Jesus had the power of the Holy Spirit empowering Him to be the kind of teacher that He was.  Jesus walked in the Spirit every second of His life and He exuded all the fruits of that Spirit. As we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life we can see that the fruits of the Spirit were very much evident when He was dealing with His disciples and when He was interacting with and teaching the multitudes.

Jesus taught with great power and the people could recognize that there was something special about Him and His teaching and the way that He taught. In Matthew 7 we are told that after hearing Jesus' Sermon on the Mount the people were amazed for He taught with great authority [power, competency, force, mastery].

Matthew 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

The Greek word for "authority" is exousia (Strong's #1849) and means: authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, from exesti (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence -- authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength. (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance)

When Jesus taught in His hometown, the people were astounded at the mighty works and at the wisdom with which He spoke.

Matthew 13:54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

Isaiah the prophet prophesied that the Christ would be full of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, with the spirit of counsel and might combined with the fear of the Lord.  Jesus was empowered to teach, to counsel, to speak words of encouragement, and to discern the motives of both the righteous and the wicked. He used all of these tools in His teaching and healing ministry.

Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 

Isaiah 50:4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

When we are called and if we respond to God's call to follow and obey Him, we receive a small measure of God's Spirit and then we must work at growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.  Jesus admonishes us to seek more of His Spirit by abiding in Him through Bible Study, prayer, meditating, applying God's Word in our lives, and by living in His presence. Jesus also taught that His disciples are to ask in prayer for more of God's Spirit (Luke 11:9-13). Those that are called to be teachers must always remember that it is only by the power of God within them that they can do anything including the imparting of knowledge and understanding to others. 

 In John 14 Jesus talked about how the Holy Spirit is our Helper and how it will teach us all things and help us to remember the things that Jesus has taught us.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Greek Word for "comforter" used here is paraklétos: (Strong's # 3875) and means: called to one's aid, (a) an advocate, intercessor, (b) a consoler, comforter, helper, (c) Paraclete. (Strong's Concordance)

And the Greek word for teach is didaskó (Strong's #1321) Definition:  teach, direct, admonish. (Strong's Concordance) To teach (literally, "cause to learn"); instruct, impart knowledge (disseminate information). (HELPS Word-studies)

The job of the Holy Spirit is to instruct, impart knowledge, and to guide us into all truth. The Holy Spirit also empowers teachers to teach; and the Holy Spirit empowers and leads students to grasp what they are being taught and to learn the deep things of God. Godly teachers work with and by the authority of God's Spirit. In preparing to teach the Word of God, whether it is informally or in a Bible study, above all else and above all teaching techniques, we must seek and rely on God's Holy Spirit to guide us and to help us.

The Spirit instructs those that are seeking God and who are obeying Him. To be filled with God's Spirit and walking in that Spirit is absolutely necessary for understanding and then teaching God's Word to others. Godly teachers then are like musical instruments with God being the musician. They must let Him fine tune them as His instrument and then let Him play the instrument as it yields to His lead just as a violin yields to the violinist's touch. A well-tuned instrument imparts the musical sounds exactly as the musician intends; a good Bible teacher conveys God's Word exactly as the Spirit leads.

1st Corinthians 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Moses had the same lack of confidence at first and God had to inform him that he would not be speaking by his own power but that God would put His words into his mouth and that He (God) would teach him as to what to say.

Exodus 4:10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

The Holy Spirit will work with the students as well, those that are being called of God and who are coming to us to teach them about the things of God.

2nd Corinthians 3:15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

Of ourselves, we have no power to change anyone's heart or to convince them that God's Word is true, even with the Word of God. But by the power of the Holy Spirit we can be used to transform lives if we are allowing God to use us as His instruments.  We cannot bring about a change in the lives of our students from the outside. They need a new heart; a heart that is set on obeying God.  Only God can bring about a transformation through the new birth resulting in new attitudes and behavior.

