Baby Lambs and Old Sheep
Earl Palmer
I have the same goal for both older and newer Christians: to make the language fresh, to make it come alive. Both groups need to see how exciting the text is, how filled with meaning it is.
—Earl Palmer
Becky, a new Christian in my Bible class, sparkles with enthusiasm even though she needs help to find Galatians: "Is that Old or New Testament?" she asks. I could tell her, "Jesus loves me, this I know," and she would be awed by the depth of my teaching.
Tim, on the other hand, raised in the church, has heard it all before. He's tired of "Jesus Loves Me" and may have read Galatians ten times already.
The problem is, they both sit in the same Bible study I teach.
School teachers have specific assignments: "Ninth-grade English literature." Pastors can't be so specific. I wonder what school teachers would do with a task like the pastor's: teach 200 students, kindergarten to graduate school (some gifted, some slow), covering everything from colors and the alphabet to biochemistry and calculus.
That is the challenge put before the pastor, to teach a diverse group of people who possess a variety of skills.
The easy way out, of course, is to offer classes for the new believer and classes for the mature believer. And there is a place for that.
But most of the time I prefer them to attend the same Bible study together. It's refreshing for mature Christians to see younger Christians excitedly discover old truths. It not only reminds them of the eternal freshness of the gospel, it also gives them new ways of seeing old truths.
New believers, on the other hand, need to hear the wisdom and experience that older Christians offer. It gives them the long view and helps stabilize their lives.
Though the benefits are great, teaching a mixed class ...
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,359 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
