Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
September 4, 2022

Jesus, the Master Teacher (Part 1)
by Bryan Gibson (based on material by John Gibson)
Let there be no doubt that Jesus, the Son of God, is without peer as a teacher. Let’s look at some things that characterized His teaching, with two goals in mind: to better appreciate His teaching, and to make us better teachers.
Jesus taught because He saw the need. “And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). What a contrast to many today, who simply teach for a paycheck, or who teach for the praise of men. Jesus saw the deepest needs of men, and He knew the word of God could satisfy those needs.
Jesus took advantage of surroundings and situations. When He saw guests at a dinner struggling to get to the best seats, He taught a parable about the value of humility (Luke 14:7-11). He offered “living water” to the Samaritan woman He met at a well. After He miraculously fed the multitudes, he taught them about the “food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:27). He even used current events to teach spiritual lessons (Luke 13:1-5).
Jesus taught wherever and whenever He had the opportunity—in the temple, in synagogues, in private homes, on mountains, from a boat etc. He taught one on one, in small groups, and in large groups. Jesus was not someone to let an opportunity slip by.
Jesus could be understood when He taught. While it is true that the meaning of His parables was often lost on the self-righteous (Matthew 13:10-13), His teaching was simple enough that “the common people heard him gladly” (Mark 12:37). He illustrated humility with a small child (Matthew 18:1-5); different hearts with different soils (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23); the value of the kingdom with a costly pearl and with great treasure (Matthew 13:44-46). You would have to try hard to miss the point with such simple, but powerful illustrations.
Jesus cut to the “heart” of the matter. It’s not that He neglected outward behavior in His teaching, but He knew that right behavior started with the right kind of heart. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matthew 12:34-35). His method was to change people from the inside out. Great examples can be found throughout the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
Jesus taught with authority. Yes, he had authority as the Son of God, but He taught with authority, because He taught the word of God (Luke 4:31-32; Mark 1:22; John 7:14-18; 12:49-50). Teachers today can still speak with authority (Titus 2:15) if they will simply teach the word (2 Timothy 4:2).
(To be continued next week)

“So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth…” (Luke 4:22).

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	P.O. Box 680872 / Prattville, AL 36067
	(334) 365-5887 / (334) 868-0801
	prattmont@gmail.com / prattmontchurchofchrist.org

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The Prattmont Church of Christ is just what the name suggests, a church that belongs to Christ. We are not a denomination; we are simply a group of Christians trying very hard to practice the teachings of our Head, Jesus Christ. The New Testament offers a complete pattern for what each local church should be like—its organization, its worship, its work, etc. We are committed to following that pattern. We cordially invite you to attend our services. We would also welcome any comments or questions about this bulletin.

TIMES OF SERVICES:
Sunday
Bible Classes………...9 A.M.
Worship 10:00 A.M.
Worship/Bible Study..5 P.M.
Wednesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.