Drew Boswell

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1 Thessalonians Sermon Series Standing Firm: Foundational Doctrine For New Believers “Standing Firm In Service to Christ” 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

1 Thessalonians Sermon Series

Standing Firm: Foundational Doctrine For New Believers

Standing Firm In Service to Christ

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Introduction

Paul, Silas, and Timothy, having left because of persecution, have written a letter to the new church in Thessalonica where they are essentially answering the criticism of “Paul and his associates are deluded individuals who for selfish reasons and with trickery are trying to exploit the people.”[1]

I.  How Far Are You Willing to Go to Share the Gospel? (vv. 1-2)

For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.

(v. 1) “our coming to you was not in vain” – the word vain can mean something without content, or does not have a result. Paul is expanding what he said in 1:5, “You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” Another way of interpreting vain is “empty-handed.”

Later in the text he defends his ministry with them and says that he was not trying to take something from them (leaving them empty-handed) instead he was bringing them something. As in the parable of the bad tenants in Mark 12:3 “And they took him [the servant of the owner sent to get the fruit] and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.”[2]

No builder (as Paul was) likes to have his work torn down, or to spend his time in vain. By the way, it is very hard to build; it is very easy to tear down what someone else has built. It was not a waste of time for the missionaries to share the gospel in Thessalonica. It is not a waste of time to share the gospel, especially amongst conflict.

 (v. 2) Paul had moved from Philipi (Acts 16:12-40) to Thessalonica, and it was there they faced a very similar situation, “we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi.”

“we had boldness in our God” – Paul, Silas, and Timothy are going (all by themselves) into a major trade city, standing up in the Jewish temple and preaching about Jesus. That is bold. Then as a result of that boldness of preaching and sharing who Jesus is, there erupted “much conflict.” Then, they preached all the more.

Our boldness is not in our ability, or our group size, or how much money is in the bank. Our boldness is not rooted in anything that we can do or have control over – our boldness is in our God.

Matthew 14:28-31 “And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind,5 he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

We don’t have to come up with what to say, it’s God’s gospel, not ours – “to declare to you the gospel of God.”

“to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict” Conflict has its roots in agoni (agony) and was an athletic term of striving in games. It could refer to both mental and physical agony.[3] Paul was in agony, striving in battle, to declare the gospel. We don’t quit when things get hard, reaching a lost world with the gospel will always be hard.

II.  What is Your Motive in Sharing the Gospel? (vv. 3-8)

3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

(v. 4) “we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” – We who have been saved, and especially we who have been given this great gift of freedom, must remember the supreme trust that God has given us – the trust of His Word, the gospel. Paul says, in light of this awesome trust and responsibility, “so we speak.”

Jeremiah 1:10 “See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

We must be on guard that we never lose the wonder and weight of the gospel. We must not allow our hearts to get used to the gospel – when the net is being drawn at the end of the service is not the time to gather your coat.

Paul is defending their ministry of sharing the gospel against several false accusations (he was deluded, they were just in for the money, they were just like other charlatans going around from city-to-city selling their religion). For us, Paul gives us a list of characteristics that we should not follow our attempts to exercise the trust of sharing the gospel with the world:

  • from error or impurity

(v. 3) Paul reminds the Thessalonians that his “appeal” to them did not involve delusion (i.e. and error on Paul’s part), “impure motives” or trickery (a word that deals with how he preached) – a trio of words that reflect traditional charges against traveling charlatans of various sorts.”[4]

  • or any attempt to deceive – no deceptive practices were used to catch them, like a fish on a hook. They did not seek to trick them into believing in Christ.
  • not to please man, but to please God
  • words of flattery
  • nor with a pretext for greed – “a cloak of covetousness” a disguise to cover up greedy desires.
  • seek glory from people

In contrast to these things, Paul says we should imitate him, “gentle among you, like a nursing mother” This is Paul who was once Saul of Tarsus. In his early years was brutal, and held the coat of those stoning Christians. He hunted them down like animals and put them in prison. But Christ changed this brutal man’s heart, and now he sees these new Christians as precious children. Paul is a new creature in Christ, he was experienced the effects of the gospel and wants others to experience it as well. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

The second characteristic that Paul shows to be very important in their evangelism strategy is “we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves” – “With the delivery of his message he delivers his heart, for they are truly dear to him.” We must give ourselves and our words to the message of the gospel. We must be two handed in our giving; with one hand we give the gospel, and with the other we give ourselves. “They held back nothing in their ministry.”[5]

This giving of ourselves is another expense – this hear-and-soul involvement with people is costly.[6] (v. 8) “being affectionately desirous of you, . . . because you had become very dear to us.” Lost people’s lives are messy, and if we are to live out the gospel in front of them, then they become apart of our lives. Many people want to drop a tract in a public restroom, or on the table after you eat out and call that evangelism. That’s not what I see in the New Testament – true evangelism costs you something.

