1. I believe the potential for Sunday School ministry has never been greater than it is today. The Sunday School organizes the entire church to be on mission with God in our community. Our world is desperate for real, lasting relationships. People are starving for truth! Mission, fellowship and teaching are all part of the Sunday School.
2. I believe in the desire and power of God to use everyday Christians in extraordinary ways. Sunday School allows the opportunity to serve the Lord in very significant ways without a degree or any formal training.
3. I believe in the multiplication effect of Sunday School classes. If each adult class could double and divide into two classes in two years, our Sunday School would be ministering to twice as many people in 2013.
4. I believe the Sunday School impacts every other ministry in the church because leaders are developed in the Sunday School class. Every growing church needs leaders to serve in various ministries in a local church.
5. I believe the future of our church will rise or fall on the effectiveness of our Sunday School. When the Sunday School grows, the worship service grows and the same effect can be seen in each department. When the Sunday School fails to grow, it leads to decline in worship as well as other vital areas of ministry.
6. I believe the gospel is still the only hope for our world. The Sunday School is all about getting the gospel to people who need to hear it and believe it. When a Sunday School class embraces their mission, the kingdom of God becomes more populated.
7. I believe some of tomorrow’s greatest leaders are in our preschool, children, and youth classes right now. Sunday School impacts future generations in a way only surpassed by the family. Lives are shaped for God’s will and work each week by dedicated teachers who minister to future generations today.
8. I believe the Sunday School is the best way to keep people involved in the things of God once they trust Christ as Savior. When people are reached for Christ through door-to-door visitation, only about 2% are involved in church two years later. About 20% of the people reached through big events and crusades are involved in church two years later. When people come to Christ and are connected to a Sunday School class, 80% are still involved two years later.
9. I believe the Sunday School is very fertile ground for growing Christians for Christ. Learning the Word of God can be done in many settings, but the Sunday School provides ways for people to actually get involved in the Great Commission. Jesus taught by allowing His disciples to have hands-on experience reaching and ministering to people. The same approach is the practice of good Sunday School ministry. My first ministry in the church as a new Believer was serving as outreach director for my Sunday School class.
10. I believe the greatest catalyst for the success of a Sunday School class is the teacher of that class. No one has more influence on a class than the teacher. No one will motivate outreach and spiritual growth in a class more than the teacher.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Sunday School Closes the Back Door—Research Proves It!
As America has received immigrants throughout our nation’s history, one great challenge for these new residents is how to assimilate into a new culture. Our missionaries often face the same difficulty as they take the gospel to other countries. There is a new language to learn, new attitudes to adjust to, and even new customs to learn. A similar thing happens as God brings new people into His church. People often have difficulty felling like they fit in.
In the work of the church, one of our greatest challenges is good assimilation—that is, making people feel they are really part of the church family and making them feel they are accepted into the culture of our church. Without a doubt, studies have demonstrated time and again, that Sunday School is still one of the best ways to make people feel they belong and to close the “back door” of the church.
Thom S. Rainer, in his book High Expectations writes the following findings from his research, "The new Christians who immediately became active in the Sunday School were five times more likely to remain in the church five years later (we did not include those who moved to another community or those who died in the "dropout" category)." The studies conducted by LifeWay have concluded that five years after joining a church, those active in Sunday School are still active church members 83% of the time. Those active in Worship only are still active five years later only 16% of the time.
This book also has a section that states, "In the 1980s I had become a 'Sunday School skeptic.' Any lingering doubts I had about Sunday School were erased when my research team… conducted a study of 576 churches in America. One would think that I would have no surprise when the strength of the Sunday School became evident in yet another research project. This time, however, the overwhelmingly positive response regarding the Sunday School surprised me. No assimilation methodology came close to Sunday School in effectiveness."
Dr. Rainer, continues, "The research is clear if not overwhelming. Sunday School is the most effective assimilation methodology in evangelistic churches today. But the mere existence of a Sunday School does not produce assimilation. Sunday School works. But only if we work Sunday School. We have known that Sunday School is a vital component of the past for American churches. Its history is almost as old as our nation itself. But more and more the research indicated that Sunday School is not only our past, it is our future as well. And we who are leaders in the church will ignore this reality to our churches' peril."
