Teach One Another 1

1 Peter 5:2-3

While working as a teacher I had to think before responding whenever a student thanked me for helping them. Often my first response was to say, “It’s my job.” The same is true in ministry. There are times when a parishioner will thank me for stopping by the hospital, and my first impulse is to say, “It’s my job.”

The problem is that those words imply an unwillingness on my part. In other words, that statement could mean I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have to. But that is not true. It is my job, but I am also doing it because I want to.

Peter has a message for the elders of the early church. What does he instruct? What should be their attitude?

I believe these instructions are meant for every Christian. It is true that the elders of the church – those with authority and responsibility – should help in guiding the church. I believe it is also true that elder Christians, those who have been in the faith for many years, should help to guide those who may be new to the body of Christ.

But I also believe that every Christian has the responsibility to lead and nurture people who are trying to find their way in the faith. Even if you have only been a believer a short time, you can help those who have just accepted Christ.

We are called to teach one another. But we are also called to teach one another willingly, without reluctance or desire for reward. We should teach but not because we must, but because we want to.

Even those who are not skilled at teaching, those who do not want to be the leader or instructor in a church classroom, can still teach. You can teach by being a living example of what it means to have strong faith. Peter charges us not to “lord” it over others. We should teach with joy and enthusiasm and by example. We should avoid shaming others into obedience or lecturing them on their faults.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you teach faith without being in a classroom?