Reflecting on how even Jesus and the Early Church served through the Spirit’s empowerment should reinforce the reality of our need of the Holy Spirit in order to be effective.<\/p>\n
Holy Spirit Essential in Jesus’ Earthly Ministry<\/h2>\n
The Holy Spirit descended like a dove upon Jesus at the start of His earthly ministry. Of Jesus, Isaiah 11:2 says, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him \u2014 the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”<\/p>\n
As teachers we continue His work of discipling people using His Word. If Jesus, in human form, served through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, how much more do we need the Spirit to effectively communicate? We need the Spirit to work in and through our lives to make an eternal difference.<\/p>\n
Power of the Spirit Critical for the Early Church<\/h2>\n
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\nJesus had promised His disciples the gift of His Spirit to help, guide, teach, and remind them of all He had taught them (Jn. 14:16-17, 26).<\/p>\n
They so needed the Spirit’s power to be His witness that, before ascending to heaven, Jesus told them to wait for the Spirit before advancing (Acts 1:4). Even though they had just spent three years with Jesus Himself, they weren’t to rely on their own ability to carry on His work. Having an eternal impact would take more than training.<\/p>\n
If the early church needed such supernatural power for ministry, certainly we must conclude that the Spirit’s work is still essential to effective Bible teaching in today’s world. Teacher training is important but not enough. We need the Spirit to be effective in ways that really count.<\/p>\n
Bible Teachers, Rely on That Same Helper for Effective Teaching<\/h2>\n
We have lessons to prepare and present that will touch lives. We have relationships to build and maintain with our students. To get the most out of our lessons, students need to come with prepared hearts. They need help understanding the Truth presented to them. And, they need to take what they’ve learned and apply it to their lives.<\/p>\n
The Spirit comes alongside of us as our Helper (parakletos<\/em>) who is not only with us but in us (Jn. 14:16-17). Consequently, we can always rely on the Spirit to work in and through us. But, we must walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26) and be controlled by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18-20). We must be careful not to quench His work (1 Thess. 5:19) which can happen when we aren’t abiding in the Lord (Jn. 15:1-5).<\/p>\n Continue Reflecting on the Role of the Spirit in This Teacher Training Resource:<\/strong> The Holy Spirit & My Teaching Devotional<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Do we truly grasp how essential the Holy Spirit is to effective Bible teaching? We can\u2019t make students accept the Truth of God\u2019s Word or trust the Lord. We can\u2019t change their hearts. That\u2019s the work of the Holy Spirit. Take time to . . . Continue reading The Holy Spirit is Essential to Effective Bible Teaching<\/span>