For any technique, tool, method, concept, we must always ask ourselves, "So What?"

  
     

" HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember?"  Mark 8:18
 

James 1:23
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;24for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was"
 

I teach a very interactive class and leave to go home asking myself, "so what will become of my carefully prepared lesson? What do I hope will happen with my students? What can I do to help them remember?

(created with Audacity as a .wav file)

When studying the Scriptures, it is important to ask 5 questions to establish CONTEXT:

  1. Who wrote this portion of the Scriptures? Sometimes identifying the writer will give you clues to the answers to the next 4 questions.

  2. To whom was it written to? As with all writing, it is important to understand the intended audience. Knowing the answer to this question will help you to answer the rest of the questions. If the book was written to Christians, then we will not apply these Scriptures to those who are outside of the Body of Christ.

  3. When was it written? Answering this question helps the learner to put the Word into historical context. Without knowing the context, the Scriptures can be easily misinterpreted. Who was to lay on their side? 

     4"As for you, lie down on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it; you shall bear their iniquity for the number of days that you lie on it.

     5"For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity, three hundred and ninety days; thus you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel."

    Would this commandment be appropriate for everyone? To interpret Scriptures appropriately we must know who it was written to and which level of God's Will it relates to.

    God's Will can be divided into the following:

    • Universal / Predestined Will- that all should be saved (Romans 8:29-30; 1 Cor 2:7; Eph 1:5, 11)
    • Specific Will - as with the prophet above (Ezek 4:4) and as with Jonah (Jonah 1).
    • Permissive Will - allows all to make a choice to follow Him or to follow Satan (Acts 14:16)
    • Reactive Will - God reacts to the prayers of the righteous (James 5:16; 1 Peter 3:12).
    • Dynamic Will - God is working through His church and His saints. The Holy Spirit is exerting power on our "inner man" to guide and mold us into the image of His Son. (Eph 1:11; 19-20; 1 Corinthians 12:11; Phil 2:13; Hebrews 13:21)

     

  4. Why was it written? The entire book was written for a purpose. To interpret one Scripture out of context with the purpose of the book would be easy to do if we did not stop to examine the true purpose of the writing.

  5. What does it say to me?  So what? What difference will having attended to this Scripture make in my personal walk with Christ?

Some Methods in dealing with the "so what?":

  • Reflection / Journaling

  • Creative writing- Websites, Blogs, Post Cards to Youth, Flyers created to share the Gospel by age group, bulletin boards, Puppets, Dramas, Video Productions

  • Application in Service

SUMMING UP: You as a teacher can choose to be a memorable or one whose efforts are easily forgotten. It is up to you to prepare students for the challenges of the future. If the Lord tarries, how will this generation of young people carry the Gospel to 7 billion souls? How are you preparing them for the onslaught of erroneous information available at the touch of a mouse? How are you preparing them for servant leadership as taught by our Lord? How are YOU making a difference? How do your lessons answer the question, "So what?"

MUST VIEW!!