It makes no sense to ignore the reality that if people attend worship only that they go out the back door almost as quickly as they come in the front door. The more people who are involved in Sunday School, the stronger our church will be now, and in the future.
In the work of the church, one of our greatest challenges is good assimilation—that is, making people feel they are really part of the church family and making them feel they are accepted into the culture of our church. Without a doubt, studies have demonstrated time and again, that Sunday School is still one of the best ways to make people feel they belong and to close the “back door” of the church.
Thom S. Rainer, in his book High Expectations writes the following findings from his research, "The new Christians who immediately became active in the Sunday School were five times more likely to remain in the church five years later (we did not include those who moved to another community or those who died in the "dropout" category)." The studies conducted by LifeWay have concluded that five years after joining a church, those active in Sunday School are still active church members 83% of the time. Those active in Worship only are still active five years later only 16% of the time.
This book also has a section that states, "In the 1980s I had become a 'Sunday School skeptic.' Any lingering doubts I had about Sunday School were erased when my research team… conducted a study of 576 churches in America. One would think that I would have no surprise when the strength of the Sunday School became evident in yet another research project. This time, however, the overwhelmingly positive response regarding the Sunday School surprised me. No assimilation methodology came close to Sunday School in effectiveness."
Dr. Rainer, continues, "The research is clear if not overwhelming. Sunday School is the most effective assimilation methodology in evangelistic churches today. But the mere existence of a Sunday School does not produce assimilation. Sunday School works. But only if we work Sunday School. We have known that Sunday School is a vital component of the past for American churches. Its history is almost as old as our nation itself. But more and more the research indicated that Sunday School is not only our past, it is our future as well. And we who are leaders in the church will ignore this reality to our churches' peril."
It makes no sense to ignore the reality that if people attend worship only that they go out the back door almost as quickly as they come in the front door. The more people who are involved in Sunday School, the stronger our church will be now, and in the future.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Social Websites—Good or Bad?
Despite what my kids may think, I was not alive when the light bulb was invented, or when Orville and Wilber Wright flew their first plane, or when the first automobile rolled down the street, frightening horses and small children. Although one son did tell me I looked like a T-Rex when I typed on my laptop computer, I think he knows that I’m not living in the “dark ages”—you know, back when people used pen and paper to express their ideas instead of computers and text messages. I was not one who used to say, “If men were meant to fly, God would have given them wings.”
Anytime there is new technology or media coming out, it seems many people ask the question if it is good or bad. When talking movies first came out, many questioned if society was going to regret it. When TV sets were being placed in nearly every home, was that a good thing? How about today’s new social media? We now have Facebook and Twitter that allows us to post our thoughts and activities within seconds, for the world to see. We have the ability to play video games with someone from Scotland and talk by video link using Skype, or a smart phone or iPod Touch. Is that good?
We’ve all heard about evil uses of such devices. The congressman who sent out immoral photos of himself has been in the news lately. We have crime units in our own county that are involved in internet stings to apprehend child molesters. And it is true that gossips and slanderers can now spread their poison at the speed of cyberspace, causing great damage to the people of God and His church. But does that make the technology evil?
The truth is that the radio is neither good nor evil. The blessing, or the curse, is with the one who is broadcasting. The same is true about Facebook. It is a tool. Just like hammers can be used to build something or destroy something, emails and text messages can be used to build up, or tear down. Put the hammer in the hands of a carpenter and you might have a house to live in. Put the hammer in the hands of a three-year old, and you might need to replace the house you live in! The internet is like a power tool! There needs to be a little maturity on the part of the user before we turn him loose with it.
We need to be careful not to say something about a person on Facebook that we would not say to her face to face, or in front of her mother, or with TV cameras pointed at us. Our message may be read by more people than those who watch the evening news! Even an email can be mistakenly shared with others you did not expect to read it.
