Perry’s Scope: Christian sermons, lessons, and resources for teachers

When my daughter was young we often flew back from Texas to visit her grandparents in Tennessee and Kentucky.  On one flight, when the flight attendant gave her mandatory instructions, my daughter became upset. You see, the attendant told us that if we had need for oxygen masks, to put ours on first and then help our children.  In my daughter’s mind, she should be taken care of first.  In reality, if the adults take care of themselves first, they are more capable of taking care of their children.

That principle holds true in many situations.  Elders; Deacons; Teachers; HOME Group Leaders (etc.) need to take this to heart. As they lead groups, teach lessons, shepherd, and serve, they must not neglect themselves.  One of the best things church leaders can do for the church is to maintain a strong relationship with God.  The stronger they are, the more able they will be to lead and help others, especially in times of need.

Church Leaders, regardless of your capacity, let me encourage you to take the time to study God’s word - just for you.  Take the time to pray, not only for your others’ needs, but for yours as well.  Take time to practice spiritual disciplines.  Take the time to worship in spirit and truth.  You will be glad you did and so will your Church Family!

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

Teaching the Bible is an integral part of Sunday School Classes and HOME Groups. However, the work of these programs does not end with teaching. People need instruction and relationships. God never intended for us to live the Christian life - alone.The Jerusalem church modeled community for us in Acts 2. They met together publicly and in homes. They continued in fellowship. If they needed it, we do, too.

As a class leader; teacher; or small group leader you know that your task is bigger than the Book. Your task involves the encouragement of your class or group members as well as Bible knowledge. People primarily attend a groups or a class because of who is in it. We either have friends in the group or think we can make friends there. So, how can we create a sense of community within our group or class?

• Communicate the Need for Community. Tell your members that in addition to Bible study, your Class/Group is going to help in building Christian relationships. Isn’t it exciting to know that the relationships we build in our church will last forever?
• Change up your Style of Teaching. The worst teaching style is the one we use all of the time. Lecture has its place and so does discussion. In developing relationships, open-ended questions help us express ourselves.
• Use Effective Ice-Breakers. I like to have groups answer one or two questions at the beginning of each lesson which help the group to get to know one another as well as set the stage for the lesson. As people reveal themselves to the group, we are more able to understand “where we are coming from.”
• Pray Together. Be sure to take prayer requests in your Group/Class. A good way to end the formal time together is prayer. Again, our prayer requests show our needs.
• Have a Party. Josh Hunt (joshhunt.com) encourages Groups to have monthly fellowship activities. In fact, he says to “invite every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month.” Fellowship builds relationships and becomes a tool for outreach at the same time.
• Be Open. As a leader, find opportunities to tell your story and encourage others to tell theirs. There is something very powerful about sharing the innermost parts of our lives.
• Minister. A huge way of building community is to serve together. Service can take any form and much good can be done for the served. The servers, however, always benefit more. One of the benefits is the unique tie that comes as a result of serving together.

These are a few ways to build community within adult groups. As community is built, people become more and more aware of one another. They learn to trust and be trustworthy. The unity that Jesus describes (John 17) is formed.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

A penthouse sits on the very top of a building. It rests on all the stories below it. The point of so many sermons and bible class lessons rests on the stories that support them.

When I first began preaching, I rarely used stories. Most of my sermons were packed with scriptures. Everything I said was supported by a biblical text. Over time I began to hear more “successful” speakers than I and noticed a common characteristic of story-telling.

I started using stories, illustrations, quotes, etc. in my lessons. In my opinion, it improved my impact. I read that stories were like the raisins in the oatmeal. People may not always remember my sermon or class, but they tend to remember the point - based on the stories along with the text.

It occurs to me that we really want to imitate Jesus in our teaching. His primary method of teaching was the story. We generally call his stories “parables.” When Jesus spoke these parables, they were not scripture.  They did not become scripture until the Bible was canonized. Jesus could have just quoted scripture to people (and some times he did) or given sermons like we would present. He chose to emphasize story to his hearers.

I understand that the rabbis of Jesus’ day intentionally taught their disciples in order to make changes in their lives. They were not giving them information, they were making transformation. We think that if we just fill people with enough information it will be sufficient.

Jesus used his stories to illustrate biblical truth. For instance, the parable of the sower illustrates the power of God’s word. He could have quoted Psalm 119 and declared its power, but he chose a story. He could have quoted Zechariah and the fact that we do not despise the day of small beginnings. Ins tead, he chose to tell us about a mustard seed. On and on we could go.

There are many resources available for good stories. Take the time to read the newspaper, watch the news, read contemporary books, subscribe to on-line sites that are filled with stories and illustrations. Take the time to appropriately add these to your lessons. You will make a bigger impact and your hearers will remember.

Perry Greene

We know that Adult Bible Classes are more than teaching a good lesson each week. There are many factors which contribute to the success of a class. The following are based on material from Towns’ Sunday School Encyclopedia by Elmer Towns (Mr. Sunday School).  To build an Adult Clas . . . .

1. The teacher must give the class a high spiritual priority.
2. Use the same room each week.
3. Get the members to decorate the room.
4. Conduct regular class prayer meetings.
5. Serve the Lord as a class.
6. Give the class a distinctive name.
7. Select a class logo.
8. Select a class motto.
9. Create a distinctive letterhead.
10. Distribute a class newspaper or newsletter.
11. Select class leaders and workers.
12. Balance evangelism and education.
13. Keep members tied to the worship services.
14. Use visual aids (overhead projectors, power point, etc.).
15. Provide refreshments.
16. Focus on the needs of class members.
17. Greet arriving class members and guests.
18. Use name tags.
19. Set goals for new visitors.
20. Be friendly!

Keep The Light Burning! Perry Greene

It has already started - even before Thanksgiving. The Christmas season is in the air.  This IS a special time of year! We hear the music everywhere we go. We rush to buy those special gifts for our special people. All the while we remember in the back of our minds the coming of the special baby, born of a virgin so many years ago.

Do you remember his special mission? That is, why did he come at all? The angel told Joseph that the purpose of his coming was to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1.21).

I have a riddle for you. What is over 750,000 miles long, reaches around the earth thirty times; and grows twenty miles longer every day?

Do you give up? It is the line of people on the earth who are without Christ.

As a Teacher or Small Group Leader, you have a special place in the mission of Christ. You have a hand in decreasing the line of the lost. You also have a hand at building up the lives of those in Christ. You have a unique role in reaching OUT and reaching IN while you encourage people to reach UP.

During this season and every season, keep the mission of Christ before you. Remember that you play a vital role in helping him fulfill it.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene