[Pastor Ralph]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

[JanMary]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

Most important I think, is being filled with the Holy Spirit, and with humility. Able to rightly divide and handle the Word of God with a pure heart. Not contentious or quarrelsome, but gentle. Bold rather than timid. Courteous, patient and forebearing....having a peace loving, shepherd's heart for the sheep. (One that understands that the Holy Spirit is the Teacher, and guide to all Truth, and he/she is just the messenger, and that it's not his/her job to hammer the Word into anyone.)

To be lacking in these qualities, can lead to pride, arguments, wounded sheep. Since the goal is to awaken the unsaved and to disciple the believer, the lack of these qualities could prevent the hearers from coming to the knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ.

[Elwood C O'Dell]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents.

One who corrects another must be kind / gentle, using skill and finesse, not resentful but patient and tolerant, setting aside their own ego, not trying to verbally beat the other person into agreeing with them but allowing God to do the convicting and convincing, trusting that the Holy Spirit is working through the word one teaches to bring about the change which is necessary.

How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

The lack of any of these takes the focus off of God and puts it back on self. Self centeredness can never accomplish the teaching which is needed.

[iam4-1god]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

Having the Spirit of truth instructing us-telling us what to say. Studying the Word-knowing what it says about things that are being questioned. Praying and staying in touch with God about questions that we might have.

For real, if we don't do these things, then God can not use us. We will not-can not be receptive to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Without God, we can do nothing!

[charisbarak]

We need first to be kind to those we are instructing; be prepared to skillfully bring scriptures to light; not have any resentment toward them; be humble; and be assured that God will do the part of repentance to salvation--not part of our work.

Attitude attitude attitude! With lack of any of these we become an instrument of torture & turn them away from God, rather than to them. If you don't give the person to Christ for Him to do his work in them, we take it on ourselves which is not only a heavy burden, but very prideful.

[Snaps]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

The motivation for correction must only be love for the person who needs the correction. Therefore a gentle spirit MUST be engaged, because anything else doesn't reflect the love of Jesus. It will be a spirit of prayerfulness that the person become teachable, and able to see to the heart of the matter. It's a case of "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord", and so we leave the strength to be applied by the Lord, not by us. I think we need to be prayerful that we can teach the person - not the thing. In other words we need to see to the heart of the person to discover what is truly the issue because it may not necessarily be the one on the surface. In other words, our teaching needs very much to be directed by the (deep calls to deep) Spirit of God.

Lack of gentleness breaks down relationship and establishes a competitive spirit that must win the argument.

Lack of love, and the deep understanding that love produces (which takes time and care to achieve) may mean that the real issue is missed altogether, and communication is not happening.

Lack of prayerfulness may mean that the teacher cannot understand what God is revealing on the issue, and therefore communicaton will be ineffective, and possibly damaging.

I love Jan-Mary's words, "the goal is to awaken the unsaved". It's always good to "waken" a person gently.

Proverbs 15:1 declares "A soft answer turns away wrath". It's amazing what you can get away with saying if you say it "softly"! The softness gives people the peace (safe space) to listen and hear what is said.

[Stan]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

Kindness,Skill,Lacking resentfulness , Kindness would be an act of showing caring not a strong force but gentle nudging. Skill would be having a convincing knowledge of the word and being able to show by the worda reason for your belief. Lacking resentfulness, again would be a caring attitude willing to listen to their side with out cutting them short and then adding wisdom to correct and teach. I believe without these we cause the arguing Paulwas talking to Timothy about avoiding which can lead to pushing them away instead of leading other to a knowledge of the truth, which we are all called to do.

[hanks]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25)
In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents.
How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?
As Christians we are to resemble our Lord and Saviour, who was kind and gentle, humble and meek, lowly, and restful. We, as our Lord's servant, then, must be gentle, easy to speak to, approachable in our behaviour; not irritable, intolerant, sarcastic, or scornful, not even toward those who err. It is with this attitude that we must try to win them over to the truth. We must note however, that this gentleness will not always be reciprocated or even appreciated. At times we will meet with ridicule and abuse, even with insult and injury. When this happens, we must show even more patience and tolerance; remembering to correct the opponents with mildness. We are not to succumb to evil.

