  I had something interesting come up on Sunday at Bible study. nbsp;  I attend a Sunday morning bible study that is taught by Marv,  a good man and the father of a friend. nbsp;  I like Marv and have a lot of respect for him and his family. nbsp;  It was decided by the group that we will take the month of August off and restart the bible study in September. nbsp;  While discussing this,  Marv suggested that I teach a few weeks in September while he is out of town. nbsp;
 I was also told on Monday night that Marv was considering asking me to co- teach the class with him ( although he did not ask me to do that)  .  Now I'm don't know what to do.
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 I'm inclined to refuse for several reasons.
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 First,  I'm not even a member of the church.
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 I have not become a member because what I believe differs from that of the church on some fundamental theological issues.
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 Although I don't believe that my differing beliefs are material to belief in Christianity,  some of the pastoral staff ( and probably most Christians)  do.
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 I certainly do not want to try to hide or disguise my beliefs,  but this could cause a problem if this discussion were to come up in class.
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 In addition,  I'm not so sure Marv would want me to teach if he knew my views.  Second,  I think I might have been asked because I am a guy.
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 Previously,  this class was co- taught by Marv and Mike ( another good man and father of another friend)
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 It seems to me there are many others in the class that are better qualified to teach than&
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 am.
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 This list includes,  Lynn,  Alison,  Sharon,  Jeanne,  etc.
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 Why did he ask me instead of one of them?  Third,  I'm flattered by the idea that he might consider me worthy of teaching this class with him.
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 This makes me want to reject it outright.
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 I certainly don't want to teach so that it massages my own ego.
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 That won't do anyone any good,  including me.
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 For these reasons,  I want to run away from this idea.
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 But should I still consider this?
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 There are reasons that I should.
 First,  (
I like numbered lists)  I respect Marv and I respect his judgment.
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 This could be a calling that I want to reject,  but I should accept.
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 In the bible it seems like it's standard procedure to want to refuse God's calling out of fear or other reasons.
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 One of my first thoughts was that if this doesn't seem like something I am drawn to,  I should accept that it is not a calling.
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 However,  I do feel drawn to it,  but I fear it is for the wrong reasons.
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 I want to have the respect of others in the church.
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 I want to believe that I have the knowledge to do this job and do it well.
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 I want to believe that God is calling me to teach in the church,  in spite of ( or perhaps because of)
 my differing views.
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 But these are all self- serving desires on my part.
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 But is that relevant?
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 What is God is calling me to do this?
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 How do I know?
 Second,
 I love to teach and I miss doing it.
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 One of the best aspects of teaching is how much you learn in the process.
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 I know I could learn a lot in the process.
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 I've not focused on the bible much since I&
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 started back to school.
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 This would force me to focus on it more.
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 I'm sure I would learn a great deal and it would make me a better person in the end.  I need to pray about this.
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 I also need to call Marv and talk to him about it.
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 I don't want to go into this with any misunderstanding or misrepresentation.
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 I believe I should refuse to help teach,  even for just a couple of weeks,  but I don't want to refuse if this really is God's will.  So,  is this an opportunity that God has laid before me?  Is this simply a challenge for me to take on to become a better person?  Is this a reponsibility of mine that I should live up to?
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 Is this a test to see if I make the right decision or is it a test to see if I'm willing to submit to the will of God?  What do you think?
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 Any words of advise/ wisdom would be appreciated.
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