All Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995 Ed. (NASB95) published by The Lockman Foundation

Believers in the Lord Jesus are members of His body. As such, each one is integrally involved in the work that He’s doing on earth, and in the process by which He’s working. This process is the “building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4). Multiple times in his writings, the apostle Paul goes to great lengths in describing the way in which each Christian in the Assembly of Jesus serves a vital function in helping every other member grow in Christlikeness, as they mutually learn the teaching of Jesus, and become more obedient to it. It’s often been said that the “church”, or Assembly, of Christ, is a “living organism”, consisting of each believer on earth, who work together to help each other grow in their understanding and practice of the Lord’s commands. This is true. And yet in the western part of the Assembly, this apostolic ideal is very rarely accomplished by the average Bible-believing and teaching church.

On the contrary, most assemblies in the West are severely hampered by a multitude of non-biblical and unbiblical beliefs and practices, which prevent all believers from taking fully active roles in the service of the saints. If you’re perceptive enough, and have experienced enough of western evangelicalism, you’ll notice that the vast majority of church-going Christians are shallow in their understanding of Scripture, and slacking in their obedience to the apostles’ teachings. This immaturity has many causes, but one of the chief causes is a fundamental reliance on the public teaching ministry of a special few leaders who deliver monologues on a weekly basis, while most of the rest of believers sit idle, and engage in little intense interaction with their fellow congregants.

In this lesson, I want to address the major problem of western Christian teaching which results from this misguided preoccupation. The New Testament portrays a far different ideal for the teaching activities of the Assembly, and shows us that almost every believer has a vital role to play in the mutual instruction and encouragement of Christ’s body. I’m not implying by this that every believer has a special teaching gift, but I am saying that most believers have a role in the mutual education of the body (yes, I said education). In contrast to the western practice of relying on a weekly monologue for the bulk of the assembly’s teaching, the writings of the apostles show us that the elders’ teaching was an interactive catalyst for further study and instruction among the congregation, and that more than just a single elder usually had a public teaching role. In other words, the burden of the instruction of the congregation didn’t fall on one man’s shoulders, but on several, and was also shared by more of the assembly.

What I’m talking about is the all-body ministry of the saints, as it’s summarized in Ephesians 4:11-16. There are several other Scriptures that we’ll look at in this study. What I hope to impress upon you is your responsibility to not only learn the Word from gifted teachers, but also to teach it to your brethren. We’re all dependent on each other, so we must do all we can to encourage our brethren to grow in the fruit of the Spirit, and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:15, “speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head . . . Christ.”

The Public Teaching Ministry is a Main Dish, Not a Full Meal

First, I want to refute the false notion that the weekly public teaching of one to a few official teachers in assemblies is sufficient for the believer’s growth in godliness, and his human mediated instruction. There’s an idea that is prevalent among many western evangelicals that almost the entirety of their spiritual instruction consists in the teaching they receive on Sundays from pastors or official teachers. To put it in terms of dietary consumption, many treat the Sunday sermon and/or Sunday school classes as their full and balanced spiritual meal for the week. The poor spiritual vigor and deplorable ignorance of most Bible-believing people in the West shows us that this can’t be the case. Even if you look down the annals of Christian history, you’ll find that the best Bible teachers didn’t produce the vibrant and growing disciples that we see exemplified in the New Testament (think of mega churches like Spurgeon’s and Martyn Lloyd-Jones’). The unpopular reality is that most forms of public sermonic teaching in western assemblies aren’t sufficient to even provide the bulk of the average believer’s needed instruction and encouragement. I see two main reasons for this.

The first reason that monologues and lectures don’t provide all a believer needs for his growth on a weekly basis is that we need daily encouragement and instruction, and not just weekly teaching. This is why it’s imperative that you have a daily habit of meditation on Scripture, especially in our distracted culture. The second reason that no weekly sermonic teaching can provide the bulk of a believer’s spiritual nourishment is that monologue (one-way communication) is simply not the best form of teaching to impress essential truths, principles, and applications into the minds of listeners. This is precisely why most of Jesus’s teaching was discussion-based, as well as His apostles. No matter how skilled, eloquent, clear, and persuasive a public speaker a teacher is, his monologue will never accomplish the comprehension, retention, and understanding that back-and-forth teaching does. That’s why no where in the New Testament do you see sermonic teachings for believers emphasized or prescribed. On the contrary, what you do see is an interactive and eclectic method of teaching believers, both in example, and in precept.

