Training or Teaching Christian Teachers
Perhaps you are in a ministry that is involved with the training of Christian teachers. Perhaps you are yourself a Christian teacher. Either way, you feel the need to learn how to better instruct those Christians you have been given the great responsibility of teaching. The training or teaching of Christian teachers requires both instruction and wisdom, so that it may be done in a manner that is both glorifying to God, and profitable to those you teach.
The first thing to do, before attempting to train or teach Christian teachers, is to make sure that you yourself are a Christian. Don't merely assume that you are. The Bible says that your heart is "desperately wicked". As a result, your heart will not be a good very good guide to help you find out if you are truly saved. The Bible says that:
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith..." (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Upon examining yourself, if you then come to the realization that you are not yet converted, then you need to quickly take care of this problem. Otherwise, you cannot hope to glorify God through your giving of spiritual instruction to Christians, since you yourself are not yet a Christian. If you are not yet a Christian, then you are instead a "natural man" or woman, without the fear of God and without true spiritual wisdom from the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that:
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7)
"There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:18)
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)
If you have any desire to learn more about becoming a real Christian, then please click here. If you do not want to become a Christian, then please, please, right now, lay aside any thought of training or teaching Christian teachers until you do become a Christian! The Pharisees were not Christians. They nevertheless loved to teach others concerning spiritual matters, even though they themselves were not qualified to do so because they were still "lost" and spiritually "blind". Jesus said concerning these lost Pharisees:
"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." (Matthew 15:14)
If you insist on training or teaching Christian teachers when in reality you yourself are still lost, then you are a blind person trying to lead at best those who can see and at worse those who are still not Christians themselves and therefore are as spiritually blind as you are. If you are blind, then you will one day "fall into the ditch". Don't lead others into the same ditch (Hell) that you will one day fall into if you do not want to be a Christian yourself.
The Basis of Christian Education
After you have determined that you are in fact a real Christian, the next thing to determine is the foundation upon which you will base your training or teaching. Having the correct foundation is not at all a minor issue. If your only basis for the instruction of Christians is what the world itself offers, then your teaching cannot be truly called "Christian". In fact, just call it what it is - "secular education" - if in fact such teaching does not have a Christian basis.
But what should be the basis for providing Christian Education? The primary basis for Christian Education must be the Bible itself. The Bible says that:
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (1 Timothy 3:16-17)
The Bible itself claims that it is "profitable" for "instruction" because it was "given by inspiration of God". There are many people, of course, who disagree with God and His claim in the above verse that the Bible is inspired and therefore is profitable for the instruction of Christians. The term for those people who will not believe God and His Word, the Bible, is: "unbeliever", since such people refuse to "believe" what God has said in the Bible. Note also, that the Bible goes further than merely claiming to be "profitable". The Bible actually says that it can make a Christian "perfect" (complete) and "throughly furnished into all good works". Therefore, the Bible must indeed be the primary source used when training or teaching Christian teachers.
Of course, there are other sources available for teaching Christians other than the Bible. Such sources include: the traditions of men; (Colossians 2:8), experiences; emotional feelings; the reasoning of fallen man; the teachings of the world; and many other such sources. Nevertheless, none of these other sources should ever be allowed to be the primary basis for Christian education, which must be the Bible itself. The Bible is called "a more sure word of prophecy", more trustworthy than any other source! It is "more sure" than all other sources combined, because God Himself was behind the Bible's writing, and God is both all-knowing and good:
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:19-21)
How to Train or Teach Christian Teachers
Teaching Christian teachers is serious spiritual work. The Devil will resist you if you try to teach other Christians using Biblical principles as your basis for instruction. Of course, Satan has been resisting both God and correct teaching ever since the days of the Garden of Eden, when Satan asked Eve, "Yea, hath God said ...?" (Genesis 3:1) Therefore, if you wish to teach Christians, the first thing that you need to do is to ask God for His wisdom and the strength of the Holy Spirit for you to teach in a way that glorifies God. The Bible says that:
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)
"...ye have not, because ye ask not." (James 4:2)
Having asked God for wisdom, the next step is to decide on the general topic upon which you will be speaking to these Christians. Too many teachers do not focus enough on their main topic when then teach. The result is often students not even being able to remember the main idea that was supposedly "taught" to them. It is like a sermon, which, after it has been preached, people comment, "it was a good sermon", yet they cannot remember even the main idea that was preached.
