If You're Suddenly a Sunday School Teacher...

When I first started teaching, I thought I was clueless.  In reality, I was well-equipped and anointed by the Holy Spirit of God.  If you feel that you do not deserve to be a Sunday School Teacher, have no idea how to run a classroom, or just plain need a reminder of what works, here are 7 tips I have found along my journey.

1. Make your calling and election sure.  (2 Peter 1:10)
   Are you called to be a Sunday School Teacher?  Then quit doubting yourself!  Satan (and yourself) will destroy any ability you have to be effective in the classroom with simple doubt.  If you do not know for a fact that you are called to teach, then you need to make certain.  1 Corinthians 1: 26 tells us to "let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called."  It is a dangerous thing to dabble in a work wherein there is no anointing.  For help knowing if you have been called to teach, please read this blog about how I knew my calling was of God.  
   
   
2. Allow Jesus to teach.
   I found that whenever I became excited about the material so much so that I planned out every word, I was leaving no room for the Lord to teach.  All of my lesson plans are intentionally vague.  (You can check out any of my worksheets or bible studies to see what I mean.)  I know what Scripture I am going to read, what questions I want to ask, and some main points I want to convey.  But all of that is changeable.  If you feel the Holy Spirit taking you in a direction you hadn't intended, go for it!  The Lord will give the words you need, which leads to tip 3.
   
   
3. Don't be afraid.
   Okay, be afraid, but don't give into fear.  Matthew 10:18-20 teaches that when we are instructing others about God, the Holy Spirit will give us exactly what we need.  Period.  You don't have to struggle with what to say or worry about your students asking you a question which you cannot answer because Jesus, God Himself, is dwelling in you as the Holy Spirit and it is He who speaks, not you.  When Paul wrote that we can do all things through Christ, he also meant enabling you to teach your Sunday School class!
   
   
4. Pray.
   Put God, not yourself, first.  Ask Him to help you.  Ask Him to reach your students.  Ask whatever you need to ask to prepare yourself spiritually to teach.  If I am struggling with material, I ask the Lord for help.  If I am nervous about a touchy subject I have to teach, I take it to Him and remind myself that all Scripture is good for doctrine, instruction, and correction (2 Timothy 3:16).  Also, make sure you pray with your students at the beginning of each lesson.  It is a great reset for yourself and them to open their minds to God's Word.
   
   
5. Keep it simple.
   God is simple.  He wants to keep it simple.  We tend to make it messy, complexed, and jumbled.
   
   
6. The Word will not go out Void.
   Don't feel like you have to cram all of the information into your students' minds.  Isaiah 55:11 promises that God's Word will accomplish that which God sets it out to do.  So, how the students receive the lesson is up to God, not you.  Whew!  That's a relief!
   
   
7. Engage Everybody.
   You've heard it before.  There are visual, verbal, and experiential learners.  Rotate your lessons and activities to appeal to each type.  Again, don't feel like you have to appeal to everybody all the time.  Mixing it up works just fine.

So, I trust that after reading this, you have a clearer concept of how to conduct your class.  May God bless you in your mission!