Gospel Message Day 64

Teachings of Christ, Day 3

The Savior is the master teacher. Some people think that there is nothing to teaching. I beg to differ. You have to be comfortable in front of crowds. You have to be able to speak off the top of your head. A good teacher does not memorize word-for-word or read from notes. They go with what they know and feel and that affects what comes out. Plus, that's less boring.

And along those lines, a good teacher has to be entertaining to a degree. Not saying that they have to always make the student(s) laugh and such. But the teaching style can't be dry and boring. A good teacher knows their students and uses all the ways (audio, video, object lessons, stories, etc.) to reach those students. Not all teachers are able to employ all of the techniques. Usually one excels at a few.

In our day, President Thomas S. Monson (our prophet) uses stories. The majority are from real examples. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (2nd counselor in the First Presidency) often gives analogies to airplanes. It is something he knows and uses because many of us can understand the analogies he makes. They use what works for them and what they know will reach us.

The Savior did that, too. He taught in parables. He taught in forthright words. He taught by example. He used what they knew and built on that. We read of his teachings in the New Testament. However, by the things he says and does in the others works of scripture (Old Testament, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine & Covenants), we see even more of those teachings. For those who are not comfortable teaching, or who could always improve on it (and that would be all of us), we simply have to follow His example of how He taught.

I think the most crucial part of the Savior's way of teaching is that it includes using the gift of the Holy Ghost. And so must ours be. Doctrine & Covenants 42:14 reads:

And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach.