Category Archives: About Bible Teaching

Bible teachers, do you realize what a spectacular, amazing, awesome opportunity and privilege you have in teaching God’s Word? Perhaps you started out feeling that way but along the way lost some of the excitement. You may need to rediscover the joy of teaching. You can do that by revisiting the “ultimates” in Bible teaching.

Words like unequalled, unparalleled, unsurpassed, unrivaled, and unmatched define the way this post uses the word “ultimate”. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary puts it this way: “the best or most extreme of its kind” – “of the greatest or highest degree or quantity”

What are the “Ultimates” in Bible Teaching?

When we’re referring to the “ultimates” in Bible teaching, we’re pointing to ways Bible teaching surpasses all else. Grasp that and you’ll find joy in teaching even when facing difficulties in it. Remember these points and teaching God’s Word will never grow old for you, no matter how long you’ve been teaching.

1) Ultimate Text

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful … (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

2) Ultimate Goal

I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him …” (Phil. 3:8-9)

3) Ultimate Motivation

For Christ’s love compels us … (2 Cor. 5:14)

4) Ultimate Source

His divine power has given us everything we need … (2 Pet. 1:3)

5) Ultimate Teacher

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. (1 Cor. 2:13)

6) Ultimate Results

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph. 4:22-24)

(Click on a link above for related posts.)

Do you realize how essential the Holy Spirit is in Bible teaching? Without the Spirit, teaching will lack power. Teachers won’t be able to adequately understand and explain Scripture and students won’t be able to let truth seep into their hearts. We must therefore have a firm grasp on the Holy Spirit’s role.

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Bible Teaching

The Spirit’s role is to magnify Jesus, not Himself.

When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father — the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. (Jn. 15:26)

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, … He will glorify me …(Jn. 16:13-14)

The Holy Spirit’s role is to remind us about what Jesus said, not impart His own new teaching.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (Jn. 14:26)

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. (Jn. 16:13-14)

Implications of the Spirit’s Role for Teachers

Since the Spirit’s role is to magnify Jesus, not Himself, we shouldn’t obsess on the Holy Spirit. At the same time, however, we need to present the Spirit to students and emphasize the need for His work in and through them.

When we, as teachers, live in the power of the Spirit ourselves, students will see Jesus in us and be drawn to Him.

We become more and more Christ-like in all we do as we walk in the Spirit rather than in the ways of the world and our sinful human nature (Gal. 5:13-17).

As we yield ourselves to the Spirit, we will exhibit Christ-like character, as He develops His fruit within us that doesn’t come naturally (Gal. 5:22-26).

We even become Christ-like relationally when filled with the Spirit as it affects our attitudes toward life and one another (Eph. 5:15-21).

As our lives model Christlikeness, students will tend to be more prone to listen to what we say about how the Holy Spirit enables us to live victoriously in Christ. We can explain that it comes not by self-effort, but by the Spirit.

Helpful Resource: The Holy Spirit & My Teaching Devotional

As believers, we’re to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). Bible teachers have a role in this process but it isn’t merely about what a teacher does. The teaching-learning process also includes the role of the students, the Text we teach, methodology, the environment, and of course, the supernatural.

Questions Bible Teachers Should be Able to Answer About the Teaching-Learning Process

Following you’ll find questions about the different factors that Bible teacher should be able to answer. If not, be sure to follow through by getting the needed help to think through these factors and better understand the teaching-learning process.

The Teacher

• What qualities should be present in Bible teachers?
• What roles should they assume?
• What teaching skills do they need?

The Students

• What are their age level characteristics?
• How do they learn best?

The Text

• What makes teaching the Bible unique?
• How should it be approached in studying for the lesson?
• How can we motivate students to want to study the Bible?

The Methods

• What kinds of methods are most effective?
• How can our methodology take different learning styles and abilities into consideration?

The Environment

• What kind of setting is most conducive for learning?
• How do we foster this kind of environment?

The Supernatural

• What is the role of the Holy Spirit?
• How does prayer fit into the process?

Gain More Understanding with These Resources

The following teacher training resources developed by Ministry Tools Resource Center look at some of these factors involved in the teaching-learning process:

• Teaching for Changed Lives Workbook
• Aiming for Empty-less Teaching Training Session

For more resources, go to: The Teaching-Learning Process Teacher Training Resources

In a previous post we noted that Bible teachers should both teach and admonish their students based on Colossians 3:16. This approach aims at students not only knowing truth but living in accordance with it. For that to happen we need the right message.

What the Right Message Is as We Teach and Admonish

According to Colossians 3:16, teaching and admonishing should happen when “the message of Christ” dwells among us. Does that mean we only teach the New Testament? Jesus Himself, as well as other verses in the New Testament answer that for us.

Jesus spoke to the religious leaders of His day saying, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me” (Jn. 5:39). The Scripture they studied would have been the Old Testament law and prophets. According to Jesus, the message of Christ, is within those writings. He went on to say, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.” (Jn. 5:46) which means the Old Testament is sufficient to lead us to Jesus. After His resurrection, Jesus took His disciples “through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Lk. 24:27).

Jesus did not come to set aside the Law or Prophets. He said, “I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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.” (Matt. 5:17-19)

The Apostle Paul said, “I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.” (Acts 20:27). He didn’t have the New Testament as we have today but would have derived much of his instruction from the teaching of the Old Testament as well as what he directly received from Christ. Elsewhere we read that “ALL Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). And, “EVERYTHING that was written in the past was written to teach us” (Rom. 15:4).

Also consider that the Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles AND prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). Again, notice the spotlight on Jesus while bringing the old and new together.

Teaching the whole counsel provides a consistent, coherent message that all points to Christ. That’s the message that needs to dwell among us as we teach and admonish one another. Jesus changes lives.