U.S. Church in Decline

Christianity Today has a special report: The American Church in Crisis. I recommend you read the report and reflect on it.

But don't despair or be discouraged.

Ask God what He wants you to do to serve Him. Today.

For me, I'm going to keep on teaching the Bible to change lives. I'm going to continue to love my wife and shepherd my family. I'm going to continue to encourage and challenge men to be bold and be gentle.

Albert Einstein Didn't Do This

There is an (admittedly delicious) story about Albert Einstein refuting a university professor by arguing [logically] that evil exists because of the absence of God. Turns out not to be true.

When this story came around to my inbox again recently, I explained that it was a fable. The person who sent it to me was outraged that I would challenge it! "It should be true," he wrote.

We all have the tendency to believe reported stories and facts when they agree with our worldview, even when they are demonstrably false. Let's watch ourselves, teachers, and keep our doctrine pure.

Discipling Men

If you're ministering to men, check out this

The Limits of Education

Kevin Nelstead, a missionary science teacher in Bucharest, reminds us about the limits of education:

"Education doesn’t always have a positive effect: 'What do you get when you educate sinners? The answer is simple enough—clever sinners. Knowledge, by itself, does not make people better; it may make them worse.' —Douglas Wilson, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning

Education can be social engineering of the worst sort—think of education under the Nazis or the communists. But even in the Christian classroom, I need to be aware that I, a sinner, am teaching students who are sinners, and I need to constantly be in prayer (I need to work on this) and to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5 NIV)."

Sharing

Is there someone else who can use your literature, Sunday School materials, and books? You bet! I was delighted to read about Edwin Hodges Ministries, which has collected and sent over six million pounds of literature to needy brothers and sisters around the world! "Studies show that 80 percent of Christian believers outside of the U.S. have no Christian literature available to them."

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." (2 Cor 9:11)

Prayer Myths

Here's a wonderful article about our false assumptions about prayer. Recommended. (This would make a nice lesson for you to teach.)

End Strong

In the past year I've been working on stronger class endings. Lots of times we wind up asking -- with about 30 seconds of official time left -- "Any questions?" Of course we, and everyone in the room, secretly hope there are none, so we can go through the perfunctory prayer and get on to the next thing.

Here's a strategy that may help.

Plan for a strong ending statement -- a summary of the key points from the lesson, an application or assignment before the next class, or a challenge to godly living. This should be 90-120 seconds, tops.

Before you ask for questions, say something like, "I have something else to say to you, but let's take a few minutes here for questions and your comments."

Then end with your strong statement or challenge.

This strategy lets you have more control over what tone the class ends on. So many times the questions you get in class are not in line with the key ideas you want people to leave with.

Give it a try, and let me know how it works for your classes.

Remembering Life without Christ

As we seek to be effective teachers of the Word, we need to keep our audience in mind. You, as the teacher, are not the most important person in the room -- the students are! And many (most?) times you will be teaching a mixed audience of believers and not-yet believers.

Erich Bridges reminds us that we should remember what life without Christ was like: "But I don’t want to forget what it’s like to be hopeless, because that’s the way most people in this world live. They search for light, but see only darkness. They yearn for hope, but don’t feel it. They sense deep down that God cares, but can’t find Him.All they know is the struggle to get through today -- and dread about the future."

This will help you as you teach, because you'll be able to better identify with your audience. You can also pray more effectively!

Looking for Good Examples

If you're recording the audio from your Sunday School class or small group Bible study, in order to share with others, please write me and let me know about your experience. I'm looking for good examples to share with the teachers who are interested in doing this. Write to info@teachtochangelives.com Thanks!

Using Notes While Teaching

There is a whole range of ideas about how to use notes while teaching, and how many. I thought there was some good suggestions and watch-outs in this article. Though written to preachers, the ideas would apply any time you are helping people understand the Word.

