The hook
Illustration: I was attacked by a
large dog in the park. Atonished, I fell backward, pulling a muscle in my leg
and landed on my back. I looked up to see the dog with its two from paws
between my legs, looking at me quietly, apparently as astonished I was. Fortunately, the dog was on a long
lease, was simply showing off for its master and had no serious intent of
harming me. The injury to my leg was therefore self inflicted by my reaction.
The owner pulled the dog back with apologies. I used this incident in a lecture
on spiritual warfare. Satan is on a long leash and is limited in what he can do
to us. Most of the injury done to us is self-inflicted.
What I just did was use a hook to grab the attention of the
audience. This is the first practical principle in teaching.
Whatever you teach, whether a lesson, a sermon or a
political speech — you must gain the attention of the audience within the
first 10 seconds or many in your audience may assume you are boring and will
stop listening to you. Studies in didactics show that the average person will
decide within less than a minute whether or not he is going to bother to listen
to you.
That is why I started this course with a hook. Find a hook
for each lesson. It can be anything. A personal experience, a story you have
heard, a current event, a joke, something that will grabs the attention of your
audience.
During this conference, I will intersperse other principles
and techniques as we proceed with this conference. I started with this ÒhookÓ technique
because it is the most obvious one with which to start.
A personal comment
This manual is not about the best way to teach Sunday School.
It is about my way. I have my own
style and philosophy about didactics. If mine fails to fit your need, do something
else. Take what is useful and discard the rest.
The target audience for this manual was originally for hispanics
in their particular cultural context and in their language. Some aspects, such
as communicating the gospel to Catholics, may be unnecessary in your context.
Most of my teaching experience, both in the gospel and in
secular teaching, has been on the adult level; secondary level in the public
schools, seminars in churches and seminary classes and Sunday School in church.
Nevertheless, the principles here apply to teaching small children. The lesson
plan and the exercises will be simpler but the principles are the same.
The promise
I highly recommend Howard HendricksenÕs book The Seven Laws of the Teacher. It contains excellent
advice for those already gifted to be teachers. Much of it is theory but not quite
as much about practical techniques in a Sunday School settings as I would like.
Among the practical techniques is the ÒhookÓ as illustrated above. I did not
get the idea from that book because I've used that technique for years before
the book was written. By all means get the book. But I want you to have a bit
more than that.
Practical aspects you may glean from this study guide
á
What is a called and gifted teacher.
á
How to prepare an effective lesson plan.
á
Interactive techniques to make your class more
interesting and increase retention of the material in the minds of your
students.
á
Focus and goal: What to teach in Sunday School settings
and why.
á
How to teach grace.
á
How to teach new converts.
Illustration: On a mission team in
Ecuador, we were discussing the need for teachers. One of the missionaries
said, ÒTeaching is no big deal. Anyone can teach.Ó I did not want to create a
scene by contradicting him at that point but felt like asking, ÒWhy then are
your Sunday School lessons so boring?Ó
Objective
Help teachers evaluate if they are truly gifted and called
to this ministry.
No substitute for giftedness
By the end of this lesson, you should know if you are called
to a ministry of teaching. Are you a Sunday School teacher merely because the
pastor asked you to do it and no one else was available? Perhaps out of the
goodness of your heart, you accepted though you feel incomfortable in that
role.
This lesson will confirm to you if you are truly called and
gifted. If you find you are not gifted, then at the end of this lesson we can
discuss how to get out of it.
Teaching techniques will make a gifted teacher excellent. They
can make a non-gifted person less mediocre but not excellent.
Gift or no, you need grace to do it right
All epistles start and end with grace. Without the grace of
God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, you will succeed only in imparting
religious knowledge but not spiritual life transformation.
In this lesson therefore, we will discuss the
characteristics of a gifted teacher and how to get out of it if you realize you
are not gifted for this particular ministry.
How to know you are gifted
Passion
Illustration: The pastor who wanted to write a book.
A pastor invited me to lunch to
pick my brain on how I write books. He was retiring and wanted to spend more
time writing. He said he had trouble getting started. I asked him what he was
interested in writing about. He was hesitant; maybe this, maybe that. I told
him his problem was a lack of passion. He asked what I meant. I got in his face
and said loudly, ÒMy passion is reformation in Latin America. I live and breath
for that. Nothing and nobody is going to stop me. If I have to advance in a
wheel chair, you better stay out of my way or I will run you down!Ó He laughed
and said he got the message. I mentioned, ÒIf you are passionate enough about
something, you will not be able to stop yourself from writing.Ó
Gifted teachers have a passion for their subject and a
strong desire to communicate it.
Passion for the gospel
Illustration: A teacher asked a
group of children, ÒWhat lives in trees, has a bushy tail and eats nuts?Ó A
little boy said, ÒI know! ItÕs Jesus!Ó The teacher said, ÒWhat made you think
it was Jesus?Ó The boy replied, ÒI know the answer is always Jesus but it
sounds like a squirrel to me!Ó
Despite the temporary misunderstanding, it looks like the
teacher was doing a great job with those kids. In the Bible, everything points
to Christ and his work of salvation. Gifted Bible teachers know how to bring every
lesson back to Christ, regardless of the subject.
