Knowing God's word is
fundamental in understanding our faith. Helping others understand God's word is
also foundational because it's how we build a solid church that positively
affects society.
We recently surveyed
adolescents and millennials regarding their perceptions on what they define as
teaching the Bible, and their own Bible teaching habits. The survey was
promoted on the Christian Instagram accounts, InstaPray and GodsHolyScriptures.
Of the 230 respondents the majority were: female (63%), <35 years old (86%),
from the United States (68%), and evangelical (73%).
The results showed that
about 27% of participants indicated they teach directly from the Bible at a
pre-arranged time at least once a week. In contrast, 40% responded they never
instruct others in scripture.
For those who do not teach
at least once a week the most common reasons were: they do not know enough
scripture (42%); do not know how to teach (but would like to learn, 37%); or
might make a mistake (34%).
Interestingly, only 11%
answered ‘they already teach once a week or more’ (in contrast to the 27% noted
above when asked directly if they teach) indicating that there may be 16% (27%
-11%) who perceive they teach when asked directly but then give reasons why
they do not teach. This finding indicates some Christians might overestimate
their frequency of teaching when asked directly.
For those who do teach at
least once a week, their preferred method was verse by verse (32%). In
addition, their favorite venue in which to instruct was a small group, in
person (27%); or one-on-one in-person (19%).
These numbers may indicate,
on the lower side, that if 1/3 of people who teach use the verse by verse method,
and this represent 11% of the total evangelical population, then 4% of young
evangelicals teach the Bible directly to others. More research is needed on
this topic!
Participants also noted
that additional potential valid informal ways to teach scripture were: writing encouraging notes or letters (62%);
strengthening others verbally with scripture verses (62%); and living a godly
lifestyle (71%). However, 70% agreed that verse by verse teaching had more
value than informal techniques.
In general, respondents
had good wellbeing (average 4.5/6.0 with 6.0 being the best). However, those
who regularly trained others in the Bible (4.8/6.0) reported better wellbeing
than those who taught infrequently (4.1/6.0) or did not (4.4/6.0) teach the
Bible (P= 0.003).
The survey suggests that
young evangelicals generally recognize the importance of verse-by-verse
teaching to others and want to learn how to instruct others. Those who teach
experience better wellbeing than those who do not.
Nonetheless, young
evangelicals are often reticent to teach fearing they are not capable or are
not able to answer questions. Further, some may overestimate how frequently
they teach the Bible.
So what is the importance
of teaching:
·
Problem – Unfortunately, teaching others or sharing
the gospel appears to rank right below ‘going to the dentist’ among desired
activities. Teleios’ research has shown that people generally fear sharing the
gospel specifically report being afraid of: social rejection, offending the
other person, not knowing what to say, or how to answer others’ questions.
·
What teaching is not – Teleios examined people’s habits in mentioning
the gospel (a part of our outreach). In a well-taught Evangelical Church,
attendees indicated they conveyed the gospel to others most commonly by:
- Sharing their lives – 78%.
- Praying for others – 71%.
- Encouraging others – 70%.
- Loving others – 68%.
- Explicitly mentioning how to
accept Jesus Christ as Savior – 30%.
Although sharing our lives is important, it
does not replace actually telling someone the gospel or directly teaching the
Bible. People cannot guess what we are thinking! Scripture recognizes that we
do not have visual support to our faith until Christ comes again (Hebrews 2:8) so others need to hear what to believe and
someone must explicitly tell them (Romans 10:14-17).
·
Why should we reach out to
others regarding our faith? There
are at least several reasons:
- It is a command – We are told to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2,15,24-26; 1 Timothy 4:6,16; Hebrews 5:12) which involves instructing
others in the Word of God. However, teaching also may include admonishing
others to correct action or thinking (Colossians 3:17; Ephesians 5:19).
- Better wellbeing – Teleios has found that people
who teach and share the Gospel enjoy better wellbeing than those who do
not. What initially seems fearful is actually enriching after a person
has shared the Gospel or taught God’s Word.
- Good judgment – The ability to teach appears to
indicate maturity which is associated with accurate and efficient
judgment and avoiding nasty pitfalls in life (Hebrews 5:14).
- Maturity – Being able to teach is associated
with maturity, especially the attributes of an elder/leader (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Hebrews 5:12).
- Uplifting the church – The benefit of teaching
others scripture or the gospel is not just for the individual but to the
church itself. Teaching the Bible and the gospel is the primary way that
we can grow the church and influence our culture generally (Colossians 1:5-10). Without Christians passing
down the precious words of our Father to the next generation, the church
certainly can suffer from lack of support as opposed to influencing and
benefiting our society.
So, let’s get to
work! The truth we possess in the Bible is good for our family, friends and
acquaintances as well as for our society!
Thank you for joining me
today. I look for to seeing you next time.
For
questions or to view more of our research…
Disclaimer
- This blog is provided for your use and enjoyment on an ‘as is’ and ‘as
available’ basis. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any
time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the
content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent
that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate
for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person
for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such
information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained
myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any
specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your
own research into the scriptures.
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