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Easy Template for Building a Lesson - Book

Richard Lawrence in his book, Creative Bible Teaching came up with an easy template for building a lesson. He called it hook, book, look, took (HBLT). It’s easy to remember and contains all the elements for a great Bible lesson. In this post, I am going to talk about the book part of building a lesson.

The hook is done; you have grabbed your class’s attention. Now it’s time to dive into the Bible.

This is the heart of the lesson. This is where we get into God’s Word and discover what it is saying and what it means. As a teacher, it is your job to help your students discover and understand Biblical truth.

Whether you are using a curriculum or writing your own lessons, always remember that the Word is central.

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12

Sunday School isn’t just about teaching kids Biblical truth. Information is important. Kids need to learn about God, that the Bible is true, that Jesus is the Son of God sent to save us from our sins. But we don’t want to stop there.  The ultimate goal is transformation. Sunday School is about making disciples. Disciples of Jesus are transformed people. Disciples of Jesus are people being transformed into the image of Jesus. A successful Sunday School class is one that reaches both the head and the heart of a student. The most effective way to reach the heart is through the faithful teaching of the Word of God.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

So, when you are building the book part of your lesson, look carefully at the lesson as printed (if you are using a curriculum) and study the Bible passages it is built on to ensure that the lesson is teaching what the Bible teaches.

I will talk more about preparing this part of the lesson in an upcoming post.

Faithful teaching of the Word of God will lead into the third part of this lesson building approach which is the look. What are the implications for the students of what has been taught?

Check out the rest of the series here:

Easy Template for Building a Lesson Series