You will teach well what you have a passion for. If you lack
passion for what you teach, your students will have no passion for learning it.
All Christians deeply appreciate the gospel. Others are passionate about it. The
former communicate knowledge, the
latter spiritual life.
Passion for the students
Gifted teachers know that the goal of biblical teaching is to
make disciples for Christ.
Illustration: University teachers are
sometimes cold in their lectures. No interest in students. They lecture and
walk out. I have forgotten the names of most courses I took in college, along
with the names of the teachers. One teacher I remember well; Dr. Dean, Educational
Psychology. Why do I remember him? He was not only passionate about his subject
but determined to make his students good teachers. He took a personal interest
in students with a keen interest in the course. Some of the theory in this
manual I recall from his teachingÉ 29 years ago.
Gifted teachers have strong personal devotional life
Our leadership training course starts with Personal Revival. How to have a quiet time and hear
from God out of the word and be led by the Holy Spirit. To teach others how to
walk with God, we must have that walk ourselves.
Gifted teachers are specialists
Having gifts that differ according to the
grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if
service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; Romans 12:6,7
If gifted, be a specialist. Learn all you can about
teaching. Peruse every book you can on that subject. Observe gifted teachers
and try to emulate their techniques. Specialization is a key to effective
ministry in any calling.
Gifted teachers have hobbies
A key characteristic of a gifted teacher is strong curiosity
and desire to learn. Not just their subject, but everything. Normally they have
at least one hobby and show interest in a variety of subjects. They seem to
know a little about many things. This is a result of a passion for truth and
knowledge.
Always have learning project. Have at least one personal learning
program at the time. It need not be in your specialty of teaching. Maybe learn
a musical instrument. Study a science. Raise parrots. Take up a sport. I took up basketball. IÕm not good at it but IÕm learning
something new nevertheless.
You will be amazed at the number of illustrations you will
glean for your classes from interests that seem unrelated to your Sunday School
teaching ministry.
Gifted teachers are creative
Their creativity may be expressed in different art forms: Painting,
literature, decorating or music. This does not mean that a creative person is
necessarily called to be a teacher. Some creative people cannot teach at all. My
experience, I have noticed that good teachers tend to be creative individuals.
If you are gifted to teachÉ
á
You like to do it. You feel incomplete if you
are not teaching.
á
Other people like you to do it. They ask you to
teach.
á
Other people will tell you that teaching is your
gift.
How to know you are not gifted to teach
á
It seems like a duty and you donÕt look forward
to it. Normally a person with a gift enjoys doing
it. People with a gift of hospitality like visitors in their home. Others dread
it when people visit.
á
You prefer to rely heavily on material prepared
by others people than create your own. Gifted teachers feel more comfortable
using their own material. Using other peopleÕs material is not wrong. You are
like a person who can't cook but must prepare a meal of a large group of
people. So they hire someone to do it for them. That works for a while but sooner
or later it will become obvious that you cannot cook. A study of teaching
techniques will make an ungifted teacher less mediocre, but no more than that.
What to do if you know you are not gifted and can't get out of it
We are all called to do ministry from time to time for which
we are not gifted. But these situations are only temporary.
It is possible that you as a reader of this manual may be a Sunday
School teacher only because church
leaders convinced you of the need and asked you to do it. They appealed to your
concern for children so you accepted the assignment, although in your heart of
hearts you know it is not your gift. What should you do?
Put the problem back where it belongs, on the shoulders of
the leadership. The problem is not yours to own. First, try to identify what
really is your gift then tell the leadership you will be unavailable to teach,
except as an occasional substitute. Instead, you will be doing the ministry you
feel is your gift. It is their problem to solve, not yours.
From this lesson we learnÉ
1.
There is no substitute for giftedness in
teaching. If you lack the gift, do something else.
2.
Gifted teachers have a passion for their
subjects as well as for their students.
3.
Gifted teachers have a strong devotional life,
tend to be creative and have a desire to learn and grow in knowledge in
general.
Illustration: In Ecuador, I caused
panic in a candidate for the ministry. I asked him to teach my course on the
doctrines of grace while I prepared another class. He said he had no idea what
to do. So I agreed I would help him prepare a lesson plan. He he made me
promise to be in the class in case he had trouble. By the third lesson, he had
lost his fear, was preparing lessons on his own and mentioned he did not feel
the need of my help in the class. His lessons were excellent. The whole key to
his confidence was having in hand a good lesson plan. He is an effective
teacher today.
Objective
Show elements of a lesson plan and how to write it.
The outline of the plan should follow a simple but
consistent pattern. If you use the same pattern in every lesson, your students
will adapt to it quickly and this will help them fit into your style of
teaching. Once you establish the habit of a consistent template, learning will
be easier for students and teaching less stressful for you.
Template for a lesson plan
The hook
The theme
The promise
The point
The application
The review [From this lesson we learnÉ]
What is a hook?
The hook is an interesting story or illustration to get the
attention of the students. If you do not get the attention of the students
within the first few seconds, some will assume the lesson is boring and will
lose interest.