III.  Are You Willing to Work Twice-As-Hard So Someone Else Can Hear the Gospel? (vv. 9-12)

9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

In order to not be a burden to this new church, the missionaries burdened themselves, “we worked night and day.” They may have started in the early hours, or worked late into the night, probably at tentmaking (Acts 18:3), in order to be financially independent. They would preach and teach during the day, and at other times labor at making tents (early mornings, or late at night).

Paul, Timothy, and Silas bore the weight of taking care of their expenses while doing the work of evangelism because of its’ importance (and so that no one could accuse them of wanting to profit from their message).

In verse 7 Paul describes their leadership as being “gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children” and here in verse 11 “like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you” Paul is using it as a reference to how more mature believers are to treat those they are discipling.

 But it also is a window into the relationship between parents and children and why two parent homes, led by a father and mother, is so important. Women tend toward nursing and care, fathers tend toward exhortation, encouragement, and charging.

Paul says that he gives not only the gospel, he also gives his life. He is compassionate and loving, while at the same time challenging, encouraging, and exhorts them in how they live their lives – all being done with boldness and in spite of much conflict. This is the example that we are to follow in our sharing of the gospel with the world. They are watching to see if being a Christian is what you say it is.

Now Paul continues to show how they were seeking to make disciples for Christ. Once a person received Christ, Paul, Silas, and Timothy, “like a father with his children” he did three things:

    • “we exhorted each one of you” –
    • “encouraged you”
    • “and charged you”
    • To “walk in a manner worthy of God” –

Paul is thankful for the church following their (Paul, Silas, and Timothy) example, but it is important to see what he is pointing them to follow. The worthy walk has nothing to do with what you eat, or what you wear, so . . .

 How does Paul, Silas, and Timothy model a walk that is “worthy of God?” (4 ways)

Paul, Silas, and Timothy model a clear set of priorities. Life requires decisions and choices. These decisions are based on our goals and the priorities we have in our lives. If we are to walk in a manner worthy of God, then God, the gospel, and the things He prioritizes are clearly our priority and goals.

They model a concern for the integrity of the gospel. Paul and the missionaries worked hard against any accusations against what they did not want to be accused of being in it for the money or being greedy, or any other false accusations. While it shouldn’t be true, it is very difficult to separate the message from the messenger.

They model a clear sense of love and commitment to those to whom they ministered. “Among the more subtle hazards faced by those engaged in ministry is the temptation (often unconscious) to meet personal needs by ministering to others, or to do things for people in order to win their approval or to get them to like us. We are glad to serve or minister to others as long as we somehow benefit from it, or as long as it doesn’t cost us too much of our precious time, energy, and/or money.”[7]

They modeled a down-to-earth work ethic.[8] The goal of Paul, Silas, and Timothy was not boost their own reputations, by winning praise, and they didn’t lord their authority over people. Rather, their ministry goal was the well-being of others. They believed that when people receive the gospel their lives will be better – here and now, and for all of eternity, so they were willing to do whatever it took for that to happen.

 IV.  Are You Willing to Learn Something New? (vv. 13-16)

13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!

(v. 13) “the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” – Work has its root in the word energy, like a battery – when Paul, Silas, and Timothy leave, the word of God is still working (keeps on working) in the believer’s lives.

(v. 14) “For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews” – The Pharisees “They kept before the nation the glowing story of past greatness, and summoned it to be faithful to the noble traditions of the fathers. They were faithful in church attendance; engaged in severe and frequent fasts; were generous, for they were meticulous tithers; had fiery patriotic fervor; and were the most popular and influential of the Jewish parties.