[masika]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?
As teachers of God’s word we are to be kind and gentle, patiently and courteously explaining the truth. Good teaching never promotes quarrels or foolish arguments. Whether we are teaching church school, leading a Bible study, or preaching in church, remember to listen to people’s questions and treat them respectfully, while avoiding foolish debates. If we do this, those who oppose us will be more willing to hear what we have to say and perhaps turn from their error.

[JustJeff]

To teach is to reach. It cannot be done by being arrogant, combative, boastfull, indignant, or holier than thou. It is needfull to be the opposite of all of these and, most of all patient. When the teacher is fully versed on the subject matter it is then that he or she should be most effective. And, when you are lead by the Holy Spirit, it is when the Lord is in control.

[kenny]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

When correcting an opponent one needs to be in control of ones emotions both verbal and physical as well as being learned in the subject at hand. Always listen to your opponents arguments completely without interruption, keeping cool and level headed no matter what the argument. Be patient quietly spoken but firm and to the point, remembering always your authority comes from the Lord. Always make sure that you fully understand what is being discussed if not, clarify by asking, it is sometimes better to ask than to tell. Remember the truth can defend itself as can our Lord and often just listening can solve the problem at hand.

When lacking one of the above attributes it is easy to loose ones temper and allow the questions at hand to get out of control. This can lead to lack of respect as well as possible loss of trust in the teacher.

As Christian teachers we should be filled with the Spirit as well as the true love of our Lord. This combined with a thorough knowledge of the scriptures will allow one to portray the confidence and love that is required of a good teacher.

[s8nfighter]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

Let me give two different examples of how we can correct opponents. My older brother has a hard time accepting Christ as a savior. He cannot seperate the love of God from the works of man and believes it is by works alone which gains eternal llife.

I was an alcoholic and quit drinking (only by the grace of God was I healed) almost 20 years ago. My brother called me 6 yrs. ago and asked me if I could invite his daughter to church with me. He said, "I am not admitting that there is any reason to believe in Christ, but I have seen how much your faith has done for you and I want the same for my daughter." She is now married, and teaches Sunday School.

Four years ago a friend came up to me at a construction site I was working at and asked me to help him give up drugs. He said he was asking me for help because I act different than other people he knows. He has quit drugs, moved from his small apartment, started his own business, and is buying a house for him and his family.

My point to this is; if you want to help someone you first have to show that you care. I tell people whom I work with one thing, "I can train a monkey to do my job, but I cannot train a monkey to care." That is the characteristic which sets us apart from others. It can be found in the previous verse. "22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." If we live a lifestyle of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves, we will not have to approach others, they will approach us. There will not be any need for festavals to aqquire the fire if we just fan into flames the fire which Christ ignited in us.

Darrell

[Soomee]

Not in a fighting spirit but with gentle spirit. We need to be humble but firm not to compromise the truth. Again the truth should be told with grace. Always be in the counsel of the Holy Spirit. If we have a wrong spirit, even if we hide from the others they still can sense the spirit of pride and take their defensive position. If that happens then they will shut their ears for your teachings. Arguments and play of words will not take you too far and no point just depending on our own strength. Paul says that if you talk meekly and courteously then the others will turn away from their wrong ideas and believe what is true.

[spazzo47]

I'm in a teacher's education class right now. We're only in our first couple weeks of instruction, but what I'm getting out of it so far is that to be a good teacher, you have to show respect to your students. We have to show Christian love to those we are trying to minister to. We have to be able to listen attentively and show that we care about their problems. We have to be knowledgable in the Scripture. We have to be able to build a relationship with them. And we have to make sure that at all times God is the focus of what we're doing.

I got the opportunity once to take a then pre-Christian through the book of John and I helped him say a prayer of salvation. This was a guy who had several handicaps, but was an amazing artist. I genuinely enjoyed spending time with him and I believe he enjoyed me too. He went to a different church than I did the week his church did baptisms, so I told him to make sure he was there that day and I'd come by and talk to him about what he saw and what it meant. We have JJ as a Christian brother in part because he was shown love by a lot of people, including me. And I came out with a really cool relationship as well.