The Bible cannot be compared to any kind of secular text book or with any other set of teachings; it is by the Holy Spirit that the Word of God can be explained and understood. Bible teachers must work in tandem with the Holy Spirit at every level. The Holy Spirit is the powerful supernatural teaching force of God; the man or woman of God that teaches is just an instrument. We are to teach in the power God's Spirit rather than in our own human power.  We must look to God always and ask for a fresh supply of His Spirit to empower us to correctly divide the Word of truth to our students.

If we have God's Spirit and allowing it to lead us and we are doing our best to live our lives according to every Word of God, we will be walking in His Spirit. As teachers it is important to emulate the attributes of God's Spirit at work in our lives. We do that by displaying the fruit of God's Spirit in all that we do and in all of our teaching techniques.

Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

For a reminder, the fruits of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5 are: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  meekness, temperance...." (Galatians 5:22-23)

We can have the best teaching techniques in the world but if we are not exhibiting the fruit of God's Spirit combined with those techniques we will lose all credibility as a teacher of God's ways and of His Word. Conversely, when godly teachers are filled with the fruit of God's Spirit, students will sense the presence of love, joy, peace, patience, etc., and they will associate the teaching with these attributes from being in an atmosphere that emulates the qualities of God.

2nd Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [freedom].

Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

A true teacher of God will care about his or her students and will have an intense desire to see each one become all that he or she can be as a fellow brother or sister in Christ. Jesus Christ set a perfect example of kindness and love as He went about the country side teaching, healing and helping all that came to Him. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus showed His love for others by blessing and serving the poor, the disabled, and the distraught. He told His disciples, "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." (John 15:1)

1st John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

1st John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Our purpose for our students should be the same as the apostle Paul expressed for his brethren, those who were members of his congregations and were being taught by him.

Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Our purpose for our students is to show them the way of salvation and then to bring them into the full knowledge of God. Those whom God has called to be teachers are to mentor and admonish their pupils as to how they, too, can bring forth much spiritual fruit. It is the teacher's job to be constantly helping the people of God to grow, thrive, and flourish until the day of Christ's appearing.

The art of being a good listener as a teaching technique is one way that demonstrates that we are waking in the Spirit. And again, it is only by the power of God's Spirit dwelling in us that enables us to do even that.

One very practical way that a teacher can show the fruit of the Spirit is by learning and developing the art of listening. When we listen to those in our care, we show that we are interested in them and that we love them. By taking the time to listen with our full attention, we are exercising not only the fruit of love, but all of the other fruits of the Spirit as well. If we are patient, kind, gentle, humble, faithful and exercising self-control, we express those qualities by listening attentively to what our students have to say and then act according to what they have shown us that they need from us. All of these virtues will show that we are walking in the Spirit and fulfilling the royal law of love to our students who are also our neighbors.

James 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

As a master teacher, Jesus was a very good listener. Jesus listened to His disciples and He listened to the crowds that He taught and because of His willingness to listen to them, the common people naturally gravitated toward Him. Think about how comforting it feels to be heard by someone that we love and respect. Most of us can reflect on an occasion when we had something to say, something that we thought was important that we wanted to share with our teacher and we knew that we had his full attention. In this way the teacher and the student connect mentally and spiritually when the teacher is willing to listen to his or her students and by doing so he shows that he cares about them.

Many people long to find someone to talk to and who will listen to their insights, ideas and sometimes their troubles. If we want to be an effective teacher and counselor then we must learn the art of attentively listening to those who come to us. I mention counselor for often the job of counselor comes with teaching, for counseling is a form of teaching people how to turn from the things that are causing their problems and then steering them in the way of truth and godly solutions.

Jesus was not only a master teacher but He was a master at knowing how to minister to people by being a good listener. The Lord always listened intently to His disciples and others that crossed His path including the scribes and Pharisees. By listening to the words that came out of their mouths He could discern what was in people's hearts, what they were thinking and feeling. Part of the discernment came as a result of being an astute listener, not only listening to their words but listening to the emotions behind their words. Sometimes He could detect insincerity and trickery or perceive a lack of faith and then would respond with helpful admonishment or sometimes rebuke. As teachers we need to listen intently to our students as well. A good exercise is to read through the Gospels and note all the many times that Jesus would stop and just listen to someone that wanted to speak to Him or to ask Him a question.

