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First Time Bible Teacher

First Time Bible Teacher

By Brian Higgins & GoodLion

Learning to teach the Bible is a high calling. The First Time Bible Teacher podcast walks through some of the basic principles any Bible teacher needs to know. For this podcast, I draw from my 10+ years of Bible teaching experience and countless years of wisdom I've pulled from incredible mentors. Subjects include outlining a passage, using illustrations well, commanding an audience, and much more.
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4. Introductions

First Time Bible TeacherJul 16, 2018

00:00
18:49
36. Emotionally Aware Teaching

36. Emotionally Aware Teaching

In the search for truth, sometimes we ignore the emotional state of our people. To teach the Bible effectively, we need to remain aware of the emotions of our congregations. This episode talks about the balance between truth and emotion in Bible teaching as well as some practical ways this balance can inform your teaching. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Nov 18, 201919:50
35. Crafting a Teaching Calendar

35. Crafting a Teaching Calendar

Everyone prepares for what they find important. In our Bible teaching, it's important that we prepare ahead of time. A good teaching calendar can help you teach prepared in many ways. This episode discusses the importance of a teaching calendar, what a good teaching calendar includes, and ways to start getting yourself on this healthy schedule. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Nov 11, 201924:42
34. Applications Without Legalism

34. Applications Without Legalism

Many people think being a Christian is a list of rules to follow. Unfortunately, bad application methods can reinforce wrong ideas about God. In this episode, we define legalism, mention some ways legalism can creep into our teaching, and give some better methods for applying a message. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Nov 04, 201924:03
33. Don't Assume What Your Audience Knows

33. Don't Assume What Your Audience Knows

Teaching above the head of your audience is a great way to get them to tune out. In this episode, we discuss how to make sure you're staying on track with your audience. We discuss the importance of teaching to your people as well as ways to keep every member of your audience included. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Oct 28, 201918:15
32. Teaching Without Notes

32. Teaching Without Notes

Many Bible teachers feel like slaves to their notes. But breaking free can be a scary process. This episode talks about the need to learn this important skill as well as gives some tips for how to begin learning to teach without notes. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Oct 07, 201924:08
31. Dealing With Discouragement

31. Dealing With Discouragement

Every Bible teacher will face discouragement at some point. The question for Bible teachers is what they'll do when discouragement comes. This episode talks about analyzing your discouragement, finding the helpful truths in it, and not dwelling on it for too long. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Sep 16, 201923:20
30. The Teacher as Servant

30. The Teacher as Servant

Jesus came to be a servant, not to receive service from us. Bible teachers need to follow his example. This episode examines some bad motives that may slip into the hearts of Bible teachers. It also point to the right motive to teach as well as provides some practical ways we can serve people in our teaching. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Sep 02, 201921:49
29. Being Personal vs. Making It About You

29. Being Personal vs. Making It About You

For Bible teachers, it can be hard to be transparent. We want to be honest with our listeners, but how much is too much to share? This episode helps answer that question and dives into practical ways to balance transparency with wisdom. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Aug 26, 201925:19
28. Can You Study Too Much For A Sermon?

28. Can You Study Too Much For A Sermon?

Can you reach a point in your study where it stops being helpful? The answer to that might actually be yes! At some point, a Bible teacher needs to know it's time to stop preparing and trust what they have. This episode dives into what it means to overstudy, how you can know you might be over studying, and why this topic should not lead to lazy prep work. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Aug 19, 201922:58
27. Handling In The Moment Teaching Requests

27. Handling In The Moment Teaching Requests

In your teaching life, you'll often have plenty of time to prepare your sermon. But sometimes, you'll get almost no time at all. How can you respond to these requests with quality teachings instead of fearful stammering? This episode gives some helpful principles for handling in the moment teaching requests. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Aug 12, 201925:18
26. Life Update and the Relationship Between Your Personal Life and Teaching Life

26. Life Update and the Relationship Between Your Personal Life and Teaching Life

We're back with new weekly episodes! This episode explains where there's been such a gap in time between the last episode and this episode and dives into the relationship your personal life needs to have with your teaching life. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Aug 05, 201922:15
25. Teaching Without A Pulpit

25. Teaching Without A Pulpit

For many, the desire to teach is more present than the opportunities. That doesn't mean that you can't hone your teaching gift now. This episode is designed to encourage you to develop your teaching abilities even if you don't have formal opportunities. We'll outline a few ways you can practice skills that make for good teaching right now. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

May 13, 201921:57
24. Pushing Through A Bad Teaching

24. Pushing Through A Bad Teaching

What do you do when you're in the middle of a teaching and it's not going well? For many, the answer is panic. While that may be the first response, there are simple, helpful things you can do during a bad teaching to help you push your way through it. For more info, go to goodlion.io.

