'Best Practices' for Bible Teachers (Part XIII)
By Buddy Hanson The Covenant News
The Chief Duty of a Bible Teacher
16th century English Puritan Pastor William Ames writes, "The chief duty of a pastor is to set forth the will of God." When we combine his statement with one by the 18th century Scottish essayist, Thomas Carlyle to, "Let each become all that he was created capable of being...casting off all foreign, especially all noxious adhesions," we have a clear and compelling picture of the work for which pastors, and all Bible teachers are called.
As a Bible teacher, you are God's messenger, as you stand in God's presence between Him and His people. You are His mouthpiece to reconcile your learners to Christ by accurately interpreting and presenting both His Law and His Gospel. The underlying purpose of each message must be designed to raise awareness to a commonly held false presupposition your learners have about living the Christian life. For example, each message you present will have to navigate its way around and through a mental mind field that might include either of the following erroneous presuppositions:
ERRONEOUS PRESUPPOSITION #1:
"I know that God's Word is true, but He doesn't really mean for the truths in this message to be applied to this generation, does He?
Explain that God's Word has been given to us so that instead of
merely shedding light on Satan's deceitful delusions, we will know how
to go about demolishing the Kingdom of Darkness, by prescribing God's
solutions of repenting and conforming our ways to His truths. Point
out how this message assists us in dominating our non-Christian
opponents by "casting down their blasphemous arguments, while bringing
and keeping our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ."[1]
ERRONEOUS PRESUPPOSITION #2:
"God has given us His Word in order to comfort us in the midst of all of the unpleasant circumstances we face."
Point out that God's Word has been given to us to be an inerrant guide for how we should live, play, raise our families and govern ourselves. The 17th century English poet John Milton writes, "The end of all learning is to know God, and out of that knowledge to love and imitate Him." In order to assist your learners to do this by living "soberly, righteously and godly,"[2] you must repeat and reinforce key biblical truths throughout your messages. This means that regardless of how thoroughly you may have explained a particular truth in a previous message, you should periodically recall it to your learners attention by showing them how it applies to the message you are currently presenting. For evidence of why it is necessary to teach and re-teach biblical truths, we need look no further than the commercials we hear everyday. Advertisers realize that circumstances will bring people into the market for their product or service today, who weren't in it yesterday. The same is true for your learners. The wisdom of a particular truth that you thoroughly explained a few weeks ago may not have been needed by some of your learners then, but today they may be in desperate need of being reminded of it.
ERRONEOUS PRESUPPOSITION #3:
"As Christians, we are supposed to be polite, courteous, well-mannered and expect to win non-Christians to Christ by our 'niceness.'"
In order to fulfill your accountability to God, you should impress upon your learners two key concepts: First, they are commanded to present an honorable and law-abiding testimony to their non-Christian neighbors by living according to the second table of the Law (commandments 5-10); Second, they are required in the first table of the Law (commandments 1-4) to explain that the authority for living the way they do is based upon what God says, and not "common sense," or "traditional values." So, while we should be "polite and courteous," we should not neglect to also uphold God's revealed ethics in our behavior, because that is how we demonstrate to our non-Christian neighbors the difference and value of being a Christian.
ERRONEOUS PRESUPPOSITION #4:
"If the pastor doesn't build us up with encouragement and present the Gospel, he hasn't done his job!"
Certainly no one can disagree that presenting the gospel and an encouraging topic are two vital elements to be included in any message. However, these two elements, as important as they are, do not complete the commanded obligation each pastor has for a sermon. Instead of merely being a well-intentioned, empathetic cheerleader and/or social director of a moralistic social club, God has called pastors to be habit changers, and life transformers by preparing and equipping learners to "make our enemies His footstool,"[3] convincing them to really believe that nothing is "too hard for the lord,"[4] because:
a. He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10.23
b. We will do greater works than Jesus. John 14.12
c. We are more than conquerors through Him. Romans 8.37
d. We are to restore the cultures of the earth
to live according to biblical ethics. Isaiah 58.12
Next week's topic is, "The Instruction & Learning Process."
Buddy Hanson is President of the Christian Policy Network and Director of the Christian Worldview Resources Center and has written several books on the necessity of applying one's faith to everyday situations, circumstances and decision-making.