By Jan Cagno

Much has been said concerning the missionary zeal of the Apostle Paul. He was indeed a church planter and an evangelist extraordinaire. However, a different facet of Paul’s ministry strikes me. Paul was a teacher! He motivated and inspired, he lived out the truth of his teaching in his own life, and he was constantly learning as all good teachers must.

One secret of Paul’s success was his priority system. He sought divine wisdom as he sorted out the important tasks from among the many pressing responsibilities.

In Philippians 3:13&14, Paul says, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." The "high calling" is understood by scholars of the original Greek to refer to the Salvation, which is found in God through Christ Jesus. Paul’s goal was the complete knowledge of Christ in His resurrection power.

Each of us who have been called to teach must first have experienced the initial calling of salvation in Christ Jesus. Then we have the further responsibility of sharing our knowledge of Him with others. Paul must have been the chairman of the committee to recruit workers for the New Testament Church. His missionary journeys were made not only to establish new churches, but to instruct church leaders in the fine art of teaching others.

In II Timothy 2:2, Paul instructs Timothy saying "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also." Paul was tutoring Timothy so that he would be ready to teach others.

Paul wrote to the Colossians with words of encouragement and instruction after hearing that they were willing workers. He said to them (NIV), "For this reason since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all the power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully give thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." (Col. 1:9-12)

The teachers in our Sunday schools today are as surely "called" as were those of the New Testament Church. Their responsibility is first to "know Christ in his resurrection power" and then to "teach others also." Each teacher has the incomparable privilege and the tremendous responsibility of "rightly dividing the Word of God." It is good for all who have felt that inner excitement that comes from accepting the task to which God has called them, to give close attention to Paul’s admonition to the Church at Ephesus: "…Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

"Called to teach," a high calling, a holy privilege and a happy responsibility. Our prayer for you is, "That our God would count you worthy of this calling and that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye in him according to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Thess. 1:11 & 12)

(This article appeared in the "Winter, 1990-1991" issue of "The Herald.")