Lesson 11: Growing in Christ: Teaching

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Lesson Overview

Daily Reading Schedule:

Thursday: Hebrews 5:12-6:2

Friday: 2 Timothy 4:1-8

Saturday: Romans 2:17-24

Sunday: Deuteronomy 4:5-10

Monday: 2 Timoth y 2:1-6, 23-26

Tuesday: Psalm 25:1-22

Lead Scripture:
2 Timothy 2:1-2 “You therefore, my son, be

strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” A natural outgrowth of our knowledge of the truth should be a desire to teach others. We who have left darkness must desire to lead others out with the light of Christ. We must not be selfish with the word but willingly share it with others.

Becoming Teachers

There must be a point in our lives that we ca n teach others, whether one-on-one or in a more formal capacity, such as a Bibl e class. The Hebrew writer re buked his readers because by the time he wrote them, they should have been teach ers, but instead, they needed to be taught, Hebrews 5:12. They did not know enough to be t eachers although they had plenty of time. We should not teach before we are ready for those who teach will incur a stricter judgment, James 3:1. We will be held accountable for what we teach. If we do not know the word of God correctly, we could lead many others astray. Teaching is a sober responsibility. Although teachers will incur stricter judgment, they also receive great rewards. A person who is teaching always learns so much more than they have time to teach. They also can meditate on certain ideas and think a bout them in different ways to deter mine how best to ex plain it to their students. This allows the material to be better established in the mind of the teacher and makes him better equipped to teach that material in the future. Ev ery teacher that I know has said that he learned more than his students did.