Jesus taught that we should let our “yes” mean “yes” and our “no” mean “no.” The words of our lives must be true to our hearts’ intent. They are an expression of our heart. That is especially true on the internet. What you type today cannot be taken back once it is posted, and there is a good chance your great-grandchildren might be able to retrieve it one day once it is out there.
Some may suggest that it is better to let the technology pass us by. “Who needs to send a text-message when you can just pick up the same phone and call the person?” they say. The answer lies in the fact that the technology can be used for good. It can be used to help the old, old story be told in a new and relevant way. It can be used to remind your spouse that you are thinking about her and you love her all the more. Recently, I took a close-up picture of my eye and sent it to my daughter’s boyfriend and sent the text, “I have my eye on you.” Isn’t technology great?
Anytime there is new technology or media coming out, it seems many people ask the question if it is good or bad. When talking movies first came out, many questioned if society was going to regret it. When TV sets were being placed in nearly every home, was that a good thing? How about today’s new social media? We now have Facebook and Twitter that allows us to post our thoughts and activities within seconds, for the world to see. We have the ability to play video games with someone from Scotland and talk by video link using Skype, or a smart phone or iPod Touch. Is that good?
We’ve all heard about evil uses of such devices. The congressman who sent out immoral photos of himself has been in the news lately. We have crime units in our own county that are involved in internet stings to apprehend child molesters. And it is true that gossips and slanderers can now spread their poison at the speed of cyberspace, causing great damage to the people of God and His church. But does that make the technology evil?
The truth is that the radio is neither good nor evil. The blessing, or the curse, is with the one who is broadcasting. The same is true about Facebook. It is a tool. Just like hammers can be used to build something or destroy something, emails and text messages can be used to build up, or tear down. Put the hammer in the hands of a carpenter and you might have a house to live in. Put the hammer in the hands of a three-year old, and you might need to replace the house you live in! The internet is like a power tool! There needs to be a little maturity on the part of the user before we turn him loose with it.
We need to be careful not to say something about a person on Facebook that we would not say to her face to face, or in front of her mother, or with TV cameras pointed at us. Our message may be read by more people than those who watch the evening news! Even an email can be mistakenly shared with others you did not expect to read it.
Jesus taught that we should let our “yes” mean “yes” and our “no” mean “no.” The words of our lives must be true to our hearts’ intent. They are an expression of our heart. That is especially true on the internet. What you type today cannot be taken back once it is posted, and there is a good chance your great-grandchildren might be able to retrieve it one day once it is out there.
Some may suggest that it is better to let the technology pass us by. “Who needs to send a text-message when you can just pick up the same phone and call the person?” they say. The answer lies in the fact that the technology can be used for good. It can be used to help the old, old story be told in a new and relevant way. It can be used to remind your spouse that you are thinking about her and you love her all the more. Recently, I took a close-up picture of my eye and sent it to my daughter’s boyfriend and sent the text, “I have my eye on you.” Isn’t technology great?
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Church's First Priority
What is “job one” for the church? We know the church has three basic purposes: 1) Community Worship God, 2) Building up Believers and 3) Sharing Christ with our world. Of these three purposes, which is our first priority as a church?
On a personal level, I am convinced that everything in my life flows out of my worship relationship with God. I will grow on an individual level in direct relationship to my personal worship experience with Jesus Christ. But on a church level, is worship job one? In other words, on a corporate level, as a church body, is worship our first priority?
As I read the Scriptures I believe evangelism is the first priority of a church body. As we analyze our use of money, time and manpower related to our work as a church family, reaching people with the gospel message should come first. The church does many important things, but our number one mission is the same as it was in the days of the Apostles.
History reveals that many churches and denominations have come and gone. Their loss of influence began as they allowed “good things” to replace the first priority of the church. Social and political actions can be a part of the church’s effort to be “salt and light” to the world. Caring for the poor and needy is something in which each Christian should be involved. But we stop being the church God has called us to be when the salvation of souls becomes a secondary issue.
