Bible Study Curriculum- Sunday or Monday Focused?

Most of us teach our bible study curriculum on Sunday mornings. There is nothing wrong with that.  My question though is where does that teaching bring the focus of the members of your group to.  It is it to Sunday or Monday? Many churches and small groups teach and minister in such a way to make sure that people think their lives are all about being at church and attending and nothing else.  So everything they do and say is about coming to church and bringing others to church.  There are good important things in that but our lives happen everyday of the week.  Therefore truly effective teaching should help people focus on how they can live on Monday morning and beyond.  We have to step out and realize that life is not just about coming to church but instead about being the church in our community each and everyday.  We need to begin to live this out and then make sure that our teaching follows along accordingly.  Then we will be able to see great transformation in our lives, the lives of those we teach, and in our community.

Bible Study Curriculum- Fighting the lull

As teachers of bible study curriculum we have ups and downs just like everyone else. Those downs can especially come this time of year.  I am a firm beliver that seasonal effective disorder is a real thing.  Ths is the phenomenon where peoples are moods are effected based on the seasons. This is most often talked about in the winter time when people deal with depression like symptoms because of the cold and lack of sunlight.   I believe that this also happens in the summer although quite differently.  In the summer there is the tendency to want to relax and slow down. There is no room for this in the Christian life though. We must fight through this tendency. Instead we mus pray harder and look for more ways to serve. We must look for accountabillity that will push us to do what we are called to do.  I have set this many times recently but it is because I believe it is important. Summer is an opportunity for great things to happen because every day we are given is a gift from God. Let's make sure we don't way these days. Do what you must do to fight the lull and live out what you have been called to. 

Bible Study Curriculum- Thinking Ahead

When you are teaching bible study curriculum you need to think ahead. Yes we need to live in the moment and enjoy life but we always need to be trying to be visionary and thinking about where God might be leading us and the members of your group.  If you merely think about the present you may miss out on the needs of your group.  Then when you finally become aware of them it may be too late.  There is a delicate balance of course.  Again, if you are always thinking ahead as a leader people will eventually get annoyed and exhausted and you might seem distant and disconnected.  If you think too much in the present though your ministry might seem irrelevant.  So keep a balance but be a visionary leader and think ahead. This way you can truly lead your small group where God wants you to be.  

Bible Study Curriculum- Bridging the Generation Gap

Usually our classes that study bible study curriculum are divided into age groups.  This makes sense as we usually share common interests and have common needs with people our age.  But we also miss out on a lot of things when we follow this pattern of age segragation.  We miss out on the wisdom of those who have lived years of life, served faithfully, and gone through the same things we have.  We miss out on the youthful exhuberance and free willing passion.  We miss out on the balance that comes from those who are in the middle of their life and are trying to juggle all their responsibilities. And all these things bring a unique perspective to how we see the bible.  Granted some things are not up to interpretation, but depending on our life stage parts of scripture speak to us in different ways and we are able to speak truth out of that.  So I encourage you to work to bridge the generation gap.  Have times where you all study scripture together, regardless of age, and share the wisdom and insight that you have.  You will be amazed at how it strengthens your church community and your study of the scriptures. 

Bible Study Curriculum- Reading A Commentary

As a teacher of bible study curriculum have you ever read a commentary?  I do not mean read excerpts of a commentary.  Most of us have done that. I mean reading one from cover to cover.  I have just recently done this for the first time and it was a wonderful experience.  It really gave me some great insight into God's word and was a wonderful time of growth.  Now, granted there are some commentaries where this would truly be a beating.  But there are others that make it a little easier.  There are commentaries by many writers such as John Phillps and Warren Wiersbe that write commentaries that are very reader friendly while still giving you all the biblical background that you desire.  They also usually include the full text of each verse instead of just the reference which is an added bonus.  I encourage you to choose a book of the bible and read through one of these.  I think you will find it to be a wonderful experience and another step towards you becoming a better student of the word of God.  

Bible Study Curriculum- Fight The Urge

In teaching bible study curriculum and in life in general the tendency is to slow down and relax this time of year.  You must fight that urge though.  You need to push yourself to work just as hard, study just as deeply, and pray just as hard as you do the rest of the year.  You need to look for ways to minister, new and better ways, to reach out to the community around you.  This will take some discipline as our cultural norms have trained us to act this way.  But we can overcome this.  And by overcoming this you can help others lives be changed to.  We can help them see that their lives need to be different too and that there are new and unique ministry opportunities this time of year.  Let this be a time of renewal and revival in your church instead of a time of vacation and slowing down.  Push through the urges that are in your nature and allow God to work through you to live as He has called us to.  

Bible Study Curriculum- Finding the Right Commentaries

As a teacher of bible study curriculum you really need some commentaries in your personal library.  These will expand and deepen your study of God's word.  But finding the right ones can feel like an intricate and difficult process.  There are a couple of things you can do though.  One of these is to start with a commentary that has the entire old and new testament in one or two volumes.  This will give you a great starting point and will be more affordable.  Then as you are ready to expand your library you can purchase other books of the bible as needed.  The other thing you want to consider then is the quality of the commentary.  Yes there are bad commentaries out there with flawed theology.  You can avoid falling into the trap of buying one of these though by doing a little homework.  Do some background research on the author, read reviews, and ask people you trust what their opinions are.  These steps will get you on the right track to buying the right commentaries and building your personal library.