'Best Practices' for Bible Teachers (Part XXI)
By Buddy Hanson The Covenant News
The Process of Effective Communication
Paul explains that our commanded duty is to "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love."[1] The first challenge every new Christian has is to "put off" his former trust and confidence in himself and his wisdom and "put on" trust and confidence in God's Wisdom. Next, we should make it very clear to our learners that whenever we study God's Word, we should approach it with the mindset of learning biblical ethics to apply to the various situations and circumstances we are likely to encounter each day. Paul calls this process "putting on the armor of God."[2] We will either be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, or we will be weak in the Lord and in the importance of our might.[3] This famous portion of Scripture from Paul provides seven essentials for our Christian walk. As a teacher, your goal should be to make your learners very familiar with each of them.
Verse 14 -- Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Verse 15 -- shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Verse 16 -- taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Verse 17 -- Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God;
Verse 18 -- praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6.14-18
The Necessity of Repetition in Putting on New Habits
A church could take the preceding six essentials of a Christian walk and put together a very meaningful and enjoyable weekend seminar. However, such a seminar shouldn't be expected to change any one's habits anymore than attending a weekend seminar on losing weight, or stopping smoking should be expected to change a person's eating or smoking habits. Any behavior we now have is a habit because we have repeatedly practiced it. Therefore, the only way to replace it with a new behavior is to repeatedly practice the new behavior until it becomes a habit.
So, if you are thinking about presenting a seminar for your members, go for it, but be careful to include some follow-up activities, otherwise you will more than likely face the same unsuccessful results as professional sales trainers. Their studies show that up to 87 percent of their training tips are "lost" within one month if the participating company doesn't follow up on the information presented. Again, the important thing is not how well the information is presented, or how enjoyable it is, but how often it is repeated, because this is the only way to establish a new habit.
The overall goal for which we, as Bible teachers, should be striving is that, at the conclusion of the study, our learners will have a firm grip on a variety of divine strategies and tactics to apply in repairing the ruins of our culture by presenting a daily Christian antithesis to the non-Christian cultural agenda.[4] The 17th century Westminster divine, William Gouge, describes Bible teachers as:
Workmen, laborers, watchmen, shepherds, servants, ambassadors, ministers, and stewards.[5]
To approach a teaching opportunity with a goal of simply filling the learners' brains with a bunch of interesting and true facts about God is to have no goal for making a positive difference in our culture, much less increasing the influence of Christ's Kingdom.
THE PROCESS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION:
1. Survey the entire study, making a chronological list of the Main Concepts and Key Points.
2. Choose two or three key questions from each week's material to use for a three-week Take Home Checkup, a six-week Mid-Study Checkup and a cumulative End-of-Study Checkup for week thirteen. These questions can also be used effectively to introduce new Concepts and Key Points as you begin a new phase of your study."
3. Note which Concepts and Key Points relate to, and/or reinforce each other, so that you can repeat previously introduced Concepts and Key Points to new ones. Use Take Home Checkups and/or Assignments to also repeat and reconnect previously discussed information to new information.
4. Look for creative ways to "Make the Invisible Visible" for your learners, and also consider questions to ask that will "Encourage Your Learners to Think Out Loud" by either speaking up in class or discussing the information with each other.
5. Select two practical examples of how to apply each Key Point, plus cite a biblical reason for your learners to include the Main Concepts into their worldview and lifestyle.
Next week's topic is "Personal Growth Checklist."
* Explain that all Take Home Checkups and Assignments are for the
benefit of each learner, and are not to be turned in, but rather to
help them clarify their understanding of the concepts and Key Points
and their particular accountability's to God to conform their behavior
to them. Tell them that if they want to discuss any of the information
on the Checkups and Assignments in class, or with you privately, that
you will be happy to accommodate them.
NOTES:
[1] 1 Corinthians 16.13-14
[2] Ephesians 6.11
[3] Ephesians 6.10
[4] Isaiah 61.4
[22] Gouge, William, The Works of William Gouge, (John Beale, 1627), Vol. II, p.245
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.