We proclaim a saving gospel, not a social gospel. Ours is a life-changing message of redemption, not a self-improvement message of social reform. All these things have their place, but the number one priority will be the same until Jesus returns. Share Jesus!
On a personal level, I am convinced that everything in my life flows out of my worship relationship with God. I will grow on an individual level in direct relationship to my personal worship experience with Jesus Christ. But on a church level, is worship job one? In other words, on a corporate level, as a church body, is worship our first priority?
As I read the Scriptures I believe evangelism is the first priority of a church body. As we analyze our use of money, time and manpower related to our work as a church family, reaching people with the gospel message should come first. The church does many important things, but our number one mission is the same as it was in the days of the Apostles.
History reveals that many churches and denominations have come and gone. Their loss of influence began as they allowed “good things” to replace the first priority of the church. Social and political actions can be a part of the church’s effort to be “salt and light” to the world. Caring for the poor and needy is something in which each Christian should be involved. But we stop being the church God has called us to be when the salvation of souls becomes a secondary issue.
We proclaim a saving gospel, not a social gospel. Ours is a life-changing message of redemption, not a self-improvement message of social reform. All these things have their place, but the number one priority will be the same until Jesus returns. Share Jesus!
Monday, June 6, 2011
What Does it Mean to be a Disciple of Christ?
Being a Disciple of Jesus Christ is the ultimate goal of the Christian life. The word “disciple” carries the idea of being an apprentice or a pupil of a master teacher. The word also conveys the idea that certain disciplines are necessary to carry out the responsibilities of a disciple. A modern tragedy is that many come to Christ for salvation but never experience what it means to be His disciple. Today I want us to focus on what it really means to follow Jesus as His disciple.
Being a disciple has three basic components according to Luke 9:23. The first is to deny yourself. That means we must renounce a self-centered life to follow Christ as His disciple. The second component is to take up your cross. That is, die to self and live for Christ. Third, Jesus says, “Follow Me.” That means to minister in His name. These components really get to the motivation of the disciple.
We abide in Christ by spending time with Him—John 15:5. Every serious disciple must learn to develop a daily personal “quiet time” with God. The concept is simple. If I am to learn from Christ, I must spend time with Him. To meet with the Lord, find a quiet place and a quiet time that works for you and then aim for consistency. Don’t worry about the number of minutes you spend in prayer and reading the Word. Focus instead on having at least a brief time every day.
Living in the Word is a basic discipline of a disciple according to John 8:31-32. We need to hear the Word preached and taught. We need to read the Word regularly and study it using a pen and paper to write down what God is saying to us. When we include memorization and meditation, we are on our way to growing deeper in the Word of God. There is no shortcut to knowing your Bible.
According to John 15:7, praying in faith is another basic discipline of a disciple. For years I have used a simple four-part approach in my personal prayer time. It spells the word P-R-A-Y. I begin with praise. Praise focuses on the character of God and includes times of thanksgiving. Repentance requires serious self-examination and confession of specific sins to maintain a clear conscience with God. Asking is the next part of my prayer time. I ask for blessings and help for myself as well as others. Yielding is the fourth part of my prayer time as I seek to recommit myself to the Lord all over again.
Fellowshipping with Believers is a vital part to being a disciple—John 13:34-35. The church is not a building or organization though it uses both. The church is a living “body” carrying out Christ’s ministry on earth today. I don’t think anyone can be a serious follower of Christ without involvement in the local church unless, perhaps, they are providentially hindered.
The next discipline of a disciple is witnessing to the world. John 15:8 gives little room for our many attempts at excusing ourselves from sharing Christ with the lost. Through the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) we witness through our lifestyles, but the reality is that no one is saved without a verbal witness (1 Peter 3:15). As His disciple we must be ready to share when He opens a door.
Finally, a disciple is one who ministers to others—John 15:13. We each have received a spiritual gift (1 Peter 4:10) with which to serve. There is always a way to serve others, no matter our age or abilities. By such love toward each other, the world knows we are His followers.
