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    Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture
    Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture
    Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture
    Ebook79 pages1 hour

    Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

    By Trevin Wax

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    For small group leaders and Sunday school facilitators who prefer truth over technique, Gospel-Centered Teaching is refreshing in its simple purpose to remind you of something you already instinctively know: It's Jesus who changes lives, and the goal of your Bible study is to continually reintroduce people to Him. While discussing in depth common related concerns (missional apathy, biblical illiteracy in the church, shallow discussions, etc.), author and teacher Trevin Wax duly offers a practical guide to making sure your message is always surely centered on Jesus and what He has done: "Fellow teachers, let's soak ourselves in the truths of the gospel and the Word. Then, let's invite others to the fountain of living water offered freely by our Master Teacher whose life and death changes everything."
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBH Publishing Group
    Release dateOct 1, 2013
    ISBN9781433681738
    Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture
    Author

    Trevin Wax

    Trevin Wax (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as Bible and reference publisher for B&H Publishing Group. He is the author of three books and blogs regularly for the Gospel Coalition. Trevin lives in middle Tennessee with his wife, Corina, and their three children.

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    Reviews for Gospel-Centered Teaching

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      5/5 stars

      This short (just over 100 pages) is a must-read for every Christian - whether you teach others or not. Packed with simple explanations as to why it is so important to ground our lessons in the gospel, it will incite in you a passion to do so. Along the way there are helpful examples too so that you can read for yourself what he is advocating.

      Chapter 4 was the crux of the book: 3 questions all who teach (whether publicly or privately) should ask themselves: 1) is there anything about my treatment of this Old Testament text that a faithful Jew could not affirm?, 2) is there anything about my treatment of this New Testament text that a Mormon could not affirm?, and 3) is there anything in my treatment that an unbeliever off the street would be uncomfortable with?
    • 5/5
      Over the last few years we have seen an influx of resources for a Jesus-centered approach to Scripture. Partially in reaction to moralistic teachings, these aids present the great rescue plan of God as seen in Scripture. While most of these resources have been for pastors and seminary students, author Trevin Wax has written an accessible book perfect for Sunday School teachers and small group leaders.In Gospel-Centered Teaching, Wax invites readers to see how the gospel of Jesus Christ can be found throughout the entire Bible. For many this is not a new concept; often, though, this truth does not work its way into our small groups or Sunday School lessons. In a winsome, conversational style of writing, Wax provides a clear vision for seeing God's redemption plan in Scripture, and how that ought to impact our lessons, discussions, and applications.In this short book, Wax covers a lot of ground. In the first chapter, he identifies the current problems found in too many church Sunday Schools and small groups. Whether it is a lack of biblical knowledge, lack of deep doctrinal discussions, or prevalence of moralistic teachings, Wax argues that all are symptoms of a greater problem: Bible studies are missing a drive to worship. In Wax's words: "The Bible is ultimately about Jesus, which means that Bible study ought to lead us to worship Him" (Kindle loc. 178).The solution presented in this book is simple: make Christ the center of every Bible study and Sunday school lesson. In the next chapter, Wax introduces readers to the concept of reading the Bible through a gospel-centered lens. He argues that the gospel must be infused into every lesson, not just tacked on to the end as an afterthought.In the third chapter, Wax provides teachers with helpful tips on how to practically see the gospel in Scripture. He challenges the common moralistic readings of Old Testament characters, saying:"The heroes of the Old Testament are there for us to learn from--both good traits to be cultivated and bad traits to be avoided. But these heroes serve another purpose. Their stories point us toward the flawless One. They are heroes, but only in a secondary sense. God is the true Hero of the Bible, and we see the most heroic action of all in the rescue mission accomplished by His Son. If you teach the Bible as if it is a collection of stand-alone tales, your people will never see how these stories connect to tell the big story of salvation through Jesus Christ" (Kindle loc. 377).In this chapter there is also a defense of teaching theology to children. Wax argues against watering down Bible lessons for younger children; instead, we should use the words and concepts that best define our faith, in order to introduce our children to them so they become familiar. In the words of Wax:"Small kids need big words. Not because they understand everything all at once but because, over time, God uses the inspired words of His Book to convict kids of sin and convince them to repent and believe in Christ" (Kindle loc. 553).**My Thoughts**Much of the approach Wax presents in this book can be seen on display in The Gospel Project, a gospel-centered curriculum for the church which he edits. In both the curriculum and this book, teachers are inspired to see every single lesson as a glimpse of Christ. That way, each lesson is not to provide a moralistic list of dos and don'ts, but rather a biblical picture of sin, death, and the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Serious theological concepts like sin, repentance, and atonement are frequently mentioned, even in the preschool ages, so that all ages are building a deep and firm understanding of what Christ has done.In Gospel-Centered Teaching, Trevin Wax has provided an excellent guide on how to see and present Christ in every lesson. While this is an introductory book to this topic, Wax provides readers with some very good book recommendations for further seeing Christ through the entire Bible. I would want to get this book into the hands of every children's worker and small group leader in a church, as a means of refuting moralistic teachings. Pastors and ministry leaders can use this book as the basis for training sessions for ministry workers, in order to unite behind a gospel-centered approach to Scripture.I received a complementary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      Great, quick book to deepen your understanding of Bible study.

