A Season of Providing Teaching Helps is Coming to an End this Week

After serving at Lifeway for 13 years, I moved back to serving on a local church staff in 2012.  During those 13 years I had made notes of things I would do differently as a minister if I were to make this transition. One of those changes focused on helping Sunday School/Group leaders learn how to customize their teaching plans. My goal was to demonstrate how I assimilate personal Bible study, the resources provided by Lifeway, the context of current events, and the needs of my group into a customized plan. Because I teach a group each week, I began sharing my finished teaching plans with my church group leaders every week via a blog post.

Over the years, other church leaders asked if I could share this finished plan with their leaders. Individual group leaders also asked to be added to a list so they could receive the helps as well. This had grown to the point that delivery via a public blog was the best approach to sharing this information.  Again, the goal was to help leaders learn the art of customizing their plans in their context.

After some discussions with Lifeway, I feel it is time to discontinue this practice via my website  and email effective this week.

It's my prayer, if you use Lifeway's Explore the Bible curriculum, that you will continue to customize your plans each week based on your study of God's Word, Lifeway's helps, and the context of your group. To those who have discovered the Explore the Bible curriculum through this regular post, I hope you will explore the use of that curriculum further. As always, I am available to train group leaders if you need that ministry in your church.

If you should have questions regarding Lifeway curriculum please contact Dwayne McCrary at dwayne.mccrary@lifeway.com.

Thanks again for all your words of encouragement, support, and other kind words over these past years. 

My prayer for you can't be stated any better than Paul's words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:14-17:

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

With that said, below are the downloadable teaching helps focused on Mark 15:21-39 where the gospel story finally reaches its climax as the perfect Son of God gives Himself as a final sacrifice to pay the penalty for man’s sins. He bridges the gap for those who willingly respond to His invitation to follow Him! Let’s rejoice for the gift Jesus gave as we observe the sacrifice Jesus made for us!

Downloadable Teaching Helps

These helps include additional ideas and my plan I use to teach my Bible study group.

Download PDF Version

Download Word Version

LifeWay Explore The Bible Resources

These teaching helps are intended to be used as a supplement to your study of Lifeway's Explore the Bible curriculum resources. Portions of this material are taken directly from content copyrighted to Lifeway Christian Resources Explore the Bible and is used with permission.  This material has not been reviewed by Lifeway Christian Resources. 

What are you doing to prepare for everything that takes place during the Christmas season? While we are busy preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ, we should not forget the actions Jesus willingly took to prepare for what He was about to face in the last days and hours prior to His death. Some of those actions are examined in Mark 14:3-42.

Jesus knows what lies ahead, but He still has to prepare for what He is about to face. Mark 14:3-42 reminds us that Jesus willingly and intentionally prepared to pay the price for our sin. In the days leading up to His sacrifice, He prepared by allowing others to “pour into His life” and He spent an agonizing time in prayer in order to gain strength for what He was about to face.

We should learn from His experience about the high price Jesus paid for our sins. We should also understand how important it is for us to willingly and intentionally prepare to live for Jesus daily.

Downloadable Teaching Helps

These helps include additional ideas and my plan I use to teach my Bible study group.

Download PDF Version

Download Word Version

LifeWay Explore The Bible Resources

These teaching helps are intended to be used as a supplement to your study of Lifeway's Explore the Bible curriculum resources. Portions of this material are taken directly from content copyrighted to Lifeway Christian Resources Explore the Bible and is used with permission.  This material has not been reviewed by Lifeway Christian Resources. 

Have the current world events caused you to be more patient or less patient regarding Jesus’s promise to come again to gather believers unto Himself? What kind of questions regarding Jesus’s return have the current world events caused you to ask? The Explore the Bible Study: Returning will examine the lessons Jesus teaches that will help you deal with these questions with hope and faith.

Throughout history, when moral depravity is rampant, disasters strike, persecution is prevalent, or world conflict seems imminent it should cause believers to pause and consider if this might be the time when Jesus would return as He promised. Our current world circumstances are certainly one of those times as we observe the events unfolding in the Middle East and around the world.

Jesus promised His disciples that He would return again to gather His believers unto Himself. For over 2000 years, believers have been waiting for that promise to be fulfilled. Sometimes believers have waited patiently and at times impatiently. Some have questioned whether Jesus was telling the truth or wonder if He has taken back that promise. No matter the case, our circumstances can impact our faith, mind, and emotions as we wait for Jesus’s promised return.

As you live your life this week, remember the promises throughout the Scripture regarding Jesus’ return. Hopefully this passage from 1 Thessalonians will be an encouragement as you become more alert and watch for Jesus’ return:

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18)

Downloadable Teaching Helps

Includes additional ideas and my plan I use to teach my Bible study group.

Download PDF Version

Download Word Version

LifeWay Explore The Bible Resources

These teaching helps are intended to be used as a supplement to your study of Lifeway's Explore the Bible curriculum resources. Portions of this material are taken directly from content copyrighted to Lifeway Christian Resources Explore the Bible and is used with permission.  This material has not been reviewed by Lifeway Christian Resources.