When teaching others the bible know when to take your leave.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

When teaching others the bible we need to be alert and know when to stay and when to take our leave.

When you are being ask questions know when to answer,when to be silent and when to take your leave. Jesus knew if he answered the pharisees at times they would only try to use his words against him or use them to taunt him so at certain times he didn’t give an answer. When Jesus answered he always used God’s word. He sometimes had to explain things in parables for those who did not understand.

There where times Jesus remained silent at first to let things play out so that certain things could be revealed like a persons faith.

Know who is asking the question and if we should answer. If not we may look like a fool. Often times someone is asking a leading question to either make a person look like a fool or to trap them. Jesus would not answer those types of questions.

Also recognize when we are being led into a dispute and learn when to be silent. If not we invite their rage and ridicule. If someone becomes contentious, starts shaming you , or starts attacking your character then shake the dust from your feet they do not want to hear the truth. If they did they would look at the scriptures or they would share scriptures to show why they believe what they do. When they attack you they have no foundation for their beliefs and you are only asking for abuse if you debate with them. We need to observe whether our words would be of any benefit to the one we are speaking to or if we are being led to a dispute. Our words should be healing and uplifting. Our words should also be few.

We have a responsibility to warn others but watch their response to the scriptures and know if you should speak more or be silent.

We need to make certain of the things we have learned so we are speaking the things from God. We also need to understand many will not listen because they are of the world. If we have not thoroughly researched them and made certain they are accurate teachings then how can we be certain we are not misleading others. There are many angels of light teaching false teachings. We will want to be careful and research all we hear so we do not teach something we should not be teaching. We need to know our bible so we know how to answer. I recommend everyone read their bibles the whole way through at least one time.

We need to be prepared, Jesus was perfect and they still tried to accuse him. We have imperfections they can throw in our face and pick at to deter us. We have to always stay the course if God looked at only our sins no one would make it. If they can only shame , guilt or ridicule then they have no ground to stand on. They will only get angry at you and hate you there is not point in talking about the bible farther with them. But do not give up hope on them , if they have a legitimate question later then be prepared to answer. I have had some who reacted very angrily at first only to come around and start listening. You never know when Jehovah may touch their heart and open their eyes.

If we know our bibles we will know how to answer. The pharisees used to ask Jesus leading questions to test him and often times hoping to trip him up. He always answered with what was written. He sometimes had to use parables for those who did not understand the word to clarify things for them. Sometimes we may have to use a life example or something to help someone understand things more clearly.

By learning the bible we can learn to identify sincere questions like those ask by the disciples and know when to take our leave.

Matthew 27:12When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

Matthew 15:21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”25The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.26He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”27“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”28Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Proverbs 26:4Do not answer a fool according to his folly,or you yourself will be just like him.5Answer a fool according to his folly,or he will be wise in his own eyes.

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Proverbs 29:Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath. 9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

Proverbs 18:6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Proverbs 21:23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.21 The lips of the righteous feed many,

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. We know we aren’t to judge others if we do not choose our words wisely we could be judging them.

James 4:11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

Matthew 12:36-37 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Ezekiel 3:18-19 If I say to the wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him—you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life—that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Also keep in mind those of the world will hate you. Their reaction to words of truth reveals a lot.

John 15:18-19 If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Luke 6:26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

There is a time to speak up but also to be silent.

Ecclesiastes 3:7-8 a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do what is good. Seek justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.

John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Matthew 19:3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, 5 and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? 6 “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” 7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.

Matthew 22:15-22 Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. “Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?

Matthew 12:9-14 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”–so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?

Psalm 130:3If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,Lord, who could stand?4But with you there is forgiveness,so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

Many times they will judge you by mans standards and not by God’s

Mark 7:1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, 2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” 6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 7 ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’

Luke 8:9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,“ ‘though seeing, they may not see;though hearing, they may not understand.

Luke 11:11 And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, that when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples.

Matthew 10:14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.