Monday, July 23, 2007

It's How They Get It!


It's How They Get It!

In an effort to be as effective as possible in our Teaching a Bible Lesson workshops, we use material by other credible authors who have taught Sunday School for much longer than we have. They are the experts, and we want our learners to get the best advice and information available.

One of those authors we refer to quite often is the late Findley B. Edge. In his book titled Teaching for Results, he states that there are three objectives for teaching. Each of these is known as the teaching “aim”. They are:

  • Knowledge

  • Inspiration

  • Conduct Response
We all have a reasonable understanding of what knowledge is, and we have a good handle on what inspiration is, but how do these help to get us to the point of conduct response?

Well, here's another list that helps to answer that question. It comes from Findley Edge's book titled Teaching for Results also. It is the five steps in the teaching-learning process.

Exposure....

One must be exposed to Scripture to gain the knowledge of what it says or means. True exposure comes from reading the Word of God for yourself. I often experience this for myself as I prepare for the lesson material. If I read the information from the quarterly over and over each week, I may fail to get the real meaning of what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us through Scripture. However, if I open my Bible and read the very same words right off the page in the Bible, something unique happens. The words really seem to come to life and I understand more of what the Scripture is trying to explain. Try it for yourselves sometime. You'll be fascinated.

Repetition....

Why do you think parents often repeat sentences to their children? Well, it can be that they aren't listening, or it could be that they aren't wanting to hear. I'll share a story with you. I grew up in a Christian home, but I didn't really understand the concept of salvation or even Christianity for that matter. I did understand the concept of being good though. This is what I clung to for approximately 30 years....the fact that I was good. I had gotten away from church around the age of 10 and hadn't gone but about three times in about 30 years, and I remember getting very aggravated each time I would hear a preacher give the invitation or altar call. I remember wondering why in the world they constantly do this, but then one day, I found myself praying the very same sinner's prayer that I had hated hearing for so long. Repetition is necessary in order to get the attention of the listener.

Understanding...

I'll use my own example again to explain that if I hadn't surrendered and prayed the sinner's prayer, I would have never understood the concept of salvation through faith rather than works. I found that I no longer had to work so hard at being a good person because my intent to be good was much stronger after this conversion experience. Understanding that I was a sinner after all helped open my eyes to the true value in salvation and eventually led to the formation of Center Cross Creative.

Conviction....

Without knowledge of the Scriptures being shared with us, and being repeated time and time again, we will never understand what God intends for us to understand. If we fail to take notice of these opportunities to learn that God has provided (through Sunday School, worship service, radio programs, etc.) for us, we'll never be convicted of true sin in our lives, which will cause us to be ineffective for God. Once we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us and it is He who convicts us of sin and urges us to repent.

Response....

This is the “action” piece of the learning process. Through the first four steps, you have been audibly informed and emotionally challenged. Now, it's time to apply what you have learned in class. Look for opportunities to duplicate what our friends in the Bible have done for the Lord and others. God deserves a response.

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