Page 6 - Teaching Principles and Methods Student Textbook short

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Philippians 2: 5-11 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he
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was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by
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taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he
humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God
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has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name
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of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ESV

This verse says we are to have the exact same attitude as Jesus Christ in coming to earth to pay the
penalty for our sin. Notice he came as a servant. He did not come to be admired or looked up to. He
came humbly to serve us. That’s the attitude we must have as a teacher. If we teach a group of people,
we are there to meet their needs and serve them, not tell them what to do.

This same passage even makes it clearer,

Philippians 2: 3-4 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more
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significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of
others. ESV

Attitude is everything. If you are prideful, you will be a poor teacher. Another KEY to being a great
teacher is having a servant’s attitude.

When I teach a 40 minute lesson, I will generally spend between 3 and 4 hours preparing to teach the
lesson. Why so long? First, to serve the class properly, I had better find out accurately what the passage
says and carefully examine the Scriptures. If I mess up in my study, I have betrayed the class of really
knowing what God has said. I don’t rely on a teacher’s manual; rather I go directly to the passage and
begin there. Secondly, I spend some time trying to work on a presentation that will interest the class. I
might create a Powerpoint presentation showing slides and background information which will help
them visualize a component of the lesson. Then I will practice giving the lesson, trying to incorporate
methods which will draw the interest of the class into the lesson. And without a time of prayer, asking
the Holy Spirit to fill you full of the Word for the class, your efforts will be in vain. All of that takes time.
So why do I do that? Because I am the teacher and I am their servant. If they are to be fed God’s Word,
I must prepare to feed them.

It’s like inviting guests to a meal. They enter your home and are welcomed. You invite them to sit down
at the dinner table and show them their seat. Then you or your wife brings over the meal that she has
worked on for several hours and lays it before them. You are serving them dinner. They came, you
served, and they went home filled. Teaching is the same thing. They come, you feed them with God’s
Word, and they go home filled. You serve them as a teacher in the same way you serve them dinner.

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