The Lord genuinely sought to learn of people's concerns, what they were thinking and what level of spiritual condition they were in. Jesus practiced effective listening skills to minister and teach His disciples, and not only them, but also to a wide range of different kinds of people as He had interactions with them. Jesus was willing to listen so that He could understand what other peoples' concerns and perspectives were and where they were at spiritually, especially His disciples. Sometimes He would even listen in on others' conversations so that He could join in and offer comfort, and/or advice and counsel.

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared as a physical person that the disciples could not readily recognize and He came along side two of the disciples walking along the road to Emmaus. He listened carefully to their conversation as He noticed that their faces were very downcast. As He listened to what their concerns were, He was then able to address those concerns and guide the discussion so that He could teach them as to what they had recently witnessed all meant. He perceived that they were very sad and then asked them,  "What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?  And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger [a visitor] in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? (Luke 24:17-19)

Jesus knew how to ask helpful questions that allowed Him to find out what was really important to people and where they were at emotionally and spiritually. Jesus took time to show people how important they were to Him by giving them His undivided attention. He wanted to learn what was inside their minds, so He would listen to people with His eyes, ears and with sensitivity to any emotion they were exhibiting.

If we want to be good listeners we must also learn to ask our students what, why, when, where, and how type of questions that allow them to explain things from their own level of understanding and from their own perspective. Jesus listened to not just the persons' dialogue but what were their emotions, thoughts, and their perception of the things that were important to them. Jesus listened in a way that helped Him to identify a person's need and then He would offer help with their particular problem or question, whether it was in the way of teaching, healing, deliverance, or even correction. He would exhort or correct as to what was needed spiritually from asking questions and listening to what the person had to say. 

When a man brought to Jesus his son, the father went into a rather lengthy explanation as to the fact that his son was in need of healing from an evil spirit and that he had brought him to Jesus disciples but that they were unable to heal him. Jesus was able to detect the desperation in this man's voice and also asked him for more information. Jesus then could see that the disciples needed more faith and more instruction in some of the things that He had commissioned them to do. There is much information in this simple dialogue that needed to be heard on Jesus' part and then He could direct all concerned accordingly.

Mark 9:17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

In some cases Jesus asked questions to get people to tell Him about the problems they were having in their lives and that would give Him opportunities to teach or to perform a miracle on their behalf.

So we see that Jesus listened not only for the words, but for the sense of urgency in the tone of people's voices, expressions on their faces, and then was able to offer them consolation along with advice and exhortation and often the miracle that delivered them from their problem or disability.

Jesus who did not sin even in His thoughts and attitudes did not have any of the Jews' negative feelings, grudges, hurts or racial misunderstandings that were typically directed to the people of Samaria. To really listen we must not let any of those things cloud our listening and listen with an open mind with only concern for a person or student regardless of their background, social standing, etc. He demonstrated this kind of unbiasness when listening to the woman of Samaria that He met at the well. She was amazed that He would even speak to her, let alone listen to her and then advise her as to what she should do.

John 4: 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? (for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans).

Jesus reached out to this woman and communicated with her even though it was a cultural taboo to have dealings with those of Samaria, especially a woman of that country.

Jesus spent a great deal of time listening to people who were hurting with all kinds of diverse sicknesses and problems and then He would do whatever was needed because of His great empathy for them, healing them and casting out evil spirits.

Mark 1:32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

By listening to each person's specific problem the Lord showed that He was interested in more than just physical healing, but also emotional, social and spiritual restoration of the person. Good teachers will listen to their students and then ask questions to learn more about what their real needs are and then offer comfort; they will  guide them to seek help from God for spiritual healing and restoration.