My point to this is; if you want to help someone you first have to show that you care. I tell people whom I work with one thing, "I can train a monkey to do my job, but I cannot train a monkey to care." That is the characteristic which sets us apart from others.

I really like this.

[Jen]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

gentleness, firm in the truth of scripture and able to teach (know your stuff) and a prayerful attitude.
The object of teaching is to lead others to repentance and if we quarrel or lack the qualities of a Christian fit for His service we will drive people away which is not what we want. We should strive for God's glory and have a servant heart.

God Bless!
Jen
Numbers 6:24-26

[Patricia A]

[quote name='Pastor Ralph' date='Feb 2 2009, 06:12 PM' post='42418']
Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?
[/quote]

A Christian teacher must be kind and not argumentative and not trying to win a debate.
He or she needs to be skillful and organized and not resentful but rather tolerant. This teacher needs to be humble, caring and trusting of God to do His work, to lead and guide and change hardened hearts. Lack of these traits hinder the Gospel because living as a Godly example is the most important part of teaching.

[Delivered]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents.
Study God’s word, so we will be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks. It is important we do instruct, correct others when needed, but, always do it with care, remember, we are God’s representation, for we are to put out our best silverware daily.

This word is to Timothy as he goes forth with the word of God, but, I believe it is also for us, all bondservants of God Almighty: Be prepared to give the reason for the hope that is in us, knowing that it is the Word that does the work of conviction, and the Holy Spirit that draws the person, but, it is up to that person, it is his “choice” will he follow, or will he not?
How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?
If we lack any of these, we can open a door for Satan to do his work, bringing strife, quarreling, instead of love as our testimony, of what Christ has done for us.
This is something I have to work at, for I get so frustrated when I see so many churches, preaching untruths, and many friends who have been blinded by these false teachings; so I have to remind myself, it is God’s Word that does the work, and I am to be a testimony to others, to see the work of the cross, a new creation in me, I must put to practice the teachings, instructions to me, a bondservant of God.

[McCollum]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

God's people must not be quarrelsome, they must be gentle, patient teachers of those who are wrong. They must be humble when trying to teach those who are mixed up concerning the truth. For if you talk meekly and courteously to them they are more likely, with God's help, to turn away from their wrong ideals and believe what is true.

[sahala p.s.]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

The various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents:

a. Kindness, that which enables us to keep being kind, gentle, caring to everybody we teach although somebody oppose us because of our teaching

b. Skill, that which enables us to teach rightly and effectively so that everybody fully understand our teaching even in the face of controversy

c. Lacking resentfulness, that which enables us not to retaliate, threat when somebody insult or slander or even persecute us because of our teaching

d. Humility, that which enables us to be humble and set aside our self-importance or egos when we teach and correct opponents

e. Trusting God to work, that which enables us to believe that God himself will make them whom we teach repent and have a knowledge of the truth instead of believing that we able to accomplish it by our own strength

The lack of any of these hinders the task in this way: first, it makes us quarrel, second, it makes us not different from our opponents or become like them; third, it makes our teaching not be received well, and, fifth, the Holy Spirit difficult to work effectively in us

[Sasquatch]

Q2. (2 Timothy 2:24-25)
In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents.

We should teachwith a pure heart and with a clear spirit. Our job is to teach with kindness (no anger and no points scored), to teach with skill (finesse in the face of opposition), to teach without resentfulness (don't be resentful in the face of opposition), to teach with humility (no ego in the face of opposition) and to teach in the hope that God will grant them repentence (our agency is through his Word).

How does the lack of any of these hinder the task?

Too often I find myself considering people to be on the other side of the net. If I remember that Jesus met people where they were..........then I must follow. I tend to reflect other's attitudes back to them. Instead, the qualities above allow one to teach from a position of strength in God's Word. If I reflect the positive attributes then I obey; If I do not reflect the positive attributes above, I will fail.