For example, take note of what Luke says in Acts 20:7 and 20:11 about Paul:

“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them . . . and he prolonged his message until midnight . . . When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while . . .”

In both these verses, Luke uses a form of the verb dialegomai, which literally means “discuss” or “dialogue”.  Luke could have well used another word for “talk” or “speak,” which doesn’t include the prefix “dia,” but he chose this one to convey the idea that Paul was discussing with the brethren he was teaching, and not delivering a one-way sermon.

We see this practice of Paul pictured clearly in his letter to the Romans. For the first eleven chapters of that letter, he constantly uses a question-and-answer format for his teaching. He’ll pose a question from a hypothetical opponent or learner, and then answer the question in a careful and methodical way. This form of teaching is also seen in the letter to the Hebrews, where the author again is regularly asking rhetorical questions to anticipate his audience’s thinking. And of course, Jesus constantly asked questions of his hearers, in order to provoke their own thinking on his subject matter, and to lead them toward an understanding of truth. Such was the method of the Lord and the apostles, and it still should form the bulk of Christian teaching today. Sadly, the exact opposite is true in the West.

Related to this need for interactive teaching is the reality that the New Testament portrays that sources of believers’ teaching as coming from various and sundry sources, and most of these sources not being official public teaching. Not even in Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus, does he explicitly promote the centrality of the public teaching of elders. If you carefully examine the New Testament’s teaching on the ideal teaching practices of the Assembly, you see a far more diverse and eclectic process for teaching believers.

There are a couple of key passages that bear this reality out. First, let’s look at the greatly disputed passage of 1 Corinthians 14:26-31:

“What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification . . . Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment . . . For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted . . .”

In this passage, Paul is describing the ideal practice of the weekly meeting of most assemblies during that time. The main point I want you to see here is the diversity of teaching sources executed in their assembly. First, he writes that “each one” has some word of encouragement or teaching. And he applies this to five sources of revelation. By using this phrase, he’s showing us that several men had the gifting and opportunity to speak or sing during their assembly. Next, even when speaking of only one source of encouragement, he states that there would multiple men prophesying. Why? So that all the prophets can learn and be exhorted (v. 31). In other words, this isn’t a one-man show, but a multi-man show. All the brothers in the congregation who were gifted to speak were allowed and encouraged to speak anything they had that would encourage and help the brethren.

But Paul goes farther than just confining this principle of eclectic teaching to those especially gifted to teach. In Colossians 3:16, he provides a foundational principle for the singing of the entire congregation by writing,

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

This verse plainly tells us that one of the main purposes for our singing, whether it be corporate or solo, is to teach each other. It’s also noteworthy that in this whole letter (and in most of his other letters), he says not a word regarding the public teaching ministry of the elders of congregations. Instead, what we do see him repeating in his letters is that all believers are responsible for teaching each other.

What I’ve said so far shouldn’t be taken to be dismissing the importance of an extensive, formal, teaching session provided by a gifted teacher (ideally an elder). However, these passages, and several others, show us that the emphasis of the instruction and encouragement of believers shouldn’t be laid to excess on this public teaching. Rather, such teaching should be viewed as a main dish in a spiritual meal that contains several more dishes and courses.

But my purpose in this lesson isn’t finished here. I’ve already noted that the official teaching described in the New Testament for believers isn’t sermonic, but dialogical. However, I also want to show that the teaching of elders consisted of far more Scripture reading than is commonly practiced, and that it was far more personal than the impersonal sermonic method employed by most Christian leaders today.