What is a good illustration? The best ones are from your own
experience. Or something in current events.
The theme
After you get their attention, you must say what the lesson
is about.
The promise
State how the students will benefit from the lesson. Why
should they pay attention to it? How will it improve their lives?
The point
One point per lesson only. If you cannot describe in one
sentence the entire point of the lesson, then you need to simplify it or divide
it into two or more lessons.
The application
Show the students how to apply the key point of the lesson
to their lives. Or, set up the lesson in such a way that they deduce for
themselves the application and express it back to the you.
The review
At the end of each lesson, I usually write, ÒFrom this
lesson we learnÉÓ This is the
summary.
Define your audience
When you prepare your plan, picture in your mind one of the
students. Prepare the lesson as though it were for that person alone. This
helps you focus and will make the lesson seem more personal. This is your Òfocus
person.Ó No one but you will know who that person is.
Prepare the lesson for the most interested students. Some
people are in Sunday School for other reasons other than interest in material. Some
may be parents who are in your class because their kids are in Sunday School
and they themselves have no other place to go.
Other uses for your lesson plans
á
Create a manual to give to a fledgling teacher
to teach your subject. Avoid teaching the same subject twice in the same place
if you can help it. Mentor others to teach.
á
The lesson plans can be the outline for chapters
of a book.
From this lesson we learnÉ
1.
Using a ÒhookÓ in the form of an interesting
story or illustration is a good way to start a lesson.
2.
When preparing a lesson, think about one student
as through you were conversing with him. This helps you focus in the
preparation.
3.
Allow time for review before the end of the
lesson. This helps students retain the information better.
Note: The sentences in brackets are reminders for the teacher
or perhaps answers to questions. When the teacher gets ready to print these for
handouts to the students, he will remove those sentences in brackets so the
students do not see them.
Lesson: The Sovereignty of God
The hook: [An illustration or story from the teacherÕs own
experience here.]
Purpose: Teach about the sovereignty
of God to help increase the faith of the students.
Promise: Understanding the sovereignty
of God will help increase your faith, pray more effectively, endure trials
better and evangelize with more confidence.
Proof: Acts 4:23-32
What is the name the apostles called God in verse 24? ______________________________
[Other verses using the term ÒsovereignÓ in reference to God may be
shown here. 1Tim 6:15]
What did the apostles say in verse 24 in reference to the
sovereignty of God? ________________________________________________________
[Other verses showing GodÕs control over nature are Job 41:11; Ps 24:1;
Ps 89:11]
Is there anything in the apostleÕs prayer to show that God
is in control of history? _____________________________________________________
[Ask the students to think of other historical events showing GodÕs
control of history. Some verses for this are Dan 2:21; Prov 21:1]
Is God able to bring good
out of evil? If the answer is affirmative, does there exist evidence in the
apostlesÕ prayer to show this? _______________________________________________________
From this lesson we learned that God is sovereign becauseÉ
1.
The word ÒsovereignÓ is a part of his name.
2.
He is creator, sustainer and owner of all
creation.
3.
He is in control of the events of history.
4.
He is able to produce good from evil.
Application
1.
How does an understanding of the sovereignty of
God affect your prayer life?
2.
How does an understanding of the sovereignty of
God affect the way you perceive the promises of God?
3.
How does an understanding of the sovereignty of
God affect your attitude toward evangelism?
Illustration: I had a small group
of peasants in Ecuador memorize John 3:16. At the next lesson, I asked some to
quote the verse, which they did. Then I asked them what is it God loves? Some
had no idea. They had memorized the verse but understood nothing of the meaning.
I realised I needed to change my teaching methods with that group. They were
memorizing but not learning.
Objective
Show interactive methods and why they are useful.
What are interactive methods?
Methods that involved the activity and participation of the
students, as opposed just listening to a lecturer. These activities include
small-group analysis of a question; fill-in-the-blank questions; attack and
defense exercises; quizzes and others. These provoke the students to think
rather than merely memorize.
Why interactive methods?
Studies in universities on learning and retention levels
show that retention increase the more students participate in the class, beyond
merely listening to a lecture.
Lecturing is the least effective
method of teaching. 20% retenci—n
Lecturing means that the teacher
simply talks non-stop throughout the lesson and the students do nothing other
than listen.
Lecturing plus feedback from the
students. Retention increases to 30%-50%.
This means the students repeat back
to the teacher what they have heard. This can be done with a number of
techniques.
Lecturing plus
feedback from the students plus the student teaches the material to another
student. Retention increases to 80%-90%.
This means the students repeat back
to the teacher what they have heard and then teach it to someone else.
Memorizing is not learning
Some cultures have a history of
dictatorships. In some countries, the so-called education consists in having the
students write down in a notebook what the teacher dictates then take it home
to memorize and repeat it the next day. A recording device can do the same
thing. This is not education. It is brainwashing.
Why do such cultures do this?
Dictators do not want students to learn how to think. They might evolve ideas
like freedom, democracy and overthrowing dictators.
