Do you enjoy a good buffet? So many good options to choose from, right? Honest now, do you start with a salad to make you feel less guilty when you go back for the stuff you really wanted? Now for the moment of truth: Do you usually leave feeling stuffed and uncomfortable, telling yourself you’ll do better next time? Or do you leave satisfied, having made good choices?

Sometimes when you are preparing a discipleship lesson, it feels like going through a buffet line. How do you choose what to put on the plate that will provide your class with a balanced diet and proper portions? Of all the comments received from teachers, this struggle is probably the one that comes up the most. There’s just so much material to choose from! 

If you are like me, you may tend to overlook the introductory pages of the Teacher Guide and Resource Packet. Yet you can often find helpful information in those pages to help with this very struggle. For example, page 3 of the resource packet provides a teacher prep checklist that can be invaluable as you plan how to make the most of the curriculum in the time you have in the classroom. Let’s unpack the first four steps.

Pray. This is the most important step as you prepare to teach, and no amount of study can take its place. Pray continually for God to speak through you and for your students to be receptive to His Word.

Since God wants to speak through you, ask Him to help you understand your own learning and teaching preferences. Most of us tend to teach according to our preferred learning styles. If you know your preference, you can ask the Spirit to guide you to also use methods that appeal to others. This can help students better understand the truth of God’s Word and apply it to their lives. For example, many teachers don’t like case studies because there usually isn’t an obvious “right” answer to the questions asked. Yet a teacher-guided discussion can allow students to consider how the truths of Scripture could be applied in practical ways.

Some teachers think they have failed if they don’t cover every Scripture passage or use all the resources each class session. If this applies to you, ask the Lord to help you see the value in quality. You may not have presented all the information you had hoped to, but if the Spirit was able to impress one thing on students’ hearts that will cause them to grow in their faith, consider it a win.

Read. Read the entire lesson in the Teacher Guide, along with the supplementary material in the Student Guide and Resource Packet. Make sure to read all the Scripture passages mentioned in the lesson.

This allows the Scriptures to simmer in your mind and spirit throughout the week, especially if you get in the habit of reading your lesson early in the week. Many teachers have commented how the Spirit helps them apply current events or personal conversations to the lesson being taught the next week. These connections often lead to unique tie-ins that show students how to apply Scripture.

You will feel more confident as a teacher if you are prepared. When you study faithfully and pray for the Spirit to open hearts and minds, your discipleship study will bear fruit.

Study. Using whatever method you prefer (outlining, highlighting, etc.), note the main points of the lesson and the details from the commentary that you want to share. Anticipate your students’ questions and use trusted sources to research the answers.

Radiant Life adult curriculum is built to help you do this. As you have prayed for the Spirit’s guidance and read through the curriculum, decide what main takeaway the students should leave with. Some teachers find it helpful to start at the end of the lesson, using the What Is God Saying to Us? and Ministry in Action sections to help decide what lesson points to cover and which resource items to use.

After reading the Scripture portions for each point, note any questions you have about the biblical text itself. It is likely some of your students have similar questions. If the curriculum doesn’t address the issue, use trusted sources to research the answers.

Teachers often find they spend too much time introducing the lesson and covering the first point. Then they feel rushed to cover the rest of the lesson, and don’t have enough time for student response and application. To fix this problem, decide ahead of time how many minutes to spend on each section of the lesson. Do your best to stick to your plan, but don’t hesitate to set your timeline aside if the Spirit leads your group into deeper discussion or spending an extended time in His presence.

Teaching God’s Word can be challenging. Quality instruction finds a good balance between what students need to know (information) and how they should use what they know (application). The apostle James makes this point: Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. . . . if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it (James 1:22, 25).

RICHARD BENNETT recently retired as senior editor of Radiant Life adult curriculum.