“TEACHING”
A story has been told of four young evangelists who met and were discussing their experiences as preachers. Each of them testified what they had gone through, how they enjoyed their ministries, and how grateful they were because God had called them to serve Him. At the end of their conversation, one of them asked, “By the way, what is your favorite Bible version?” One answered, “I like the King James Version better because the translation is so close to the original Scripture.” The other one said, “I like the Moffat Version better because it has beautiful English language and terms.” The third person said, “I like the Revised Standard Version better because the translation is very simple and easy to understand.” After a long silence, a question was asked to the one who asked the question in the first place: “So now it’s your turn. Tell us what Bible version is your favorite.” Calmly, he answered, “I like my mother’s Bible version better.” “What? Did your mother translate the Bible?” “Oh no . . . no . . .,” he answered, “but . . . yes . . . yes . . . she translated the Bible. She translated the Bible by her daily life. I could read what is written in the Bible through her words, through her attitude, and through things she’s doing. I see Jesus in her.”
This godly mother was a great teacher. She TAUGHT her son a great lesson through action, and as a result, her son became a preacher who TEACHES people about Jesus and His salvation. There is a saying, “Action speaks louder than words.” This means that no matter how hard we work as preachers, no matter how often we preach good sermons, no matter how proficient we TEACH the Bible principles—if our actions don’t support our words, nothing can be accomplished; nothing can be achieved.
I remember my late father. He was a school principal, a good TEACHER. He TAUGHT me a lot and helped me with my homework, especially subjects I disliked. But on top of that, he TAUGHT me a heavenly lesson: he TAUGHT me God’s words; he TAUGHT me how to increase my spiritual growth. He never tired of TEACHING me about God and His salvation. He truly followed what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (NIV). My father TAUGHT me about God’s commandments and about doing good things anytime, anywhere, anyplace, any opportunity—as the Scripture says.
No matter what our profession is, we are all teachers in some way. We influence others when we say or do things, things that people imitate--especially our children. Whatever we do—whether it is good or bad—our children will act like we did. So, our aim is to “TEACH by EXAMPLE.” We TEACH our children through our actions, which is our responsibility as parents. Ellen White wrote, “Do not depend upon the teachers of the Sabbath School to do your work of training your children in the way they should go. The Sabbath School is a great blessing; it may help you in your work, but it can never take your place. God has given to all fathers and mothers the responsibility of bringing their children to Jesus, TEACHING them how to pray and believe in the word of God.”—The Adventist Home, p. 189.
Let us strive to “translate the Bible” into our daily lives so that others can read God’s Words through our words and actions.
Hiskia Missah
Editor
