Experience the transformative power of God's Word with Brother Terence Brown, a revered Bible teacher whose journey from North Carolina to his impactful roles at Emanuel Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Glenarden is nothing short of inspirational. Brother Terence's dedication to Christian education and his unique teaching philosophy, rooted in deep, repeated study of scripture, will inspire you to make the Bible an integral part of your life. His passion for evangelism and the joy he derives from teaching shine through as he shares how he engages and motivates his students. This episode is a testament to the life-changing power of diligent Bible study and active faith sharing.
We also delve into the importance of Biblical study and prayer, drawing inspiration from Deacon William Montague's emotional connection to the scriptures. Learn essential tools and techniques for studying the Bible, including Howard Hendricks' method and James Braga's guide on preparing Bible messages. Creating a safe environment for sharing and connecting with others is emphasized, along with the importance of understanding their struggles, fostering respect, and building trust. We conclude with heartfelt gratitude to the Holy Spirit and our community, encouraging you to engage with us and share the joy of teaching and living God's Word. Don't miss this enriching conversation that promises to deepen your faith and enhance your understanding of the scriptures.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Living by the Book - Howard G. Hendricks How to Prepare Bible Messages - James Braga
Experience the transformative power of God's Word with Brother Terence Brown, a revered Bible teacher whose journey from North Carolina to his impactful roles at Emanuel Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Glenarden is nothing short of inspirational. Brother Terence's dedication to Christian education and his unique teaching philosophy, rooted in deep, repeated study of scripture, will inspire you to make the Bible an integral part of your life. His passion for evangelism and the joy he derives from teaching shine through as he shares how he engages and motivates his students. This episode is a testament to the life-changing power of diligent Bible study and active faith sharing.
We also delve into the importance of Biblical study and prayer, drawing inspiration from Deacon William Montague's emotional connection to the scriptures. Learn essential tools and techniques for studying the Bible, including Howard Hendricks' method and James Braga's guide on preparing Bible messages. Creating a safe environment for sharing and connecting with others is emphasized, along with the importance of understanding their struggles, fostering respect, and building trust. We conclude with heartfelt gratitude to the Holy Spirit and our community, encouraging you to engage with us and share the joy of teaching and living God's Word. Don't miss this enriching conversation that promises to deepen your faith and enhance your understanding of the scriptures.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Living by the Book - Howard G. Hendricks How to Prepare Bible Messages - James Braga
Note: All scripture references are from the NIV translation unless otherwise indicated.
Jacqui:
Greetings listeners, happy New Month and happy First Tuesday. I love this day because it's when we invite Bible teachers to the podcast to share their wisdom on reading and studying God's Word. Today we are blessed to have Brother Terence Brown with us. Terence Brown was born and raised in North Carolina. He graduated from Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1972. That same year he moved to Washington DC and joined Emanuel Baptist Church, where he was a member for 25 years. It was there that his foundation in Christian education matured, thanks to the mentorship of Deacon William Montague, who instilled in him a love for sharing and teaching God's Word.
Jacqui:
At Emanuel Baptist Church, Brother Terrence served as a deacon and a Sunday school teacher. He also led the Orange Hats of Woodland Terrace in southeast Washington DC, a community outreach program aimed at reducing neighborhood crime. In 2006, he joined Mount Enon Baptist Church in Clinton, Maryland. During those years, he attended many classes and conferences and held various teaching assignments and positions to develop his gifts of helps and teaching. In 2014, he became a member of the First Baptist Church of Glena rden under the pastorate of John K Jenkins Sr, where he is now part of the Adult Bible study teaching staff.
Jacqui:
Brother Terrence's passions include a love for God's Word, living the Word, teaching the Word and sharing it. He's been married to his lovely wife, Stephanie, for over 50 years and they currently reside in Maryland. Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where weekly, we break down the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks. This week, it is my pleasure to welcome Brother Terence Brown to the Bible Basics Podcast. I am delighted to have you with us this morning.
Bro Terence:
Sister Jacqui, I'm honored and I'm thrilled to be present with the saints and especially with you.
Jacqui:
Great, wonderful Listeners. You all have to know Brother Terence is a teacher's teacher. When he comes before the class, you all need to be prepared to be informed, to be enlightened and to be challenged. Here's an example when he comes before the class, he's likely, or he's not likely to ask who's prepared. He's not going to ask you that. He's not going to ask who studied or who read their lesson. He's going to ask who read their lesson five times and you best believe we're all like, oh, how many times did I read it? He's just an amazing teacher. It's fun being in this class, but you walk out learning so much. He's highly respected by other students and his colleagues and I'm really just humbled by his presence. So again I want to welcome you, an elder statesman, brother Terence Brown.
Bro Terence:
Well, thank you so much. I don't think I even recognize myself with that greeting. But concerning the reading the Bible five times the Sunday school lesson, if you're up front you should see the heads drop because they know they have not studied the five times and that's not something that's required, but it's for a reason, I think, that we really need to learn the Bible, study the Bible, live the Bible. I'll give you an illustration. Many of us have been in Sunday School 60 years and they tell me that in Sunday school class, every five years you would have gone through the Bible. So if you've been there 60 years, you've gone through the Bible 10 times. By now.
Bro Terence:
You think that we would have known 1 John I mean John 3:16 or some of the other core scriptures, but most people don't. What's the problem? And if we would take time to really meditate on the scriptures, we don't have to use all these other. I mean I appreciate other aids, use all these other. I mean I appreciate other aids, but when you really really just apply yourself and just look at it and stare at it. I'll probably mention that as you ask some of your other questions, but I don't want to get into that right now.
