Classes

Excerpts from Ed Stetzer post:  Thursday Is for Thinkers: Trevin Wax

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Today, I am excited to have Trevin Wax here at the blog. As I explained when I blogged about him a few weeks ago, Trevin has just started here at LifeWay as editor of a new curriculum -- I will be serving as General Editor. I invited Trevin to write a post laying out his vision for this exciting venture.  ...

Here's what I envision (and I'd love to get your feedback!):

1. Deep, but not Dry - The term that has been used to describe this new curriculum is "theologically driven." That's not to say that other curriculum options aren't theological, only that these weekly lessons will be known primarily for digging deep into biblical theology.

I think it's best to expect a lot out of those who attend a small group or Sunday School class. We need not adopt a "No Child Left Behind" mentality, as if we can and should go only as deep as the least knowledgeable person in the group. We don't think this way in real life. When our son was still on baby food, we didn't stop eating steak and potatoes. Neither did we stop feeding our son solid food when our daughter came along. Instead, we gathered as a family and ate together (some of us more than others!).
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2. Christ-Centered. I don't want a week to go by without Jesus being present in our lesson. Jesus is the hero of every Bible story. He's present in all its pages. The Scriptures are His word to our churches.
Tying everything to the gospel doesn't mean that every lesson will end with a bullet-point presentation and the Sinner's Prayer. But a Christ-centered lesson is drenched in gospel truth. Everything revolves around Christ's death and resurrection and our need to repent and believe.

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3. Story-focused. Being Christ-centered naturally brings our focus to the overarching Story that the Bible tells in four parts:

• Creation
• Fall
• Redemption
• Restoration

In my experience teaching Christians in their twenties and thirties (some who grew up in church, and others who did not), I have discovered that though they may be familiar with certain Bible stories, they are not always sure how the stories fit together into the Bible as a whole. By focusing on the grand narrative of Scripture, I hope that our curriculum will help us connect the dots and think as Christians formed by the great Story that tells the truth about our world.

4. Mission-driven. Telling the story of the Bible is impossible without leading to mission, as the story of the gospel reveals the heart of our missionary God and his desire to save people of every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Too many of our Sunday School classes and small groups view our weekly meetings in terms of consumerist expectations. We come; we sit; we receive teaching; we leave. Even groups that prize participation can fall prey to the same temptation. We come; we sit; we talk; we leave.

A gospel-centered curriculum should be driven by the character of our missionary God seen most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ. Our weekly gatherings are not the goal of the mission; they are the means by which we connect with one another and learn God's Word in order that we might be equipped to love God and neighbor while spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

The goal is not to fill our heads with theological truth but to fuel our hearts with passion to join God on his mission to bring people to himself. Keeping a focus on how the gospel leads us to mission is a crucial aspect of how we apply the Bible to our lives.

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