3 Tips to Become Better Bible Teachers

3 Tips to Become Better Bible Teachers

In the following article I would like to share some of the things that I have picked up along the way as I learn to teach the Bible and minister to others both in and out of the pulpit. As I look back to the beginning of my teaching ministry nearly eight years ago, these three things stand out as the most important lessons that I have learned by far - and would be the first things that I would pass on to anyone beginning to teach and preach, or just wanting to improve themselves as Bible teachers. Oh how I wish that I had learned these things from the get go; and yet, oh how blessed I am to have learned them at all (even if imperfectly), and doubly blessed now to be able to pass them on to you!

1. Don't just study for a sermon, study for a lifetime.

"What do you do to study for your sermons?” I asked a missionary friend of mine after sitting in on one of his Bible studies. "I don’t really study for each sermon - instead I just study the Bible all the time, and whatever I need to say just seems to find its way to the top".

In my eight years of learning to teach the Bible, I have come to see the truth in this approach, and the positive impact that it has had on my messages. Just studying for four or five hours (or more) before teaching  certainly benefits the message, but there is no comparing it with a lifetime spent continually studying the word of God. What other way is there to "study to show thyself approved" and "rightly divide the word of truth" (2Tim 2:15) than to continually be a student of it? How can we really "preach the word, being ready in and out of season" (2Tim 4:2) if we have only dedicated a few hours a week to study to teach specific messages? Something else I've learned from experience: the more time that we invest in becoming students of the scripture, the less likely we are to solely depend on our written notes while in the pulpit, which in turn gives the Holy Spirit more freedom to use us - exhorting or encouraging as He sees fit, or even changing the entire message if He wants to.

All in all there are many, many benefits to be had in dedicating our lives to studying the Word of God, all that we have to do is turn the TV off and do it!

2. Know your congregation

I remember sitting through a teaching workshop with a well known missionary pastor, who was sharing about the need to know who we are preaching to. "You have no idea how many times I have had guest speakers come from California to teach my congregation in the Ukraine, and to use illustration after illustration about eating burritos and surfing - not understanding that the people don't get it at all!" This is a great example of why it is important to be sensitive to the culture of the people we are teaching. But it’s not just about knowing which sermon illustrations to use or not; we also need to know about what kind of people we are ministering to. Are they un-churched and new to the faith? Are they young and seeking direction in life? Are they in their silver years, looking for extra encouragement to finish strong? A pastor friend once shared his insight with me "when I prepare to preach, I try to make sure that I am thinking of every group of people in the congregation - the young, the old, singles, families, the saved, the unsaved, and the fence sitters".

Many times, however, we do not have the opportunity to get to know our congregation (especially when teaching as a guest speaker), but even when we do know our congregation, and have taken all the steps to think ahead of time about their of culture, age, lifestyle, etc. , there is still something even more important - and that is their spiritual need. What is someone's spiritual need? It is that often hidden need in their hearts to know or hear something specific from God. Whether their spiritual need is to know God's love for the first time, or to hear from Him about some specific circumstance in their lives, it is very real.

So how can we find out someone's spiritual need? By dedicating time to pray for the congregation (as a whole or individually), meditating on the scriptures, and listening to the Holy Spirit. Pray for the congregation and for their physical needs, spend time interceding for their families, and ask God to show you their spiritual needs and guide your message to minister to His sheep. If your heart is in the right place, then God will use you because this is the kind of humble intercession that the He loves! Although God has used prideful men and women before ( because His word always accomplishes His purposes - see Isaiah 55:11), it is so much better to be working in unity with what God desires as opposed to being used despite ourselves.
 

3.  Practice what you preach

This may seem pretty self evident; an unneeded piece of advice, but it reaches a little deeper than just what we see on the surface. While certainly, as Bible teachers we are expected to live out the gospel (which includes leading personal lives worthy of the kingdom), practicing what we preach really means putting things into practice in our own lives before directing them at others.

Practically speaking this means that first and foremost we are preaching to ourselves (to our own needs and struggles)! Secondly, we are applying the encouragement, exhortation, and admonition that we've found in the scriptures into our lives on a daily basis. And finally, we are then sharing the message of the scripture, paired with our experience living them out with our congregation. In my own life I have found that practicing what I preach in this way makes for a much more engaging message, as it requires not just study time, but personal sacrifice to put your message into practice, and real humility and vulnerability to then share your experience with others. While  putting this method into practice is more demanding than just teaching what the text says, it is more than just a neat teaching tool - but also a safeguard in our own spiritual walks lest we become 'hearers only' as we are warned by James (read 1:22-25)
 

Conclusion

My prayer for you is that God would use you in new and exciting ways as you begin to apply these tips in your life as a Bible teacher.  While this is in no way meant to be an exhaustive explanation of how to teach the Bible, I do believe that the common thread in all three points is at the very center of the Gospel tapestry. This common thread can best be described as the present need to have Jesus Christ, The Word, living in and through us - causing us both to love Him and His word even more, and to lovingly serve His people.

Though I have written this borrowing heavily from my own experience (not to mention the experiences of others!), I in no way claim to have it all figured out -- rather I see myself as a fellow traveler pointing others in the right direction. As my own walk continues with the LORD, I too am reminded and encouraged to love God and His people even more by putting these same three points into practice.

May God bless you and stretch you above and beyond your ability as you seek to develop the gift of teaching, and may you be a blessing to Him and to many, many others!