WORLD BIBLE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY-WBSU

Course Unit CODE: CE-304.

Course Unity Title: HOW TO TEACH THE BIBLE

Academic year 2025

January block.
Lecture: Bishop Dr Antoine NZAYISENGA. (Dip. Ed; BEDA, MED, MDiv & D.C. Ed.)

=WEEK 5=

DIFFERENT BETWEEN TEACHING AND PREACHING BY USING THE BIBLE.

When teaching graduate students, especially those studying theology or biblical studies, it’s important to
present both teaching and preaching as distinct yet complementary activities. The Bible offers insights into
both, and understanding the difference can enhance the approach to each. Below is a breakdown of the
differences between teaching and preaching, followed by a suggestion for designing teaching notes on this
topic for master’s students.
1. Definition:
 Teaching (Bible-focused):
o Teaching is about instruction, explanation, and the systematic presentation of biblical
content. It involves the dissemination of knowledge, aiming to help students understand
biblical texts, themes, theology, and application.
o Teaching is typically didactic, focusing on the mind and cognitive understanding. It’s often
structured, academic, and content-rich.
 Preaching (Bible-focused):
o Preaching, on the other hand, involves proclaiming or delivering the message of the Bible,
often with the intention of inspiring, convicting, and transforming the hearers.
o Preaching is typically homiletical in nature, aiming for a spiritual or emotional response. It
often focuses on application in the lives of the listeners, emphasizing persuasion and the
call to action.

2. Objective:
 Teaching: The goal is to inform, educate, and encourage critical thinking. It helps students gain a
deeper understanding of scripture, its context, and its theological significance.
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 WORLD BIBLE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY-WBSU

Course Unit CODE: CE-304.

Course Unity Title: HOW TO TEACH THE BIBLE

Academic year 2025

January block.
Lecture: Bishop Dr Antoine NZAYISENGA. (Dip. Ed; BEDA, MED, MDiv & D.C. Ed.)

=WEEK 5=

 Preaching: The goal is to inspire, challenge, and mobilize the audience spiritually. It encourages
transformation through the power of the Word, with a focus on application to everyday life.
3. Audience:
 Teaching: Generally, the audience is a group of learners—often seminary students or those who
desire to grow in their academic and theological understanding of the Bible. In a classroom setting,
the focus is on engagement through discussion, study, and analysis.
 Preaching: The audience is typically a congregation or a broader community, and the message is
directed to both believers and non-believers. The approach is more about speaking to hearts and not
just to the intellect.
4. Methodology:
 Teaching:
o Exposition and explanation of scripture.

o Careful study of historical context, language, and theology.

o Focus on doctrine, biblical genres, and literary structures.

o Logical organization of content, with clarity in terms of how different biblical themes
connect.
 Preaching:
o Exegesis: The preacher interprets the text in light of its intended meaning and significance
for the present day.
o Illustration: The preacher uses stories, examples, or personal testimonies to make the Bible's
message relevant and relatable.

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 WORLD BIBLE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY-WBSU

Course Unit CODE: CE-304.

Course Unity Title: HOW TO TEACH THE BIBLE

Academic year 2025

January block.
Lecture: Bishop Dr Antoine NZAYISENGA. (Dip. Ed; BEDA, MED, MDiv & D.C. Ed.)

=WEEK 5=

o Application: Drawing out how the message impacts the hearer’s daily life, often with
emotional appeal.
5. Tone:
 Teaching: Generally, more formal and academic, though it can still be engaging. The tone is often
explanatory and clear.
 Preaching: More passionate, evocative, and emotionally driven. It can involve rhetoric that is
designed to move the heart and call for a decision or change.

Key Differences Summary Table:

Aspect Teaching Preaching

Proclaiming and applying the Bible’s

Focus Understanding and learning the Bible.
message.

Inform, educate, and encourage critical

Goal Inspire, convict, and mobilize action.
thinking.

Congregation, community (believers,

Audience Learners (students, scholars).
seekers).

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 WORLD BIBLE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY-WBSU

Course Unit CODE: CE-304.

Course Unity Title: HOW TO TEACH THE BIBLE

Academic year 2025

January block.
Lecture: Bishop Dr Antoine NZAYISENGA. (Dip. Ed; BEDA, MED, MDiv & D.C. Ed.)

=WEEK 5=

Aspect Teaching Preaching

Methodology Expository, academic, systematic. Expository, illustrative, persuasive.

Tone Formal, instructive, academic. Passionate, emotional, evocative.

Content Detailed study of the Bible's meaning. Focused on life transformation and response.

Designing Teaching Notes:

Here is a suggested outline for teaching notes that will help graduate students grasp the difference between
teaching and preaching using the Bible.