For small children, memorizing verses is o.k. They can learn
later what it means. The word of God may have its effect later. Some come to
Christ later through the verse memorized. Nevertheless, small children can also
challenged to think about what it means. Studies in Switzerland have found that
children are more capable of abstract reasoning than previously thought.
Interactive techniques make the act of teaching easier for
the teacher. There is a dictum in teaching: If
you are working harder than the students, you are doing it wrong. The students
should be working harder to learn than you are to teach them.
Interactive lessons are harder for the teacher to prepare initially
but worth the effort in the long run. It puts more of the burden on the
students. Once the teacher gets into the habit of including student activities
in the lesson, a lot of the stress in lesson preparation is relieved.
Inductive versus deductive
Inductive:
Gather evidence and see where it leads.
Deductive:
State a proposition, then give evidence to prove it.
Illustration:
The difference between a detective and a prosecuting attorney. A detective
gathers evidence from a crime without bias as to suspects. After gathering all
the facts, he draws a conclusion as to who is the guilty party. This is
inductive logic.
The
prosecuting attorney in court starts by stating that the suspect is guilty.
Then he goes about showing the evidence to prove that his declaration of guilt
is correct. This is deductive.
Neither approach is right or wrong. It depends on the
situation. Sermons and evangelistic settings are examples of deductive
approaches.
Inductive approaches in teaching tend to provoke thinking.
This is healthy for those who have not been well educated. Most adults prefer an interactive,
inductive approach because it makes them feel like they are being treated as
adults.
Illustration: A lady said to me,
ÒDonÕt make me study, just tell me what to believe!Ó I made it clear to her
that I was not going to give her that luxury.
The interactive techniques mentioned in this manual are all
inductive in nature. Experience shows this is much better for teaching students
to think.
Individual interactive techniques
Fill in the blanks
1.
Simply write out a verse and leave blank the part
with the key point. Have the students look up the verse and fill in the blank.
Example: For God so loved the world, that he gave___________, that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
2.
Ask
a question with a verse reference and then fill in the blank. Example:
What do we have as a result
of justification? ___________ Romans 5:1
3.
Give a series of Bible references with a
question, such as ÒWhat do these verses teach us about heaven? Then let the
students tell you as the teacher what they say. You can suppliment their
comments with your own.
Group interactive activities
Group agreement
Divide the class into small groups of three or five,
depending on the size of the class. Give a series of verses and tell them to
deduce what they teach. Tell the group to agree on one single statement as the
answer. This provokes discussion and negotiation for meaning which by itself
provokes thought and is instructive
During a group agreement exercise, the teacher can wander
around the class and observe how the students interact with one another. This
helps the teacher learn about the students so as to mentor them better.
These exercises should
take no more than ten minutes because of the limitation of the class time.
An important benefit for the teacher is that such exercises
help identify emerging leaders. If someone is leading, do the others show
respect for him or her? Does one person seem to be teaching the others?
Another benefit is that it helps students relate to one
another who might not do so otherwise in ordinary social contexts.
Any of the techniques for individuals below can also be used
for group exercises.
Attack and defense
This technique is good for teaching adults and young people
to defend biblical teachings. For example, defending salvation by grace as
opposed to salvation by works. It is also good for practice in evangelism.
Divide the students into pairs. Have one person plays the role of the defender of
a doctrine and the other the opponent. Then have them change roles and practice
it again.
Experience shows that people who think they understand a
doctrine well, discover they do not know it as well as they thought when they
have to defend it.
True or false quizzes
Why not have a brief quiz at the end of the lesson? Quizzes
can be an effective teaching technique in themselves.
Illustration:
I was teaching on Romans 1 in Ecuador for a month. I said, ÒThe last half of
the last class will be the final exam.Ó At exam time, one of the ladies said,
ÒI know the exam counts for nothing. But I studied all week because I cannot
stand the thought of getting a bad grade.Ó
At the end of some of my manuals, I have a few true or false
questions, usually no more than ten, not less than five. I do this at the end
of Sunday School lessons also. After the students have had time to answer the
questions on their own, you may ask the class what are the answers. Some
students will get wrong answers and this can provoke discussion as to why the
answers are wrong.
Sometimes this generates a healthy competition. If the
competition seems inappropriate for the class, discard this kind of exercise.
Class competition
This technique works well with young people because they
normally like to compete.
Divide the class into two groups. Have a representative of
each group come up to the blackboard. Ask a question and have them write the
answer on the board. The first to write the correct answer gets a point. If one
person writes a wrong answer, he must yield his place to the next person in
line to give the correct answer. The group the with highest score wins.
Visual aids
Many abstract ideas can be illustrated by simple geometric
figures: Circles, squares, triangles and arrows. It requires no artist skills
to do them on a blackboard.
Many abstract ideas can be illustrated by simple geometric
figures: Circles, squares, triangles and arrows. It requires no artist skills
to do them on a blackboard.
Which of these four diagrams would be best to illustrate the
Trinity? Which would you chose to illustrate eternity? How would you combine
two of these figures to show the members of the Trinity are eternal?
Group exercise
Divide the students and have the combine two or more of the
diagrams to express a concept.