Being a disciple has three basic components according to Luke 9:23. The first is to deny yourself. That means we must renounce a self-centered life to follow Christ as His disciple. The second component is to take up your cross. That is, die to self and live for Christ. Third, Jesus says, “Follow Me.” That means to minister in His name. These components really get to the motivation of the disciple.
We abide in Christ by spending time with Him—John 15:5. Every serious disciple must learn to develop a daily personal “quiet time” with God. The concept is simple. If I am to learn from Christ, I must spend time with Him. To meet with the Lord, find a quiet place and a quiet time that works for you and then aim for consistency. Don’t worry about the number of minutes you spend in prayer and reading the Word. Focus instead on having at least a brief time every day.
Living in the Word is a basic discipline of a disciple according to John 8:31-32. We need to hear the Word preached and taught. We need to read the Word regularly and study it using a pen and paper to write down what God is saying to us. When we include memorization and meditation, we are on our way to growing deeper in the Word of God. There is no shortcut to knowing your Bible.
According to John 15:7, praying in faith is another basic discipline of a disciple. For years I have used a simple four-part approach in my personal prayer time. It spells the word P-R-A-Y. I begin with praise. Praise focuses on the character of God and includes times of thanksgiving. Repentance requires serious self-examination and confession of specific sins to maintain a clear conscience with God. Asking is the next part of my prayer time. I ask for blessings and help for myself as well as others. Yielding is the fourth part of my prayer time as I seek to recommit myself to the Lord all over again.
Fellowshipping with Believers is a vital part to being a disciple—John 13:34-35. The church is not a building or organization though it uses both. The church is a living “body” carrying out Christ’s ministry on earth today. I don’t think anyone can be a serious follower of Christ without involvement in the local church unless, perhaps, they are providentially hindered.
The next discipline of a disciple is witnessing to the world. John 15:8 gives little room for our many attempts at excusing ourselves from sharing Christ with the lost. Through the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) we witness through our lifestyles, but the reality is that no one is saved without a verbal witness (1 Peter 3:15). As His disciple we must be ready to share when He opens a door.
Finally, a disciple is one who ministers to others—John 15:13. We each have received a spiritual gift (1 Peter 4:10) with which to serve. There is always a way to serve others, no matter our age or abilities. By such love toward each other, the world knows we are His followers.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Our Foundation Matters
Back in my college days I was called upon to preach at a little country church in West Texas. I had heard there had been some problems in the church, but as far as I was concerned, it was just an opportunity to preach the Word. There was obvious tension in the air the first Sunday I arrived. Sunday School consisted of a few folks gathered in a corner filling me in on some of the most recent events in the life of the church.
The pastor had resigned several months prior and in the leadership vacuum, a new member stepped forward to volunteer to preach. This new member began to incorporate some “new” elements in the worship service. Members were encouraged to pray at the same time while some began to “speak in tongues.” Worship began to focus more on emotional experiences than it did on exalting the Lord. After several weeks, this self-appointed “pastor” began to be “slain in the Spirit” and started having “out of body experiences” that included visits to heaven where God gave him special visions and instructions for the church. Many members had begun to leave as the facilities began to be taken over by this new group of charismatic worshipers. As a rookie preacher, barely in my senior year, I had my hands full.
That experience, and others, has forced me to take a good long look at what the church should build its beliefs upon. There are at least four things Churches have used as a foundation for what they believe. They are the Bible, someone’s experience or new revelation, church tradition, or what is culturally popular at the time. Some use some combination of the four.
Churches that build their beliefs upon tradition can be involved in unbiblical practices and beliefs simply because they have always done it that way and no one ever questions whether or not there is a biblical basis for the practice. Churches that build their beliefs on pop culture are also very confused. They have the good feeling of being contemporary, but their beliefs are constantly changing. They are building on shifting sand at best.