 But they were guilty of one thing which carried with its train a succession of ugly vices – their minds were closed because patterns and preconceptions. They knew everything. They were never wrong, but everyone else was. They were the possessors, guardians, and interpreters of God’s law.”[9]

The Pharisees are not an ancient religious group long-gone, they are still among us. Every congregation has them, and we must be on guard that we do not become one.

_________________________

[1] William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary, Thessalonians, Timothy and Titus (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Publishing, 1987) 59.

[2] Hendriksen, 60.

[3] Clifton J. Allen, General Editor, The Broadman Bible Commentary, 2 Corinthians-Philemon (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1971) 270.

[4] Michael Holmes, The NIV Application Commentary, 1&2 Thessalonians (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan, 1988. 61.

[5] Allen, 271.

[6] Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Commentary, Volume 9 (Kansas City, Missouri; Beacon Hill Press, 1965) 454.

[7] Holmes, 73.

[8] Ibid, 74.

[9] George Arthur Buttrick, General Editor, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 11 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1955) 278.

The Three Components of Learning (Part Two: Instruction)

The Three Components of Learning

Part Two

Instruction

The instruction time should begin with a common language. A sign of a lack of preparation is to use language that the instructor knows the students do not understand. The ineffective teacher in this case is more concerned about covering their lack of preparation with verbal smoke than student’s understanding of the life changing scriptural truths. The teacher has to be able to communicate the information so that the students understand what is being communicated. The way in which different people learn even influences the way one should communicate. This requires flexibility and a willingness to change for the sake of the student. Hendricks refers to this as the “the law of education” and what Gregory refers to as the “law of the teaching process.”[1] Hendricks points out that all communication “has three essential components: intellect, emotion, and volitionin other words, thought, feeling, and action.”[2] Yount calls these “issues of the head, heart, and hand.”[3] Every student falls into one of these three categories. Yount explains, “Thinkers are looking for meat to chew, new ideas, and new ways of looking at the world. Feelers are looking for gifts to receive and share, relationships with new friends, and personal relevance. Doers are looking for a project to finish, ‘let’s get the job done, done right, and in the quickest way possible.’”[4] Therefore every concept that is taught should touch on all three learning concepts. Lawrence Richards proposed a method of lesson preparation that includes these concepts. His method is hook, book, look, and took. Richard explains,

The hook is an approach to a teaching lesson that draws in and interests the participant. The book is the presentation of a biblical story, theme, or concept.  The look is the exploration of the material’s implications and applications for the lives of the participants. The took is the suggestion of and commitment to actual responses on the part of participants in the light of what has been learned or discovered.[5]

Shelly Cunningham adds to Richard’s lesson preparation outline by adding cook. Pazmino notes, “Cunningham sees cook as the final step of learning that fosters the follow-up or transfer of learning after one teaching session and prior to its successive session.”[6] This is an assignment or some other activity that encourages the student to think about the lesson until the next teaching time.

The psychologist Abraham Maslow has identified four levels of learning. The first is unconscious incompetence; this is where a person is ignorant and does not even know that they are ignorant. The second level is conscious incompetence; this is where a person now knows they are ignorant of a subject. The third level is conscious competence; this is where a person has learned something, but they are consciously aware they are doing what they have learned. The fourth level is unconscious competence; this is where a person becomes so competent of the learned behavior that they do it without being conscious they are doing it.[7] The teacher’s objective then is to move the student from not knowing a concept to knowing it so thoroughly that they do it without even thinking about it. This means that if a teacher knows his subject thoroughly, feels it deeply, and is practicing it, he more than likely will be a better communicator than a person who does not possess these three characteristics. With Christian education, the teacher has to encounter the biblical text, feel the Holy Spirit moving and impacting them, and then they apply certain principles to their own lives before they can ever effectively communicate it to a student. Teachers can only take their students as far as they themselves have been in the spiritual journey. If the teacher is trying to fool her students, the roués will eventually be found out and she will loose creditability. The phrase “do as I say, not as I do,” does not lead to life transformational teaching, only to disheartened and pharisaical students. Gregory says, “A teacher must be one who knows the lesson or truth or art to be taught.”[8] In a secular teaching environment it is enough for the student to know 2+2=4, and in this case they have mastered the information. However, for the Christian teacher mastery of the material is not enough; teachers are only effective when the student has made Scripture a part of their lives; when the student’s life has been transformed.

