How to Teach and Study the Bible

The Holy Bible is not just a book containing plenty of words; it is God's written message to us Towns (1997). The Book is both symbolic and spiritual and so must be viewed, read, learnt, taught and understood beyond the surface level. The Bible knowledge will be lacking expect one is guided by the Holy Spirit who is the guidance promised by Jesus to teach and guide the Christians to all truth. Since Christ is the truth and the life, learning of the Bible is likened to searching for the truth, and that could only be achieved with the leading of the Holy Spirit.
In his book, how to teach and understand the Bible, Towns (1997) explains that teaching, among other things, means “the preparation and guidance of learning activities.” A teacher is saddled with the responsibility to majorly guide the proceedings that motivate the learners to assimilate the context of the subject taught. Teaching, however, does not begin at the commencement of the class session; it starts immediately the teacher start the preparation of the lesson. This according to Towns’ definition of teaching, it can be categorized into two aspects – the preparation and the guidance. After the preparation, the next and second phase of teaching is the guidance of learning activities. In the guidance, it beholds on the teacher to lead the learner through the process. Contrary to the general belief, it is not in place of the teacher to make the pupils learn; the teacher can only guide the learning activities.
There is no way a Christian can grow without the daily study of the word of God. Some astounding results that can be achieved by the daily study of the Word include having it as a source of strength in one’s personal Christian life; it serves a way to strengthen one’s personal assurance and confidence of having a good relationship with God; it is the key to active prayer life; and ultimately, the power to overcome sins. Others benefits include giving inner joy and peace; being a guide to making good decisions about different issues in life; a help in explaining the faith to others; and be the source of success in all areas of a Christian’s endeavors in life. Towns (1997) explained.
Furthermore, the Bible establishes the trinity – God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Through the Bible, Towns (1992) revealed that we know many important things about God. The nature, the attributes and the works of God are some of the truths the Bible presents to a Christian. Additionally, the Bible builds a Christian faith in Christ and establishes the truth about Him. Through the daily study of the Word, a Christian is able to have the full knowledge of Christ. For instance, the Bible gives a clear picture of the incarnation, the atonement, and the resurrection of Christ. Through the Bible, we also get to understand the ascension of Christ, the present ministry of Christ, and the position of Christ in a Christian life. In completing the trinity, the Holy Bible revealed to believers the personality of the Holy Spirit and His impacts in a Christian’s life. The fruits and the gifts of the Spirits are some of the truths made known to a Christian about the Holy Spirit. The Bible also presents to Christians, the exploits of the Apostles who propagated the gospel when it “began as a seemingly obscure movement, one among many in the Roman world” Towns (1975). The Apostles and the early Christians suffered great persecutions and some of them paid the ultimate price in their work of the gospel. There are also the accounts of many early Christians who went astray and were punished. All these are recorded in the Bible as reference for a Christian to draw a lesson from.
Teaching the Bible must be taken from a divine perspective in order to have a grasp of the content read or learnt at any given time. Being a Bible teacher is a great ministry in the Christendom in which anyone occupying the office must appreciate the enormity of the grace to be so honored with such privilege. A Bible teacher cannot deliver effectively except he is equipped and approved of God in that capacity. (1 Tim 3:17). To this end, the teaching of the Word of God requires the relationship with the Word which is God himself (John 1:1). A Bible teacher begins the process of teaching by first learning to understand what is to be taught as he prepares for the lesson. In learning the Bible, Towns (1997) suggests a three-prong approach which are learning, the principles by reading a book, viewing a video, or listening to an explanation; practicing what one has learnt; and putting the principles to work. The Bible can be studied in different modes which include studying of Biographies, the doctrines, and parables. Some other methods of approaching a Bible study are studying it devotionally, studying a chapter or a book, studying the narratives and stories, and studying the prophecies therein.
The Holy Bible is the spiritual food must be adequately eaten if we want to gain all the benefits attached to it. Towns (1997) likened it to a meal from which a Christian must eat enough, take it a balanced meal of it, eat and ingest properly. Also, a believer must eat it the healthy way and not what will get one sidetracked and shift focus to speculation and meaningless issues. Apart from these recommendations, the spiritual food must be eaten with dignity and not like dog or pig. Without taking and ingesting enough of the Word in a balanced manner, the Christian life of a believer will be shallow, and a shallow follower will not be able to build a strong relationship with the Holy Spirit whose lead must be followed for the proper understanding of the Word.
Having taken the reading and studying of the Bible in the above perspectives, and having been experiencing growth daily in the relationship with the Holy Spirit, the full essence of studying the Bible, however, must not just be for personal spiritual insights growth and benefits. It is also imperative that we share the knowledge with others for the edification and lifting of the spirits and souls of others.
The growth of a local church and the body of Christ cannot be substantiated without the teaching, study, learning and understanding of the Holy Bible. To this end, there is an enormous responsibility bestowed on the leadership of the church and more importantly the Bible teachers. The Word of God is food which must be eaten, not just like dogs but in a devotional manner that both the learner and the guidance would not just be filled but be filled in the right proportion just like intake of the balanced diet. As such, the Bible tutors must take the right steps into the teaching of the word, and that begins by observing the requirements, which include having the healthy attitude expected of the teacher of the word; recognizing the nature of the Sunday school; and knowing their role as the Sunday school teachers Towns (1988).
