'Best Practices' for Bible Teachers (Part XXVI)
By Buddy Hanson The Covenant News
The "Pain of Discipline," or the "Pain of Disappointment?"
The parallels between coaching and shepherding a congregation are striking. At bottom, both are teaching vocations, but sadly, coaches are way ahead in their teaching effectiveness. Still, this doesn't have to remain the case. There is no reason pastors can't communicate as effectively as coaches. Consider, for example, the following contrasts to see the similarities of both:
Coaches
Pastors
1. Explain the skill
1. Explain the biblical truth.
2. Physical demonstration.
2. Mental word picture* of how to apply it.
3. Physical practice.
3. Mental word picture of applying the truth to their lifestyle.
Thoroughly Preparing Your Learners
In any teaching situation, whether in the church, at the office,
in school, or on the ball field, one of the top priorities is to do
all you can to avoid being "blind sided" by the tactics of those who
oppose you. Coaches constantly tell their players to "play with your
eyes." By this they mean, "You have been instructed in what the
various plays of the opposition look like, so be observant and when
you recognize a particular formation, execute against it as you have
been trained." It follows that one of the first priorities of any
coach is to identify the particular plays their opponent is good at,
and to design a defense that will force them to use other plays with
which they are not so comfortable. If you can successfully take a team
out of the plays it prefers to use, your chance of defeating them
increases dramatically because you are limiting them to using plays in
which they don't have full confidence.
Think about the comfort level of our non-Christian neighbors as
they do ideological battle with us. In the first place, it's not much
of a battle, because we are so ill-prepared to defend their remarks
and tactics. In the second place, because many pastors emphasize
little else than the necessity to be saved, their members rarely have
thoughts about going to the Bible to find God's advice regarding how
they should make their daily decisions. The consequences of such poor
teaching are:
We have no expectation for making a positive impact upon our culture.
We, therefore, have no plan for countering the ungodly
cultural agenda of non-Christians.
If you were a non-Christian, wouldn't you be licking your chops about engaging with Christians in your daily conversations? How else can it be explained that non-Christians have captured every influential cultural institution when they don't know who they are, where they came from, what they are supposed to do, or how to do it, where they are going, and can't even agree on whether there is such a thing as a "true" way to do something?
We, on the other hand have all of those answers, plus we have God!
Is our problem ignorance, or apathy? When a coaching friend of mine
asked this question to a talented, but under-performing player, the
player said: "Coach, I don't know, and I don't care!" This anecdote
would be a lot funnier, if it didn't describe the attitude of many of
our fellow believers. Doubtless some of your learners have been
taught, or should I say, "mis-taught" to believe and act in this
pathetic manner. But with God's grace you can turn them around by
instructing them (possibly for the first time) of the marvelous
benefits of conforming their lifestyle to biblical truths.
University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban says there is a
"pain" to life. It is either a "pain of discipline," or a "pain
of disappointment." It is your duty as a Bible teacher, whether from
the pulpit, leading a small group, or teaching your family around the
kitchen table, to let your learners know that you expect them to
endure the "pain" of thoroughly preparing themselves to live vibrant
and purposeful lives whereby they strive to bring honor to Jesus in
all situations and circumstances. Our culture is going through a lot
of pain because we are doing little to oppose the ungodly agenda of
non-Christians with biblical ethics. May each of us begin teaching our
learners how to re-direct this "pain" onto our non-Christian
neighbors, by living out the truths in which we profess to believe.
Next week's topic is, "How's Your Accountability?"
* When we complain that non-Christians have "captured" every influential cultural institution, do we stop and think about from whom they captured it? Or, who instituted our hospitals, civil government, colleges, etc., etc., etc.? The next time you are having this discussion, point out that the person is not complaining about non-Christians initiating, or creating cultural institutions, but taking over the ones that CHRISTIANS instituted and created! The question is: "Why do those who whine and complain about our cultural situation not think we can re-take the institutions we once started?"
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.