From this lesson we learnÉ
1. Retention
levels increase when students participate interactively in the learning process
rather than just listening to lectures.
2. Interactive
teaching methods help students learn how to think rather than merely memorize
data.
3. Lesson
preparation that incorporates interactive methods is harder initially but makes
the act of teaching easier in the long run.
4. Group
exercises provide the teacher an opportunity to observe students and learn
about them.
Illustration: A pastor was
strolling down the hallway one Sunday morning and observed a Sunday School
teacher explaining to the children, ÒIf you are good girls and boys, when you
die, you will go to heaven.Ó After the class, the pastor asked her, ÒWhy are
you teaching heresy to children?Ó
She was shocked. He explained that he was teaching them salvation by works,
which is heresy. She replied that she thought the kids were too young to
understand the gospel. The pastor said, ÒWhen they get older, are you then going
to tell them you were teaching them false doctrine before?Ó The teacher got the
point as well as some tips on how to teach the gospel of grace to young
children.
Objective
Show the ultimate goal in teaching Sunday School and the
dangers of deviating from that goal.
The goal
In the Great Commission, Jesus declared the one and only
mission of the church: Make disciples for Jesus. (Matthew 28:19) He said to
Peter how to go about it. ÒFeed my sheep.Ó Peter tells us what to feed them;
the word of God. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you
may grow up into salvation. 1Peter 2:2
No other goal. No other method.
The danger of moralism in Christian education
Becoming a mere moralist is a particular danger for teachers
of children. Teaching good behavior is not teaching the gospel. PaulÕs epistles
are full of exhortations to Christians about good conduct and how to behave in
life. But all his epistles start and end with grace. Unless your teaching leads
to the last verse of the Bible, then you are missing the target.
The grace of the Lord
Jesus be with all. Amen. Rev 22:21
Illustration: Pastor preached on
Colossians and said, ÒDo you think you can do any of this?Ó The answer is no.
You need the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ to do any of it. You
need Jesus for everything.
The danger in being a moralist is that it always leads to
the sin of legalism, which is not only a false gospel but is frequently worse
than the sins we are attempting to avoid.
One goal only
Make disciples for Jesus Christ. Only one means exsist for
that goal: The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. No other goal. No other means.
Mt 28:19,20
Everything we teach, even Old Testament laws in Leviticus,
must point back to Jesus as the only way to obtain the grace of God for salvation
and Christian living.
Review the basics
Illustration: I shared the gospel
for 15 minutes to a man in Mexico. He was a boxer. I explained that salvation
is by Christ alone through faith alone. I asked him what he thought I said. He
replied, ÒWe have to be self-reliant.Ó The exact reverse of everything I just
said! It takes revelation of the Holy Spirit to get the point across.
Your job as a Sunday School teacher is provide the Holy
Spirit with a platform of Scripture to use. Only God can open their eyes. You
have not necessarily failed if that does not happen.
Éremembering you in my
prayers, Éthat the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, Eph 1:16,17
The carnal nature will always translate the gospel into a
works-righteousness message. Remember: You can say to an audience a thousand
times, Salvation is by grace alone
through faith alone in Christ alone,
not by our merits. If you ask them afterwards
to define what you said, most of them, most of the time will swear they heard
you say, ÒBe good and God will be good to you.Ó
Refer back to the frequently to the basics: Grace alone
through faith alone in Christ alone.
Illustration: A football coach
took a football in his hand and said to a team of professional players,
ÒGentlemen, this is a football.Ó By this he was emphasizing, ÒNever forget the
basics. Those are the foundation for victory.Ó
In discipleship, always go back to the basics of Christian living:
The three means of grace: The word, prayer and fellowship of the church.
Verify that your students understand the basics
Illustration: When I was teaching
in a public school, I taught a lesson how to conjugate a verb. Toward the end
of the class, a student asked, ÒMr. Smalling, what is a verb?Ó I was shocked. I
had assumed the students understood more than they did, resulting in confusion.
The fault was mine.
It is easy to assume your students understand the obvious.
What is obvious to you may not be obvious to them.
With adults, I teach mostly from the New Testament
Since my goal is to teach Christians how to live the
Christian life, most of my teaching comes from the New Testament in an adult
setting. Old Testament fore types and background are fine for illustrations but
limitations of time in Sunday School makes me want to get directly to the
point. Beware of spending too much time on background information and not
enough on the main point. Some teachers are enamoured with Old Testament fore
types and use their teaching opportunities to discuss them. Sometimes I wonder
if such teachers are simply entertaining themselves more than trying to make
disciples for Christ.
What I avoid in my teaching: 1Timothy 1:1-7
á
Disputable and controversial issues.
á
Obscure doctrines with little practical
implications for Christian living.
Some teachers delight in showing their scholarship. This may
be pride. What is interesting to you as a teacher may not be useful to your students.
The purpose of Sunday School is to make disciples for Jesus
Christ. DonÕt lose site of your goal: Making disciples for Jesus Christ.
What I always refer back to:
á
The grace of God.
á
The person of Jesus Christ who applies GodÕs
grace through faith in him.
