Servant
Leadership School
September 7, 2003
Resources:
Who has a computer? Who would be
interested in getting a copy of Online Bible?
The teacher
It’s not what you teach as much as who you are.
1. Regular Devotions
You need to be in God’s Word yourself, for yourself. Don’t be always looking for good verses for
other people, be sensitive to what God has for you.
(1 Cor 11:23 KJV) For
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you…
2. Prayer
Pray for your flock. The two main
spiritual weapons are the Word and Prayer, don’t neglect one for the
other. Sometimes you’ll accomplish much
more in prayer than you’ll ever accomplish by speaking.
(1 Cor 2:4-5 KJV) And my speech and my preaching was not with
enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of
power: {5} That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God.
It’s important to be prepared and clear in your teaching, but ultimately,
you want to be getting your people in touch with the Lord.
3. Knowing your flock
Know their learning abilities – the four year old isn’t going to understand
what you might teach to their parents.
Know their spiritual needs.
(Prov 27:23 KJV) Be thou diligent to know the state of thy
flocks, and look well to thy herds.
4. Teachability
Are you changed by your teaching? Is
God able to get a hold of you? Will you
practice what you preach?
It doesn’t mean you have to be perfect to teach God’s perfect Word. But you need to be in the process of growing
yourself. You can’t take your people any
further than you’ve been.
(1 Tim 4:12 NLT)
Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example
to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your
faith, and your purity.
5. Gift of Teaching
How do I know if I have a gift of teaching?
People will be taught. I think
there is room to grow in this gift (as in others), but if you’re not gifted to
teach, find out what you are gifted in and flow in it rather than trying to be
a teacher.
6. Love
(1 Cor 13:1-3 KJV) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling
cymbal. {2} And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all
mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could
remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. {3} And though I bestow
all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have
not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
It’s been said, “People won’t care about how much you know until they know
how much you care”.
What is teaching?
Webster: To cause to know a subject;
to guide the studies of; to impart the knowledge of; to instruct by precept,
example, or experience.
Effective teaching requires that the teacher understand the subject, and
then be able to take a student from the place of not knowing the subject, to
understanding it themselves.
You need to “get it” first before you can teach it.
A big mistake is when someone is trying to teach something they themselves
don’t understand.
Exercise: Divide into pairs,
have one person try to tell the other person how to draw an abstract form
without the other person seeing the drawing that you are looking at. The person describing cannot look at the
drawer’s picture until the time is up.
It’s hard to be able to put yourself in the other person’s
perspective. But that’s what you need to
do to effectively teach. You need to be
thinking about how the other person will receive what you say and whether or
not they’ll understand.
Tools of the trade (part 1)
The Bible: Different versions; cross
references
The passage itself
Read the passage several times. Some
pastors read it 50 times before they feel they’re ready to teach.
Read the passage in different versions.
Each time you read the Bible, take notes on what you’ve read.
Cross References
Many of your Bibles have cross references.
Learn how they work in your Bible.
Cross references can be helpful, but keep in mind, they’ve been chosen
based sometimes on the theological perspective of the editor. Sometimes they’ve simply the reference to the
Old Testament passage that’s being quoted.
Look at John 2:1. What are the cross
references listed?
The greatest reference tool in your library is your Bible.
The more you read your Bible, the more of the Bible you’ll understand.
The greatest commentary on the Bible is the Bible.
There are plenty of times when I’ll have much of my study prepared without
opening up a single other reference source other than my Bible.
If you want to be the best Bible teacher, you need to be familiar with the
whole Bible – make it your hobby, reading the Bible.
Outlining
Find out how the passage breaks down.
Many Bibles have the text put into paragraphs – a great place to start.
Look at John 2 – see how the paragraphs break down.
2:1-11
2:12
2:13-17
2:18-22
2:23-25
Read each paragraph and come up with a three to four word summary of each
paragraph.
Then look at the whole chapter and come up with a three word summary for
the whole chapter.
Assignment
Outline John 1
If Time permits …
The Inductive Method
Observation - The word,
phrase, passage that you are focusing on.
Interpretation - What the
word, phrase, passage means
Application - How the
word, phrase, or passage can apply to your life.
From this morning’s study, Psalm 8:
(Observation) :3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers …
(Interpretation) I consider – ra’ah
– to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider
work – ma‘aseh – deed;
undertaking, enterprise
fingers – ‘etsba‘– finger,
toe
Lesson
(Application) Consider God’s
greatness
It seems to be one of the key ideas in this psalm, one of the things that
leads David closer to the Lord. Thinking
about the heavens.
(Observation) :4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
(Interpretation) art mindful – zakar
– to remember, call to mind
David is quoting Job here (Job 7:17-18)
Lesson
(Application) Consider your
smallness
(Interpretation) When David thinks about how awesome and wonderful God is,
he realizes that man is pretty insignificant.
(Observation) :4 and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
(Interpretation) visitest – paqad
– to attend to, visit, look after, care for
Lesson
(Application) Consider that God
cares about you