On this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, Nancy sat down with Trevin Wax—writer, TGC blogger, Religion New Service contributor, and (at the time) managing editor of The Gospel Project, a gospel-centered small group curriculum for all ages published by LifeWay Christian Resources. Wax presents the three questions every teacher needs to ask when preparing to teach as well as what makes teaching genuinely gospel-centered according to his book, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture.

Resources mentioned by Trevin Wax:

• The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook
• The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm
• The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
• According to Planby Graeme Goldsworthy
• God’s Big Pictureby Vaughan Roberts
• Reading God’s Story: A Chronological Daily Bible by George Guthrie
• Read the Bible for Lifeby George Guthrie

In this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, sat down with Carrie Sandom from TheProclamation Trust in the UK and Jenny Salt from Sydney Missionary and Bible College in Australia to talk about how they approach a passage they are preparing to teach.

They discuss their first opportunities and how they found the confidence to teach, as well as how they would each like to continue to improve their teaching.

Audio resources:

• Jenny Salt’s series on Ruth
• Talks by Salt in TGC’s resource database
• Carrie Sandom’s messages at the Proclamation Trust
• Talks by Sandom in TGC’s resource database

On this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, recorded live in front of an audience at The Gospel Coalition’s 2016 Women’s Conference in Indianapolis, Nancy talked to John Piper about the book of 1 Peter. Piper is the founder of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary.

While most of us may be familiar with John Piper’s preaching, he makes a case for teaching using the Socratic method by writing good questions for Bible study participants to work through, first on their own and then as a group.

Audio/Video Resources on 1 Peter

• Plenary Sessions on 1 Peter from The Gospel Coalition’s 2016 Women’s Conference
• Sermons on 1 Peter by Dick Lucas
• Sermons on 1 Peter by Alistair Begg
• Video series and group study on 1 Peter by Jen Wilkin

Recommended Books

• 1 and 2 Peter and Jude: Sharing Christ’s Sufferings by David Helm
• 1 Peter (Reformed Expository Commentary) by Daniel Doriani
• The Message of 1 Peter: The Way of the Cross by Edmund Clowney
• 10 Keys to Unlock the Christian Life by Colin Smith

In this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, Nancy Guthrie talked with Ray Ortlund Jr. about the book of Proverbs. Ortlund was the founding pastor of Immanuel Nashville and is president of Renewal Ministries and a Council member for TGC. Among many other books, he’s the author of Proverbs: Wisdom that Works in Crossway’s Preaching the Word Commentary series. Ray presents Proverbs as an opportunity to sit down with Jesus and have him as our counselor.

Recommended resources:

• Ancient Wisdom: Mentoring from the Book of Proverbs, a series of messages by Ray Ortlund
• How Do I Preach Expository Sermons from Proverbs? by Dan Doriani
• Proverbs: A 12-Week Study by Lydia Brownback

Resources recommended by Ray Ortlund Jr.:

• Proverbs in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series by Derek Kidner
• The Book of Proverbs: Chapters 1–15 and The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 15–31 by Bruce K. Waltke
• The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, which includes commentary by Allen P. Ross on Proverbs
• “The Emotional Life of Our Lord” essay by B. B. Warfield

On this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, Nancy Guthrie talked with Justin Taylor and Dane Ortlund about how Bible teachers can build a library of useful resources.

Taylor and Ortlund discuss books they believe are essential for the Bible teacher, publishing projects they’re most pleased to have been a part of, as well as what they’re working on now. They also talk about what makes an effective Bible teacher and how to become a better one.

Resources suggested by Taylor and Ortlund:

• How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler
• Knowing the Bible study guide series
• Introductions to Bible sections and other ESV Study Bible resources
• According to Planby Graeme Goldsworthy
• The Bible Speaks Today commentary series

On this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, Nancy Guthrie sat down with Colin Smith, pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and preacher at Unlocking the Bible. They discussed how to teach the story of Joseph with Christ at the center, as demonstrated in Smith’s “Snapshots of a Godly Life” sermon series.

