You Are Good Enough to Teach
Wherever we teach—in classrooms, in the mission field, in our homes, or one by one—His promise remains the same: He will help us do His work.
Shortly after I was sustained as a member of the Sunday School General Presidency, I felt inadequate, overwhelmed, and completely out of place.
I realized later that I was not the only one trying to make sense of it because I saw a news headline that read, “New Sunday School Leaders Include Men Involved in Church Education and an NFL Player.”
Each time I read the headline, I smile and think, “Thankfully, that headline didn’t share the names because I really hope people think I’m one of the scholars!” I especially feel that way today.
Although the headline makes me laugh, it does not always quiet this feeling inside of me: “Lord, I love You, but do You really have the right person?”
Perhaps you have asked yourself similar questions:
Do I know enough?
Am I good enough to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ?
As I have reflected on the Savior, the Master Teacher, I have noticed a beautiful pattern. Often, as He invited someone to teach His gospel, He also gave them a promise.
To a small group of ordinary fishermen on the shores of Galilee, men with willing hearts but little experience, He said, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” He did not expect them to become master teachers before they followed Him. He promised that He would make them into who He needed them to be.
In the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, the sons of Mosiah were still young when they went to teach the gospel to the Lamanites. Their past was marked by rebellion, yet their hearts had been changed through the Savior’s redeeming power. As they desired to teach their brethren, the Lord promised, “I will make an instrument of thee in my hands.”
The Lord invites all of us to teach His gospel. Wherever we teach—in classrooms, in the mission field, in our homes, or one by one—His promise remains the same: He will help us do His work.
We were never meant to do His work alone.
Before the Savior taught His disciples where to go and what to teach, He taught them who to become. His first lesson was not about teaching—it was about discipleship.
And at the heart of discipleship and all that He does is love.
When asked which commandment was the greatest, the Savior taught, first, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind and, second, to love our neighbor as ourselves.
For every gospel teacher, for every disciple, these two great commandments become one simple invitation: Love the Lord and love those you teach.
My first gospel teachers were my parents. Our home in the village of Leone, American Samoa, became my first classroom of gospel learning. Under one roof, 13 children, two faithful parents, and often extended family learned and lived the gospel together.
My father joined the Church as a young man. My mother had limited formal education. But together they possessed something far more important: a deep and abiding faith in Jesus Christ. They loved the Lord with all their hearts, and because they loved Him, they loved us in a way that helped us love Him too.
Some of the greatest lessons they taught were the ones we caught simply by watching them.
Those truths were lovingly reinforced by faithful teachers in this little village chapel.
Many of my earliest Primary classes were held beneath the shade of a mango tree.
Our teachers faithfully prepared each lesson, but what I remember most is how they loved us. They knew us personally—even by name. Their love helped us feel the Savior’s love, and feeling His love helped us feel the truth of His gospel. Looking back, I realize my parents and my Church teachers were following the pattern of the Master Teacher.
The impact of a gospel teacher is not just the message—it is the love of the messenger.
My wife and I will always cherish our time in the Australia Sydney Mission. We fell in love with the wonderful people of Sydney and were blessed to serve alongside more than 500 missionaries from over 30 countries.
We learned that the surest way to truly love those we taught was to deepen our love for the One we taught about. As our love for the Savior deepened, He taught us to see the missionaries as He sees them and to love them as He loves them.
When the resurrected Savior appeared to the people in the Americas, He did not begin by delivering a sermon to the multitude. He began by focusing on the individuals. He invited each person to come unto Him one by one so they could know for themselves that He was Jesus Christ.
Only then did He teach them His doctrine and the ordinances of His gospel.
Later, after teaching many other precious truths, Jesus invited the people to return home and ponder what they had learned. We may say that “class” had ended, but His love for the people had not. When He perceived the desire of their hearts, He was filled with compassion. He healed their sick, blessed their children, and prayed for them one by one.
For the Master Teacher, every lesson was inspired by love for those He taught.
Christ-centered teaching is rooted in relationships. The inspired new Sunday schedule offers weekly opportunities to know and love those we teach, helping them come closer to the Savior and helping them deepen their conversion.
That is His pattern for every gospel lesson—even shorter ones.
Some may ask, “How can I teach everything in 25 minutes?”
Perhaps the better question is “How can I help those I teach connect to the Savior sooner?”
President Dallin H. Oaks taught, “A gospel teacher will never obscure [a learner’s] view of the Master by standing in the way.”
The purpose of every lesson is not for people to leave talking about the teacher. It is for them to leave thinking about and loving the Savior.
Twenty-five-minute lessons are not a limitation; they are an invitation: to focus, more clearly than ever, on helping others come to the Savior.
If class members leave the lesson feeling closer to the Savior than when they came, we have taught enough.
Brothers and sisters, if you are wondering whether you are good enough to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the answer is yes!
Not because you know everything.
Not because you have every teaching skill.
Not because you always feel capable or confident.
Because you can love the Master Teacher!
And as you deepen your love for the One you teach about, He will teach you, walk beside you, and gradually make you into the teacher He knows you can become.
Whether you see yourself as a scholar, an athlete, a lifelong disciple, or someone who has recently started—or started again—to follow Christ, the invitation is the same.
Come unto the Master Teacher. Learn of Him. Love Him. As you do, He will help you love those you teach—and that love will make your teaching more like His.
To teach like the Savior, we must love like the Savior!
This is my prayer and invitation, in the name of the Master Teacher, whom we love and who loved us first, even Jesus Christ, amen.