First Time Bible Teacher

Learning to teach the Bible is a high calling. The First Time Bible Teacher podcast walks through some of the basic principles any Bible teacher needs to know.

Brian Higgins draws from his 10+ years of Bible teaching experience and countless years of wisdom from incredible mentors. Subjects include outlining a passage, using illustrations well, commanding an audience, and much more.

Brian Higgins

Co-Founder Of GoodLion

In the search for truth, sometimes we ignore the emotional state of our people. To teach the Bible effectively, we need to remain aware of the emotions of our congregations. This episode talks about the balance between truth and emotion in Bible teaching as well as some practical ways this balance can inform your teaching. For more info, visit goodlion.io.

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36. Emotionally Aware Teaching

November 18, 2019

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35. Crafting a Teaching Calendar

Everyone prepares for what they find important. In our Bible teaching, it’s important that we prepare ahead of time. A good teaching calendar can help you teach prepared in many ways. This episode discusses the importance of a teaching calendar, what a good teaching calendar includes, and ways to start […]

November 11, 2019

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34. Applications Without Legalism

Many people think being a Christian is a list of rules to follow. Unfortunately, bad application methods can reinforce wrong ideas about God. In this episode, we define legalism, mention some ways legalism can creep into our teaching, and give some better methods for applying a message. For more info, […]

November 4, 2019

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33. Don't Assume What Your Audience Knows

Teaching above the head of your audience is a great way to get them to tune out. In this episode, we discuss how to make sure you’re staying on track with your audience. We discuss the importance of teaching to your people as well as ways to keep every member […]

October 28, 2019

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32. Teaching Without Notes

Many Bible teachers feel like slaves to their notes. But breaking free can be a scary process. This episode talks about the need to learn this important skill as well as gives some tips for how to begin learning to teach without notes. For more info, visit goodlion.io. […]

October 7, 2019

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31. Dealing With Discouragement

Every Bible teacher will face discouragement at some point. The question for Bible teachers is what they’ll do when discouragement comes. This episode talks about analyzing your discouragement, finding the helpful truths in it, and not dwelling on it for too long. For more info, visit goodlion.io. […]

September 16, 2019

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30. The Teacher as Servant

Jesus came to be a servant, not to receive service from us. Bible teachers need to follow his example. This episode examines some bad motives that may slip into the hearts of Bible teachers. It also point to the right motive to teach as well as provides some practical ways […]

September 2, 2019

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29. Being Personal vs. Making It About You

For Bible teachers, it can be hard to be transparent. We want to be honest with our listeners, but how much is too much to share? This episode helps answer that question and dives into practical ways to balance transparency with wisdom. For more info, visit goodlion.io. […]

August 26, 2019

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28. Can You Study Too Much For A Sermon?

Can you reach a point in your study where it stops being helpful? The answer to that might actually be yes! At some point, a Bible teacher needs to know it’s time to stop preparing and trust what they have. This episode dives into what it means to overstudy, how […]

August 19, 2019

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27. Handling In The Moment Teaching Requests

In your teaching life, you’ll often have plenty of time to prepare your sermon. But sometimes, you’ll get almost no time at all. How can you respond to these requests with quality teachings instead of fearful stammering? This episode gives some helpful principles for handling in the moment teaching requests. […]

August 12, 2019

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26. Life Update and the Relationship Between Your Personal Life and Teaching Life

We’re back with new weekly episodes! This episode explains where there’s been such a gap in time between the last episode and this episode and dives into the relationship your personal life needs to have with your teaching life. For more info, visit goodlion.io. […]

August 5, 2019

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25. Teaching Without A Pulpit

For many, the desire to teach is more present than the opportunities. That doesn’t mean that you can’t hone your teaching gift now. This episode is designed to encourage you to develop your teaching abilities even if you don’t have formal opportunities. We’ll outline a few ways you can practice […]

May 13, 2019

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24. Pushing Through A Bad Teaching

What do you do when you’re in the middle of a teaching and it’s not going well? For many, the answer is panic. While that may be the first response, there are simple, helpful things you can do during a bad teaching to help you push your way through it. […]

April 29, 2019

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23. Getting Feedback From Non-Teachers with My Wife!

Sometimes, we get too focused on what other teachers think of us. If we’re not careful, we can teach only for other preachers, not the people sitting in front of us. In this episode, I interview my wife and we talk about the way she thinks about listening to preaching, […]

April 22, 2019

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22. Honesty In Teaching

When it comes to teaching the Bible, people need to know you’re a real person. This episode dives into how we can be relatable by looking at four areas where honesty helps in teaching. For more info, visit goodlion.io. […]

April 15, 2019

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21. Creative Prep Methods, Teaching Discoveries & Deep-Dive Studying with Aaron Salvato

This episode is an interview with Aaron Salvato, Founder of Hesed Creative, Podcast Director of the GoodLion Podcast Network and Former Youth Pastor of Calvary Chapel Vista. For more info, visit goodlion.io. […]

April 1, 2019

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20. Preaching To The Culture

When we teach the Bible to people, we get a small part of their entire lives. The culture is teaching things to our listeners all the time and we need to speak to those things. This episode discusses the role teachers should take in relating to the culture and practical […]

March 25, 2019

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19. Teaching That Encourages Discipleship

