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Bible Lesson for Bible Teachers, Lesson #11

Don’t Be Stupid!

Proverbs 12.1; 10.17; 13.18; 15.12; 15.31 - 32

Good Questions Have Groups Talking



If you like this format of lessons, I have a couple of thousand at

OPEN

What is your name and one thing that is occupying your mind this week.

DIG

1. Proverbs 12.1; 10.17; 13.18; 15.12; 15.31 – 32. What do all these Proverbs have in common?

Well, I would call that getting to the point! And you know what? Sometimes the truth should hurt. Psalm 32:9 says, “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle” (NIV).

God takes no pleasure in calling us, or anyone else, stupid or a mule. So how can we avoid these pitfalls? By being teachable. An eagerness to learn and grow and change is really a building block of wisdom and the antidote for stupidity.

May I ask you, Are you growing? One of the great thrills of being a Christian is that we can always be growing. I love to be around brand-new Christians. They have a thousand questions. But I also love to be around older Christians who are just as hungry. Have you become dull and stunted? — Debbi Bryson, The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2013).

2. What do we learn about discipleship from these verse?

Love hurts, especially when it comes to discipline. Out of his love for you God lets pain come into your life so that you can grow and learn. It’s called discipline, and it is done not out of anger or rage but in love and kindness. It’s designed to correct you so that you won’t fall into disaster again. Discipline is the teacher of the righteous; it teaches you where you have gone astray and reminds you how to get back on track. When you only want what’s best for your life and your faith, then you won’t hate discipline, but you’ll look at it as a chance for improvement.

Correction is like the holy reset button. It lets you stop and see where you’re off track and how to get back on track. The longer you fear or hate correction, the longer you’ll be trapped in the turmoil of your sin. When you’re ready for wisdom and a peace that goes beyond anything you can imagine (see Phil. 4:7), accept correction as a wise disciple, and don’t run from it like a dumb animal. — Hayley DiMarco, Devotions for the God Girl: A 365 Day Journey (Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2010).

3. How do these verses relate specifically to our role as teachers?

Here is my dream: that every teacher would pair up into groups of two or three. Let’s say Bob, John, and Tom are in my group. A couple of times a year I go hear Bob teach. I get a substitute for my group that day if they meet at the same time. A couple of times a year I also listen to John teach. And, a couple of times a year they listen to me teach. After each time I listen to Bob, all three of us go to lunch. I tell Bob five things he did well and one thing that could be even better. He does the same with me.

4. How does it make you feel when someone tries to correct you? If we were all 100% godly, how would it make us feel?

How do you feel when someone offers you advice concerning your worship service? Does something inside you rise up in indignation—“Hey, buddy, I’ve been doing this a long time; I don’t need your input”—or are you able to take in what you are hearing, sift it for truth, and keep what can be helpful to you? I don’t know about you, but I have never liked feedback very much. If I had to guess, I bet you don’t either—in your flesh, anyway. Let’s face it, we are by nature prideful people. We are also insecure people. Our temperature rises a little when someone starts to tell us what we may have done wrong or how we could improve the thing we’ve already put so much time and effort into. We would rather have people stroke our egos, tell us how engaging and inspirational we are, and revel in our ability to hit the ball out of the park every Sunday. (C’mon, you know it’s true.) Unfortunately, there’s a pesky little proverb that flies in the face of this attitude. Proverbs 12:1 tells us, “To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.” Drat. — Nelson Searcy, Jason Hatley, and Jennifer Dykes Henson, Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 151–152.

5. What good comes to those who listen to correction?

Consider this: Jesus was the very Son of God, but he didn’t hold his head high with pride. He didn’t dismiss the input of others, even though he knew everything (and he actually did know everything). Rather, he humbled himself. He thought of others more highly than himself. He didn’t need to be right; he just needed to fulfill the purpose and plan God had for him on this earth. Jesus’s example of humility is a perfect representation of how we need to approach evaluation and feedback concerning our worship services. A prideful heart will only keep us from seeking out and hearing input that can improve our services exponentially. But a heart of humility and a spirit that loves discipline and correction will allow us to create a culture of feedback that has the potential to take our churches to the next level. — Nelson Searcy, Jason Hatley, and Jennifer Dykes Henson, Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 153.