á
Discipline in the three means of growth: The
word, prayer and fellowship of the church (which includes the sacraments.)
From this lesson we learnÉ
1.
Sunday School teachers have one goal and one
method: Make disciples for Jesus Christ through teaching the gospel.
2.
Teaching morality is necessary but it must lead
to dependence on Jesus Christ and the grace of God or it is mere legalism.
3.
Teachers must verify that the students have
understood the material. This can be done by questions in the class, quizzes or
other exercises.
4.
Good Sunday School teachers know how to avoid
unnecessary and secondary questions.
Exam: True or false
1.
___F__ The ultimate goal in teaching children in
Sunday School is to make sure they understand the difference between right and
wrong.
2.
___T__ Always try to verify that the students
have understood the material.
3.
___F__ Most people understand the gospel of
grace the first or second time it is explained clearly.
4.
___T__ Christians need to be taught discipline
in applying to themselves the ordinary means of grace such as the word of God
and prayer.
5.
___F__ The apostle Paul recommends studying Old
Testament words and genealogies to give a good background to New Testament
discipleship.
In this lesson, I will show you
have to make people think you are crazy until they realize you are not. Three
out of four of the elders in the Presbytery said that during their training,
they thought at one time or another, that I had a screw loose. But all finished
with the attitude that they were willing to die for what I was teaching. What
was it?
If you teach the doctrines of sovereign
grace correctly, then you may be viewed at first as off the wall. At the end of
the course, however, when the students have clearly grasped the concept of
grace, they will be grateful for the teaching.
Objective
Show why it is necessary to teach the reformed doctrines of
grace and suggestions on how to do that.
Why is it necessary to teach these doctrines?
A false definition of grace reigns in the entire culture and
including among most evangelicals. The false definition says that grace is
GodÕs favorable response to us as we employ our free will in seeking him.
This is heresy because it implies that God is not sovereign and
is dependent upon the will of man.
In the Bible, grace is a sovereign work of God to bring his
elect to faith in Christ. Yes, they must exercise their wills. But even this
only comes about by a work of grace given to them sovereignly.
With adults, I use the tulip
acrostic, but only after a thorough lesson in the sovereignty of God:
Total depravity
Unconditional election
Limited atonement
Irresistible grace
Preservation of the elect
Note: In Spanish, I use my Si, Jesus acrostic:
Soberan’a absoluta divina
Incapacidad total humana
Justificaci—n por la fe
Elecci—n incondicional
Sacrificio eficaz de Cristo
Unidad e universalidad de la iglesia
Seguridad de los elegidos
The entire strategy of this acrostic is to nail down the
concept of sovereign grace; that God is sovereign in salvation.
I take as much time with the first two points as with all
the other five together. Why?
Sovereignty of God is foundational
Everything else flows from it. If people fail to understand
this, the other points in the acrostic will make little sense.
My starting point is the apostleÕs prayer in Acts 4:27-31.
(See Sample Lesson Plan for an
example of this.)
A fundamental problem in teaching the doctrines of grace
Anthropomorphism: The idea that God is a big human being.
Many people, especially children, think of God as a big
human being. Until this notion is removed, the other doctrines will make little
sense to them. It is normal for children to think like this but is unacceptable
for adults.
I use two lines of teaching to remove the anthropomorphism:
á
Teaching the three incommunicable attributes of
God; Almighty, all knowing and all present. (Omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent)
á
Certain lines of teaching about big things God
controls, such as the events of history and the actions of people.
Total depravity
I use Romans 3:19-29 to begin this lesson.
This is where the teacher must undermine in the students any
hope of salvation in human merits or human ability to respond to God without a
special work of grace. (John 6:44,45) If the teacher fails to communicate this,
the other doctrines will make no sense to the students.
The entire surrounding culture with its humanistic
philosophy and the influence of Catholicism has rooted in the minds of people
that a sinner possesses the power of will to convert himself if he wishes.
Unless this notion is destroyed, the students will continue in a false
definition of grace that will affect their walk with the Lord.
What about teaching this to children and young people?
Children are capable of understanding the basic idea of
grace if it is taught simply.
From this lesson we learnÉ
1.
The reformed doctrines of grace must be taught
to believers to undermine false thinking about grace.
2.
Anthropomorphic views of God must be eliminated
before students can grasp the doctrines of grace. Teaching the incommunicable
attributes is a good place to start.
3.
It is important to teach the sovereignty of God
and inability of man as foundational for understanding biblical grace in
general.
Illustration: The great
apologist C.S. Lewis said about himself before becoming a Christian. ÒI was an
atheist. And further more, I was angry at God for creating this kind of world.Ó
Such is the irrationality of an unbeliever.
Objective
Show
teachers how to prepare believers for a basic rational defense of the Christian
faith.
always being prepared to make a defense
to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with
gentleness and respect, 1Peter
3:15
The apologetics of the Bible
Apologetics means the rational defense of the Christian
faith.
For Sunday School settings, I stick with the apologetics the
Bible uses. These simple points are good for both adults and children. I avoid
deeper historical apologetics like the five ways of Aquinas,
presuppositionalism versus evidentialism or complex philosophical discussions.
