Jesus used different approaches and teaching methods depending on His audience and the lesson/truth being taught. Jesus taught to bring about life-change.
Some of the approaches or techniques used by Jesus during his ministry years are: 1) Discovery learning – leading His learners in self-discovery of how truths apply to each one individually and corporately. 2) Object lessons – using objects common and familiar to his listeners. 3) Illustrations and parables – stories, examples, and comparisons relational to His listeners. 4) Teachable Moments – ready to take advantage of a situation or need as it arose. 5) Practice – Jesus gave His learners time and opportunities to practice what they had learned. 6) Questions – Jesus used questions to activate higher order thinking.

As teachers we must realize that learning our subject matter isn’t good enough. We must know how to enable our students to learn the subject matter and live it. What good is all of our knowledge if it does not affect the lives of the people whom God has placed around us? You can have the nicest newest car around, but if you do not have any fuel to drive it, it becomes nothing more than a conversation piece. The same is true with Christian education. You can have all the knowledge – information, facts and figures – available, yet without application it will get you nowhere. It is the application, integration of the principles and truths into our daily routine, that fuels knowledge into life-changing behavior.

I once went on a weekend excursion with three friends. One of these friends was in his late twenties, living at home and generating a good income. He loved to buy things – materialistic things. He had his own boat, a nice car, several firearms, and expensive camera equipment to name a few. While on vacation he would pull out his expensive light meter place certain filters on his camera lens, make adjustments in his aperture and focal settings, double-checking before taking a photograph. I, on the other hand would take my used camera, make estimated adjustments and snap away.

During the entire trip I kept hearing, “Those pictures will never turn out. You need a light meter. You are wasting film.” I kept on shooting the way I always had. He kept on tormenting. When we returned home, I had my film processed and gladly showed my work to everyone. I still have those photos some twenty years later. My friend? No one ever saw his photographs. Every time someone would ask about them he would give an excuse. It did not take long to realize that his photos apparently did not come out. Being the nice friends that we were, we did not let him live that one down for a long while.

You can have the newest and best equipment money can buy. However, if you do not know how to properly utilize what you have acquired, you’ll never create a work of art. I believe God intends for us to use Christian education to become works of art for Him. Not works of art that hang on a wall, or sit in a pew. Rather, laboring works of art. Laboring for His Kingdom. It is not the knowledge – the facts and information – that matters. The value is in what each of us does with the knowledge we have.

As Christian educators we need to ensure that we are not merely passing along knowledge. We need to be the paintbrush in God’s hand, allowing Him to use us to produce great works of art. The canvas is the learners He has placed in our trust. This is Teaching That Bears Fruit.

This article is from the book Teaching That Bears Fruit, chapter three.