To teach people well, we need to realize the limits that teaching has. Just like a classroom teacher uses homework, tests and so many other things to reinforce lessons, so Bible teachers need to think about using more than just sermons. This episode discusses the various ways teaching can promote […]

March 18, 2019

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18. Balancing Head and Heart Knowledge

Ever feel like a teaching is just dry knowledge? On the other end, ever felt like a teaching was only meant to pull on your heartstrings without teaching you anything new? This episode talks about the need to balance those two things. For more info, visit goodlion.io. […]

March 11, 2019

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17. Preaching To Your People

Teaching is a very personal thing. As you teach the Bible, you need to be very careful to consider the actual people you are standing in front of. Bible teachers can easily start teaching hypothetical people, not the real people in their church. This episode will help you ask questions […]

March 4, 2019

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16. The Role Of Prayer In Study

In all of our reading, writing and prepping, the step that might be easiest to skip is prayer. Without prayer, we’re just relying on ourselves. That’s a dangerous place for any Bible teacher to be in. This episode helps you think through the role of prayer in your study and […]

February 25, 2019

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15. Personal Study vs. Corporate Study

In teaching the Bible, it’s very easy to turn all Bible reading into message prep. This episode discusses the importance of making a distinction between personal study and corporate study. For more info, visit goodlion.io. […]

February 18, 2019

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14. Teaching Is A Task, Not An Identity

In teaching, it’s very easy to define yourself by the way you teach. God never asks Bible teachers to identify themselves by the way they perform in teaching. This episode dives into the need to view teaching as a task instead of an identity and gives some ways to help […]

February 11, 2019

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Season 2 Teaser and Other Fun Stuff

Brand new things are coming to First Time Bible Teacher! Make sure you’ve subscribed as the new season of First Time Bible Teacher starts on February 11th. […]

January 28, 2019

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13. Simplicity In Teaching

To teach effectively, a message needs to be simple enough to understand. This episode is all about keeping things simple so you can keep your audience with you. For more info, go to brianrhiggins.com. […]

September 17, 2018

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12. Finding Your Voice

Learning how to teach is one thing, but learning how to teach authentically is another. This episode is all about finding your own voice in preaching and learning to harness that. For more info, visit brianrhiggins.com. […]

September 10, 2018

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11. Dynamics In Teaching

The energy with which you teach means almost as much as what you actually say. Your dynamic goes a long way in helping people interpret your message, for better or for worse. This episode is all about using your dynamic well to help people understand the Scriptures you’re trying to […]

September 3, 2018

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10. Commanding An Audience

Bible teaching isn’t about power, but it is about leadership. This episode discusses the importance of commanding your audience and provides some tips for capturing their attention. For more info, visit brianrhiggins.com […]

August 27, 2018

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9. Flow Within A Message

Talking for 30 minutes about the Bible does not mean you’ve taught a message. This episode is all about making sure your points flow together in a way that makes sense. Using practical tips and real life examples, this episode will help your messages stay cohesive. For more info, visit, […]

August 20, 2018

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8. Illustrations

Using illustrations is key to teaching the Bible well. This episode goes over how to use illustrations well to enhance your message rather than distract from it. For more info, go to brianrhiggins.com. […]

August 13, 2018

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7. Applications

Bringing the Bible into real life is one of the chief jobs of Bible teachers. This episode dives into the art of applications, pulling specific principles out of a text and showing how they can be lived. For more info, visit brianrhiggins.com. […]

August 6, 2018

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6. Building Main Points

Just like the headings in a book prepare you for what you’re about to read next, your main points get people prepared for what you’re about to say. This episode goes over how to think about main points, how to use them well, and how to avoid becoming a corny […]

July 30, 2018

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5. Conclusions

Closing out your message well is crucial, but so many people let their messages fall apart at the end. This episode explains how you can finish your message well and use your conclusion to help people remember the truths you just taught them. For more info, visit brianrhiggins.com. […]

July 23, 2018

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4. Introductions

They say you only have one chance to make a good first impression. That applies to teaching just as much as it does to meeting people. Your introduction is your moment to grip people and get them interested in your message. This episode goes over the basics of introductions and […]

July 16, 2018

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3. Teaching Notes

When you are preparing your teachings, most of what you’re doing is writing your notes. But sloppy notes can lead to sloppy teachings. This episode takes about the importance of your notes, gives some ideas about organization, and reminds you that your notes serve you, not the other way around. […]

July 9, 2018

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2. Message Prep

Teaching the Bible is like a pro football team, the product you see on Sunday depends on the preparation done during the week. For many first time teachers, preparing a teaching is such an overwhelming task that they don’t know where to start. This episode focuses on the process of […]

July 2, 2018

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1. The Teacher

Before the teachings can be effective, the teacher must be ready. This episode focuses on the kind of heart a teacher should have and gives you some tips for getting yourself ready to teach. For more info, visit brianrhiggins.com […]

June 25, 2018

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First Time Bible Teacher Season 1 Teaser

A teaser of what the First Time Bible Teacher podcast will be all about. For more info, visit brianrhiggins.com […]

June 4, 2018

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First Time Bible Teacher

Learning to teach the Bible is a high calling. The First Time Bible Teacher podcast walks through some of the basic principles any Bible teacher needs to know.

Brian Higgins

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