After praying and asking God for guidance, when a main topic has been decided upon, then the Bible should be searched for verses or passages that relate to that topic. You do not need to find out what man thinks. Rather, you need to find out what God says on the subject. Other sources can be used as well, such as commentaries, or other books dealing with the subject. The Bible, however, must remain the primary source of information, if you are to successfully teach Christians anything of lasting spiritual significance.
After information is gathered, then the process of focusing on the topic really begins. One's teaching should not meander like a lazy river. Nevertheless, such a lesson may well meander if the teacher did not focus beforehand on the preparation of the lesson. As it is with a well-written High School or College paper, a lesson to Christians should first be reduced into its basic points. These points then become the basis for an outline of the lesson. (Some teachers give out these lesson outlines to their students, believing that this will help their students to better remember the main points of their lessons.)
From the main point come the sub-points. Remember, though, that each sub-point in the outline must relate to the main point being made in the lesson. Also, try not to give too many sub-points in any one lesson, or your listeners will probably not remember very much of what you had intended for them to learn.
This outline of the lesson should then be expanded as needed so as to include evidence in support of the point and sub-points. It should also include actual examples of what to do and what not to do, as practical applications of those sub-points. (There is nothing like vivid examples to cause your point and sub-points to "stick" in peoples' minds.) Remember, the purpose of teaching is not to entertain. Nevertheless, an entertaining lesson will probably be remembered much more so than a "boring" one. The primary aim in teaching Christians is to instruct, which should be done to the spiritual benefit of those listening.
You should base the amount of information given in your lesson on the capacity of students to learn, while keeping any time constraints in mind. You should never add "filler" material to your lesson, just to "pad it out" to a certain length of time. To do so generally suggests that the lesson was not well researched or properly put together. It also does not glorify God to waste peoples' time. These are people coming to you for instruction, direction and encouragement.
Essentially, your outline should follow a very simple rule, similar in form to how we were taught to write our first essays: 1) Tell them what you are going to tell them. 2) Tell them. 3) Tell them what you told them. After you have given out each of your sub-points, the main point that you are trying to make should be reiterated to those who are listening. This reiteration will help to tie together the sub-points to the main point in the minds of the students or teachers. It will also help to focus their minds on that main point and therefore help them to remember it better. The lesson should also be concluded with a "tie-in" where the sub-points are reiterated and the main point reemphasized. Often a good example can be given here, so that they will remember the point made in the lesson and if possible the sub-points as well.
The main emphasis of your lesson should not be on you. You are just the one giving the lesson. I realize that many speakers are "into themselves" and think about themselves all the time. Don't you be like such wicked and sinfully selfish people. Instead, think about the lesson itself and how it can be used to help the people to whom you are giving it to become better Christians. Let God use your lesson to help others, because, as Jesus said:
"...It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35)
Another point for you to remember, is that your emphasis should be on the application of Biblical truth, not on the accumulation of such truth by your listeners. "Head knowledge" in and of itself is often of little lasting spiritual value. The desire to give out head knowledge, (without spiritual application of that knowledge), is a strong temptation for some people. I have heard many Christian speakers give lessons that were entertaining, but with little application, because they did not wish to be "too controversial". (I call this "cotton candy" speaking - it tastes great but is not very filling, and can eventually make one "sick" if they have too much of it.) Usually such teachers are not trying to edify (or "build up") Christians nor are they trying to glorify Christ. Rather, such teachers are a bit more like Balaam - they want to preach for money, but not for God.
As for the end of your lesson, (depending on circumstances) a period of time for "questions and answers" can sometimes be given. Not only can this help people to have their unanswered questions answered, but it can also help you to see what was actually learned or not learned by those who were listening. (For example, if they ask a question that was clearly answered by your lesson, then this might mean that at least one part of your lesson was not well-absorbed by those who were listening.) Don't get caught up though in trying to answer too many questions. If people really have lots of questions, then let them come up to you afterwards to ask them, or perhaps they can mail, e-mail, or call you later on, so that you can help them to get the answers that they need for their many questions.
The End Result
If you have done your teaching work correctly, a work based on God's Word, the Bible, then you can also expect that there will be results as well. Such results, however, are not always immediately visible. Nevertheless, God gave us a great promise concerning His Word, the Bible. God said:
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)
Do remember that you should never try to teach Christians in your own power or by your own wisdom or knowledge. If you speak from God's Word, then it is really God's Words that you are giving out -- not your own. God will therefore Himself provide the spiritual fruit from teaching which is based on His Word:
"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)
Be different from the crowd. Be different from the world. Aim to glorify God when you teach.
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