-7 - “&helip; go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  ⁷ "And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

Once they began to fish on the ‘non-Jewish’ side of the boat, they caught a lot of fish.

Paul found himself fishing on the wrong side of the boat as well.  He thought his Jewish friends would be interested in his new understanding of the Messiah, but instead of showing an interest, they went to battle against him to the point that he finally said 6 –

^ESV Acts 18:6 - “ … From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

Who then should you reach out to?  I propose that you go to those YHVH has already called.  Yeshua said -

 ^NKJ John 6:44 - "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

So what do we do?  We simply make ourselves available, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to put your name on the 119 Ministries ‘Fellowship Finder’7.  We did that at the beginning and many of those who found their way to our fellowship did so as a result of that website.  People who get to you from there are looking for truth, and oftentimes ends up with that person asking you questions.

Other ways would include putting up a website, opening a Facebook page, or putting an ad in the newspaper. 

The point is, if God is calling them, He will see to it that they find you, or someone like you, who can answer why that are having such a change in their understanding of the Bible.

What to Teach?

Like I mentioned at the beginning, trying to figure out what to teach was the hardest part of starting a fellowship, but because we began by using the structured system of studying the Torah, we had a plan and content for a number of years.  Some years later I felt that we needed to learn more – especially for the benefit of those who were new to the walk, so we started having a second service each Sabbath which provided an hour for a message, including Q&A.  That again presented the problem of ‘what to teach’, but thankfully, by then I had a number of topics at my disposal, as well as other teachers who did so as well.

One thing I found helpful was to do a series of messages on the same topic. Many topics are too big to fit into a 1-hour message and really should be broken down so as to be able to include the background behind the message.

Another idea is to do an in-depth study of a book in the Bible.  This format eliminates the need to figure out what you’re going to teach – you just teach whatever is next in the book.  So far, we’ve gone from the book of Joshua down through the book of Ezra in the Tnakh.  A few years back, we started in James and went through 3^rd John, then dropped back to Romans.

In regards to the Torah Study, we read the entire Torah Portion as well as the Haftara, then discuss it.  We found it best to have a moderator, whose job is to draw comments out of the rest of the group.  It’s a great learning experience for the moderator, because in our fellowship, the moderator has to be prepared to teach the portion if no-one makes comments. Following the example of Yeshua, the moderator sits at a table instead of standing.

Conclusion -

The author of the letter to the Hebrews was writing to a people who were coming out of paganism and turning back to the ways of the God of Israel.  He was explaining to them what they were witnessing in their day, and why.  I believe that some of those people answered their calling by writing and becoming teachers of righteousness.  Most of us who are believers in the God of Israel are so because of their efforts. 

Yeshua’s disciples are those who are willing to carry His message forward, and they do so by being willing and prepared to teach them what we have studied and learned.

I’m going to close with the words that inspired this message – but with a twist to show that I believe many are going to answer that call.

For though there was a time when you were not teachers, but you answered the call – you have become teachers - and have begun to teach the basic principles and the oracles of God.

Hebrews 5:12 ^{TLK Updated Version}

Shalom Aleichem