Discussing the importance of a healthy attitude in Church leadership, Towns (1988) recollected the busing boom of the ‘70s which saw many churches joining the bandwagon of buying buses to bring thousands of bus kids to their churches in their purchased used buses. The boom soon became an unprofitable adventure for many of these ministries who later could no longer maintain the influx of the kids. This, he quipped, was due to them getting into the trend with the wrong motive. In order words, they loved the growth but not ready to pay the price. A pastor must be ready to pay the price for the church to grow. The price to pay for this growth includes the recognition of possible failure in getting a large congregation at the early stage, and the determination not to get deterred by that as the numerical growth. Though the numerical growth implies, but must not be seen as the larger headcount. Apart from the sacrifice and resilience even in the face of an unsatisfactory numerical count, the leader must be ready to pay the price of hard work for the growth. Citing the example of a farmer, Towns, likened the Word to the seed which remains unchanged. While some factors including lack of adequate tools and manure might reduce the proper yielding of a seed that, however, does not in any way reduce its potency. With better technological advanced tools, manure and hard work, many seeds which in centuries and decades ago could only bring up minimal yields can now bring forth tons of harvests for farmers who cultivate them. Such is the growth of the church as it needs importunity, commitment and hard work from the leaders.
Another price expected of a church leader is delegation. Leadership, Towns observed, is not about doing everything by oneself. There are some aspects of the church which the pastor must be ready to delegate his followers as some areas of the church growth and running that can be better done by others. Moreover, it is another way to make leaders out the followers as “every person has a spiritual gift, every "gifted" person should be using his gift (I Cor. 7:7).” The growth, however, must not be left for the pastor alone, it must be shared by the members as well. The members of a growing church must be ready to among other things, be ready to shape their perspective and actions to fit in well in the direction of the church growth. All these have to do with the attitude which will yield the desired result in due time as the “Right attitudes + right actions = success!” Towns posited.
In the same vein, learning the Word of God from a Bible teacher and other spiritual leaders is very good. However, as a Christian who genuinely desire spiritual growth, there must be a willingness to learn from and emulate the Bereans who the Bible describes as being fair-minded. As expected of a Christian, the Bereans received the word; they were also committed to looking for the truth with all readiness as they search the scriptures diligently.
Either on a personal or church level, the consistency cannot be achieved without the being renewed daily by the Word. The growth of the body of Christ is better approached with the recognition of the impact of the word of God in the process and maintenance of the growth. Christian leaders who have this insight would borrow a leaf from the Sunday schools that went extra miles in changing the paradigm to reach new generations of people.
In his book, Sunday Schools That Dared to Change, Towns (1993) gave instances of the Christian leaders who significantly impacted the church growth with their importunity and sacrifice in ensuring the word is shared even under challenging circumstances. For instance, when people would not come to Sunday school due to the difficulties in commuting to the church house which was located “in a downtown area that is experiencing suburban flight”, the First Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas would take the Sunday schools to them in 134 different locations. The commitment pioneered by the duo of the pastor (Dr Charles Wade) and the mission director (Tillie Burgin) would later have “over 300 workers travel out to 134 apartment complexes to lead weekly Bible studies-taking the Bible.”
Another example among several of the paradigm-changing Sunday schools cited by Towns was the Wesleyan Church, Lemon Groove in California. The church realized there was a need for growth and variety in the ministry, and went to make rooms for multiple Sunday schools within the same building for that purpose. This came as at the time it was against the tradition for a church to have more than one Sunday school session on a Sunday morning. However, the vision of the church leaders made them see beyond tradition but rather the great commission which was very impactful in their strategy for growth. With the commitment, the church was able to have five Sunday schools including a Saturday night session. Though space-bound, the church leadership did not that hinder the realization of the vision.
These and several other examples cited by Towns (1993) were testaments to the impact of the rich and balanced Word of God in church growth and edification of the body of Christ, which are the reflection of the right approach to the study and teaching of the Bible. When the leadership approaches the Word of God with an intense commitment and the leading of the Holy Spirit, there will be a growth within the Christian community, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
In conclusion, the Bible is a perfect gift from God to His children, which is meant to guide the believers in every area of their lives. It must, however, be regarded and learnt in adequacy. Otherwise, the study time might be an unfruitful adventure. While a lot of commitment is expected from a Christian in the teaching and studying of the Word, the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding to all truth cannot be overemphasized. Every Christian must know that by strength shall no man prevail. With the Holy Spirit leading the study and teaching process, the Bible study will be done in God’s will.












References
Towns, E. T. (1975). A History of Religious Educators. The Works of Towns. Liberty University.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=towns_books
Towns, E. T. (1988). 154 Steps to Revitalize your Sunday School and Keep your Church Grow. Liberty University. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=towns_books
Towns, E. T. (1992) Foundational Doctrines of the Faith. The Works of Towns. Liberty University.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&context=towns_books
Towns, E. T. 1993 10 Sunday Schools that Dared to Change. The Works of Towns. Liberty University. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=towns_books
Towns, E. T. (1997). How to Study and Teach The Bible. The Works of Towns. Liberty University.
http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/How%20to%20Study%20and%20Teach%20the%20Bible.pdf