Page 48 - Ecclesiology Textbook Masters

not. In ministry, you may find a select few individuals who are more responsive to the things of the Lord
than others. Concentrate on those few, as they will reproduce themselves once discipled.

How did Jesus teach His disciples?

Dale Roach of Like a Team Ministries has suggested these 8 characteristics of Jesus that made him such
a unique teacher of his disciples:

1. Jesus was a Teacher Who Taught with Power
Jesus began his ministry by engaging people in the synagogue as a public teacher. This teaching was an
activity open to any layman who was willing to be taught.

Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news
of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

But what made him so different from other teachers? The answer to that question is that Jesus taught
in the power of the Spirit of God (Luke 4:14). He did not rely on his own abilities, but solely rested in the
supremacy of the Holy Spirit in guiding Him about what to say and how to say it.
We can do the same thing as a teachers. The Scriptures tell us how:

Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit
Just as a person would drink wine and thereby surrender control of his body to drunkenness, in the
same manner we are to surrender control of our lives to the Holy Spirit of God on a daily basis. He is the
power in teaching, not our abilities. He is the one who will give our teaching dynamic results.

2. Jesus was a Teacher Whose Teaching was Unique
The Sermon on the Mount is one of the New Testament’s most significant leadership lesson plans.
When Jesus was speaking to this mass of people, he was reflecting upon the group dynamics. Jesus
shared lessons that could be understood by adults and children alike.
The teaching style of Jesus held the attention of those to whom He was speaking. Matthew wrote in
Matthew 7:28, When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching…
The teaching style of Jesus drew the attention of massive crowds. His style was also one that showed he
had authority.

“The common people were astonished. He was not a scribe. He had no religious credentials. Yet he
spoke like a king. His sayings were a new Sinai. The scribes quoted authorities; he spoke with authority.
They loved tradition, and no rabbi won a hearing unless he could prove that his word was based on past
wisdom; so the scribes drew stale water from closed cisterns. But the words of Jesus were like a spring,
clear, fresh, with power to slake the soul’s thirst.” (The Interpreter’s Bible, New Testament Articles,
Matthew and Mark, page 335)

3. Jesus Was a Teacher Who Taught with Compassion
Legalism and living by the letter of the Jewish law were powerfully present during the ministry of Jesus.
Compassion took the second place to the law. However, this was not the strategy of Jesus. His ministry
was one of compassion.

Mark 3:1-6 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was
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there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he

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