Gangel asks the question, “How can a housewife, truck driver, computer programmer, beautician, or physician become a master teacher, perhaps for only one hour a week? That’s a Herculean task. But we can all profit from the example of the greatest teacher, whom Nicodemus respectively called ‘A Teacher . . . come from God’ (John 3:2).”[9] Jesus as the master teacher gives those who teach several techniques to use in their own teaching times. How was it possible for Jesus to be such an effective teacher without classrooms, flannel graphs, power point presentations, or textbooks?

One would be to start with the learner’s world or context. Gregory refers to this as the “law of the Lesson.” Jesus oftentimes used the environment around Him and used story subjects that would have been familiar to His learners.[10] When Jesus spoke of people’s hearts being receptive to the gospel, He used varying types of soil. This agrarian society would have visualized in their minds the various soil types and clearly understood the illustration. Learning must be a series of steps where one lesson builds upon another. One lesson is used as a jumping off place for the next. The skill then is required by the teacher to determine how long one continues with a particular study. If the teacher stays too long, the lesson becomes monotonous. If the teacher goes too fast, the students are left behind in the cloudy dust of the once clear material. Gregory says, “New elements of knowledge must be brought into relation with other facts and truths already known before they themselves can be fully revealed and take their place in the widening circle of the experience of the learner.”[11] What the learner already knows helps them to decipher and understand the new material being taught. Therefore, the level of mastery of the previous material dictates the time that would be required to introduce new material. The teacher then needs to get the students to explain the material taught back to her, or another student, in order to evaluate if they have understood the material properly. Most people tend to explain what they have learned in the language that they are most familiar. The soldier in an effort to explain would refer to the battlefield, the sailor to the sea, or the scientist to the lab.[12]

The teacher should also have a way of evaluating if students understand the material as the class progresses, as opposed to a test or some other method of evaluation that would come later. This would allow the teacher to change his method, speed and volume of information given, to something the students may understand better. It is better to have taught one thing and it be understood and applied rather than have taught five things and nothing be understood or retained.

Another example of Jesus’ teaching technique would be to allow the learners to discover the truth.[13] People learn best when they make the connection to a spiritual truth themselves. The teacher ceases to be the dispenser of knowledge (lecturing, telling of truth) but instead guides students to experience different things where they learn through discovery. This is also referred to as active learning. Some examples of active learning are simulation games, role-plays, service projects, experiments, research projects, group pantomimes, mock trials, purposeful games, and field trips.[14] Direct, purposeful experiences are the best way for a learner to retain information. Methods that rely on other people’s experiences or “methods requiring little student involvement, result in relatively little student learning.”[15] Methods that require the learner to experience certain experiences are the most effective. Taking these methods into account, and realizing that the more the student experiences the more they will retain information, it is sobering to realize the methods used by most teachers, preachers, etc. use the least retentive method to teach. Spoken or written communication has a retention rate of 5 to 10 percent. Media allows the learner to retain 25 percent. Role-play is 40 to 60 percent and direct experience has a 80 to 90 percent retention rate.[16] Knowing that active learning is the most effective, it is crucial that the activity be specifically designed to teach an objective. Hendricks says, “This condition implies an important insight about teaching: Activity in learning is never an end in itself; it’s always a means to an end.”[17] The teacher must make sure that she adds to Plato’s quote, “we learn by doing” by saying “we learn by doing the right thing.” Gregory refers to this as the “Law of the Teaching Process. This law states, excite and direct the self-activities of the pupil, and as a rule tell him nothing that he can learn himself.”[18] Dale explains that each part of the spiritual diet should be regularly and systematically addressed through teaching biblical facts and offering children practical application experiences. Dale says, “The church often concentrates most of its time offering new knowledge while neglecting the application. Even when addressing the application issues the church tends to do it verbally rather than through hands-on experiences. Therefore a proper spiritual diet offers children both knowledge and experiences.”[19]

