Great Resource for Questions

Great questions are the lifeblood of great Bible teaching and discussion. Even the best teachers, though, occasionally get stumped or dry or stuck in a rut.

Here's a terrific resource you should get: the Serendipity New Testament for Groups.

Out of print now, copies are dirt cheap. You can pick them up through Amazon starting at 45 cents for used copies and $4.50 for new. Click here to see their listing.

This Bible has discussion and discovery questions aligned with every passage in the NT! It's an amazing work, a real contribution for teachers and small group leaders everywhere. I thumb through mine periodically and get ideas on how to engage people with the passage we're studying.

(Remember to prayerfully submit any questions you're considering to the Lord. Don't be a slave to any material outside the Word itself. )

Prayer Notebook

It's critical for Great Bible Teachers to pray for students. There are no changed lives for Christ without prayer!

Here's an excellent "how to" article about making and using a simple prayer notebook. Consider a section for your class(es). Take a camera along to one of your sessions and take a picture of them, then put the picture in the notebook.

I really like the last sentences in the article:

"Ruth Bell Graham says, 'The tragedy of our day is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.' Using a prayer notebook can help prevent unoffered prayer—even for those at the end of your prayer list."

Teaching Principle through Discussion

Good Bible teaching is interactive. The more your students are engaged, the more they are likely to learn and retain.

If you want to teach a key principle or concept, don't give it out right away. Go through the supporting verses or passages, and shape the discussion by asking questions -- see if the students themselves can identify the principle. This is particularly important for topic studies.