Sunday, November 15, 2009

You Must Have High Expectations

One of the most difficult things for me is coaching teachers who have low expectations for what can happen in their class or group. They say things like, “Oh, I’m not a good presenter, and so people aren’t going to learn much from me.” Or “It’s just a few people and I can’t imagine what I could teach them because they’ve all been Christians a long time.”

If you’re focusing on yourself, then you probably should have low expectations for the outcomes of your class or study group.

Open secret: It’s not about you!

Here are reasons you should have high expectations:

This is the Word of God. It’s powerful. History has shown that God changes people as they genuinely interact with His Word. He promises that it will not return to Him without it accomplishing what He intends (ref).

The Holy Spirit is at work. I really want you to work hard on preparing your lesson material and practicing. I believe God wants you to work hard at your teaching craft. But even a “mediocre” lesson or presentation can be used by God to transform hearts and minds when the Holy Spirit is at work!

Jesus is interceding for you. Can it get any better than that? See Romans 8:34.

You are sinning if you do not expect God to “show up” and fulfill His promises. Don’t think less of God’s power in this particular circumstance than the Bible does.

“Be strong and courageous.” “Stand firm.” “Let nothing move you.” Your task is to obey these clear commands from Scripture, and give glory to God.

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