Bible Class Teachers Needed

The Bible classes at church always need teach ers. Our classes need someone who is a good example and has the willingness to prepare useful lessons for the students. Godly Bible teachers who can explain the word of God clearly ha ve won many students for Christ. Sadly, many Christians, even knowledgeable Christians, mu st be pushed, prodded, and harangued to teach a class. Some teachers have taught the same clas s for many months (even years!) and certainly need a break. However, others have not offere d to take the burden away from them and spend time teaching a class. Some will say, “I’m too busy to teach a class.” However, most Bible teachers have full-time jobs, kids in school to take care of and help with homework, kids to coach in sports, infants and toddlers to rear, hobbies, and recreation. They have these things to do but realize that the Bible classes are of great importance. Many also realize that if they do not do it, it will not be done. If we have the ability, we should teach. Characteristics Needed for Teachers A teacher of the word, whether to individuals or to a Bible class, needs to have certain characteristics: ♦ Love for God and His truth. The teacher’s love for God and His word motivates him to teach others. We cannot teach love that we do not have. ♦ Love for souls. A person who loves the student’s souls will be diligent to prepare beneficial lessons for them and help them go to heaven. A person who is simply a scholar, but has no love for souls, may be able to impart some knowledge, but will lack enthusiasm to teach the book that pleads to men’s souls. ♦ Sincere Christian life. The Bible teacher must exemplify wh at he is teaching. There is no greater impediment to evangelism than hypocr itical living. I have known individuals who used filthy language and made crude jokes who would be quick to step into a discussion about some spiritual matter. The individual might be right on what the scripture says, but his life polluted the message. A Bible class teacher who is guilty of some misconduct, especially if it becomes widely known, can have a terrible impact on the faith of his students. If you are not living it, don’t try to teach. Get your life ri ght with God so that you will be saved, then teach others so that they may be saved too. ♦ Knowledge of God’s word. If we do not know, we cannot te ach. We are going to be judged for what we have taught so we must be mo re diligent to know th e word of God. Bible students can see through an unprepared teacher who does not have a grasp of God’s word. We must know the Bible story and the place that a lesson fits into the overall salvation story. The teacher must be continually growing in the knowledge of God. As we learn more, we can teach more. ♦ Enthusiasm. The teacher must be genuinely excite d about the gospel’s saving message and the great lessons from the word of God. We ha ve an extraordinary message to teach. We must work diligently to transfer that enthusiasm to the student. ♦ Diligent preparation. A teacher is entrusted with grea t responsibility. He or she must diligently prepare his lessons, the student activities, any crafts or illustrations that will help teach the student. A teacher ca nnot get up on Sunday morning, look over the lesson thirty minutes before class, and expect to make an impact on his class. Some consider preparation filling out the blanks in th e workbook. A greater example is one who spends much time reading the lesson and texts, fi nds other texts that may help further explain the lesson, find illustrations that can help explain the lesson, and develop a plan for teaching the lesson to the class. The first teacher has fulfilled a respon sibility (barely), but the second teacher has grown spiritually and perhaps has molded the mind of a student. All preparation must be done with much prayer: for yourself, your students and for wisdom. ♦ Dependability. A Bible class teacher will teach his class much by habitual late attendance or unexplained absences. Teachers must have a substitute ready if they will not be able to teach. There are many last-minute thin gs that cannot be avoided, but some will not notify a substitute teacher that they must teach until th e day of the class, even when they knew for a while that they would be absent. A teacher should not be at class on time he should be early. Early arrival will allow the teacher to settle down, get his resources and room in order, meet and talk with class visitors, and be ready to start on time. Teaching the Bible Story Whether we are teaching a Bible class or an in dividual study, we must impress on our students the message of God’s word. Our goal is not to teach our students to parrot certain responses to certain questions but to lead them to their own knowledge of God’s great word. A student may be able to tell someone that instrumental musi c in worship is wrong, but can he take his Bible and prove it? If he does use the Bible, does he simply quote some pr oof texts without knowing the context of the passages or the meaning of the quoted text? We must teach our students to reason with the scriptures. We must help our students see the application of the Biblical principle in their lives. As we study about great Bible characters, we can see the plan of God unfold on a large scale and learn important lessons that develop our own principles. We must use Scripture to create change in our students. We must not neglect the story to teach the applica tion, nor should we neglect the application to teach the story. Both are necessary and need to be united when teaching the Bible. Bob Waldron described the need for ef fectual teaching very well in his book A Generation That Knows Not God. He makes the point that the generation that arose after Joshua—the generation that did not know God—was probably taught but not effectively. We must share our faith, spend time developing love for, and aw e of God. If they have their lessons completed, and they have knowledge of God, but they do not realize His great power, His existence, and live in awe of Him, we have failed in our teaching. We do not want the students simply to know about God; we want them to know God. Teaching One-on-One The principles described in this lesson are app licable to classroom sett ings and evangelistic teaching. We must know the Bible story and determine the best way to impress on lost souls their terrible condition and the salvation brought by Jesus. When we know enough to become a Christian, we know enough to teach others. When the early church was persecuted, the members went everywhere preaching the word, but the apostle s stayed in Jerusalem. The church grew by members teaching lost people how to be saved. We are not to rely on the preacher, the elders, or just a few members who “seem to be good at it.” The work of evangelism is for all. If we want to be like Christ, we must have a lo ve for men’s souls and seek those who are lost. This was Jesus’ mission on the earth, Luke 19: 10. Evangelism is not an option for us, it is commanded. When we have Christ living in us, we will seek lost souls and teach them of His way. Many will reject the message, but some w ill recognize its truth and will be saved from eternal damnation. Lead me to some soul today, O teach me, Lord, just what to say. Friends of mine are lost in sin, and cannot find their way. Few there are who seem to care, and few there are who pray. Melt my heart and fill my life. Give me one soul today -Will H. Houghton and Wendell P. Loveless.

Questions for Discussion & Study

Why is there such a great need for Bible class teachers in the church?
Why do you think it is hard to find willing Bible class teachers?
Why is the character of the Bible class teacher as important as his knowledge?
What effect does an unprepared, late teacher have on the class? What effect on the student?
Who is to do the work of evangelism? Give verses to support your answer.