The Elders’ Teaching Ministry was Scripture-Saturated and Personally Applied

Instead of picturing the modern procedure of a public, impersonal, and sermonic teaching ministry by a special few, the writings of Paul overwhelmingly lay emphasis on public reading of Scripture, and of private instruction and encouragement. Let’s start off with the classic passage used as a proof-text for the modern sermon. This is found in 1 Timothy 4:13:

“Until I come, give attention to the . . . reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”

The tendency of most western evangelicals is to read into Paul’s words that Timothy was to engage in these things all at one time, during the official teaching session for congregations. Yet, nowhere in the surrounding context is Paul describing the delivery of sermons. He’s just instructing Timothy in the general procedure of overseeing an assembly, not giving step-by-step instruction for public speaking. However, one thing is clear. He lays the emphasis of Timothy’s teaching ministry on reading Scripture. And both of them would have had an extensive background in such public reading. Being Jews, they had long experienced the power and instruction delivered through the simple public reading of long passages of Scripture, without comment, in synagogues. And that’s basically what Paul was calling Timothy to do when he met with congregations. He was to prioritize and excel at simply reading lots of Scripture out loud, and letting it stand on its own. This is why he separates this duty from the other two of “exhortation and teaching”. Without the reading of Scripture as the basis of the assembly’s education, exhortation and teaching are sucked of power.

But there’s another important aspect of Paul’s words here to understand. It’s the fact that he precedes this instruction by telling Timothy,

“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love , faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” – 1 Tim. 4:12

This shows us that Timothy’s first teaching tool in his role as an overseer was his godly example. In fact, if you’ll do a survey of all the passages speaking of Christian leaders in the New Testament, you’ll see that over and over again the principle that is laid down as fundamental to teaching God’s Word is an exemplary character. From Jesus’s teaching, and that of the apostles, it’s clear that the main way the first assembly leaders were to lead was by example.

This fact brings us to a second aspect of New Testament leaders’ teaching ministry – it was often offered through personal relationships. One of the clearest descriptions of this is given by Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians, where he describes both his, and others’ teaching ministry to the newly converted assembly:

“Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us . . . You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children . . .” – 1 Thess. 1:8, 10-11

Now, we must understand that Paul and the other missionaries he’s speaking of were effectively the first elders of this assembly of believers. Thus, he’s giving us a model for pastoral leadership that should be followed by all faithful elders. And the model we see here is intensely personal and affectionate. He first notes that he and the other apostles gave their lives to these brethren. This doesn’t only mean that they worked laboriously for their benefit, but that they treated them as their friends and family. More than this, they treated them as their children, as he says in verse 11. And what do fathers do for their children? They take much time and effort to teach their children what to believe, and how to act, so they’ll grow up. We shouldn’t miss Paul’s use of the phrase “each one of you” when he describes their encouragement, urging, and instruction of the Thessalonians. He’s not speaking here of public and formal instruction, but of one-on-one discussions. This implies that the apostles knew these believers personally, and loved them to such an extent that they could speak to them like their children. Such is the kind of teaching that’s exemplified by the apostles in the New Testament. And this type of ministry should be standard among all elders.

But as I’ve previously emphasized, the teaching and encouragement ministry of the body isn’t confined to elders or gifted teachers. Rather, virtually all believers have a role in the mutual education and instruction of the assembly. Let me reiterate Paul’s crucial words in Ephesians 4, as they connect the teaching of elders or “pastors and teachers” to the mutual encouragement that should come from all believers:

“And he gave some as apostles . . . and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ . . . but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head . . . Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12, 15)

Here, Paul clearly delineates the general process of the education and upbuilding of each localized assembly. Beginning with the elders and teachers, he tells us that they equip the rest of the saints “for the work of service”. That is, it’s all the saints who engage in the work of service, which builds everyone up. And what primarily does this work consist in? Our English translations usually say, as here, “speaking the truth in love.” Yet, Paul actually just turned the Greek word for “truth” into a verb, and wrote “truthing in love”. Thus, he’s expressing the fact that the mutual upbuilding and instruction of the body doesn’t only come from speaking the truth, but also from demonstrating the truth in action. However, it can’t be denied that the main connotation of this work is speaking truth to each other. Hence, Paul is basically saying that each believer ought to speak the truth needed to his or her brethren, so they’ll learn from it, and have their minds further renewed by it, so they’ll be conformed more into Christ’s likeness. And this mutual teaching ministry of the household of God is the last complementary element of our education and spiritual growth that I want to bring to your attention.