Along with active learning is the brother of this concept, interactive learning. Thom and Joani say, “Interactive learning occurs when students discuss and work cooperatively in pairs or small groups.”[20] This method encourages students to work together, which is essential in the life of the church. The teacher is not only teaching students how to discover truths as a team, but also how to work together in life. Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”(NIV). The Shultzs suggest several reasons as to why interactive learning works so well. The first is “interactive learning is student-based, instead of teacher-based.”[21] Interactive learning encourages the students to work together to discover the answer to various questions, as opposed to a teacher presenting information, and then asking individual students for factual brief answers. In interactive learning, students ask each other questions and have to think their answers through instead of parroting short factual information back to the teacher. Another reason would be that students learn to depend upon each other, and they often can solve problems faster than if they were alone. In interactive learning no student is left out because they realize that all the students are needed to accomplish the task given. Joani and Thom Shultz say, “In interactive learning, each pair or team is responsible for responding. Partners count on each other and hold each other accountable.”[22] Lastly this type of learning encourages students to build relationships with each other. Realistically, it is these relationships with others that will bring people back to the next learning time, not the presentation of the teacher. Also, in having an interactive time the lessons can be implemented into their lives immediately. During a time of learning, the teacher could provide opportunities for the students to put into practice, what they have learned.

Another example of Jesus’ teaching techniques is taking advantage of teachable moments. The Pharisees taught by rote practices. Jesus, on the other hand, seems to be so familiar with His subject matter that He easily made connections to spiritual truths wherever and whenever He chose. Where the Pharisees taught and the students sat still and were to remember, Jesus calls His students to “go.” Jesus calls His students to “follow me.” A teachable moment is when something happens—a student asks a question, or some other occurrence happens—and the teacher uses this as a way to either teach a new concept, review, or add to what has already been taught. Jesus’ classrooms were fields, homes, oceans, temples, boats, roads, hills, and a cross. The disciples were expected to do more than just listen; they were encouraged to do something. This is life transformation. When the student chooses to follow the teaching as a part of their lives, this is effective teaching. Jesus also rarely did things the way He was “supposed to.” He never avoided hard topics like death, hell, money, anxiety, etc., but instead showed how these topics where apart of everyday life. Because of this, Jesus’ teachings were rarely predictable. There is a direct correlation between one’s predictability and one’s impact. The higher the predictability in the teaching time, the lower the impact. Christ was always teaching for change in the hearts of the people and this is reflected in His teaching methods. His teaching was not simply for the sake of being different, but His teaching was different because of who He was. His character and love for people overflowed into His teachings.

In the teaching time the teacher must motivate the students to apply what has been taught to their lives. Hendricks call this the “Law of Encouragement. Teaching tends to be most effective when the learner is properly motivated.”[23] The key word in this concept is “properly.” There are several illegitimate ways to motivate students to learn. The first is what Hendricks calls the “lollipop motivation” or extrinsic motivation. This occurs when the teacher offers the student something that will motivate them to behave a certain way, memorize Scripture, or learn some other teaching point. This is illegitimate because one’s goal in Christian education is life transformation not temporary behavioral change. The teacher could also be fooled into believing that the student is doing better by the amount of patches on a vest, or pins, or “lollipops” handed out during a period of time. When the student goes home, however, the vest is on the floor along with her understanding of Christianity. The beliefs are stitched to the vest and not her heart.  Students should understand the need for following God and be taught to have a grateful heart, then students will be motivated to change their lives. This behavior will be with him all day, and all week, not just one hour a week in a specific location. Students need to see the importance of Scripture and God in their lives, and out of this understanding their lives are transformed. Gregory says, “The nature of mind, as far as we can understand it, is that of a power or force actuated by motives. The striking clock may sound in the ear, and the passing object may paint its image in the eyes, but the inattentive mind neither hears nor sees.”[24] The hard part of teaching is working from the outside to make something happen on the inside.

In motivating a student the teacher needs to instill within them the need to do what was taught. The student must desire it from within (intrinsic), in order for it be lasting change. This is why the teaching methods that teachers use should expose students to real life experiences. When they see how to respond to a bully, how to overcome addiction, how to revive their marriage, then the student will take to heart what is being taught.

