Are You Teachable? | Northstar Church

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.” – Acts 2:36-41

One of the main characteristics of the Christians in the first-century church was their heart for God. That heart made them willing and excited to learn, change and grow as we see in the Acts 2 passage above. Once the people saw the impact of their sins on Jesus, they became teachable. They wanted to learn how to make their relationship with God right, and so they asked Peter to teach them how to respond the way God wanted them to.

Would God consider you teachable? That is a question every Christian should ask themselves. Not just once, but on an ongoing basis. Do you have a willingness to be instructed? Are you humble enough to receive wisdom from the Lord and from others? A disciple is someone who is willing to be taught and is eager to learn more. A teachable heart starts with the acknowledgment that we do not know everything. If we can keep an open mind, we can learn a lot from the people that God has placed in our lives. Proverbs 13:18 tells us, “If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored.”

Life is a learning experience. We never get to a place where you act as though you have arrived and know everything. We can grow and learn together if we are willing to share how God is stretching us. God will teach us through His word, through creation, through life experiences, and through the people that we meet each day. Virtually everyone has something to teach us. God has gifted us with unique gifts and talents and we have all walked through different experiences. We can learn from the lives of others.

We should not keep what we learn a secret. Demonstrate to your wife, children, relatives, neighbors how you are learning new things each day. Share how what you have learned in God’s word has enabled you to grow spiritually.

A teachable heart is one that wants to grow, to become more like Christ.

Discussion Questions:

What does being teachable mean to you on a practical level?
What can we do this week to be more teachable spiritually?