And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be
prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to equip
the saints for works of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach
unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the
full measure of the stature of Christ.… (Ephesians 4:11-13)
The apostle Paul admonishes us to use our gifts for
equipping ministers and building up the body of Christ. Every Christian has at
least one spiritual gift that is given to him or her. One of the gifts I have
that I have been using for sharing the good news and building up the saints is
the gift of teaching. In particular, being a certified English teacher, I give free
English lessons to non-Christian students of all ages.
At present I am using a Cambridge textbook for
beginners as a main teaching syllabus. What is unique in my approach is that I
integrate the good news and Biblical content within the teaching material. For
example, when teaching a lesson on “Introducing myself”, besides teaching
students to say “Hello. My name is…”, “I am from…”, “I am a
student/architect/teacher…”, I introduce myself by saying, “I am a Christian”. If
the group is OK with using the Bible since the very beginning I might even say
that, Jesus introduces himself with seven I am sayings in the book of John and
write them or ask them to find them in the book.
Also, when I teach a grammar concept (a verb tense,
voice, or kinds of sentences) I might pick a Bible verse or passage that
illustrates it. Jesus parables, for example, are short stories written in Past
Simple Tense and thus appropriate to teach that tense.
Contemporary Christian songs are another means through
which I teach Biblical truths and values. They are also good conversation
starters. Songs are especially appropriate to teach just before major Christian
holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc.)
Currently we are having 15 people who attend our
English lessons for beginners. Some of them have already come to our Sunday
service and other events we are organizing at church.
This teaching job demands a lot of time and energy but
it’s worth when you see the positive reaction of the students and their desire
to learn not only English but also get to know more about God. Recently a guy
came to our English lessons and said: “I have also been to the Mormons’ English
lessons but they are boring. What you are doing is a lot more interesting and
fun.”
