by flaivoloka – from www.sxc.hu
See this post for the introduction to this series.
Practical Teaching
This is our first instinct when considering faith development. Paul said in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” We develop and grow our faith by learning the Word of God.
Yet, just because we teach people the Word of God doesn’t mean they get it! Just taking our kids to Sunday school or making them memorize some facts is not enough.
From the book Deep and Wide, Andy Stanley wrote, “It’s unfortunate that someone can grow up hearing sermons and Sunday school lessons, yet never be captivated by the Scriptures. But, unfortunately, that seems to be the rule rather than the exception.” (Kindle, Location 1181). This is one of the reasons the multitudes where captivated by Jesus’ teaching. It was different than the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees (Mat. 7:28-29). “Jesus taught for a response. He taught for life change. He didn’t come to simply dispense information.” (Location 1192).
Teaching that grows faith must move people to action. It must be easily understood and applied to our daily lives. The learner must be able to see how this will change their life when applied. Stanley wrote as well, “That being the case, our messages and lesson preparations are not complete until we know what we want our audiences to do with what they are about to hear. To grow our congregants’ faith, we must preach and teach for life change” (Locations 1215).
Some Tips for Parents:
- Talk to your kids about the knowledge they learned and how it is played out in life. Don’t detach the facts from their meaning and application.
- Look for teaching points that make the Biblical truth come alive.
- Use good children’s resources to teach practically to your kids and make sure they are in Bible class.
Some Tips for Teachers and Preachers
- Teach for life-change and transformation not just to disseminate information. Several years ago, I quit trying to focus on how much material was covered and even how much the students learned by way of facts. I rather try to focus upon what the students gained that drew them closer to the way of Jesus. What applications did they make that will cause them to be sanctified in their lives.
- Stanley says teachers and preachers should ask of themselves:
- What do you want them to know?
- What do you want them to do?
- What can we do to create next steps?
- Remember it is not our job for folks to think we are smart, educated, eloquent, or a powerful presenter. We don’t want them saying, “What a smart man!” or “What a preacher!” We want them saying, “Wow, that makes sense!” or “What a Savior I have!”
- We have to know our audience. Visit people, listen to their hurts and pains, laugh and cry with them, and then read your Bible and apply the truth of Jesus to their needs.
Practical teaching for our kids and for church members is tough. We have to be intentional about it. We can’t just think giving out truth is enough, we have to give the meaning of the truth for their lives (Neh. 8:8). This is what Jesus and the Apostles did and this will grow faith! It will make disciples!
2 comments
I agree with the need for practical teaching. As teachers we should remember that people’s learning styles are different…auditory, visual and tactile learners! If we really want something which we think is important to “go home with them”, we should try to develop some way to reach out in all these ways, if possible.
Life application is the key. If we focus on knowledge building without application, we become like those religious leaders in Jesus time that He criticized so harshly.