ICEA – “Church at Study”

HERE IS ONE METHOD OF TEACHING
THAT IS TEACHER-CENTERED.
(We will discuss the student-centered
method at a different time)

What Makes A Great Teacher? Well…as teachers, the first step is to take an intense look at the scriptures you will be presenting in your lesson and in some way relate with the author. Here is an example of this.  Let’s say the subject of the lesson this Sunday is “David’s Sin with Bathsheba”.  The scriptures in your book are Psalm 51:1-13.  The verses relate to, and describe David’s repentance after his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and murdering of her husband. We can feel the passion in David as he cried out to God to have mercy on him (vs. 1). David used revealing and open words in prayer to express how he felt about what he had done. He chose words and phrases such as: “create in me a clean heart”, “I acknowledge my sin”, “wash me”, “purge me”, and “cleanse me”. Other phrases are recorded that show how deeply moved He was by his sin. He knew he had sinned against God and needed to be restored (vs. 4). It’s important to note that David had a great love for God’s people and he tells God, if He would forgive him of adultery and murder, he would TEACH! Wow…these are powerful words! We find this declaration in vs. 13. He seems to say that he has learned from his experience and through his teaching, transgressors would learn the ways of God and sinners would be converted. This should be the heart of every teacher — to teach with the goal to change lives!

Let’s Teach Like David!

Now…back to the lesson. The subject this coming Sunday is “David’s Sin with Bathsheba”.  The scriptures in your book are Psalm 51:1-13.  Your job, as teacher, is to study the verses and identify with the author (David).  How can you identify if you’ve never committed adultery and murdered anyone? Well…let’s look at the words in Psalm 51:1.  David writes, “Have mercy on me. . . .” Your sin may not have been on the scale of David’s, but all of us have experienced God’s mercy and forgiveness.  We must try to see the struggle of David calling out to God for mercy. Also see it in light of your own personal experiences.  In this way, you are now identifying with David from your unique perspective, comparing your past experiences in light of the great king.  Have you ever struggled with past sins? Have you experienced God’s powerful release of particular sins you have been guilty of? If you can reflect, you can sense the heart of David. If you can make a connection with him, you now have a similar heart and experience. Now…go teach with all your heart! Teach the lesson…teach “a lesson!” As you stand before your class, David should be the “face” of the lesson.  This means you will expound and impart the experiences of David: his sin and guilt, as well as his repentance and recovery. This is so important it needs to be stated twice: teach David! At this point let’s interject another equally important aspect of the teaching process.  The lesson has to have what we have coined as “thrust”.  Thrust is how the experience of the teacher comes through in the CLASSROOM SETTING.  Remember, you have studied Psalm 51:1-13.  You have identified with the author (David). You have, in some way, shared his sorrow, guilt, and recovery.  You sense his pain and anticipated joy. The only possible way to share with David is you must have had similar experiences. These experiences you will take with you to the CLASSROOM.  Remember, David is the “face” of the lesson (he’s the one you will teach about).  But the “thrust” of the lesson should be your personal experiences. These are the experiences you have meditated on while studying this great lesson. These experiences lie just under the surface of your teaching. Rarely will you discuss your personal experiences; just let your personal experiences drive the lesson as you teach about David!