Joseph’s is the story of the loved and favored son who is hated by his brothers. Yet he is the one to whom they must come for salvation, the one to whom they must be reconciled.

Mentioned in the discussion:

• Gleanings in Genesis  (full text online) by A. W. Pink

Resources on Joseph:

• Sermon on Joseph by Dick Lucas
• Sermons on Joseph by Alistair Begg

In this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, Nancy sits down with George Guthrie (no relation), professor of Bible at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, to talk through how to teach Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth.

Guthrie provides clarity on the “triumphal procession,” our transformation “from one degree of glory to another,” as well as how to teach on financial giving in a way that captures the beauty of the passage. Guthrie has participated in numerous Bible translation projects and wrote Read the Bible for Life: Your Guide to Understanding and Living God’s Word as well as the volume on 2 Corinthians in the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series.

Recommended Print Resources

• 2 Corinthians: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament  by George Guthrie
• A Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ: 100 Daily Meditations on 2 Corinthians by Sam Storms (Volume 1 and Volume 2)
• 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness  by R. Kent Hughes in the Preach the Word Commentary
• 2 Corinthians: A 12-Week Study  by Dane Ortlund (forthcoming)

Recommended Audio Resources

• 2 Corinthians sermon series by Sinclair Ferguson
• 2 Corinthian sermon series by Richard Pratt
• 2 Corinthians sermon series by R. Kent Hughes

In this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, Nancy talks to Scott Redd, campus president and associate professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Redd is the author of the chapter on Deuteronomy in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament: The Gospel Promised, edited by Miles Van Pelt.

He describes Deuteronomy as “the hub around which the entire Old Testament revolves.” In this discussion, Redd describes how the Ten Commandments serve as a table of contents for much of the book of Deuteronomy. He also helps with handling hard issues in the book, such as its discussion of slavery and the stoning of a rebellious son.

Resources on Deuteronomy:

• Sermons on Deuteronomy by Sandy Willson
• Deuteronomy’s Riches: A Conversation with Ajith Fernando
• The Theology of Deuteronomy for Preachers  workshop by Gary Millar
• New International Biblical Commentary: Deuteronomy  by Christopher Wright
• Deuteronomy (Apollos Old Testament Commentary)  by J. G. McConville
• Deuteronomy (Evangelical Press Study Commentary)  by John Currid
• Deuteronomy: Loving Obedience to a Loving God  by Ajith Fernando
• Now Choose Life: Theology and Ethics in Deuteronomy  by Gary Millar

In this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, Nancy Guthrie talks with Lee Gatiss about the final book in the Old Testament, the book of Malachi. Gatiss  is the director of Church Society and is an adjunct lecturer in church history at Union School of Theology in Wales. Gatiss is the senior editor of The NIV Proclamation Bible and is the author of numerous books including his recent book, The Forgotten Cross.

Resources for teaching the book of Malachi:

• Lee Gatiss’s leaders notes on Malachi (pdf)
• The Message of Malachi  by Peter Adam
• Joel, Obadiah, Malachi (NIV Application Commentary) by David Baker
• John Piper’s sermon series on Malachi

On this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, Nancy Guthrie talks with Dick Lucas in London’s Proclamation Trust offices about what makes an excellent Bible teacher. We talked about how a teacher studies and prepares to teach, dealing with discouragement as a teacher, as well as the temptation to pride.

Lucas was rector of St. Helen’s Bishopsgate from 1961 to 1998. In 1986, he founded the Proclamation Trust to train men and women to correctly handle Scripture through prayerful study of the text in light of its context in both the biblical book and the Bible as a whole. Now in his early 90s, Lucas was a key figure along with John Stott and J. I. Packer in shaping the conservative evangelical movement in the UK during the 20th century. He still has an active and influential ministry, preaching and speaking at conferences and serving on the leadership team of the Cornhill Training Course.

You can hear Lucas’s own Bible teaching through these audio resources:

• The message of Galatians, Lucas’s most recent teaching to the staff at St. Helens Bishopsgate
• Dick Lucas Sermon Archive