The type of extrinsic motivation that has been described has also been referred to as “direct reinforcement.” Yount says, “Direct reinforcement decreases intrinsic motivation in students. Providing rewards to students already interested in a subject actually decreases interest. Students given rewards for correct solutions to problems subsequently chose less difficult problems than students who received no rewards at all.”[25] Direct reinforcement also short-circuits the learning process by narrowing the students focus to the reward. Class discussions come to a stop when questions like, “What will we win?” or “will there be a test on this?” are asked. Yount explains that when learning is for the sake of getting the reward then when that reward is over, so is the motivation.[26] When a teacher chooses to use direct reinforcement, her time spent in developing relationships or even teaching is taken away because of the need to administrate a tally board, keep up with points, or other reinforcement schedules. In direct reinforcement, there is also the need for increasing rewards. Candy as a motivator may grow tiresome, and the teacher has to seek to find another. This in itself is teaching the students to become greedy and disobedient. It is teaching the student to say to herself, “I will behave/learn if it is worth it to me.”

The most effective way to motivate students to learn is the praise of the student from a loving and endeared teacher. Yount says, “‘Praise’ means more than objective feedback on performance. It includes positive feedback on the student’s personal worth, which in itself, is a powerful motivator.”[27] For this to be most effective the teacher must have a personal and close relationship with the student. The closer the relationship, the more the teacher’s praise means to the student.

Jesus gives one other time-honored example that the conscientious modern day teacher seeking to be life transformational can follow. This is His example of prayer. In Luke 11:1 the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. This is because Jesus prayed about everything. Teachers can lead by example by praying in the classroom for their students and other concerns, praying in other places and times where their students can hear and observe them. But more importantly, praying for them on a daily basis is the place at which true transformation takes place, not only in the heart of the teacher for her students, but also in the lives of the students because of the power of prayer.

All of Jesus’ examples of teaching methods include an element of creativity. One of the specific ways that he showed this creativity was in his use of questions.[28] Referring to questions, “These form the heart of His teaching method. The four Gospels record over a hundred different ones. Some of His questions were direct and simply intended to secure information; some clarified uncertainty in the minds of His hearers and some invited expressions of faith. For example, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?, (Matthew 9:28), He said to the sick man.’”[29] He used hypothetical questions to teach problem-solving in situations (Matt 21:31). Jesus also allowed questions to be asked of Him as in Matt 12:13–34. Another form of His creativity was the use of parables to teach a spiritual point. This method of teaching provoked thinking (Mark 4:2). Other forms of creative teaching methods would include “overstatement (Mark 5:29–30); proverb (6:4); paradox (12:41–44); irony (Matt16:2-3); hyperbole (23:23–24); allusion (John 2:19); and metaphor (Luke 13:32).”[30]


[1] Hendricks, Teaching to Change Lives, 37.

[2] Ibid., 69.

[3] William Yount, Called To Teach (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1999), 136.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Pazmino, God Our Teacher, 47.

[6] Ibid., 53.

[7] Ibid., 39.

[8] Gregory, The Seven Laws of Teaching, 18.

[9] Kenneth Gangel and Howard Hendricks, The Christian Educator’s Handbook on Teaching (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1984), 14.

[10] Tom Shultz and Joani Shultz, The Dirt on Learning (Loveland: Group, 1999), 39.

[11] Gregory, The Seven Laws of Teaching, 71.

[12] Ibid., 74.

[13] Shultz, The Dirt on Learning, 39.

[14] Ibid., 135.

[15] Ibid., 137.

[16] Ibid., 138.

[17] Hendricks, Teaching to Change Lives, 53.

[18] Gregory, The Seven Laws of Teaching, 84.

[19] Dale, Changing Lives or Spinning Wheels, 34.

[20] Shultz and Shultz, The Dirt on Learning, 181.

[21] Ibid., 184.

[22] Ibid., 187.

[23] Hendricks, Teaching to Change Lives, 94.

[24] Gregory, The Seven Laws of Teaching, 92.

[25] Yount, Called To Teach, 77.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Ibid., 78.

[28] Gangel and Hendricks, The Christian Educator’s Handbook on Teaching, 25.

[29] Ibid.

[30] Ibid., 27.

The Theory and Theology of Discipleship

Robert Pazmino proposes an acronym that encapsulates the three phases of teaching as “PIE.” The letters in the order given stand for “preparation,” “instruction” and “evaluation.”[1] While many things are as “easy as pie,” teaching oftentimes is not one of these endeavors. Perhaps the best place to start on this meaningful yet sometimes treacherous journey of teaching is to define what is meant by Christian education. Powers defines Christian education as seeking “to develop within persons an understanding of, commitment to, and ability to practice Christian teachings . . . the ongoing effort of believers seeking to understand, practice, and propagate God’s revelation.”[2] Perhaps a working definition of Christian education could be seeking to partner with the Holy Spirit in teaching and learning that transforms lives into the image and pattern of Jesus Christ.