6. What price do we pay when we refuse to listen to correction?

Even though we may initially struggle with receiving it, we can’t deny the importance of feedback. I know you have goals you want to accomplish for your church, just as I do. If you didn’t, you would have stopped reading this book long ago. But you are still with me because you have a desire to plan your worship in a way that leads to engaging, life-changing services. If you and I ever hope to reach the goals we have set for ourselves and our churches, we have to be open to evaluating the progress we are making—and we have to have a system in place to foster that evaluation.

Without measurements, we have no way to know how we are doing; we have no way of keeping score. Let’s say you decide to sit down for a little Monday Night Football. You turn the television on, and the game is already underway. What’s the first thing you look for? The score, right? But what if the score isn’t there? What if the heads of the NFL decided they were going to have teams play each other every week, but they weren’t going to assess which teams were doing better than others? Maybe some of the owners and coaches got together and decided they didn’t like keeping score; they would rather just operate on how things felt week to week. I know I wouldn’t sit and watch two teams run up and down the field, throw a ball, and tackle each other if there was no evaluation mechanism in place. You wouldn’t either.

Why is it, then, that we think we can spend months putting together a Sunday service and then, after the final amen, close the book on that service without evaluating how things went? As I’ve stated many times, one of our primary responsibilities is to reflect God’s excellence to the world, starting with the people in our churches. But here’s an underlying principle of that truth: there is no excellence without evaluation. — Nelson Searcy, Jason Hatley, and Jennifer Dykes Henson, Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 153–154.

7. What would be some things we could evaluate each other on as teachers? Let’s make a list.

Rate yourself on a scale of one to ten with one being poor and ten being excellent.

Passion. Did you present the truth with some conviction?

Practical. Did you give specific application that can be applied to life this week? Did you teach for a verdict?

Humor. Were there points when the group laughed together?

Personal. Did you touch them where they live? Were you open about where you are at?

Involvement. Was everyone interested and with you? Did you have a good number of people participate in the discussion?

Preparation. Were you well prepared enough to present the lesson with confidence?

Background. Did you bring some interesting background not evident from the casual reading of the text.

Introduction. Did you grab their attention at the first? Did the introduction answer the question: why should I listen to you today?

Inspiration. Did you attempt to inspire them to do what you wanted them to do?

Focus. Did you have one or two "big ideas" that you attempted to drive home throughout the lesson?

Josh Hunt, You Can Double Your Class in Two Years or Less, 1995.

8. Looking at the list above, what is one thing you do well at as a teacher, and one thing that needs improvement?

The unexamined life is not worth living and the unexamined teacher is not so good either. Evaluate yourself regularly on these criteria. On the following page is an evaluation sheet. Make copies and evaluate your self each week. If you are really brave, have your spouse or a class member do the evaluation with you. The fastest way to grow a class is to increase the effectiveness of the teaching. Every teacher can improve. You can. I can. Even Chuck Swindoll can. If you are going to double your class every two years or less, you have to teach a half-way decent lesson each and every week; nothing less will do. — Josh Hunt, You Can Double Your Class in Two Years or Less, 1995.

9. How has your teaching improved over the years?

If you, as a teacher, got a "report card," how well would you do? By regularly assessing your strengths and weaknesses, you can steadily improve your effectiveness as a teacher. Use the following exercise to evaluate yourself.

Circle the number representing how accurately the statement reflects you.

1 = always, 2 = usually, 3 = sometimes, 4 = rarely, 5 = never.

1. I spend time in prayer for each of my students.1 2 3 4 5

2. I spend at least two hours preparing for each class. 1 2 3 4 5

3. I spend time each day reading and studying the Bible. 1 2 3 4 5

4. I vary the activities and methods I use in teaching. 1 2 3 4 5

5. I begin every presentation with clearly-defined goals and objectives. 1 2 3 4 5

6. I consider my teaching responsibility a response to a call from God. 1 2 3 4 5

7. I encourage student participation during the class.1 2 3 4 5

8. I regularly provide suggestions/guidelines for further study and application of the lesson/topic. 1 2 3 4 5

9. I have defined methods of evaluating whether my students have learned during the lesson/quarter/year. 1 2 3 4 5

10. I regularly participate in a variety of activities that will enhance my teaching skills (seminars, workshops, reading books and magazines, etc.). 1 2 3 4 5

Adapted from 7 Laws of the Teacher video curriculum workbook by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, Atlanta, GA (800) 868–9882. Used by permission. / Discipleship Journal, Issue 82 (July/August 1994) (NavPress, 1994).

