Think, People!

On Tuesdays I teach scripture at a local primary public school to a class of year-six students - that's 6th graders, for those reading from the States.  Over the school term we have grown to have more of a routine.  We usually start with a passage from the Bible and spend the last third of our time in workbooks.  In the workbooks there are crossword puzzles, mazes, fill-in-the-blank questions, and the highly-sought after "find-a-word."  There are days where there seems to be a decent level of understanding, and other days the chore of eliciting reasonable responses is like attempting to pull teeth from a toothless baby!  It is a great consolation to me that God's Word never returns void.  I might be a lousy teacher, but the Holy Spirit isn't! :)

Today I asked a couple of questions to the class before opening the scriptures.  It is imperative to connect real life with the things we speak about from the Bible.  I am not interested in merely a transference of knowledge, but to have these young people apply Biblical truth to their own lives.  Today showed me, however, the kids would rather not think.  After labouring through the second question one girl asked, "Can we get started now?"  She wanted to read the Bible passage.  She knew once we read the Bible passage then she can do the fun workbook.  "We started already," I told the class.  "I am here to help you use your brains."  "What's a brain?" a boy in the back drawled out.  This is going to be a good day, I thought to myself.  And by God's grace, it was.  I witnessed my share of offhand remarks and glazed looks, but I trust God used it to make a difference for eternity.

Kids love to learn, but they don't always like to think.  These kids would love for me to do some storytelling, show them pictures of distant places, entertain them with puppets and drama, and let them spend time in their workbooks. They like finding the correct verse in the Bible and reading it out loud for the group.  They are happy for me to do all the thinking and tell them what to do.  But when it comes to these kids actually thinking about what the passage means, I tend to hear a lot of ridiculous statements or pervasive silence.  It seems to me these students have been trained to hear words, and repeat back when asked verbatim.  They are out of their depth to even hazard a guess what the words mean, much less how the truth applies to their personal lives!  It is so important to encourage critical thinking instead of merely conveying information.  Today reminded me how many children remain unreached in Bible classes and Sunday schools.  Don't get me wrong.  Many of these unreached children know a lot of Bible facts - maybe even more than their teachers.  Because they have never been challenged to think critically about what they are hearing, the truth has not actually been applied to their hearts.  Knowledge about the Bible can pass as a cheap substitute for knowledge of God, and this is a tragedy beyond words.

While adequate preparation and an engaging delivery of a lesson is the aim and responsibility of every teacher, no Bible teacher needs fear their efforts are being wasted.  Is not God a Redeemer?  My confidence must not be in my experience, preparation, visual aids, object lessons, or activities:  it must be in the Spirit of God to open the hearts and minds of kids to consider God's infallible truth and how it demands action on their part.  The Bible is not just facts to know but opens our gaze to our loving Creator, pure and holy.  The Bible introduces us to our Saviour Jesus Christ and how we can be born again through faith in Him.  No matter if we teach children or adults, our best will be useless when we step up confident in self.  Days like today remind me I cannot teach anyone anything.  I need God, and He doesn't need me!  Thank God for sending the Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth!  Thank you for choosing to use this frail, sorry vessel to pour forth your love and light.  Praise God for His wondrous grace!