00:00:10 The apostle Paul presented information that was informative to his audience.
00:00:15 For instance, what he said to Jews in Jerusalem
00:00:20 differed from what he said to Greeks in Athens.
00:00:23 He wrote, as recorded at 1 Corinthians chapter 9:
00:00:27 “To the Jews I became as a Jew
00:00:30 “in order to gain Jews . . .
00:00:32 “To those without law
00:00:34 “I became as without law . . .
00:00:36 “I have become all things
00:00:38 “to people of all sorts,
00:00:40 “so that I might by all possible means
00:00:42 “save some.
00:00:44 “But I do all things for the sake
00:00:45 of the good news.”
00:00:48 How can we make our teaching informative to our audience?
00:00:53 First, we should consider
00:00:56 what our listeners already know.
00:00:58 For example, if we’re speaking
00:01:00 to a congregation of mature Christians,
00:01:03 we shouldn’t simply repeat
00:01:05 basic Bible truths that they’ve heard before.
00:01:09 Instead, we can help them to look at the topic
00:01:12 from a fresh perspective.
00:01:14 Watch the following example.
00:01:16 Is the presentation informative to the audience?
00:01:21 At John 13:35,
00:01:24 Jesus explained how to identify his followers.
00:01:28 He said: “By this all will know
00:01:31 that you are my disciples —if you have love among yourselves.”
00:01:36 That expression, “among yourselves,”
00:01:39 shows that all true Christians
00:01:41 would be together in one group or organization.
00:01:45 And this organization would be identified
00:01:48 by the love its members have for one another.
00:01:51 Isn’t it common during war for people of the same religion
00:01:56 but who live in opposing countries to slaughter one another?
00:02:00 Is there any religion in which people truly view fellow worshippers
00:02:05 from another neighborhood, city, or country as their brother?
00:02:10 Was that informative?
00:02:12 If the speaker was talking to unbelieving relatives or workmates,
00:02:17 then, yes, it was informative.
00:02:20 But let’s say that he was giving a talk to mature Christians.
00:02:25 If he spent a lot of time presenting basic information
00:02:29 that the audience already knew,
00:02:31 he might quickly lose their attention.
00:02:34 How could he discuss the same scripture, John 13:35,
00:02:39 in a way that would be informative to an audience of fellow believers?
00:02:44 Here Jesus said that love would identify his true disciples.
00:02:50 Did you notice the setting for Jesus’ discussion
00:02:53 recorded here in John chapter 13?
00:02:56 Jesus had just instituted the Lord’s Evening Meal.
00:02:59 He knew that he had very little time left before his arrest and execution.
00:03:05 The matter of his own integrity was weighing heavily on his mind.
00:03:10 But it was so important to Jesus that his disciples love one another
00:03:15 that he included it in his parting words to them.
00:03:19 At the time, they didn’t know it, but the “one another” would come to include,
00:03:24 not just fellow Jews, but Samaritans and Gentiles too.
00:03:30 What were some obstacles in the first century
00:03:32 that Christians needed to overcome?
00:03:34 How can their example help us?
00:03:38 Even though the speaker was discussing a well-known truth,
00:03:42 he made it informative to his audience
00:03:45 by including some historical context
00:03:48 that his listeners may not have known or remembered.
00:03:51 He chose a fresh perspective.
00:03:54 When preparing to teach well-known Bible truths,
00:03:58 how can we come up with a fresh perspective?
00:04:02 Think about the subject, and do research.
00:04:06 As we prepare, we can ask questions,
00:04:09 such as ‘who, what, when,
00:04:13 where, why, and how.’
00:04:16 And then we can answer some
00:04:19 of those questions in our presentation.
00:04:21 Perhaps we could include
00:04:23 less-familiar facts or current events.
00:04:26 However, it’s not enough
00:04:29 simply to present interesting information
00:04:31 that may not be well-known by your listeners.
00:04:34 We must also explain how the information
00:04:38 can help them in their daily life.
00:04:40 That requires being specific.
00:04:43 Perhaps we can consider some realistic situations
00:04:47 and then outline how to apply the information.
00:04:49 Let’s watch a publisher doing this
00:04:51 on a Bible study when discussing
00:04:53 with his student the picture and caption
00:04:55 on page 219
00:04:57 of the Remain in God’s Love book.
00:05:00 Look at the illustration on page 219.
00:05:03 What does the caption say?
00:05:05 “Rely on Jehovah when you are sick.”
00:05:08 Yes. “Rely on Jehovah.”
00:05:11 What does that mean?
00:05:13 Let’s say you were diagnosed
00:05:15 with a serious illness.
00:05:17 How could you rely on Jehovah?
00:05:20 Well, the book mentions
00:05:22 that some treatments involve spiritism.
00:05:24 Even if I was desperate,
00:05:27 I wouldn’t choose them because they’re wrong.
00:05:29 Good.
00:05:31 What are some other ways
00:05:33 to rely on Jehovah when we’re sick?
00:05:35 Prayer.
00:05:37 Yes, that’s very important.
00:05:39 How would that help you if you were sick?
00:05:42 The teacher took a general statement
00:05:46 —“Rely on Jehovah when you are sick”—
00:05:49 and helped his student to see how it relates to him personally.
00:05:53 If we present information
00:05:55 that is informative to our audience,
00:05:57 we’ll stimulate their thinking
00:06:00 and teach them something worthwhile.
