High targets for teaching teenagers. aoa
Have you watched the shows your teenage students enjoy most? Have you checked out the influencers they follow? Have you been curious enough to browse through their school textbooks, or to talk about what they’re learning at school? Have you noticed the quality of the music they listen to?
It’s not hard to see how much pointless and mind-numbing content is available to this generation. It seems that the media and schools don’t believe that teenagers are gifted with intelligence and creative capacity. And, if we’re not careful, we end up making the same mistake in church too!
Even though teenagers are often treated as if they lack intelligence, we know that they were created in the image and likeness of God, and by Him they were endowed with full capacity to think and create. Therefore, Christians who teach teenagers should have high goals. Try to consider the following:
· Que tipo de homem ou mulher quero que os adolescentes se tornem?
· What skills do they need to develop for this? ><
· Quando eles entrarem na juventude, o que precisam estar aptos a fazer?
· And what do I, as a Bible teacher, need to do to help them achieve this?
If you want your teenagers to become men and women of God, capable of discerning spiritual things, able to study the Scriptures, know God, and teach others the Truth, you cannot waste time underestimating the intelligence and ability of your students. Work towards achieving high goals! To do this, consider the following: >
1. How about investing more in teaching teenagers how to study the Bible instead of doing all the intellectual work for them, spending the entire class explaining what they could discover for themselves in the biblical text? >
2. Why not teach them to read and interpret the biblical text using the famous questions: Who? When? How? Where? What? Why? We can also add others, such as: What is the cause? What is the objective? What is the result? How does it relate to something they already know? What truth does the text reveal about God? And about man? Is there an eternal principle or truth in it?
3. Furthermore, as you explore the biblical text together, you can guide them to think about its implications and applications for their lives. Can you imagine? After spending their teenage years being challenged to think biblically, what kind of men and women might they become?
Teenagers can go far, far beyond! Let’s not make the mistake of underestimating the incredible abilities the Lord has given them. We are called to empower them to be able to handle God’s word well and equipped for every good work. <
Quer ministrar aulas desafiadoras que ensinam os adolescentes a interpretar e aplicar a Bíblia? Conheça a Série Mega Teen. It was specially developed to help you, who accept the challenge of teaching with high goals.
Ana Lídia C. Hohne — Editorial Coordinator of the Mega Teen Series