10. How would you like for your teacher to improve in the next twelve months?

Questions are the least expensive resource for teaching and yet may be the most valuable resource available to the teacher. Even the teacher with the least experience can learn to ask good questions. The veteran teacher with lots of experience can improve in the art of asking questions. Even churches with no budget for Christian education can still afford to help its teachers learn to ask good questions. Questions only cost the time and effort to think of them and to plan for using them. Most teachers do not think ahead of time about the questions they will ask in the process of exploring a Bible story or theological concept with the members of their classes. Most teachers do not write their questions in advance to have them available in their teaching plan. And most teachers, most of the time, do not ask good questions to guide the learners, because they have not thought about them or planned carefully which questions to ask. — Donald L. Griggs, Teaching Today’s Teachers to Teach (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003).

11. What is your plan for improving as a teacher?

5 Ways to Improve as a Teacher by John Green

1. Record yourself. Listen for words or phrases that you overuse. I once counted myself using the phrase "you know" about 25 times in one sermon. Ask yourself, Would I enjoy listening to this teacher, or would I be counting the ceiling tiles? Do my illustrations work? Is my train of thought clear, and does it lend the listener to a conclusion that requires involvement? Do I vary my tone of voice, or is it flat and monotonous? Is my lesson too short, or does it drag on interminably? Are my word choices suitable for my audience’s comprehension level? Do I permit enough time for group interaction?

This can be a very painful process, but don’t be discouraged. Developing an awareness of your strengths and shortcomings as a teacher is a necessary prerequisite for improving!

2. Ask someone to videotape you. Watch for distracting mannerisms. Are you stiff and mechanical or relaxed? Are you chained to the lectern, or do you mingle with your listeners? Do you slouch or lean? Do you use your hands, arms, and facial expressions to their full potential? Do you make eye contact with your listeners? Choose a couple of things you want to work on, then practice in front of a mirror.

3. Seek feedback. Be sure to ask someone who will give you honest advice. You’re not looking for praise, but for insight into areas you can improve. You can even arrange for someone to signal you when you get stuck in a rut during a lesson (like telling that fish story for the umpteenth time).

4. Observe gifted teachers and take notes. What grabs you about their teaching content or style? What is their manner of delivery? What is the length of their messages? How do they use their voice? How do they involve you as a listener?

5. Get a book on teaching or public speaking and learn from the pros. The Art of Public Speaking by Ed McMahan is one excellent resource. Teaching to Change Lives by Howard Hendricks is another. Browse at your local bookstores or library. Be a lifelong learner! — Discipleship Journal, Issue 104 (March/April 1998) (NavPress, 1998).

12. Do you ever get to the point where you no longer need to improve?

No. Same with discipleship. We are being changed from one glory to another.

13. Proverbs 27.5. Why is open rebuke better than concealed love?

Solomon wrote, “Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed” (Proverbs 27:5). Everyone has blind spots, and it can be an act of love to point out those spots to our friends—and for our friends to point them out in us. I sometimes wonder what everyone else knows about me that I don’t know. I need people in my life who will be open with me, honest with me, and candid with me about those areas. I need friends who will speak the truth in love without judging me.

Sometimes we have to be bold and courageous enough to say the things that we don’t want to say. Bill Hybels calls it “saying the last 10 percent.” Most friends will tell us 90 percent of what we need to hear, but a true friend will tell us the last 10 percent. Pastor John Burke writes, “For most people, as soon as relationships get difficult, they bail out. They never let God lead them and grow them. But it is when things get difficult that God can teach us what love really does as we respond to Him.” — Steve Reynolds, Wise Up, 2014.

14. When offering correction, how can we increase the chances that the conversation will go well?

As we are being bold, we need to remember four rules for engaging in candid conversations. First, it is important to begin by examining our own hearts. Jesus said, “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:4-5).

Second, we need to confront a friend in the right timing. Solomon writes, “A word spoken in due season, how good it is!” (Proverbs 15:23). We should correct our friends when they are up, not when they are down. Wise friends ask themselves, Is this the appropriate time in this person’s life for me to bring up the concern?

