In II Timothy 2:2, Paul encourages Timothy to take the things that he has learned and teach it to others so that they may, in their turn, go teach still more people. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” In this passage, we see the biblical command for people to be equipped with the knowledge of the Bible so that they can understand it and then teach others what they have learned.
In the same passage of II Timothy, Paul tells Timothy to “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15) Even though Timothy is told to be a teacher, we see that the process of learning never ends; even the teacher needs to study.
In the next chapter, II Timothy 3:16 & 17, Paul tells Timothy exactly what he needs to study and teach and why; “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” We must study the Bible because it is God’s direct word to us; it is useful for our doctrinal foundations, for lovingly proving Christ is the only way of salvation, for correcting the sin in ourselves, & for teaching how to live a righteous life that glorifies God.
Paul then states, in the next verse, why it is so important to study; “That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (II Timothy 3:17) It is only when we are studying our Bible and applying what we learn to our lives that we are made complete. As we allow God to mold us and transform us through what we learn, we see how amazing God really is and how great He desire for us to serve Him completely.
There is no greater impact that a person can have on someone else than to teach them the Bible and how to study it on their own. Lao Tzu put it this way; “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” It is our desire that the Temple Teens would be fully equipped in their knowledge of the Bible and fully capable of studying it for themselves so that they may go and teach others how to do the same. It is this process of teaching so that others may be taught that leads to individual growth as well as growth of the group.
