Bible teachers, wouldn’t it be great to have students so motivated to know the Lord that they would say, like the Apostle Paul, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord …” (Phil. 3:8). Oh, to hear them not only say, “I want to know Christ” but also, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:10-12).
What if it seems like all I’m doing is pushing and pulling people to learn?
Face it, people have a lot competing for their hearts and minds. You may sometimes find yourself pushing and pulling students to learn and to grow in the Lord. Ask these questions about your efforts to motivate students:
- Are you connecting with people in ways that help motivate them?
Training Resource: Help! My students don’t want to be here! They don’t want to learn! Worksheet
- Are you strategic in connecting students with the God of the Bible and not simply its truths?
Training Resource: Motivating Students to Believe … And Act on What They Believe Worksheet
- Are you relying on God, through His Spirit, to do the work through you and in your students’ hearts and minds?
Training Resource: The Holy Spirit & My Teaching Devotional
The Bible Teacher’s Handbook of Frequently Asked Questions provides a few more thoughts about each of these points. It also asks these questions about motivating students:
- How do we know what will motivate our students to learn?
- How can we motivate students if we don’t know what’s truly in their hearts?
The handbook covers 49 different issues related to Bible teaching, asking a total of 153 questions.