Bible Study Curriculum- Putting the Work in

As a teacher of bible study curriculum you need to make sure that you are putting the necessary work in for your teaching to be powerful and effective.  You want to make sure that you are putting the work in it takes for your group to grow and for the members in your group to experience life change.  You also want to put the work in to ensure that the members of your group are taking that life change and sharing it with the world around them so that others can experience life change too.  Even if this is a volunteer position for you it does not mean you can play this role half way.  That is not Christlike.  You need to go all out and above and beyond the call of duty in order to fill this role in a manner that honors God.  This means studying as much as needed. This means taking time for prayer.  This means getting out and serving with your group and building relationships with them.  This means doing whatever it takes to see God's work done. Do not be a teacher who just shows up and teaches.  Be one who plays whatever role is needed for the members of your group to experience life change and become life changers. 

Bible Study Curriculum- Band For Your Buck

Most bible study curriculum lessons usually have a single focus that each lesson is geared to sommunicate. This is good because there is only so much that we can communicate in the time that we have and there is only so much that the members of our small group can learn in a given week.  But sometimes there are little lessons and extra truths that can and need to be shared in a lesson. Sometimes these will become obvious as you study the lessons.  Sometimes they will come up naturally through conversations in the lesson.  Either way I encourage you to take the opportunity to teach those little extra lessons and truths so that you and the members of your small group get more bang for your buck out of the the lesson.  Plus you will have the opportunity to meet the needs of more people that come and visit your small group. 

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.