Jesus was able to acquire information about people by listening and then letting a small amount of information teach Him volumes about people's spiritual maturity levels. When John the Baptist began to have some doubts, Jesus knew from the question that had risen in John's mind that he needed encouragement and so showed John's disciples the kind of works that gave evidence that He really was who John had previously known of Him.

Luke 7:19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Like Jesus, good teachers will master the art of cognitive thinking, teaching and listening to help their students to find solutions to their problems but also to help them to rise to a higher level of mental and spiritual maturity. This is what God wants for all of His people and He has given His called out teachers the mission of instilling a love for growing in ever increasing spiritual maturity.

Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.

2nd Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

We have already looked at the importance of relying on the Holy Spirit when it comes to teaching and inspiring our students on to God's purpose for them. Once we have learned the need to rely on the Holy Spirit, we will also need to be able to connect with people on a relational level. Teachers must be walking in the fruit of the Holy Spirit, connected to their Lord the Master Teacher, and also be connected to the people in their lives that they are trying to teach and to steer in the direction of following after God and all of His ways as well.

In order to inspire and motivate people to want to learn, a teacher needs God's help spiritually speaking and they need a connection with people practically speaking. As teachers, we have to be able to get beneath the surface with our students, discover who they are and where they are at spiritually and demonstrate the fruit of God's Spirit toward them in all that we say and do. When godly teachers can be trusted as those who really do care about them, it is then that God's people will want to seek them out to be their teachers of God's truth. Jesus was the perfect example of one that reached out to connect with people with loving concern  and one of the ways He did that was by giving them His full focus and to listen to them.

That level of attention, when a student knows that the teacher is really listening to him, makes him feel valued. It tends to make him feel safe, understood, and respected and being heard helps to validate a person.

On the other hand, just to compare, most of us can think about a time when we had something to say, or we needed to know something but we did not get that level of attention from the person we wanted to hear us. We wanted to talk to him and tell him something we thought was important but that person (perhaps even a teacher or a pastor) was distracted, looking at their I-pod, the computer, looking around the room, or looking at their watch, clearly thinking about something else. Perhaps we thought someone was listening but then realized they were absent mindedly giving a response without really acknowledging our words. How did that make us feel? Perhaps we felt ignored, and inconsequential or like we were intruding on their time? Their inability or unwillingness to really hear us probably felt demeaning and like we were just not worth their time. And without realizing it we can be doing that to others as well.

In our modern day with all of the hand-held gadgets that most carry around, the art of being a good listener is becoming more and more of a lost art. It is getting rare these days to have face to face conversations with those we care about. Conversing with another and even talking on the phone are no longer the primary way we communicate these days. The way most people communicate is now relegated to the computer through emails, or texting through cell phones; messages are quickly written up with poor spelling, abbreviated words. These sloppy kinds of communiques tend to lead to all kinds of misunderstandings. And when we are in the company with someone trying to have a conversation with him or her, these same devices can distract from having meaningful conversation because one or both are tuned into listening for a sound from their cellphone and when they hear it go off, they immediately turn their attention off of the person they are talking to, to answer their phone and begin a new conversation with whoever called or texted. Therefore it makes it nearly impossible for a person to be a good listener when he or she is on constant alert for some other "more important" message coming in.

For teachers it is of utmost importance to be a good listener. We know how gratifying it feels when we are attentively heard by those we respect, and we need to recognize that that is how our students feel when they are heard by us. As teachers we want to be active listeners and to have the students we care about feel that they are being given the attention that they need when they sincerely need to speak to us. This teaching and listening skill has many other benefits as well. They include some of the following:

Being a good listener as a godly teacher, or as a parent (who is a teacher to their children), or for anyone for that matter, is similar to showing courtesy and having good manners. Many people lack good manners in our modern day culture which includes the art of listening. When we practice good manners, no matter what others do, we will stand out from the crowd and that tends to make others gravitate toward us even more.

Here are some tips that I found that are very insightful and helpful. These are things that we can practice to become better listeners and thereby become better teachers. This is from articles that teach the art of being a good listener. After reading through these points, I realize that I too need to improve my listening skills. We have come to take it for granted that it is acceptable to allow distraction, to interrupt, to not pay attention when someone gives instructions, to try to multi-task when someone is talking to us, etc., and I found this very helpful. There is a real need for all of us to improve when it comes to how we listen to others.