Teaching Notes: Teaching vs. Preaching from the Bible

1. Introduction:
 Objective: This session explores the distinction between teaching and preaching the Bible, two
critical activities within the ministry and Christian education.
 Rationale: Understanding these differences is essential for effectively communicating the Bible,
whether in an academic setting, a pulpit, or a small group.
 Overview of Topics:
o Theological and historical foundation for both practices.

o Key differences in methods, objectives, and contexts.

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 WORLD BIBLE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY-WBSU

Course Unit CODE: CE-304.

Course Unity Title: HOW TO TEACH THE BIBLE

Academic year 2025

January block.
Lecture: Bishop Dr Antoine NZAYISENGA. (Dip. Ed; BEDA, MED, MDiv & D.C. Ed.)

=WEEK 5=

o Practical implications for biblical exegesis, application, and communication.

2. Theological Foundations:
 Teaching in Scripture:
o Matthew 28:19-20 – The Great Commission: Go, make disciples, and teach them.

o Acts 2:42 – The apostles’ teaching in the early church.

o 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – The role of Scripture in teaching.

 Preaching in Scripture:
o 1 Corinthians 1:18 – The power of preaching.

o Romans 10:14-15 – Preaching as the means for the gospel to be heard and believed.

o Luke 4:18-19 – Jesus’ own proclamation of the gospel.

3. Key Differences:
 Teaching:
o Focus: Educating and explaining biblical truth.

o Goal: Cognitive understanding and theological insight.

o Approach: Structured, systematic, methodical.

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 WORLD BIBLE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY-WBSU

Course Unit CODE: CE-304.

Course Unity Title: HOW TO TEACH THE BIBLE

Academic year 2025

January block.
Lecture: Bishop Dr Antoine NZAYISENGA. (Dip. Ed; BEDA, MED, MDiv & D.C. Ed.)

=WEEK 5=

o Example: A lecture on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), explaining historical
context, themes, and theological implications.
 Preaching:
o Focus: Proclaiming the gospel, calling for response and transformation.

o Goal: Application and spiritual renewal.

o Approach: Exhortative, persuasive, emotive.

o Example: A sermon on the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), emphasizing God’s grace,
forgiveness, and calling for repentance.

4. Methodology for Teaching:

 Exegesis: Step-by-step analysis of the text’s meaning in its original context.
 Teaching Methods: Lectures, seminars, discussions, group activities, papers, and research projects.
 Resources: Commentaries, dictionaries, original language tools (e.g., Greek/Hebrew lexicons).

5. Methodology for Preaching:

 Exegesis: Identifying the central message of the text and its relevance for today.
 Preaching Methods: Textual expository sermons, narrative, thematic preaching, evangelistic
preaching, and topical sermons.
 Resources: Preaching commentaries, sermon illustrations, books on homiletics, personal stories.

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 WORLD BIBLE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY-WBSU

Course Unit CODE: CE-304.

Course Unity Title: HOW TO TEACH THE BIBLE

Academic year 2025

January block.
Lecture: Bishop Dr Antoine NZAYISENGA. (Dip. Ed; BEDA, MED, MDiv & D.C. Ed.)

=WEEK 5=

6. Practical Applications:
 For Teaching: How do you explain difficult texts? How can you ensure clarity in a complex
theological subject?
 For Preaching: How do you make scripture come alive? How do you connect the Bible's message to
the everyday life of your audience?

7. Discussion & Reflection:

 Activity 1: Break students into small groups. Assign each group a passage of Scripture. One group
will design a teaching plan, and the other will design a preaching outline for the same text.
 Activity 2: Reflect on how the historical, cultural, and linguistic background of a passage influences
both teaching and preaching.

8. Conclusion:
 Summary of key points.
 Final reflection on how students can apply both teaching and preaching in their academic and
ministerial careers.
 Suggested further reading on homiletics and biblical pedagogy.

Suggested Resources:

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 WORLD BIBLE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY-WBSU

Course Unit CODE: CE-304.

Course Unity Title: HOW TO TEACH THE BIBLE

Academic year 2025

January block.
Lecture: Bishop Dr Antoine NZAYISENGA. (Dip. Ed; BEDA, MED, MDiv & D.C. Ed.)

=WEEK 5=

 “Biblical Preaching” by Haddon W. Robinson

 “Teaching the Bible in the Church” by William H. Willimon
 “Expository Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today” by David Helm
By laying out the session like this, you give students both the theory and the practical tools they need to
distinguish between teaching and preaching, and to apply both effectively. You could also incorporate video
examples of both preaching and teaching styles to illustrate the differences in real-world contexts.
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End!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Follow all the instructions and complete the course content of this week 5 of CE-304

Remember that you must do your lesson each week, do all five of your quizzes, and then following week
five, you will have a Final Exam covering all 5 weeks of this course; may Almighty God bless you and wish
you success in your studies

Thank you for being with us in this lesson and for being a student at WBSU and be blessed in your studies.