When you think about what happens in your class on Sunday morning, what is your purpose for the teaching-learning experience? Why are you doing it? What are you hoping to accomplish? What do you hope happens as a result of your preparation and the time spent together? Are you teaching for life-change?
We always accomplish less than life-change when we are not planning for it. Teach for life-change. Nothing less will do!
Both the Bible and Jesus expect us to be different as a result of encountering them. When we encounter them in Bible study, we should be changed as a result. When we prepare and teach with that in mind, it changes how we think and how we guide the teaching-learning time spent together.
Teaching for Life-Change
Act on the conviction that the class needs to respond in obedience to every passage of scripture. Then make plans to ensure that the class recognizes and responds to that reality. How would you lead the Bible study encounter to ensure obedient responses? Stop and write down a few thoughts.
Here is a list of a few actions that came to my mind:
- review last week’s lesson: ask what it was about, what was the point, and what they were supposed to do about it
- ensure attenders can clearly state the truth or main point of today’s passage (from historical context)
- lead attenders to consider possible ways the truth impacts life today
- help attenders consider God’s expectations for them personally
- lead attenders to understand potential challenges they might encounter in living out the truth
- ask attenders to commit to live it out
- check with attenders next week to see if they did it.
There are scores of methods which may be used for each of the bulleted items. Which of the items are you already using in your lessons? Which could you work into this week’s lesson? What would you add to this list? Engage your attenders. Teach for life-change. Nothing less will do! Make disciples. Be revolutionary!
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