We move now to the fifth and last of the primary spiritual gifts. As a reminder, we see that the Apostle Paul lists these primary gifts for us in Ephesians 4:11. “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,”
We are using the visual image of a hand to help us remember these five primary gifts. The final one listed is the teacher and is represented by the little finger. One with the gift of teacher is often in the background and does not get a lot of acclaim.
This person has often been described as someone who can relate the facts of Scripture in a clear and understandable manner. This is certainly part of it, but the true gift of the teacher goes much deeper. It is important to know the “what, when where, etc.” of biblical truth. It is good to discover the historical significance and even the details of the original languages. However, what sets the teacher apart is their ability to clearly answer the question of “so what”. In other words, they can go beyond just what the Scripture says and apply in in such a way that causes us to have to decide what response we will have to the truth. This is known as the application of the Word. In James 1:22, we have this challenge, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” The one with the gift of teacher not only is able to discern the response God is seeking through the Word but can make that expectation clear to others so they can respond as well.
For the Church, this gift is vital. These people open the Word in a way that allows us to understand what God is saying, but also prods us toward a response to his truth. The man with a gift of teaching has a profound impact on his family as he can be a strong biblical leader for them. This is also true of his other roles.
As I have been reminding you, God has granted to each man of God at least one, and probably more of these gifts to be used in the ministry to our Church, home, and community. Satan knows the power that God can unleash when a man accepts his gift and purposely pursues its practice, so he does whatever he can to keep us from using them. One method he uses is fear. We refuse to step out in faith and find our gift because we fear failure. Another trick of Satan is a false humility that suppresses the gift because we don’t want to “show off”. These must be overcome if we are to be the men God needs us to be.
We must make ourselves available to God’s Holy Spirit to reveal our gifts to us and to willingly practice those gifts. When we do, God empowers them, and we see the strengthening of our own walk with the Lord as well as increased effectiveness for the Kingdom.
Watch your own life to see what you may already be doing that reveals your tendency toward one or more of these gifts. When you think you may have identified something from the Lord, begin to be intentional about using that gift. If it is from God, he will empower your ministry and you will see people respond. If not, start over. Be intentional with another gift until you and God agree on what he has provided for your use.
You will soon discover a fulfillment in your life that you may not have experienced before. Plus, God’s Kingdom will benefit, and God will be glorified.