I spent thirty-eight years of my life in education. People often asked me, "What do you teach?"
My answer usually surprised them.
"I teach students."
The subject was important, but the student was far more important than the subject. If the student never learned, it did not matter how much I knew.
One lesson I learned very early in my teaching career was that students do not all learn the same way. Some learn by listening, others by seeing, and still others by doing. If I stood in front of the classroom and lectured every day, I would reach only a small number of students. The rest would leave frustrated, believing they simply could not learn.
The problem was not always with the student. Often it was with the teacher.
I discovered that most of my students were visual learners. They needed illustrations, demonstrations, stories, diagrams, and hands-on experiences before the lesson truly became their own. I learned that if my students were going to succeed, I had to adapt to their learning styles. They were not going to adapt to mine.
That meant I needed to understand more than the subject I was teaching. I needed to understand the student. What interested them? What were they struggling with? What experiences shaped their lives? What motivated them to keep trying?
Many of those young people went on to become successful in their careers and in life, not because I had all the answers, but because someone took the time to understand how they learned.
After more than fifty years in the ministry, I discovered that the church is no different than the classroom.
People come into the sanctuary carrying burdens the preacher may never see. One family is grieving the loss of a loved one. Another is struggling to pay the bills. A young couple is trying to save their marriage. An elderly widow wonders if anyone even notices she is there. A teenager is fighting temptations no one else knows about.
Yet many preachers walk into the pulpit determined to impress people with deep theological knowledge while failing to meet the needs sitting before them.
There is certainly a place for sound doctrine. The church must never abandon biblical truth. But doctrine should never become so complicated that the average believer leaves wondering, "What was the preacher talking about?"
The Apostle Paul reminded the church:
"Let all things be done unto edifying."
(1 Corinthians 14:26, KJV)
The purpose of preaching is not to impress people with knowledge. It is to build them up in the faith.
Paul also instructed Timothy:
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
(2 Timothy 4:2, KJV)
Notice that Paul combines doctrine with exhortation and patience. Truth must be taught in a way that people can understand and apply to everyday life.
Jesus was the greatest Teacher who ever lived.
He certainly understood the deepest truths of heaven, yet He rarely taught through complicated theological discussions. Instead, He spoke about farmers sowing seed, shepherds caring for sheep, fishermen casting nets, women searching for lost coins, fathers welcoming prodigal sons, and builders laying foundations.
Why?
Because Jesus met people where they were before leading them where they needed to go.
He took heavenly truth and wrapped it in earthly illustrations.
No wonder "the common people heard him gladly."
"And the common people heard him gladly."
(Mark 12:37, KJV)
Every Believer Is Different
One mistake many ministers make is assuming everyone in the church has the same gifts, the same interests, and the same spiritual needs.
God never designed His church that way.
Paul writes:
"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit."
(1 Corinthians 12:4, KJV)
Later he explains:
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"
(Ephesians 4:11, KJV)
In another passage we read:
"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us..."
(Romans 12:6, KJV)
Some believers are teachers.
Some are evangelists.
Some are encouragers.
Some are servants.
Some have the gift of mercy.
Some lead.
Some quietly work behind the scenes.
Each gift strengthens the body of Christ.
The wise pastor recognizes those differences and learns to minister to each person according to their needs rather than preaching only what he enjoys preaching.
An Illustration
Years ago I planted a small garden.
I quickly learned that every plant required something different.
The tomatoes needed support from a stake.
The beans climbed a trellis.
The lettuce preferred cooler weather.
The peppers needed more warmth.
The carrots grew beneath the surface where no one could see them.
If I treated every plant exactly the same, some would flourish while others would wither.
The problem would not be with the seed.
It would be with the gardener.
The church is much like that garden.
God has planted different people with different gifts, different personalities, different levels of spiritual maturity, and different struggles.
The faithful shepherd learns how to feed each one according to their need.
A Challenge to Every Minister
Our calling is not merely to preach sermons.
Our calling is to shepherd people.
A sermon may satisfy the preacher, but only a shepherd feeds the sheep.
The question we should ask after every message is not, "Did they admire my knowledge?"
It should be, "Were God's people strengthened? Did the discouraged leave with hope? Did the lost understand the Gospel? Did believers grow closer to Christ?"
The greatest compliment a preacher can receive is not that he is brilliant.
It is that people understood God's Word, were encouraged in their faith, and left wanting to walk more closely with Jesus.
As I often told my students, "I teach students."
After all these years in the ministry, I can say the same thing from the pulpit.
"I preach to people."
When we love people enough to meet them where they are, God can lead them to where He wants them to be.