"Being a good listener can help you to see the world through the eyes of others. It enriches your understanding and expands your capacity for empathy. It also increases your contact with the outside world by helping you improve your communication skills. Good listening skills can provide you with a deeper level of understanding about someone's situation, and helps to know what words are best to use or which words to avoid. As simple as listening (and acknowledging) may seem, doing it well, particularly when disagreements arise, takes sincere effort and lots of practice. If you want to know how to be a good listener, read on to get started!!" (Wiki-how.com - How to Listen)

If you are going to converse with someone (or several people), then take a moment to anticipate possible distractions and remove them. Turn off your cell phone and put it away. Turn your computer off or turn off the sound so you can't hear emails and notifications coming in. Turn off the TV, radio, or any other device that could be distracting.

If someone needs to speak to you, and you're in the middle of a project or task, either ask them to wait until you're done, or stop what you're doing to listen. Multi-tasking doesn't allow for true listening.

If you're in a social setting, and you are speaking one-on-one with someone, try to step aside to a quiet space where you won't be pulled away or interrupted by other people. Definitely don't look over the other person's shoulder while they're talking to see who else is in the room.

Hearing someone's words is just a small part of being a good listener. We communicate far more through our expressions, body language, and tone of voice.

When you are listening to someone, also watch them carefully. Are their arms crossed defensively, or are they sitting in an open, confident manner? Are they saying, "Everything's fine" with their words, but their face looks pinched and anxious?

Also, listen to how they present what they have to say. Do they sound tired, depressed, enthusiastic, confused? Are they mumbling, talking too loudly, or stating everything as though it were a question?

Learn the art of reading what people are really saying beyond their words. This can help you be more compassionate and understanding of people - and it can help you avoid getting involved with someone who appears deceitful, disinterested, or controlling.

A great technique for active listening is mirroring the person you are listening to. Without appearing to mimic them, try to reflect back their same tone of voice and speech pattern. You can also mirror their gestures and body language.

Mirroring helps build rapport with the other person, and it encourages the feeling that you share similar attitudes and ideas.

You can also reflect the concept or ideas you just heard communicated from the other person to reinforce that you understood and heard what they said. This is particularly important in your intimate relationships or in conflict situations.

For example, the other person might say, "I feel really hurt when you don't help me clean up after dinner." You might summarize and restate, "So what I'm hearing you say is that when I don't help you clean up, it causes you pain." You reflect words back to show you understood them correctly and that you care what was communicated.

You can show your interest and connection in a conversation through your own expressions, body language, and words.

Nod in agreement to show you are engaged and listening. Lean forward toward the other person. Smile or show concern appropriately. Offer words of affirmation and kindness. Give a hand squeeze or a warm touch on the shoulder to show empathy.

These subtle communications speak volumes about your level of engagement, concern, and interest.

Sometimes the very best way to listen is to allow a space of silence in the conversation. A verbal response isn't always necessary, and this space of silence invites the speaker to offer more of what they are thinking and feeling.

It's uncomfortable to sit in silence for more than a few seconds, but push past the discomfort and just sit with it. Sometimes the most powerful connections are made in that silent space.

As a coach, I use powerful questions frequently with my clients to help them uncover answers and solutions for themselves.

I use open-ended questions that require more than a "yes" or "no" response. Open-ended questions invite deeper insight and discourse between the two of you. Simply the act of asking a probing question as a follow-up to a comment shows the other person you are paying attention and interested.

Be sure your questioning does not become an interrogation. You want to listen more than you question, but when you do ask a question, it should be well-timed and non-threatening. Something as simple as, "Can you tell me more about that?" is enough to show you are really listening.

If you want to be a good listener, you need to allow the speaker to complete a thought without interrupting them. You've probably encountered people who frequently interrupt, take over the conversation, and use the audience as a platform for talking about themselves or sharing their knowledge or expertise.

