A Spoonful of Sugar: Bringing Application to Bible Teaching
May 23, 2022 • Don den Hartog
Mary Poppins taught us that medicine goes down easier with a spoonful of sugar. As teachers of God's Word, we have something to learn from that.
Bible teachers believe the truth of Scripture changes lives. These teachers tend to pour a great deal of time and energy preparing for Bible studies, classroom lessons, sermons, and any other context where God's Word is the focus. This preparation examines on the content and interpretation of the biblical passages being studied. What does the text say? What does it mean? These are vital questions that need to be answered with accuracy.
One more question needs an answer. How in the world is this passage applied in the listeners' everyday lives?
If a teacher knows and shares fascinating details of the biblical text and arrives at the interpretation intended by the author, they are providing the necessary spiritual nourishment the listeners need. But the nourishment is not absorbed unless it is applied, and that is where many teachers fall short. They don't know how to bring the application of the Bible in a way that students can understand where biblical truth fits in the context of their personal lives.
How is that done? Along with the hard work of developing the content and arriving at an interpretation, it is crucial the teacher takes the necessary time to communicate true and living examples of how the truth that is communicated works where the rubber hits the road in real life.