Those are reserved for seminary classes and do little to increase the faith of
the common believer in a Sunday School setting.
My purpose is to confirm the faith the believers and equip them
to deal with unbelievers.
The book of Romans contains all three of PaulÕs basic
arguments for the existence of God and validity of the Christian faith. All
three start with the letter ÒCÓ and
are easy to remember in their order:
Creation: If there is a creation, there
is a Creator.
Conscience: If
there are moral laws written in our minds, it is because there is a moral lawgiver.
Christ: The
miraculous life of Christ speaks for itself.
Each of these evidences has sub-points the teacher may use
if he sees fit.
A study in Romans 1:18-25
1.
God is angry at humanity. Why? [For
their wickeness and suppression of truths revealed to them.]
2.
Is the evidence for GodÕs existence obscure or
difficult to deduce? [No. It has been clearly revealed by the things that have been created.]
3.
How does carnal man react to the evidence? [They
suppress it.]
4.
What are the two principle attributes of God
revealed in creation? [His eternal power and deity.]
5.
Does verse 21 indicate that pagans are ignorant
of the existence of God and what kind of God he is? [No. They are not
ignorant. They are rebellious.]
6.
Is idolatry and pagan worship entirely a result
of ignorance? [No. They do it to avoid the real God by inventing
false ones.]
7.
According to verses 21 and 22, what is the
origin of philosophy? [The corrupt reasonings of man, designed to avoid
the truth about God.]
8.
According to verse 23, what is the origin of
pagan religion? [The corruption of man, designed to avoid God.]
9.
According to verse 24, what is the origin of
sexual perversion? [The origin is in a previous rejection of God.]
10.
In verse 25, how does Paul summarize human
reactions against the existence of God? [They change the revealed truths about
God into lies, both by philosophy and by pagan religion.]
Society is brainwashing our children in relativistic,
anti-Christian presuppositions. From school, TV, literature and friends, they
hear truth is relative to the individual, belief in God is not provable,
morality is a question of personal taste and it does not matter what we believe
as long as we believe in something.
Nonsense like this will become part of the very fabric of a
childÕs being if not refuted early.
Most catechisms were written before relativism became the
politically correct religion of the culture. Our children need to be taught to
counter these ungodly thought forms with rational and biblical presuppositions.
Below are sample questions based on Romans Chapters One and
Two. Young children can learn these biblical defenses.
QUESTION 1: What are three ways we know God exists?
ANSWER:
Creation, conscience and Christ.
QUESTION 2: How does creation show there is a God?
ANSWER:
If there is a creation, there must be a Creator.
QUESTION 3: What is a conscience?
ANSWER:
Conscience is our minds telling us what is right and wrong.
QUESTION 4: Why does our conscience prove there is a God?
ANSWER:
If we know right and wrong, moral law, there must be a moral lawgiver.
QUESTION 5: What do we mean when we say Christ proves God
exists?
ANSWER:
His miracles, his perfect holiness and his resurrection from the dead show God
exists.
QUESTION 6: Is it clear to everyone that God exists?
ANSWER: Yes. It is very clear to everyone.
QUESTION 7: Why do we say it is clear to everyone?
ANSWER:
Because everyone is a part of creation and everyone has a conscience. So
everyone sees the proof.
QUESTION 8: Why do some people say GodÕs existence is not
clear?
ANSWER: Because they do not want
God to rule over them.
QUESTION 9: Why do some people not want God to rule over
them?
ANSWER:
Because they love their sins.
QUESTION 10: What do we mean when we say something is true?
ANSWER:
We mean it really exists.
QUESTION 11: Can truth be just a matter of opinion?
ANSWER:
No. A thing is true whether anyone thinks it is or not.
QUESTION 12: What do we mean when we say Ôhave faith in
God?Õ
ANSWER:
We mean trust his promises.
From this lesson we learnÉ
1.
It is helpful in a Sunday School setting to
stick to the apologetics that the Bible itself uses.
2.
A basic apologetics lesson for the existence of
God can be: Creation, conscience and Christ. These are found in the book of
Romans.
3.
A study of Romans 1:18-25 is a good introduction
to biblical apologetics in Sunday School setting.
4.
Relativism is a serious problem today and
children must be prepared to reject it.
Objective
Show ways to help new converts in their initial walk with
Christ.
Converts from Catholicism
Using the Five Solas
The new convert from Catholicism will have serious doubts.
They have been taught that it is a serious sin to associate with protestants.
They have been told that there are many false cults and groups and must stay
away from them because the Catholic Church is the only true one and the only
one capable of saving them. They have been told that giving up Catholicism is abandonment
of any hope of salvation. So they have lurking in their minds that they may be
falling into a false religion that will ultimately do them harm.
When asked the difference between us and the Catholic
Church, the Five Solas is the best I have found for answering that question.