Even if they are doing this unconsciously, it feels as though they haven't heard a word you've said - or that they don't really care about what you have to say.

Before you interject your response or make your case, be sure the other person is finished speaking. Allow for a pause in the conversation long enough to ensure it's your turn to talk.

Also, don't leave the speaker hanging out there with a conversation topic they've started by abruptly changing the subject. Offer a response or an additional thought to the topic before you move on to something you want to talk about.

When it is your time to speak, let your words be a reflection of your careful listening. If you are truly engaged in what the other person is saying, then you aren't focused on what you want to say. So rather than blurting out the first thing that comes to mind, take a moment to think about your response and what you want to offer. If your opinion is solicited, be sure you reflect carefully on what you just heard so you can offer a well-considered reply.

Becoming a good listener is a skill you must practice. It's far too easy to spin off into your own world of distractions, ideas, and words. Consciously work on becoming more of a listener than a talker. Learn to read other people's expressions and body language. Watch for the things that go unsaid but that are still communicated.

As you become more skilled at listening, you'll find people gravitate toward you more for your opinion and feedback. You'll have a skill that gives you the edge in your career [and will highly benefit you as a teacher of God's Word] and in all of your relationships." (How to Listen by Barrie Davenport)

The apostle James, taught about how believers are to conduct themselves and to live righteously before God. He emphasized that if we have a genuine faith, we will show it by acting like true disciples of Christ. James throughout his epistle gives practical advice on things like anger and quarreling, controlling the tongue, boasting, esteeming rich brethren over poor brethren, taking care of widows and orphans, having patience, etc. And then in James 1:19 he says:

James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

God made humans to be relational people. People have a natural longing to be in relationship with others; our friends, family members, others in the community, our brethren in our assemblies. Next to a good relationship with God, we find most of our happiness and contentment when we have good relationships with the people in our lives. A good relationship with someone that we care for is a treasure and worth more than the material things that can be had in this life. Yet, maintaining healthy relationships is not that easy. What is it that can help us to succeed in our relationships?  One thing is the ability to listen well. Our marriages, our friendships, the relationship with those that we care about most are built up through the art of listening. To listen is to love and to listen is to strengthen the connection with those we love.

The apostle James gives us a simple instruction in regard to being listeners; it is important that we listen first and then speak. "Everyone should be quick to listen; slow to speak." We need to really look at and understand what this means.

For most people, the inclination to speak is much stronger than the inclination to listen. And the art of truly being a good listener is not being taught as it was in times gone by. I notice that most little children are not being taught manners and they are not being taught the proper way to listen to others or to not interrupt when others are speaking. James, in reminding us to be quick to listen and slow to speak, is admonishing us to reflect on our tendency to talk first rather than listen first. In our carnality, humans tend to want to be heard by others, to give them their dogmatic opinions, tell them what they want, tell others what to do or think. Our prideful, carnal nature has a tendency to desire to be heard by others, to put ourselves out in front, to be heard and to be understood rather than to listen to understand the other person.

Proverbs 10:19  In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

Proverbs 18:22 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself [is only interested in expressing his own opinion].

These verses are instructing us that it is better to not be airing our own opinions all the time and to refrain from talking too much. We need to seek God's help to overcome our own prideful spirit and become better at listening to others. To listen is to walk in love and listening to others helps strengthen the connection with those we love and care about including those we want to teach. The unwise person thinks he knows it all and would prefer to do most of the talking and have others do the listening to their opinions most of the time. The wise person, however, challenges himself to grow in knowledge and understanding and to refrain from expressing all that he knows until it is proper to do so.

How does listening strengthen and build up our relationships? By listening, we put aside our own plans for a while, we stop and take a break from what we are doing, and we give our full attention to the other person.

Listening requires selflessness and humility. It is a form of love, and shows a pattern of cooperation rather than a lack of manners; all of these qualities have a tendency to build up our relationships rather than tear them apart. Listening shows we care and shows that we truly do want to understand what the other person is feeling, thinking and experiencing and what their thoughts are on any given subject. Listening shows we respect the other person for their insights and ideas.

