"And he Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the deifying of the body of Christ . . . That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ . . ." (Ephesians 4:11-12, 14-15).

In the first and twenty-first century church it was (and is) vital that the word of God be taught, and God made sure that there were those who taught God's word. The apostles, prophets and evangelists all taught the word of God -- indeed, the entire list he mentions in verse 11 all have a teaching role in one way or another! The teaching was necessary for the following reasons:

1. Teaching the Word of God was necessary for the equipping of the saints. Teaching the Word of God to the saints was and is necessary for the saints to be able to stand against the devil and false doctrine, and to grow and become what God demanded that they become. Could it be that the church today is failing to carry out her GOD ORDAINED mission because the Word of God has not been taught and we have not been equipped to do what God has commanded?

2. Teaching the Word of God was necessary for the edification of the body of Christ! When the Word of God is taught in it's entirety and fullness; when each member of the church realizes their responsibilities because they have been TAUGHT what God has required of them, then the church will grow and be all that God has hoped it would be. Could it be that we have lost many members of the body of Christ because we have not taught (and practiced) all of the Word of God and they became weak, and sickly and died?

3. Teaching the Word of God was necessary to help the saints grow to the point that they would not be tossed around with every wind of doctrine. Brethren, today we see so many tossed about by ever new doctrine and teaching that is out there! We see entire churches led astray because the leaders and members did not stand for the truth, and failed to inoculate the brethren against the viruses (which causes fatal infections) against such. As a result, many have been "led astray by the trickery of men, by the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting", orchestrated by the master of deceit himself -- Satan.

God wants his word to be taught in truth, in simplicity, and in honesty. That is why we need teachers qualified to teach the Word of God to our infants through our most senior saint. The only way to become qualified is by fervent love for the Lord, for the truth, and a desire to help others know what God requires of all of us.

To those who have taught for years, THANK YOU! To those who have only recently began to teach -- THANK YOU! To those who are thinking about becoming teachers, we need you to commit to loving God; to loving His word; to believing in the power of God's Word even today. Answer the call! Teach!