It’s January 1, 1519 in Zurich, Switzerland. Ulrich Zwingli stands in front of his congregation and boldly declares an absolutely earth-shattering strategy for gospel-centered ministry, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the days of John Chrysostom or St. Augustine. Not only is he going to preach from the Gospel of Matthew during his first sermon, but on the following week he’ll also preach from the next text of the Gospel of Matthew. Revolutionary.
It’s today, this month, in your office. You’re considering standing in front of your students and their parents and boldly declaring an absolutely earth-shattering strategy for gospel-centered ministry and…you get the point. You’re aware of the need for your students to have theologically deep, gospel-centered teaching that reflects the message of the text and not your own opinions. But in the face of internal and external pressures, it can be easy to lose hope.
Admittedly, there are times in my own ministry where mustering up the courage and finding the time to faithfully teach the meaning of the text can be overwhelming. A busy schedule or the immediate needs of students can move me away from my desk to care for the flock first. Add on to that a dash of impostor syndrome, fear of irrelevance, and students who struggle with biblical literacy, and it is easy to crawl back into a cave and teach one more mosaic of context-free verses about dating.
But the goal of youth ministry is not the ease of internal and external pressures, it is the creation of disciples through God’s own Word. Discipleship in a gospel-centered ministry should point to the Word before we point to our own advice or counsel. Our time to meet the needs of students is limited, but the Word of God endures.
Defining Expository Bible Teaching
Expository Bible teaching is the right discovery, declaration, and delivery of the Word of God to those under your care. We discover the meaning of the text as the author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, intended the first hearers to receive it. We declare it according to the tone that the text demands, not our own voice. And we deliver it, which means communicating in a way that is sensitive to the needs and developmental capabilities of our audience. Expository teaching is rooted in the understanding that the meaning of the text drives every aspect of the act of teaching. It means that the teacher is a herald, an ambassador of the king, who delivers a specific and authoritative message. This message is not from within the teacher, but proceeds from God himself.
And the Word of God is not shy about the treatment of the text. Paul commands Timothy to “Preach the Word” (1 Tim. 4:2). Similarly, Ezra and the Levites “read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading” (Neh. 8:8). If you want your preaching to live inside students, then proclaim the truths of the a living, active, and sharp Word that discerns the thoughts and intentions of their hearts (Heb. 4:12).
Does this mean that all preaching needs to be continuous texts from one book of the Bible? Not necessarily. But it will make it much more difficult for your students to treat the Bible as an actual book rather than a reference text if every sermon be-bops around the Bible and never gets to any sort of meaning outside of bare practicality. Instead, we want to show them the beauty of the text, with all the loveliness and connectedness that make the Word of God endlessly fascinating and new with every refreshing read.
Practicing Expository Bible Teaching
Many times we find ourselves unwilling to accept the call to expository preaching. Maybe the desire for relevance is an assumption within your youth ministry culture. If that’s the case, then walk boldly with the assurance that nothing can be more relevant to your students than the very words of the king and creator of the universe expressing his judgment, his mercy, his goodness, his righteousness, and the beauty of his gospel. Or perhaps you or your fellow leaders are convinced that there is a direct correlation between focusing on current issues and numerical or spiritual growth. Lovingly, there isn’t. Even if trendiness can produce sporadic growth, the week in which current issues cease to become interesting, so does your ministry. Transcendence thumps relevance every time.
Consider the reality that the scope of your ministry involves important endeavors alongside preaching the text. Avail yourself of opportunities for one-on-one discipleship, or a small group Bible study, or an occasional conversation about specific special topics. If you’re putting all the weight of answering every specific need in one night, you’re adding internal pressure that was never meant to be there. At the same time, if you provide no time for follow-up, for agenda-free conversations, or the simple time of welcoming students, then everything rises or falls with the sermon. Perhaps counterintuitively, you’ll actually become much more free to preach the meaning of a specific text when your students know that the weight they carry that week can still find answers and rest in your gathering, just maybe not within that half hour of teaching.
Gospel Encouragement for Expository Teachers
Finally, rest in the fact that the Living Word knows what he’s doing with the written Word. The single greatest series of statements, beautifully assembled and creatively executed, will bear nothing close to the same weight as a simple reading of inspired text. We can put our faith in our own exhaustible novelty, or in the inexhaustible and pinpoint accuracy of the Holy Spirit working through his own words. When we focus on the latter, we set our students on an eternal foundation—rather than the shifting sands of technique or our own sophistication.
At the heart of all of these fears and struggles is the wearying implication that perhaps the Scriptures simply might not be sufficient. Take heart, weary one, for the Scriptures are enough. They are sufficient for every need, every fear, and every question your students have about life and godliness. Trust that the Word is sufficient, satisfying, and beautiful.
For more help teaching teenagers the Bible, check our Rooted’s Bible-based curriculum for teenagers on Rooted Reservoir.
