Thirty, thirty-five years ago I had a class of 25-35 women in our church.  They were eager students and a joy to teach.  Which I did for three years.  We covered it all.  I had plenty of stories that fit along with scripture to keep them interested.   Stories of Christian living in application.

Jesus, on the other hand, had twelve uneducated men who for the most part couldn't read or write and had no books.  After three years following Christ, after he died, they knew enough to go out and change the world with the story of Jesus life and resurrection.  Of what Christ had done for them and for the world.  The gospel.  All they had was what they remembered and the Holy Spirit.

I'm certainly not Jesus, but by my way of thinking, these women (who were educated)  should have learned enough in three years to share Christ.  The story hadn't changed and they had the same Holy Spirit that the disciples had.  They had so many more resources than the twelve disciples had.  They could read.  Write.  And they all had a Bible with every part of the life of Christ available at their  fingertips.  They didn't have to remember what Jesus had said, they could read it for themselves.

So I told them it was time to find a place to serve.  But they wouldn't.  They were happy where they were.  So I knew I was going to have  to do something or they would sit and soak for as long as I was willing to teach them.  So I gave them a month's notice.  "Find a place to serve the Lord.  There are classes of children, teenagers, that need a teacher.  There are committees that need people.

Nothing happened.  So on the fourth Sunday, I came into the class and told them that I was done.  I told them that they had all they needed and that it was time to serve.  I picked up my Bible and left.  I went to see if the youth director needed help, and started teaching senior girls.

Those women are all serving in the church.  Many of them are Bible teachers.  "She quit," one of them told our pastor.  "We couldn't believe it.  She just picked up her Bible and walked out."

Sometimes you have to give people a push.  A number of these women are teachers and are reaching lost people.  All you need is a Bible and the Holy Spirit.