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Transforming teaching is expository. It harvests the original meaning, converts it into every day terminology and presents it in manner that fits the listener.
Transforming teaching is doable by everyone. One method that helps develop transforming messages is The Big Idea Study. It is by no means the only way to teach. It is however, one way to teach with powerful results. It produces changed lives. |
They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage. Nehemiah 8:8 |
Transforming teaching matures both the student and the teacher. We grow more by teaching than we do by just being a student, regardless of whose feet we sit at. Eventually, every Christian should eventually be able to instruct. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Hebrews 5:12 NLT.
Below are the characteristics of transforming teaching.
Below are the characteristics of transforming teaching.
1. It is complete.
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It is exegetically accurate, hermeneutically sound and homiletically relevant. It harvests the meaning of a text from what it meant to those who experienced it first (exegesis). Then develops those thoughts into timeless truths (hermeneutics). Then presents in a way that fits the audience (homiletics). People should walk away sensing the meaning of the passage along with a practical application that calls them to know, do or feel something.
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Even though the Bible was written for us it wasn’t written to us. –John H. Walton. |
Think of the steps in baking a cake. Exegesis is the raw ingredients (sugar, flower, butter, eggs, etc.). It contains all the necessary ingredients but is hard to digest in its present form. Hermeneutics is the actual baked cake. It's edible but still needs one more ingredient to make it complete. Homeletics is the frosting. It what makes the cake irresistible.
2. It shoots par.
PAR stands for Personal, Accurate and Relevant. The message is personal. The truths of the message pass through the heart of the teacher before they enter the ear of the listener. The treacher uses words like we and us instead of you and your. He gives evidence of having lived with the message before he asks others to do the same.
It is accurate. It reflects the true meaning of the words.
It is relevant. It applies to the lives of the listeners. This last step answers the one question every listener is asking, “So what?” A message stands incomplete until this crucial question is answered.
It is accurate. It reflects the true meaning of the words.
It is relevant. It applies to the lives of the listeners. This last step answers the one question every listener is asking, “So what?” A message stands incomplete until this crucial question is answered.
3. It consists of the preaching trinity: ethos, pathos and logos.
Ethos is credibility and centers on the character of the speaker. It asks the question, “Is the message believable based on what is known about the preacher?” Does he walk the talk?
Pathos is passion and centers on emotion. It asks the question, "Is the message believable based on the feelings of the preacher?" Does he teach as if he believes it?
Logos is truth and centers on the word of God. It asks the question, "Is the message rooted in Scripture?" Is there a clear bridge between the Scripture and what is being communicated?
Pathos is passion and centers on emotion. It asks the question, "Is the message believable based on the feelings of the preacher?" Does he teach as if he believes it?
Logos is truth and centers on the word of God. It asks the question, "Is the message rooted in Scripture?" Is there a clear bridge between the Scripture and what is being communicated?
4. It is vertical before it’s horizontal.
It focuses on the glory of God before it talks about the mission of God. The worship of God triggers a witness for God. When God called Ezekiel to speak for him the first thing he did was give him an amazing view of his glory. He (God) did this through a vision that communicated His majesty, holiness and wonder. The result is stated in Ezekiel 1:28, This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me. God displayed his glory for twenty-eight verses before He enlisted Ezekiel into mission.
Commentator Tremper Longman states, “The Lord confronted Ezekiel with this glorious vision to impress on him the majesty, holiness, and wonder of the God who was about to execute judgment on the people of Israel.”
Powerful messages highlight the glory of God as a means of encouraging us to fulfill the mission of God. What we know to be true about God should determine what we say about God.
Commentator Tremper Longman states, “The Lord confronted Ezekiel with this glorious vision to impress on him the majesty, holiness, and wonder of the God who was about to execute judgment on the people of Israel.”
Powerful messages highlight the glory of God as a means of encouraging us to fulfill the mission of God. What we know to be true about God should determine what we say about God.
5. It causes the listener to say, “What’s next?”
The messages are constructed in a way that the title poses a question and the body of the message provides the answers. Each point to the sermon unpacks the premise brought up in the title. For instance, the title of a message might be; “Things Christians need to remember most.” The body then gives those answers.
Powerful messages also mobilize people They move them from Gather to Grow and to Go. They motivate them to take part in prayer events, get involved in small groups, sign up for Ministry Teams, join disciple making and church planting teams, and attend school.
Powerful messages also mobilize people They move them from Gather to Grow and to Go. They motivate them to take part in prayer events, get involved in small groups, sign up for Ministry Teams, join disciple making and church planting teams, and attend school.
6. It’s prepared using the 5Cs.
The 5Cs are context, cross reference, concordance, commentaries and conscience. Context is the words before and after what is studied. Near context is the words immediately before and after the sentence being studied. Far context is the words in the surrounding paragraphs, passages and chapters. Context is the most informative way to determine the meaning of a given passage. In fact, the term “context is king” means the words before and after the text being studied take priority in defining the meaning. Taking things out of context results in a wrong interpretation. It’s often the result of not doing enough study of the near and far context. Pastor John MacArthur states,
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“The Bible is not a random collection of verses that may be interpreted in isolation. To properly understand any passage, one must interpret it in light of the paragraphs immediately preceding and following it, the chapter or section it is in, and the book containing it. Context provides the flow of thought in which any given passage of Scripture exists.”
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Cross reference refers to other verses found throughout Scripture that relate to the one being studied. Most study bibles provide cross references as a resource. Cross references are useful for the teacher to confirm interpretation. Sometimes they are helpful to share, sometimes they are a distraction. Teachers must decide when to include cross references in the final message. The Big Idea study (see below) is designed to anchor the teacher to the text in such a manner that the use of cross references in the final message are minimal. Too many cross references can be a distraction.
Concordance is a resource used for deeper study about a specific topic. It may be a stand-alone tool or located in the back of a study bible.
Commentaries are the thoughts of learned people about the passage. Commentaries should be consulted after the observational work. They should follow completion of a draft outline. The thoughts of commentators may provide confirmation or the need for adjustment to an interpretation. Some commentaries are critical (they offer help at the exegesis and hermeneutical stages), some are homiletical (they offer help at the presentation stage). Both are helpful. Commentaries are found in the notes section of most study Bibles as well as in stand-alone books. For the purposes of this category commentaries also include the following resources: interlinear, dictionary, encyclopedia, and culture studies.
Conscience is what you already know to be true about the passage. The more you study the more you will rely upon knowledge you already possess. The longer you teach the deeper your personal reservoir of knowledge will become.
Concordance is a resource used for deeper study about a specific topic. It may be a stand-alone tool or located in the back of a study bible.
Commentaries are the thoughts of learned people about the passage. Commentaries should be consulted after the observational work. They should follow completion of a draft outline. The thoughts of commentators may provide confirmation or the need for adjustment to an interpretation. Some commentaries are critical (they offer help at the exegesis and hermeneutical stages), some are homiletical (they offer help at the presentation stage). Both are helpful. Commentaries are found in the notes section of most study Bibles as well as in stand-alone books. For the purposes of this category commentaries also include the following resources: interlinear, dictionary, encyclopedia, and culture studies.
Conscience is what you already know to be true about the passage. The more you study the more you will rely upon knowledge you already possess. The longer you teach the deeper your personal reservoir of knowledge will become.