The Body’s Teaching Ministry is Carried Out by All Believers

We’ve already seen from Colossians 3:16 that even our mutual singing should have the effect of teaching us about Jesus and His instructions for us. Yet our mutual education goes farther than our congregational singing. One of the plainest verses that shows us this is one of Paul’s commendations of the Romans in his letter to them, where he surprisingly confesses,

“And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.” – Rom. 15:14

In order to appreciate the weight of this verse, we need to understand what he’s just said about the Romans. Starting with chapter 14, Paul provides a stinging rebuke of the Romans about their cruelty toward each other’s consciences based on their preferred dietary practices. Those who were persuaded that all foods were good to eat were looking down on those who were led by their consciences to abstain from some foods. Yet, on the other end, he also confronts the temptation of those who were more scrupulous to condemn those who enjoyed the freedom of conscience to eat anything. Sadly, this disagreement and division was mostly based on their religious and ethnic backgrounds, since there were both Jews and Gentiles among them. They were guilty of harming each other’s consciences, and demeaning each other based on their different standards of conscience. They were destroying the unity of the body, and hindering the power of the gospel. Yet, immediately after this indictment, Paul can still say that are “full of goodness, filled with knowledge, and able to admonish one another.”

So, the question is, what does he mean by their ability to admonish each other? Well, clearly, admonishing others requires extensive knowledge, so it must have some form of speaking truth involved. Yet the word obviously refers to something more than teaching. The Greek term, from which Christians get “nouthetic,” literally means “to bring to mind,” and in literature near that time, was used to refer to the confrontation of a moral failure with careful argument and instruction. Some other good words to translate this one would be “warn” or more fully “counsel”. Therefore, Paul is encouraging the Romans by assuring them that they have the ability and the responsibility to counsel and warn each other. And this will demand that they teach each other.

A second verse we could look to for an example of the duty of believers to teach the truth to each other is 1 Thessalonians 5:11, where Paul urges,
“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

Again, here we see the responsibility of building up the brethren given to the whole congregation, and not just to the leaders.

Finally, I want to point out a little-practiced instruction given to Christians in the letter to the Hebrews, which commands,
“. . . and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging . . .” – Heb. 10:24-25

This passage shows us with detail how we are to teach and encourage each other in obeying the Lord. The duty is lays on us has to involve much careful thinking and communication, since the author begins it by telling them to consider how to stimulate each other to love and good deeds. In calling them to consider how to do this, he’s using intense language that expresses the idea of  carefully studying the condition of their brethren, and what action can best be taken to accomplish the desired outcome. And the goal of this considering isn’t anything casual or complacent. The purpose for our consideration of our brethren is to stimulate, spur on, or to provoke them toward loving and doing good. And this often requires extensive discussion and encouragement. That’s why the author urges that their “assembling together” must not be forsaken, but actually intensified, as he ends verse 25, by calling them to encourage each other “all the more”.

Given all of this instruction and example, how could we conclude that our popular model for Christian education is in keeping with the standards of the apostles and the assemblies that they served? How can we neglect our duties to each other as brothers and sisters to encourage, instruct, and correct each other with the truths found in Scripture? Why should we be content with listening to a half hour to 45 minute monologue, and then failing to gain any more insight or instruction from the rest of our brethren who may be filled with knowledge, and able to admonish us? I hold that the inactivity, idleness, complacency, and apathy of most western believers is a hindrance of gigantic proportions to our mutual understanding, appreciation, and application of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. This is the reason why most western believers are so shallow in their understanding, and weak in their consistency to carry out the teachings and practices of the apostles.

Therefore, I call you to a sober evaluation of your thinking, lifestyle, and speech, in connection with your closest brethren. Are you actually using all your gifts to encourage and teach your brethren in Jesus, or are your talents sitting unused and neglected? If you have a clearly recognized gift to teach God’s Word, are you using it? If you can unusually encourage and motivate your brethren to take action in service, or you encouraging? If you’re an experienced and seasoned Christian, are you mentoring a younger believer? If you’re a father or mother, are you being diligent to teach your children all the truths and wisdom that could possibly renew their minds toward the knowledge of Jesus? If you have the special ability to produce encouraging and instructional music, are you sharing it with your assembly? If you’re an elder or a gifted teacher, are you laying heavy emphasis on Scripture, teaching it carefully, and applying it to the individuals under your care?

Every believer in the body of Christ has the ability and responsibility to impart truth and wisdom to his brethren in God’s family, so let’s start today. Let us not rely upon a weekly sermon for our Scriptural instruction, but be zealous and careful students of God’s Word, as we seek to learn how to change our beliefs, desires, and affections, through the truth, so we can more consistently represent our Lord Jesus and God our Father.