Pazmino says, “A holistic vision of education calls for addressing the information, formation, and transformation of persons.”[3] The holistic vision can be illustrated by a person needing a balanced diet. This balanced diet contributes to the overall health of a person. In theory if a person eats the right kinds of food (grains, vegetables, fruits, milk products, and proteins) from each food group, he or she will live healthier and live longer. Daryl Dale takes spiritual formation and the balanced diet principle and applies it to the development of a spiritually healthy child. His “spiritual formation philosophy” emphasizes the spiritual needs of children rather than programming. Program based ministries evaluate themselves on the basis of size, growth, and enthusiasm. Growth in a ministry and enthusiasm on the part of workers and children are certainly important elements of quality ministry. However, when a church fails to evaluate what is happening inside the life of a child, it is in danger of engaging its staff in labor intensive ministries that have little spiritual impact on people. Dale identifies twelve components of a spiritually balanced diet. These spiritual needs are: “salvation, Bible knowledge, praise and worship, Christian friendships, personal outreach, Christian service, church commitment, prayer, devotional life, missions awareness, Scripture memorization, and stewardship.”[4] Dale shows that these particular topics can be tested to determine their inclusion by asking the following two questions: 1) “Would we be negligent if we did not teach one thing on prayer (substitute any other issue) over the next twelve months?” The second question would be, 2) “Would we be doing our God-given ministry well if we did not offer one prayer experience (substitute and other issue) or project over the next twelve months?”[5] When leaders are knowledgeable of the main or basic spiritual needs, they can begin to address these needs through their programs.

Dale also points out that all of the components of a spiritually balanced diet do not merit equal attention. He says, “Just as the ‘Food Pyramid’ (nutrition chart) illustrates how a person needs more daily servings from the grain group than from the protein group, some spiritual issues need to be addressed more often than others. Some may be addressed every week while others may be satisfied through three or four lessons and a couple of experiences a year.”[6]

Daniel Aleshire says that an educational ministry within the church should lead to discipleship and this ministry has several requirements.[7] He says, “First, education that is true to the grace of the gospel requires a vision of the church, its purpose, and mission. Christian education must emerge from the mission of the church and move its people toward authentic discipleship.”[8] The church must keep in mind that it is mobilizing an army to win the world for Christ, not simply edifying oneself. Discipleship is not for the purpose of growing believers to sit in a pew, but to equip believers to be sent out to see their neighbor won for Christ. Aleshire says, “Second, Christian education requires theologically informed goals and objectives.”[9] This is a reference to what the teacher is  trying to accomplish, and how these goals are to be accomplished. Not only is the content of the lesson important but the method of delivery as well. Aleshire also says, “Third, the learning that results from Christian education requires some serious consideration. The learning must be of a special kind—the kind that provides knowledge, instills feelings, and leads to right living. Forth, the processes and organizations that the church uses to educate people in faith require ongoing, thoughtful evaluation and renewal.”[10] These refer to life change as the ultimate objective and ways to evaluate if this change is taking place.

Before any life changing learning can ever take place there must be a desire in the heart of a person to share their lives and communicate truth. This is a prerequisite for transformational teaching. For Christian educators, there must be a heart change in the teacher before there can ever be a life change in the student. In the secular teaching environment, there is no spiritual component per se to teaching mathematics or language arts, for example. The effective Christian teacher has to have an active prayer and Bible study lifestyle. The Christian educator has to understand the importance of the Holy Spirit working through the teacher throughout the course of the teaching endeavor. It is a love of God and His Word and an understanding of the passion that was poured out for them on a rugged cross that overflows into life changing teaching. The teacher must love the Lord and this love is displayed in his teaching. This is something that cannot be taught. It is not a different method to try, a resource to implement, or something that could be substituted. The teacher either has this passion or he does not. Pazmino says, “Every teaching session, along with its explicit and implicit curriculum, has a null curriculum. Basically the null curriculum is that which is not taught, with the explicit curriculum referring to what is taught. The implicit curriculum refers to what is caught by persons than directly taught in the course of instruction.”[11] The teacher’s life is the real curriculum that will lead to transformation in the students. More than likely they will remember the character of their teacher lived out before them far longer than they will remember the lesson taught in the classroom.

