Motivation to teach the foundational truths of the Christian life is key for every Bible teacher. I share my journey of teaching since I was a kid and how I’ve picked up practices that can really help you. We dive into some serious passages from Hosea and Malachi that highlight the dangers of not grounding people in God’s Word. When folks aren’t taught well, we see confusion and chaos in their lives. But there’s hope! Getting into the Bible deeply can change lives, leading to peace and purpose. Let’s explore how teaching biblical truths can make a real difference!
Takeaways:
Teaching the foundational truths of the Christian life is crucial for spiritual growth and understanding.
Ignoring God's Word can lead to confusion and chaos in the lives of believers.
A deep understanding of the Bible helps Christians face tough questions and share their faith confidently.
When people engage with Scripture, they often experience significant life changes and renewed purpose.
Being grounded in biblical truth allows believers to navigate their spiritual journey with clarity and peace.
Providing clear biblical teaching can prevent believers from stumbling and helps them grow as joyful disciples.
Welcome to the Ministry Miscellany Podcast A collection of tools, strategy and challenges for Bible Teachers for me, Yvon Prehn, someone who's been teaching the Bible ever since As a third grader, I started to teach the kindergarteners at my church about Jesus. I've never quit doing that, and along the way I've picked up some practices, strategies, and resources that might be useful to you.
Our topic for today is Motivation to Teach the Foundational Truths of the Christian Life
Speaker B:
I just finished teaching a series on ancient prophets, modern messages, and two passages stood out to me and convicted me as a Bible teacher. Here's the two passages. The first one's Hosea 4:6 where it says my people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge because you've rejected knowledge.
I also reject you as my priests because you've ignored the law of God. I will also ignore your children.
And the second one is in Malachi 2, 7 and 8 where it says for the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. But you've turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble.
Those are scary passages, but we don't need to go back to the Old Testament prophets to see the evidence of what happens to the people of God when they aren't taught the foundational truths of the Christian faith, when they're not grounded in God's Word and are taught primari to just go to the Bible to feel better and be more positive about life that doesn't last much longer than the last praise song that they sang.
But instead of being living witnesses of peace, joy and service that ought to characterize a disciple of Jesus, we see destructive confusion over political identities, a callous lack of regard for those in need, and personally chaotic lives that are little different from the rest of the world. Hearts are not at rest. Lives are filled with guilt and a lack of peace, significant purpose or fulfillment.
As to sharing their faith, it's not even a consideration when a person isn't quite sure they trust God that they sing to so loudly on Sundays.
Even if they think about a religious conversation, they may be just really frightened because they worry that someone's going to ask them what I call a gotcha question about the Bible or the Trinity or some other teaching that they don't really understand themselves.
So they keep quiet and go to church to feel good for the week and hope their good deeds give them enough heavenly credit for God to answer their prayers when they're feeling Desperate God does not want his people to live like this.
A core reason for this sloppy, shaky version of the Christian life is summed up by Jesus when he said, you were in error because you don't know the Scriptures. God gave us a Bible, and it is truly the instruction manual for life. We shouldn't think about running.
We wouldn't think about running a complex machine without reading the instructions. But we attempt to manage our eternal souls in a precarious earthly life without any instruction, and it doesn't go well. But there's hope.
I've seen again and again and again, and I've been doing ministry and Bible teaching for so many years, how despair turns to purposeful living.
When people get into God's word, when they really get into it, when they're taught deeply and challenged to read and study it, when they learn how we got it, why they can trust it, when they learn what it clearly says about the big questions of life, about the Trinity, about if there is life after death, how we got the Bible, all these sorts of things. They are not, contrary to much popular opinion, difficult topics. I share them in my Bible classes. They're online for you.
When people learn the truths based on these topics, they somehow sort of exhale in their life and faith. They aren't afraid anymore of questions from their friends or the ones that they ask in their dark nights of the soul.
Their behavior changes in the ways the Lord wants it to in their particular lives.
One of the truly interesting aspects of this method of teaching, simply presenting the truths of God's Word in depth and consistently that I've observed over the years, is that again and again I've seen significant life change simply from exposure to the Word of God. Though I do have some suggested application as my lessons. The lessons are not primarily how to's.
There's lots of good stuff out there, you know, apologetics and all that kind of thing. I see.
Simply try to clearly and completely present biblical truth and the Spirit applies it, it seems like in precisely the ways a particular person needs.
If you'd like to check out these materials, please do go to the Bible805 podcast, the YouTube channel and explore more on the www.bible805.com website.
If you want to teach the lessons, I have my free resource materials, everything that I use, my PowerPoints, my all that that you can copy and use completely for free on the Bible805academy.com website.
Please take advantage of these materials that we might all grow together as teachers and so that our people won't stumble, but that they will joyfully and peacefully grow as disciples of Jesus.
Speaker A:
I trust you found the content in this episode of Ministry Miscellany useful.
For links to any resources mentioned and lots of free material to help you know, trust, apply and teach the Bible, go to www.bible805.com Let me close now with a reminder from the book of Daniel 12:3 where it says those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars, forever and ever. That's you, someone who leads many to righteousness.
Speaker B:
And in doing that, may you be.
Speaker A:
Ever growing in your reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit, in the deepening of your friendship with Jesus, and in your trust in the goodness of God the Father, never forgetting in all the hard work you do that you have a glorious heritage where you will shine like the stars forever and ever.
