If I were to ask you what it means to teach the Bible, what would you say? I think many people have different ideas on what this means. Do we teach the Bible to people or do we teach people the Bible? Do we teach topical or exegetical? Do we have three points or just one?
All of the approaches are helpful when we take into account the power and truth of God's Word.
God's Word is alive and is powerful. If we do not believe this, we will replace the truth of the Bible with the next opinion of the day. Have we lost the expectancy of the scripture being alive and piercing to our hearts? Simply building a message on a whim or opinion loses the power of the gospel. A message from God's Word should always start and continue in God's Word. Giving God a courtesy call at the beginning and never referring to it anymore leads people to rely on the teacher's charisma and opinion more than finding the answers in the Bible.
God's Word should be explained and expounded upon. Too much emphasis is placed upon whether a message is topical, verse-by-verse or one main thought. The Bible should be explained in a clear, passionate way. The people listening should be stirred by the background of the Bible. Who was Jesus talking to in the passage? Why is He speaking to them?
God's Word should be applied to our life. Without a clear explanation of the Bible then it cannot be applied correctly to our lives. In order to understand how to obey the Bible, we must first know the correct meaning of the context. Teaching the Bible should lead to life change. Give people clear takeaways as you land the message.
The Bible is relevant to our lives more than we give it credit. It is alive and powerful1! (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
What do you think about the need for teaching the Bible for life change? What would you add to the blog?