If you teach God’s Word, you have an awesome responsibility for which God will hold you accountable (James 3:1). He wants to use you to impact lives, to make an eternal difference. Obviously that will involve communicating what the Bible says but it has to be more than that if you truly want to see changed lives. A Bible teacher’s role must go beyond the transmission of information to make a real impact. Knowledge alone will do little to bring students to spiritual maturity. Belief alone is insufficient as we read that “even the demons believe” (James 2:19).
To Impact Lives a Bible Teacher’s Role Must Be Multifaceted
To most effectively impact lives, you need to take on a multifaceted role that includes the following:
- For students to grow in grace and their knowledge of the Lord, you need to be an effective communicator. (2 Pet. 3:18)
- If you want their faith to rest on God’s power and not human wisdom then you need to be a conduit. (1 Cor. 2:4-5)
- For your teaching to lead to fully devoted followers of Jesus, you need to be a disciplemaker. (Matt. 28:18-20)
- To prepare students for life and service, you need to be an equipper. (Eph. 4:11-13)
- In order for students to feel like you really care, you need to come alongside of them as a friend. (1 Thess. 2:7b-8)
- For students to best understand how to walk with the Lord, model it for them. (1 Cor. 11:1)
- To spur students on to love and good deeds, you need to be a motivator. (Heb. 10:24)
- If you want students to become more selfless and willing to invest their lives into others then you must be an example for them of a Christ-like servant. (Phil. 2:5-7)
Do you want to see these kinds of differences in your students’ lives as a result of your teaching? Take time to learn about each of the above roles you might need to assume to help your students get there. Check out the Bible Teacher’s Role Download.
If you’re a Christian Education director or other teaching ministry leader, this resource is available at a great discount to train your entire Bible teaching team. Think of the impact it would make in the lives of people in your church if all teachers took on these roles leading to such results as stated in the above bullet points.