á
Christ alone: Not Christ plus Mary plus
saints. 1Tim 2:5; John 14:6; Hechos
4:12
á
Grace alone: Not grace plus good works or merits. Eph
2:8-10; Titus 3:5
á
Faith alone: Not faith plus baptism or
sacraments. Rom 5:1
á
Scripture alone: Not Scripture plus papal
decrees or church traditions. 2Timothy 3:16,17
á
Glory of God alone: Not the glory of a
particular church or institution. Rom 11: 36
Converts from little or no religious background
Where to start
It is normally unnecessary to start with a defense of the
authority of the Bible. In my experience, very few new converts question its
authority. They know the message of the Bible has changed them and made them
better and more happy, so they normally accept it without question.
A more pressing question in their minds is to define exactly
what has happened to them. They know they have had a religious experience and
feel differently but are unclear as to exactly what has happened and what it
means. A discussion of the authority of Scripture can be done later.
Explain what happened to them: Using Ephesians Chapter Two
Explain what we were, what we are now and what we will
become.
á
What we were: Sinners, under the control
of our own corruption, Satan and mentality of the world.
á
What we are: Rescued by GodÕs grace and
have experienced a spiritual resurrection.
á
We will be: Seated with Christ and joined with him
forever.
Feeding themselves
New converts, like babies, perceive others as a source of
food. A baby can do nothing else but sit there and let food be put into its
mouth. But as they grow, the learn to pick up food for themselves and put it
their mouth.
Likewise, new converts may be spiritually and emotionally
dependent on you as a teacher for a while. That is normal. But like growing
babies, they need to learn quickly how to feed themselves.
Teach them how to read the word of God for themselves and
hear from the Holy Spirit through it. God speaks to us personally by the Holy
Spirit through his word to our inner man. The new convert must learn quickly
how to experience this because that is how they feed themselves spiritually.
Get them into the Gospel of John to get acquainted with the
person of Christ.
Identify their needs
Many people who come to Christ do so because of a serious
problem of one sort or another. This is where your role as a mentor comes in.
You are not just a dispenser of spiritual information and knowledge. A genuine
teacher is also a mentor and counselor.
This is where the personal relationship aspect of teaching
comes in. A biblical teacher is willing to get involved in the lives of his or
her students. This is especially vital with new converts. Everything else in
the growth of a new convert stems from this.
Their relationship to the church
It is premature to deal with questions of church membership
or baptism until the new convert has had his doubts assuaged and shows progress
in applying the word of God and prayer.
After the above has been clarified, then the mentor can help
the convert see that their relationship with the church is one of the means of
grace that God uses to grow them spiritually, not just the word of God and
prayer.
From this lesson we learnÉ
á
Converts from Catholicism need reassurance that
they have not fallen into a false cult. The Five Solas are good for this.
á
Converts generally want to understand what has
happened to them in experiencing salvation. Ephesians Two is a good chapter to
help them with this.
á
All new converts must be taught how to feed
themselves spiritually from the word of God and prayer so they are weaned from
total dependence on others for their spiritual growth.
á
A good teacher is aware of the personal needs of
new converts and adjusts the mentoring process accordingly.
Exam: True and false questions
1. ___F__
In teaching new converts, it is usually necessary in the first lesson to prove
the authority of Scripture.
2. ___T__
A primary concern of many new converts is to understand their conversion
experience.
3. ___T__
New converts need to be taught quickly now to feed themselves spiritually.
4. ___F__
It is a good idea to recommend to new converts that they start reading the
Bible straight through, starting from Genesis.
1.
___F__ The ultimate goal in teaching children in
Sunday School is to make sure they understand the differences between right and
wrong.
2.
___F__ A teacher who is not gifted can be just
as effective as a gifted one if they use good teaching methods.
3.
___T__ Always try to verify that the students
have understood the material.
4. ___T__
Retention levels increase when
students participate interactively in the learning process rather than just
listening to lectures.
5.
___T__ Christians need to be taught discipline
in applying to themselves the ordinary means of grace such as the word of God
and prayer.
6.
___F__ Most people understand the gospel of
grace the first or second time it is explained clearly.
7.
___T__ Christians need to be taught discipline
in applying to themselves the ordinary means of grace such as the word of God
and prayer.
8.
___F__ The apostle Paul recommends studying genealogies
of the Old Testament to give a good background to New Testament discipleship.
9. ___F__
In teaching new converts, it is usually necessary in the first lesson to prove
the authority of Scripture.
10.
___F__ A primary concern of many new converts is
to understand their conversion experience.
11.___F__
New converts need to be taught quickly now to feed themselves spiritually.
12.
___F__ It is a good idea to recommend to new
converts that they start reading the Bible straight through, starting from
Genesis.
13.
___T__ Using a ÒhookÓ in the form of an
interesting story or illustration is a good way to start the lesson.
14.
___F__ When preparing a lesson, think about the
class as a whole and prepare the lesson for the weakest student.
15.___T__ Interactive teaching methods help the
students to learn how to think rather than merely memorize data.
16.
___T__ Retention levels are highest with
traditional lecturing as primary teaching method.
17.
___T__ Group exercises provide the teacher an
opportunity to observe the students.
18.
___T__ In teaching apologetics in a Sunday
School setting, it is a good idea to stick to the apologetics that the Bible
itself uses.