Perhaps, the first step to becoming an effective teacher is to set the bar higher and higher throughout one’s ministry. This desire to improve comes from a humble heart and an authentic desire to reach more people for Christ. Hendricks suggests that “to teach children two plus two equals four, you need a minimum of four years of higher education. To teach the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ, anything is good enough . . . and that’s why it too often degenerates into a ministry of mediocrity.”[12] The teaching of the Bible is the most important thing a person could ever do. Therefore, there should be a much higher standard than to simply seek to fill a slot on a nomination committee list. Howard Hendricks tells of a story that expresses this point. He says,

We learned she was eighty-three and from a town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In a church with a Sunday school of only sixty-five people, she taught a class of thirteen junior-high boys. She traveled by Greyhound bus all the way to Chicago the night before the convention. Why? In her words, ‘To learn something that would make me a better teacher.’ I thought at the time, ‘Most people who had a class of thirteen junior-high boys in a Sunday school of only sixty-five would be breaking their arms to pat themselves on the back: Who, me? Go to a Sunday school convention? I could teach it myself!’ But not this woman.  Eighty-four who sat under her teaching are now young men in full-time vocational ministry.  Twenty-two are graduates of the seminary where I teach.[13]

Was there something special about this woman? What made her teaching so effective? She had a desire to raise the bar of her teaching ministry. This passion for Christ and having a lifestyle of constant learning overflows into the lives of the students. They see before them week after week a person who lives what they teach. Jesus said, “Take up my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:29, NIV). Eldridge said, “The yoke was a symbol of submission, obedience, and service. It was a means to harness power and direct the energy of an animal. The yoke guides or steers the beast of burden.”[14] The student like the animal must be willing to submit to the teaching or guiding of another. The disciple must be “teachable.” While the early disciples were from different backgrounds and had rather undesirable qualities, they were teachable and truly wanted to understand what Jesus was teaching. This teachable countenance was used by God to spread the gospel around the world, and it is only when modern day teacher/disciples have this teachable characteristic that the gospel can continue to transform the world. When students see that their teacher is learning, they will desire to follow his example.

Gregory Milton says that a teacher must “stimulate in the pupil the love of learning, and to form in him habits and ideals of independent study.”[15] This stimulation from within comes from observing the teacher and then applying these learned behaviors to their own lives. This is why Scripture holds those who teach to a higher standard (Jas 3:1). God recognizes that those who desire to teach set the standard for which their students follow. It is therefore the second goal of the teacher to encourage their students to fall in love with learning about God and to encourage them to continue this practice throughout his life.

If this lifelong learning is to be embraced by the student, the teacher must understand seven distinct elements. Gregory refers to these concepts of education as the “Seven Laws of Teaching.” From these seven laws are three major components of effective learning (preparation, instruction, and evaluation.) There are two personal factors that make up the first element, (1) a teacher and (2) a learner. The second element has two factors as well, (3) a common language and a (4) lesson of truth to be communicated. The third element has three functional acts or processes, (5) that of the teacher – the teacher’s work, (6) that of the learner – the learner’s work, and a final finishing process (7) to test and fix the result.[16]


[1] Robert Pazmino, Basics of Teaching for Christians (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998), 11.

[2] Bruce Powers, Christian Education Handbook (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1996), 6.

[3] Pazmino, Basics of Teaching for Christians, 53.

[4] Daryl Dale, Changing Lives or Spinning Wheels (Nyack, NY: Spiritual Formation Ministries, 1997), 34.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Daniel Aleshire, “Christian Education and Theology,” in Christian Education Handbook, ed. Bruce Powers (Nashville: Broadman and Holman , 1996), 14.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid., 15.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Pazmino, Basics of Teaching for Christians, 79.

[12] Howard Hendricks, Teaching to Change Lives (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1987), 19.

[13] Ibid., 14.

[14] Daryl Eldridge, The Teaching Ministry of the Church (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1995), 81.

[15] Milton Gregory, The Seven Laws of Teaching (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995), 17.

[16] Ibid.

"Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts." Rick Warren

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