When someone close to us senses that we are not really listening to what he or she has to say, it can cause hurt feelings. Not listening sends the message that he or she does not count, is not worth our time; on the other hand if we are listening we show that the other person is valuable to us.

How does one listen? We might think it is the easiest thing to do. But it is not easy. Really listening is difficult; we must listen attentively and with intention; it takes self-discipline and self-restraint. We must not only listen with our ears but listen with our eyes and with our body language.

Responding with short impatient expressions that show that we have not really acknowledged what the other person said with our eyes focused on something else like the television or the i-pod is not really listening at all. Also, our posture can send the message that we don't really want to listen as well. To really listen we need to tune out all the other things that might be clamoring for our attention and tune in to the one talking. Look at the person who is doing the speaking and in this way we are listening with our ears and our eyes.

This is where the fruit of patience and temperance (self-control) comes into play. We need to exercise patience, put aside our own agenda and really listen to them. We need to resist the desire to respond without taking the time to consider what the other person has to say, letting them know right away what we think or being quick to find fault or to criticize. Be patient, do not be so quick to respond; if we do not agree with the person, we can take the time to gently explain with courtesy just why we do not agree or why their idea might not be practical.

Interrupting while someone is talking is something that we see all the time, and we ourselves have a tendency to interrupt while others are speaking. We may even be tempted to finish the speaker's thoughts for them which is a very common habit. Again, we need to practice patience and curb our desire to jump in with our own opinion or story before the other person is finished talking. Wait until he is finished speaking and then we can take our turn to respond. 

To refrain from talking too much also means that it is best to not be too quick to give advice. Again, we are cautioned in James "Everyone should be quick to listen; slow to speak." If the person is expressing some frustration or problem, we can first show him that we are willing to just listen to try to understand his situation and how he feels about it. If they ask us for our advice and counsel, then we can offer words of wisdom and perhaps relate to them ways that we have seen that works and that are in alignment with the Word of God. We can actively listen, giving the person feedback which acknowledges that we are listening to him. By giving feedback we can also help to avoid misunderstandings. Use perception in picking up on non-verbal body language and listen to the tone of the speaker to detect things that they are communicating, things that they may not be able to put into words. Use restraint when it comes to seeking to redirect the conversation back to ourselves, we need to just listen and keep our priority on understanding the one that is speaking to us.

To listen is to love and listening strengthens our connections to our students and to others. Relationships are valuable and we need to do what we can to love as Christ love, to nourish relationships as He was willing to do, to serve others whenever we are able.

What else do we need to do to become a better listener as a teacher? Ask God to help us to become better listeners with all whom we come into contact with. As leaders and teachers in the Millennium it will be very important that we do listen to those that God has placed us over to rule, to hear what they have to say, to get all the facts, to get to know them as individuals and what they are feeling and thinking. We will need to know how to answer their questions, to give them wise counsel and direct them to God's commandments and His ways as to how to find solutions to their problems. Two-way communication is so very important and it is something that we need to learn to cultivate now, especially if we have been brought up and conditioned to think of communication as simply a smiley or frown face at the end of a text. 

We can pray to our Father to help us to overcome our desire to promote ourselves to others rather than taking the time to listen to what they have to say; to help us to overcome our tendency to think more highly of ourselves than we ought and to desire to understand others more than wanting to be understood ourselves. In this way we are walking in the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

If we have God's Holy Spirit and we are walking in that Spirit, our works and our words will show that we are walking with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage; showing that our conduct is being empowered by the Holy Spirit. This passage goes on to say that we must not become conceited, ambitious or to provoke one another, not to envy one another which is the opposite of walking in the Spirit.

May we show our love through listening well to our students, our family members, friends and to anyone that we come in contact with. If we practice at becoming good listeners as Jesus was, we will greatly enhance our ability to connect with those that come to us to teach them the ways of God.

Romans 15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. 

Constance