Powerful Leadership Tools
How to Train Others to Teach
God’s Word is greatest tool for the Gospel and spiritual growth available to us as believers! It is a gift to and for all people. As a leader, it is important to learn how to read the Bible and then be able to teach others as well. Each leader in your ministry should have the ability to read and apply Scripture to their own lives. In addition, every child in your ministry needs to grow up learning how to read and then teach the Bible.
There are three simple points we recommend when studying scripture. These points are easy enough to teach a child and yet challenging enough to help a mature Christian grow in their knowledge of God’s word!
- What is the BACKGROUND? (Who, Where, Why)
Discovering the background of scripture is found in knowing who wrote each book of the Bible, the audience that it was written for, and why it was written. Although God’s word was written for all people for all time, it was first written by and to very specific people in history for a specific reason. Learning the background of the scriptures will help us understand God’s word even more!
Example: When reading a book of the Luke we learn early on that Luke was a gentile (not Jewish) who set out to communicate the events of Christ to a gentile so that he would be confident about what he heard of Christ. Modern Christians with no Jewish background, and people with no religious background at all, will appreciate the detail Luke offers in explaining the Jewish events surrounding the life of Christ.
- What does this say about GOD?
Every passage and every story we read in the Bible reveals something to us about God. Often we read the Bible and are tempted to be just like the characters we read about. But we would be miss the greater story of what God is doing through his creation if we read the Bible this way. Asking “what does this say about God?” is like pulling back a stage curtain to see the director orchestrate a beautiful scene. Seeing God reveal himself through the Bible creates a deeper understanding of the scriptures!
Example: When we read about King David, we shouldn’t look to him as a way of learning how to be successful or avoid failure. But we should see the greater picture of God’s grace to choose a young shepherd boy to be king. And furthermore, despite this king’s great sin, God will show his grace again to establish an everlasting kingdom.
- How does this challenge ME?
Scripture is meant to be absorbed, not just read. We are meant to learn about who God is, and then want to have those characteristics in our own lives through relationship with him. Rob Hoskins, the President of OneHope asks, “Is it enough to simply read God’s Word, or must one actually engage with it to grow in their faith or be transformed by it?” He later concludes, “Scripture engagement is essential for the growth and sanctification of every believer.” After you have asked, What’s the background?” and “what does this say about God?” you can then ask “How does this challenge me?” This is an essential step in Christian growth!
We hope that these points are easy to remember when broken down into short form: Background, God, Me. The Bible is our direct link to learning more about our Father in heaven, and our pathway to spiritual growth. As you go forward into 2019, we hope and pray that you see the Word of God for what it is and all that it can give us as followers of Christ.
WellConnected is an initiative of OneHope, and is a gathering place for children and youth ministers to access resources, research, and content to raise up the next generation. It’s a collaborative platform to equip leaders and influencers to effectively reach the kids in their communities. We invite churches and ministers to join one another in coming up with innovative solutions for today’s realities. We are continually learning and growing from each other — sharing knowledge, insight, and best practices.
