MAGNOLIA MINDS: If you are a Sunday School teacher, I have a few suggestions

By Joe McKeever

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2 NASB).

For the second time in my life, I have been invited to teach the Sunday School lessons for The Baptist Record. The first time was over forty years ago. I enjoyed it immensely but other than that, recall nothing about it. Now, at the age of almost 86 and with 65 years of ministry behind me, I have lots of thoughts about teaching God’s word.  

I asked Editor Megan if I could say something to you who are teachers.

I’m well aware that anyone and everyone may read the printed Sunday School lessons which run each week in The Baptist Record. And not just teachers.  

So, for you who are going to lead the class in looking at God’s word, here is what I would like to say to you…

One. Your preparation should be continuous. Most definitely, not just on Saturday nights!  All week long you want to have in your mind the scripture you’ll be teaching next Sunday. That’s actually taught in Scripture. “In that (message) he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2 NASB). 

Two. Pray for the Father to show you new things in familiar scriptures. Let’s assume you have known God’s word most of your life. This means texts such as Matthew 14-28, my assignment for this quarter, are well-known to you. That’s good and it’s not good. It’s good in that you already know much about it. It’s not good in that you may actually find it boring.  

My pastor at First Baptist Church, Jackson, Chip Stevens, often begins the worship service with the words of Psalm 119:18. He prays, “Lord, open our eyes that we may behold wonderful things from Your law.”  It’s a great prayer, and it’s the very thing our Lord promised in a tiny little parable toward the end of Matthew 13. In verse 52, Jesus said someone who knows his Bible and then gets saved — this is the point of a scribe becoming a disciple of the kingdom — is like a homeowner who goes into his treasury and brings forth old things that he has loved and treasured for years, and — amazingly — every time he goes he brings out something new! (You’d go often, wouldn’t you?!) So, ask the Father to show you things you have missed in His word. 

Three. Recognize that each scriptural text deals with a problem believers face. For instance, Matthew 14’s lesson on courage requires that we deal with fear, a major problem for humanity through the ages. Matthew 15’s lesson on devotion confronts us with hypocrisy, in which people compartmentalize their lives. Matthew 16’s emphasis on following Jesus forces us to face questions about who Jesus is, and to find His mission for our lives.  

One of the discoveries I have made about boring sermons over these many years is that they often spout platitudes everyone already knows and believes. (I confess I have preached my share of those boring messages, and ask the Father to help me never to go there again!) What the typical boring sermon fails to do is to get down in the arena where people are fighting their battles, where they are being bloodied and bruised and battered, and to give them tools and weapons for facing the enemy.  

Four. When the class ends, do not try to judge your effort. You are not qualified for such difficult work. Leave it with Him. You may be in Heaven before you know how God used your teaching. Trust Him. 

Five. And when someone thanks you for a great lesson, the best response is a smile and “thank you,” and nothing more. The point is not to get too super-spiritual here. (“Oh, the Lord gave me this!”) Leave it with Him, and get ready for next week’s lesson. 

McKeever is a member of First Baptist Church, Jackson.