Great Resource on Electronic Media

If you're using electronic media (PowerPoint, video clips, etc.) in your teaching ministry, check out this great resource: ChurchMedia.Net

Sobering Data

Josh Hunt has some sobering data on the quality of adult Sunday School teachers -- 1/3 are not doing well.

You can do much, much better. And the Church needs you.

Measuring Effectiveness

Get this article on teaching effectiveness from Howard Hendricks. Read it, study it, talk about it with your colleagues, and start putting these ideas into practice. Print it off for you files, and make a note on your calendar to read it again in a few months.

Say No to Being Average

A Bible teacher in Tennessee corresponded with me and said he wants to improve his teaching so he's "right about the middle of the pack. I don't want to stick out as weird or really bad, just in the middle."

NO!

Great Bible teachers, the ones whom God is using to change lives, who understand teaching as a ministry, must say NO! to being average.

Don't settle, dear teacher, but keep stretching forward. Don't settle for the dull, lifeless questions in the study guide someone told you to teach from. Pester the Lord until He gives you the perfect questions for your class, this week.

Don't settle for lessons that leave people sleeping and anxious to be anywhere else. Find ways to engage the class, right from the start -- hook a nerve with your opening, and leave them with powerful application opportunities.

Don't think about how to occupy their thoughts for 60 minutes. Think about how to have the Word of the Lord occupy their hearts for 60 years, and then stretching away into eternity!

When does God honor the people in the Bible for being average, middle of the pack? Jesus condemns the lukewarm in Revelation 3:16! I don't see anyone listed in Hebrews 11, the great pantheon of faith heroes, who are commended for being average.

Honor God, reject passivity, seek to teach to change lives! It matters little what happened yesterday or last week. Start today.

Pride Blocks Insight into the Word

"[The] Scriptures do not yield their mysteries to proud human eyes." -- Augustine

Want to be called "Great" in heaven?

If you want to be introduced in heaven as being Great, then teach Jesus' Commands!

"19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:19)

Imagine Jesus introducing you to your brothers and sisters in heaven.

"This is Susan. She taught 428 4th graders about Me, and their eyes shown and hearts were warmed."

"This is Jim. He taught 53 men how to study the Bible to hear My voice for themselves, and they in turn taught many others."

It's going to be great to be introduced as a great in heaven!

I Want to See God!

Yesterday I fell to my knees in prayer as I read this in Habakkuk 3:2

"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord.
Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."

I've read a lot about God's deeds and fame, from the Bible, and history books, and events today. I've heard many testimonies. I've heard much more than I've seen first-hand! This is going to be my prayer for a time:

Renew your fame and deeds in our day, Lord! I want to see You.

Authenticity

Great Bible teachers are authentic. They don't put on a mask or try to "look" more holy. I like the cartoon, because it plays on the normal foibles of humans.

You probably do want to fix your hair and dress appropriately, but for only one reason -- so your appearance is not a distraction. As you teach, everything about you needs to move into the background, and the Word of God needs to be the focus.

Fun Joke for your Files

"There was a big-game hunter out to get a grizzly bear. He prayed for prey. He tramped through the big woods for hours, but never saw even a trace of a grizzly. Weary and dejected, he finally sat down on a hickory stump and leaned his gun against a nearby sapling, to rest for a while. Suddenly, he looked up to see a mighty grizzly bearing down on him. With no time to reach for his gun, he breathed a desperate prayer: "God, give this bear religion, so he won't kill me." The bear halted dead in his tracks, rose on his hind legs, spread his mighty paws, and looked to the heavens with thanksgiving. "Thank you, God," the bear shouted, "for sending this wonderful meal I'm about to eat."

Saving a Drowning Man

Scott Aughtmon relates a Watchmen Nee story about saving a drowning man -- "a drowning man cannot be saved until he is utterly exhausted and ceases to make the slightest effort to save himself." Read the whole story here.

As we teach from the Word, we remind people that we must be absolutely dependent upon the Lord. As long as we think we can save ourselves, we're still not able to do what the Lord is asking us to do!