Perhaps even more dangerous is the church that basis its beliefs and practices on someone’s experience. As with the church I was involved with in college, there is no limit to the bizarre behavior or statements that can be made when one “anointed” preacher is getting his directions through a visionary experience. After teaching what the Bible says about the gift of tongues, one man came up to me and told me he used to believe what the Bible taught, but then he met this wonderful group of people who helped him experience this “fresh new movement of God.” It didn’t matter what the Bible said, he had an experience! He loved the “feelings” he experienced when he was involved with these people and that’s all that mattered to him.
Our goal should always be to base our faith and practice on the teachings of the Bible. We build our beliefs on facts not feelings. There may be a day in heaven when God shows us we said or did something incorrectly, but He should never question our desire to make the Word of God the foundation for our belief system. Just because someone slaps some biblical terminology on what they are doing, does not mean they are following the Bible in their practices.
This is one reason we emphasize the teaching of the Bible in the classroom. Opinions, experiences and even traditions come and go, but God’s Word endures forever. When the foundation is right, the house will withstand the storms of life. When it is wrong, the building will eventually collapse. We stand upon the Word not the latest fads of religion.
The pastor had resigned several months prior and in the leadership vacuum, a new member stepped forward to volunteer to preach. This new member began to incorporate some “new” elements in the worship service. Members were encouraged to pray at the same time while some began to “speak in tongues.” Worship began to focus more on emotional experiences than it did on exalting the Lord. After several weeks, this self-appointed “pastor” began to be “slain in the Spirit” and started having “out of body experiences” that included visits to heaven where God gave him special visions and instructions for the church. Many members had begun to leave as the facilities began to be taken over by this new group of charismatic worshipers. As a rookie preacher, barely in my senior year, I had my hands full.
That experience, and others, has forced me to take a good long look at what the church should build its beliefs upon. There are at least four things Churches have used as a foundation for what they believe. They are the Bible, someone’s experience or new revelation, church tradition, or what is culturally popular at the time. Some use some combination of the four.
Churches that build their beliefs upon tradition can be involved in unbiblical practices and beliefs simply because they have always done it that way and no one ever questions whether or not there is a biblical basis for the practice. Churches that build their beliefs on pop culture are also very confused. They have the good feeling of being contemporary, but their beliefs are constantly changing. They are building on shifting sand at best.
Perhaps even more dangerous is the church that basis its beliefs and practices on someone’s experience. As with the church I was involved with in college, there is no limit to the bizarre behavior or statements that can be made when one “anointed” preacher is getting his directions through a visionary experience. After teaching what the Bible says about the gift of tongues, one man came up to me and told me he used to believe what the Bible taught, but then he met this wonderful group of people who helped him experience this “fresh new movement of God.” It didn’t matter what the Bible said, he had an experience! He loved the “feelings” he experienced when he was involved with these people and that’s all that mattered to him.
Our goal should always be to base our faith and practice on the teachings of the Bible. We build our beliefs on facts not feelings. There may be a day in heaven when God shows us we said or did something incorrectly, but He should never question our desire to make the Word of God the foundation for our belief system. Just because someone slaps some biblical terminology on what they are doing, does not mean they are following the Bible in their practices.
This is one reason we emphasize the teaching of the Bible in the classroom. Opinions, experiences and even traditions come and go, but God’s Word endures forever. When the foundation is right, the house will withstand the storms of life. When it is wrong, the building will eventually collapse. We stand upon the Word not the latest fads of religion.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Ten Commandments of Teaching
As a teacher, you have one of the most powerful positions of influence in the church. Teaching changes lives! When we put the power of teaching alongside the Word of God, we have a real opportunity to see God transform lives. As we prepare and teach our lessons, we might consider these “ten commandments” as we persuade people to follow Christ. These commandments aren’t inspired, but they do have a biblical basis. I hope they encourage you in your teaching.
1. Thou shalt maintain a strong relationship with the Lord thy God. Our lessons should be an expression of the truth God is working in and through our lives. If we are teaching something that we are not living, it is a form of play acting or hypocrisy.
2. Thou shalt not put words in God’s mouth. We are Bible teachers before we are any other kind of teacher. We all have opinions on politics, other denominations and who is the greediest in the business world. Yet our concern in the classroom is what God says.
