Friday, July 6, 2007

The Prepared Teacher

It isn't likely that any of us would spend weeks planning a vacation only to find out upon arriving at our intended destination that we have failed to pack our suitcases. Perhaps we loaded them in the car at the last minute before leaving our home, but it isn't likely that they would still be empty. No. This just isn't likely to happen.

Yet, many times on Sunday mornings all throughout this land, Bible Study teachers stand before a room full of people unprepared. The demands of the previous week have hindered many of us from finding the necessary time to prepare for an effective Sunday School lesson. I am firmly convinced that if we truly desire to be an effective teacher, God will remove the distractions that hinder us.

One of the main topics in our Teaching a Bible Lesson workshop is The Prepared Teacher. We often kick this session off with a skit about being unprepared. It's really fun to watch the faces of the attendees as we begin. Sometimes, it seems too real, even to us! In all honesty, our desire is to help Bible study teachers to become the very best they can be for the Lord and their church.

Let's get right to the heart of the matter. God's Word tells us in Jeremiah 17:9 that, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;....” and it continues by asking the question, “Who can know it?” We've got to maintain a clean heart in order to be an effective Bible study teacher.

Even after we become Christians, we have to guard ourselves. Paul warns us in Ephesians 6:11 to “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.” Once we accept Christ, and have a determination to follow Him, we can be assured of coming under attack by Satan and his demons.

Young believers are often very vulnerable, and Satan knows this. He'll even use people within the church to attack us. That is one of the reasons the great apostle Paul gives even more warning in II Timothy 2:15. He is trying to reassure his “spiritual son” Timothy of God's call upon his life as he says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.” Paul is warning us against falling victim to sinful activity which will harm our witness for the Lord. We need not be concerned about our approval of man – just our approval rating in the sight of almighty God.

In our Teaching a Bible Lesson workshop, we suggest that attendees do a self-inventory regarding any sinful activity that may hinder the work of Christ as they prepare for their Sunday School or Bible study lesson.

“You Are Always On My Mind”

You may remember this song by Willie Nelson. In our Teaching a Bible Lesson workshop, we encourage attendees to think about their learners. This means to consider how the lesson material may apply to specific folks within the class and how the class may come together to meet a need either inside or outside the classroom setting. One thing our Sunday School class just voted on this past week is to help a friend of mine in Nicaragua who is 28 years of age and facing serious surgery in the coming months. We voted to assist with the cost of this surgery because we recognize Elver (please pray for Elver) as part of the body of Christ even though he is over 1,000 miles away.

Once the heart and mind are somewhat synchronized, you should be ready to actually start on the lesson material. In our Teaching a Bible Lesson workshop, we provide a Lesson Outline as well as a recommended Prep Schedule. Both of these tools help to provide a simple yet concise picture of what God's Word is trying to teach us.

The final step in being prepared is the learning environment. We encourage all of our Bible study teachers to use visual aids such as props, posters and handouts to enhance the learning experience. Get rid of clutter before class begins!

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