Apr 29, 201922:53
23. Getting Feedback From Non-Teachers with My Wife!

23. Getting Feedback From Non-Teachers with My Wife!

Sometimes, we get too focused on what other teachers think of us. If we're not careful, we can teach only for other preachers, not the people sitting in front of us. In this episode, I interview my wife and we talk about the way she thinks about listening to preaching, helpful things that make messages stick, and ways you can keep your audience from tuning you out. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Apr 22, 201924:27
22. Honesty In Teaching

22. Honesty In Teaching

When it comes to teaching the Bible, people need to know you're a real person. This episode dives into how we can be relatable by looking at four areas where honesty helps in teaching. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Apr 15, 201918:05
21. Creative Prep Methods, Teaching Discoveries & Deep-Dive Studying with Aaron Salvato

21. Creative Prep Methods, Teaching Discoveries & Deep-Dive Studying with Aaron Salvato

This episode is an interview with Aaron Salvato, Founder of Hesed Creative, Podcast Director of the GoodLion Podcast Network and Former Youth Pastor of Calvary Chapel Vista. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Apr 01, 201938:58
20. Preaching To The Culture

20. Preaching To The Culture

When we teach the Bible to people, we get a small part of their entire lives. The culture is teaching things to our listeners all the time and we need to speak to those things. This episode discusses the role teachers should take in relating to the culture and practical ways to teach with cultural engagement in mind. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Mar 25, 201927:51
19. Teaching That Encourages Discipleship

19. Teaching That Encourages Discipleship

To teach people well, we need to realize the limits that teaching has. Just like a classroom teacher uses homework, tests and so many other things to reinforce lessons, so Bible teachers need to think about using more than just sermons. This episode discusses the various ways teaching can promote and come alongside of teaching to help your listeners grow to love Jesus more. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Mar 18, 201923:01
18. Balancing Head and Heart Knowledge

18. Balancing Head and Heart Knowledge

Ever feel like a teaching is just dry knowledge? On the other end, ever felt like a teaching was only meant to pull on your heartstrings without teaching you anything new? This episode talks about the need to balance those two things. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Mar 11, 201921:36
17. Preaching To Your People

17. Preaching To Your People

Teaching is a very personal thing. As you teach the Bible, you need to be very careful to consider the actual people you are standing in front of. Bible teachers can easily start teaching hypothetical people, not the real people in their church. This episode will help you ask questions that guide you towards the people you are actually teaching. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Mar 04, 201920:59
16. The Role Of Prayer In Study

16. The Role Of Prayer In Study

In all of our reading, writing and prepping, the step that might be easiest to skip is prayer. Without prayer, we're just relying on ourselves. That's a dangerous place for any Bible teacher to be in. This episode helps you think through the role of prayer in your study and will give you some practical ways to pray more for your teachings. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Feb 25, 201923:14
15. Personal Study vs. Corporate Study

15. Personal Study vs. Corporate Study

In teaching the Bible, it's very easy to turn all Bible reading into message prep. This episode discusses the importance of making a distinction between personal study and corporate study. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

Feb 18, 201923:31
14. Teaching Is A Task, Not An Identity

14. Teaching Is A Task, Not An Identity

In teaching, it's very easy to define yourself by the way you teach. God never asks Bible teachers to identify themselves by the way they perform in teaching. This episode dives into the need to view teaching as a task instead of an identity and gives some ways to help do that. Follow this podcast on Instagram (@firsttimebibleteacher) to stay up to date, get episode art, and learn more about the Good Lion Podcast network.
Feb 11, 201919:48
Season 2 Teaser and Other Fun Stuff

Season 2 Teaser and Other Fun Stuff

Brand new things are coming to First Time Bible Teacher! Make sure you've subscribed as the new season of First Time Bible Teacher starts on February 11th.
Jan 28, 201903:39
13. Simplicity In Teaching
Sep 17, 201818:50
12. Finding Your Voice
Sep 10, 201822:16
11. Dynamics In Teaching
Sep 03, 201820:00
10. Commanding An Audience
Aug 27, 201816:11
9. Flow Within A Message
Aug 20, 201818:53
8. Illustrations
Aug 13, 201827:45
7. Applications
Aug 06, 201819:00
6. Building Main Points
Jul 30, 201820:51
5. Conclusions
Jul 23, 201819:54
4. Introductions
Jul 16, 201818:49
3. Teaching Notes
Jul 09, 201820:14
2. Message Prep
Jul 02, 201821:25
1. The Teacher
Jun 25, 201818:06
First Time Bible Teacher Season 1 Teaser
Jun 04, 201801:29