Have you ever heard a minister say in a sermon, “I’m preaching to myself”? Have you ever heard a teacher present a lesson and say something like, “I’m standing here teaching, but I’m not pretending to have this all figured out”?

Today’s Good Word reminds us that this is a great perspective to keep.

Even those who God has called to preach and teach are continually learning and growing. (They aren’t perfect.) God has blessed some with great understanding and wisdom. Others are gifted with the ability to convey knowledge to others. But…

Those who God has called to preach are still hearers; they must listen to God for the message that they’re to convey.

Those who God has called to teach are still learners. We all start out as learners, and we remain learners.

Those of you who often preach and teach have most likely experienced the uncanny sensation of having “learned” from the class you taught or been “fed” by the sermon you preached. It’s then you realize that you’re simply a conduit and not the source.

Think back on your life, and you’ll start to see the times when God called you to learn, hear, and grow, as well as the times He called you to teach, guide, and instruct. We can be both teacher and learner simultaneously, so it’s a mistake to think of the teacher or preacher as somehow worth more than the learners and hearers.

Jesus Christ set up the Church as a safe haven from the hierarchies that exist in society and government. In spiritual matters, we are equals. This equality before God connects us as a family — brothers and sisters, children of one Father — and bridges the other aspects of life that would otherwise divide us.

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.