Here are my notes from Andy Stanley's main session.
I want to encourage you to rethink your approach on how you
teach and talk about the scriptures to kids and students. We have for
generations perceived ourselves to be the majority. It effects the words we
use. We aren’t the majority anymore, but we are so accustomed to speaking as
the majority. I wish we could all take a big step back and not act as if we
were the majority. In the first century they knew they weren’t the majority.
They were lion food. Outcasts. Once upon a time there were a handful of people
who believed that Jesus rose from the dead.
Our approach determines people’s response to what we have
to say.
- We have to approach each child differently.
We must adapt our approach depending on who our audience
is.
- In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Paul adapted to speak
to each person’s differences.
- His goal wasn’t to be right, and make a point.
His goal was to reach some.
- The approach may change, but the goal always
remains the same.
You inherited an approach that assumes biblical
authority.
- You do not believe what you believe because the
Bible says so.
7 Guideline to Communicate Scripture
- Choose a passage of scripture and stay there.
Bible story – is it a story? Its better than a story. It’s history. Make it interesting and clear. Bring your
energy to the text. Stop using all your energy for the illustration. You read
things to discover if they are true.
- Give people permission not to believe or obey
the scriptures. We do not want our children to think that the reason we do this
is because it is in the bible. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 – What business is it of
mine to judge those outside the church. All the local church is supposed to do
is one another one another. When people see that, they want that. Let’s be so
good at what we do they can’t help but lean in. The attraction of the church is
look at all those one anothers one anothers not this is what is in the bible.
The authority of the local church was look how they love one another not this
is what the bible says.
- Teach in a manner that emphasizes the identity
of Jesus over the authority of scripture.
They believed in Jesus because He rose from the dead not because the
bible says so. The foundation of our faith is a moment in history – Jesus rose
from the dead. People must come to terms
with the identity of Jesus and his authority before they can believe. The
foundation of your faith is a group of people that expected to find a body and
didn’t.
- Don’t refer to the bible as a book. Never say
god wrote the bible. It’s way better than a book.
- Cite authors not the Bible. James was the
brother of Jesus. What would you have to do to convince your brother that you
were the Son of God? We should not expect people to believe that Jesus rose
from the dead because the bible says so. We believe because the witnesses said
so and they saw it.
- Don’t create the impression that one must choose
between faith and science. You want people who understand why things work like
they do.
And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult
for the Gentiles who
are turning to God.
Acts 15:19
Let's not make it difficult for our kids.
