“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).
“We
loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel
of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us” (1
Thessalonians 2:8).
The
best teachers I ever had shared three things in common: expertise in their respective
fields, authentic faith in Jesus Christ, and love for the people God had called
them to teach.
When I attended Oral Roberts University some 30 years ago, my study habits were
weak at best. I could always find something either fun or “spiritual”
to do instead of homework. I was not a self-motivated learner. A teacher had
to use more than fear tactics and heavy lecture content to get my attention.
The classes that got me going were the ones in which the instructor modeled
Christ-likeness, giving me a picture of Jesus I hadn’t seen before in
the midst of the classroom situation. I enrolled in courses taught by people
I wanted to be like – or by people who at least challenged me to become
a true disciple in my own right. This pattern stayed with me through my seminary
experiences as well. Let me mention a few of my favorite teachers, who not only
taught me much, but from whom I also caught something:
• Oral Roberts taught me I could hear God’s voice and that I was called to respond to that voice with radical faith and obedience.
• Larry Hart taught me I could be fully charismatic and also be a responsible theologian, one who didn’t take shortcuts in my study of scripture.
• John Wimber taught me I didn’t have to be Oral Roberts to heal the sick and cast out demons. I would get better results by being the person God designed me to be than from trying to emulate someone else.
• Peter Wagner taught me I had to think “outside the box” if I wanted to participate in the new things God was doing to renew his Church and reach the lost.
• Cecil M. Robeck, Jr. taught me I could be both authentically Pentecostal and genuinely ecumenical, and according to John 17, I was called to bring my experience of the Spirit to my non-Pentecostal brethren in the context of committed relationships.
• Myles Munro taught me to be an intercessor.
• Steve Durasoff taught me to be a soul winner.
All these teachers taught subjects
through the routine of the daily classroom. Yet God had something to teach me
through them, regardless of the title of the course. Eventually I realized that
every one of my teachers had something to teach me. More precisely, God had
something specific to teach me if I was willing to pay attention long enough
to discover the truth. That has proven true of teachers who were boring, strict,
young or old, male or female, and of teachers whose courses had no apparent
relevance to my calling.
God also knew that in my immaturity I needed to be drawn to teachers or I wouldn’t
learn, so He was faithful to draw me to Himself through some incredible people.
He continues to challenge me to learn from Him through every single teacher
that comes my way, and not to miss the growth available to me because of my
tendency to despise the messenger.
During the past decade at Eugene Bible College, I’ve observed the same
phenomena among our students. EBC is blessed to enjoy some dedicated teachers
who have those same three qualities I always appreciated: expertise in their
field, true life in Christ, and the dedication to invest in the lives of their
students. That is no accident. We don’t hire people who lack this well-rounded,
“triple threat” approach to life and teaching. I’ll share
a few examples of what students say they have received from their EBC instructors:
• Fly fishing/friendship from Rick Lewis
• The value of truly “Christian thinking” from Trudy Kutz
• New Testament Greek and various ethnic cuisines from David Buttacavoli
• The endless possibilities of creative ministry from Danell Bemis
• Integrity/faithfulness/discipline from Lonny Burke
God gave some to be...teachers.
I encourage you to appreciate the teachers He has given you. To those of you
willing to accept the high calling to teach others, God bless you! You are true
heroes and heroines of the faith.
Dr.
David Cole is the President of Eugene Bible College in Eugene, Oregon.