    Book preview

    Gospel-Centered Teaching - Trevin Wax

    praise!

    1

    Something’s Missing

    Can we have a heart-to-heart? You know, teacher to teacher? Maybe you steer clear of titles like teacher and instead think of yourself as a small group leader, or a facilitator of discussion with your group as you study the Scriptures. That’s fine. Whatever title you use, the responsibility is the same: leading people to study the Bible and praying they see their lives transformed as a result.

    Big responsibility, isn’t it? And if you’re honest, you’ll probably admit that the task of teaching weighs on you from time to time. You know what an important role this is. You’ve heard the apostle James’s warning (James 3:1) about teachers being held to a higher standard. Whether you’re just starting out as a teacher or you’ve been in this role for decades, you know this is a big deal. People make choices based on what they understand in the Scriptures. Knowing God and His will is life or death. And you are stepping into a big role in helping people know how to read the Bible and understand what it means to live for Jesus.

    If you’re like me, you feel uneasy about all this sometimes. Your schedule is packed with things that fight for your attention. Spare time is hard to find, and even harder to find is the mental energy needed to study. It’s difficult enough to maintain a daily rhythm of personal Bible reading, much less spend enough time in preparation to lead your group. That’s why, some weeks, it feels like you’re just going through the motions. Things seem to go all right, but you worry that you’re not taking this stuff seriously enough.

    I’ve been there. I’ve led small groups, taught traditional Sunday school, facilitated discussion (or whatever you call the guided learning type of model), and helped with home groups. I know the struggle. And nowadays, whenever I get the opportunity to travel to different cities and speak about teaching, curriculum, ministry philosophy, and big words like pedagogy, I get to talk with group leaders from all ages and different backgrounds. People like you; people like us. The best part of meeting so many people is that I get to listen. And interestingly enough, I hear a lot of the same things, over and over again. It’s like a catchy chorus you can’t get out of your head. No matter where I go, I hear a common refrain and a number of concerns. Something’s missing from our small groups.

    My group isn’t outward focused at all.

    The first concern is what I call missional apathy. The group leader wants to see God work in amazing ways and bring people into His kingdom. But the group itself seems to be turned inward. There’s little desire to engage unbelievers. Little desire to make an impact outside the walls of the church. Little desire to get involved in serving others. So the leader says things like this: I keep harping on what our group is supposed to be doing, but it’s like banging my head against a wall. They know what the Bible says they should do, but they’re just not interested. In other words, lots of Bible study, but no missionary zeal.

    My group doesn’t know much about the Bible.

    The second concern is biblical illiteracy. The group leader usually has a passion for understanding God’s Word and explaining it to others, but the group itself doesn’t seem to know the Bible well at all. The people in my group have been in church for years, but they don’t know some basic truths the Bible teaches. I get depressed when I see things on Facebook. It’s like they don’t see the world the way a Christian should. I want to challenge them to go deeper, but I don’t know how. Plus, I’m afraid I’ll lose them. In other words, lots of church activity, but little Bible knowledge and little distinctiveness from the

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