Third, it is important for us to compliment our friends in public and correct them in private. This goes back to being kind—we never want to do something that would tear our friends down and humiliate them in front of others. There are exceptions to this rule. In Galatians 2:14, Paul wrote that he rebuked the disciple Peter “before them all.” However, we have to remember that Peter committed the act publically, so Paul needed to rebuke it publically so the whole body could be corrected. The circle of correction needs to be about the same size as the circle of offense.

Finally, we should never rebuke others unless we are open to rebuke from them. The most difficult people to deal with are those who are quick to correct but are not open to receiving correction. As Solomon bluntly states, “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). — Steve Reynolds, Wise Up, 2014.

15. Ecclesiastes 7.5, 6. What do we learn from the crackling of thorns under a pot?

We normally resist the pain of a rebuke, but Solomon says rebuke from a wise man is far better than the songs of fools. He likens the praise of a fool to the crackling of thorns in a fire. This is an illustration from life in biblical days. When a short burst of heat was needed in a fire, branches from a thorny plant would be thrown on the fire because they flamed up so quickly and intensely. But thorns would never be used for a fire you wanted to last a long time. Likewise, the praise of fools is intense, but temporary; whereas the rebuke of a wise man has long-lasting benefit. — David Jeremiah, Searching for Heaven on Earth: How to Find What Really Matters in Life (Study Guide) (San Diego, CA: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004), 70.

16. Is it possible to become wise if we will not listen to correction?

Accepting rebuke is a sign of wisdom which Solomon mentions throughout his writings (Proverbs 10:17; 12:1; 15:5; 17:10; 25:12; 27:5; 29:1). But we would much rather hear the words of a “stroker”—someone who strokes us and makes us feel good about ourselves. But a “stroker” can’t be trusted! They usually have ulterior motives for why they’re pumping us up—probably to curry our favor down the road. They “stroke” us and then they strike; a friend becomes an enemy.

Solomon says to be more interested in the rebuke of someone who is wise, a person who loves you, than the songs and strokes of a person who is insincere. If you practice this principle for a lifetime, you will reap the permanent benefits of wisdom and avoid the downfalls of flattery. — David Jeremiah, Searching for Heaven on Earth: How to Find What Really Matters in Life (Study Guide) (San Diego, CA: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004), 70.

17. Have you ever heard of the sandwich method of offering correction? What is that about? Who can offer an explanation?

The Sandwich Technique

Bread of praise: Begin with a positive statement, a sincere compliment, or a genuine statement of loving care. Accentuate the positive aspect of the situation.

Example: “I know this is a very difficult time for you, but I know you have the God-given courage and the ability to rise above this situation and turn it around. I would love to help you if you will let me.”

“A man finds joy in giving an apt reply—and how good is a timely word!” (Proverbs 15:23)

Meat of correction: Clarify the desired goal. Objectively recount the chain of events that led up to the present problem, examining what might have gone wrong and why. Problem-solve by brainstorming about possible options presently available for correcting the situation. Then determine a future course of action.

Example: “Let’s look at the situation and ask God to help us figure out what happened and how we can work on establishing a new strategy that will set you on a correction course and improve your chances of being successful.”

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” (Proverbs 12:1)

Bread of encouragement: Conclude with a statement expressing confidence and assurance of future success.

Example: “I’ve seen you overcome difficulties in the past, and I know you can do this. I’m extremely proud of you. I believe in you, and I believe in God, who lives within you. If you follow His leading and rely on Him for your sufficiency, you will succeed at everything He calls you to do.”

“Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Confrontation: Challenging Others to Change (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 28–29.

18. Why is it a good idea to add some encouragement in the confronting conversation?

When confronting someone who needs to be corrected, the “Sandwich Technique” has proved to be an effective way to both instruct and encourage at the same time. We all know how it feels to be unsuccessful, to have plans fail for lack of preparation, information, or skills—or to have relationships fail for lack of insight, discernment, or communication. We also know how it feels to fail because of blatant wrongdoing on our part, reacting angrily when disappointed, forcing compliance when pressured, or seeking retaliation when rejected. In such times, we need someone to come alongside us and, in a gentle, nonthreatening way, “set us straight” before we do even more harm.

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.” (Galatians 6:1)

June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Confrontation: Challenging Others to Change (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 28.

19. Let’s review this study as a whole. What have you learned that was most helpful?

20. How can we support one another in prayer this week?

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