3. Thou shalt not teach the Word of God in a boring, non-compelling manor. If people are falling asleep during your teaching, it's not God's fault. The Bible is not boring! Seek to be creative in your methods and in your approach while conveying God’s truth.
4. Thou shalt always point people to Christ in thy lesson. Our lessons should always include some things that distinguish it as a Christian lesson. It should exalt and lift up Jesus. It isn’t enough to simply teach virtue—some false religions do that—we must teach Christ!
5. Thou shalt not open thy quarterly or commentary until thou hast read and studied the passage for thyself. Our lessons are not prepared just from the neck up. These truths must first go through our hearts and lives if we expect them to reach other hearts and minds. We need resources such as quarterlies to help us stay on the right track and gain insight, but ultimately the Holy Spirit is the one who enlightens us.
6. Thou shalt love the people thou art teaching. If loving your students is difficult, ask God to give you love for them. Love them by praying for them regularly, through practical expressions (meeting their needs) and communicate it to them often. They don’t know you love them if you do not somehow communicate it.
7. Thou shalt honor thy co-laborers in the work of thy God. The classroom is a place of ministry, sharing Christ and teaching the Bible. It is never a place for gossip, backstabbing or rehashing an arguing point you made in the last business meeting. Teach the Bible!
8. Thou shalt not teach an unprepared lesson. We all have those weeks that challenge our ability to have proper preparation time, but if it becomes a habit for you to read the teaching quarterly to your class without first studying the text of the lesson, you may need to consider making some adjustments to your schedule.
9. Thou shalt not teach thy lesson without saturating it with prayer. This one is pretty self-explanatory.
10. Thy lesson shalt be doctrinally accurate. Even subtle changes in major church doctrines are very dangerous. History teaches us many sad lessons about those who thought they had a “new revelation.”
1. Thou shalt maintain a strong relationship with the Lord thy God. Our lessons should be an expression of the truth God is working in and through our lives. If we are teaching something that we are not living, it is a form of play acting or hypocrisy.
2. Thou shalt not put words in God’s mouth. We are Bible teachers before we are any other kind of teacher. We all have opinions on politics, other denominations and who is the greediest in the business world. Yet our concern in the classroom is what God says.
3. Thou shalt not teach the Word of God in a boring, non-compelling manor. If people are falling asleep during your teaching, it's not God's fault. The Bible is not boring! Seek to be creative in your methods and in your approach while conveying God’s truth.
4. Thou shalt always point people to Christ in thy lesson. Our lessons should always include some things that distinguish it as a Christian lesson. It should exalt and lift up Jesus. It isn’t enough to simply teach virtue—some false religions do that—we must teach Christ!
5. Thou shalt not open thy quarterly or commentary until thou hast read and studied the passage for thyself. Our lessons are not prepared just from the neck up. These truths must first go through our hearts and lives if we expect them to reach other hearts and minds. We need resources such as quarterlies to help us stay on the right track and gain insight, but ultimately the Holy Spirit is the one who enlightens us.
6. Thou shalt love the people thou art teaching. If loving your students is difficult, ask God to give you love for them. Love them by praying for them regularly, through practical expressions (meeting their needs) and communicate it to them often. They don’t know you love them if you do not somehow communicate it.
7. Thou shalt honor thy co-laborers in the work of thy God. The classroom is a place of ministry, sharing Christ and teaching the Bible. It is never a place for gossip, backstabbing or rehashing an arguing point you made in the last business meeting. Teach the Bible!
8. Thou shalt not teach an unprepared lesson. We all have those weeks that challenge our ability to have proper preparation time, but if it becomes a habit for you to read the teaching quarterly to your class without first studying the text of the lesson, you may need to consider making some adjustments to your schedule.
9. Thou shalt not teach thy lesson without saturating it with prayer. This one is pretty self-explanatory.
10. Thy lesson shalt be doctrinally accurate. Even subtle changes in major church doctrines are very dangerous. History teaches us many sad lessons about those who thought they had a “new revelation.”
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