Jacqui:
Okay, another thing listeners. If you could see Brother Terence now, you would see the smile on his face from ear to ear. Another thing that happens in this classroom when he walks up front, he just exudes joy Brother Terrance. Where does that joy come from? What's that all about?
Bro Terence:
Well, it's the Holy Spirit. Once you really get the lesson in your spirit. And before I teach class, I'm out in the streets teaching people, evangelizing, using that very lesson. So when I come before you, I'm really excited to share what's really working in my life and what I've seen in others what's really working in my life and what I've seen in others.
Jacqui:
That's awesome. It shows, it just rubs off and it makes us excited about going out there and sharing it as well.
Bro Terence:
And that's one of the keys that typically comes out of your lessons the importance of sharing with others what you've learned, and that's why we've gone 60 years and not learned a thing, because we have not made it. The scriptures are part of our lives and our activities.
Jacqui:
Brother Terence, have you always done that? Tell us a little bit about your background, about your journey to getting to where you are now.
Bro Terence:
Now, tell us a little bit about your background, about your journey to getting to where you are now. Well, I'm really excited to share this because I was kind of like thrown into it. There was no teaching. One day the teacher left for the young adult class and I had been in Bible study. I was excited about it, Bible study, I was excited about it. In fact, how I got into really wanting to teach is when I came to this area I didn't know anybody, I didn't know about any churches, so I walked for a mile and a half through neighborhoods, past churches, and I walked into the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Southeast and I entered into a study and they had this old deacon who was sitting at the end of the table. So whenever they had a problem, they deferred to him and he opened up the scriptures like I never known before.
Bro Terence:
And I said I want to be like that and I love being in the Bible studies and I enjoyed spiritual growth and so I became his son. He had 12 kids and his children said Terrence, your dad is favorite dad's favorite, because I was the only one to be in the class. So from that, seeing how he opened up the scriptures, like on the Emmaus Road, that excited me and I wanted that for others as well excited me and I wanted that for others as well.
Jacqui:
So, in teaching and sharing God's Word, both with students, like in a formal class setting, but also when you're out in the street, out interacting with people on an everyday basis, what do you see as some of the challenges for people to learning God's Word, to wanting to open up the Bible and read it?
Bro Terence:
Well, I think there are many reasons. I've found over the years that our teaching has to be presented in a way that becomes personable to the person. I've had teachers who have just given you the historical point of view from scriptures and that's just head knowledge, and so they never take it home with them because that's as far as the teacher has gone. He has never shared application and it's important that the students see the scriptures at work in the teacher's life. They can tell when you are overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit. Again, my mentor, William Montague. He was the first man I saw cry over the scriptures. I was blown away, Men, don't cry. He was so. When he got in the spirit the tears started flowing.
Bro Terence:
I wasn't ready for that, but now I'm experiencing joy that he had, and there are other reasons as well. I believe that the church is more part of the problem than the solution sometimes, and so we need to really train our teachers in a way that they know Christ in a relational way and that people, when you go out, they feel safe when they're talking to you. I was in the hospital. They're checking my heart out and I had a wonderful time sharing with people in the hospital because they felt safe with me.
Jacqui:
I sense that from you I get how easy it is for people Again going back to the smile. Thank you so much for sharing that. Going back to your students, you talked about just the importance of reading the Bible. It's okay to look at other things, but the Bible is what's key. Any tools, approaches, techniques you might recommend to the students, to somebody who's looking to you, to how to really make the most of their time in God's word.
Bro Terence:
Yeah, that's what I'm most excited about. When I came along, there was really no training, as I said before, really no training, as I said before. But as I start growing, one of the first books that I really began to appreciate was Howard, Howard Hendricks, living by the Bible, in which he talked about you need to do observation, which which says what's, what do you see? What do you see? And that's why I suggest five times. It's just stuck. It could have been six times or seven times, but we need to look at what we see the verbs, the adjectives, the repeating of words, the object, a lesson All that's in this book by Hendricks. Now, all that's in this book by Hendricks. And you know, Howard Hendricks was one of the lead teachers at Howard, I mean seminary down in Texas.
Jacqui:
Oh, Dallas Theological Seminary DTS.
Bro Terence:
Yes, yes, teachers who taught worldwide, who went to Dallas Theological Seminary. They trained under Howard Hendricks. I had a privilege of hearing him and he just opens up the scripture. So I said I'm going to call him one day and I want to order his book. I'm expecting his secretary to pick up. It was Howard Hendricks himself. Oh, what a humble man he was. I was blown away.
Bro Terence:
So the first point of his book is looking at the observations and then then next looking at interpretation uh, what's going on here? Uh, the understanding of the particular scripture and then application. How do I use this? I see a. I look at a.
Bro Terence:
Someone give me a bike and never seen a bike before. Well, I have to look at someone giving me a bike and never seen a bike before. Well, I had to look at it. Well, it got wheels on it. What am I going to do with it? Maybe I need to ride it, but it really don't work for you until you learn to ride it. It has a purpose to take you to some particular destination and the Bible takes us to that destination. Also, you might want to look at, after reading that, there's a book how to Prepare Bible Messages by James Braga. Braga, B-R-A-G-A. Okay, Now the other thing that I've learned to do.
Bro Terence:
This is crucial because we can learn all these techniques. This is crucial because we can learn all these techniques, but until you go to sleep with the word wake up with the word, meditate on it and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you, Because sometimes when I'm teaching the lesson, it doesn't always come together. After you've done all these technical things. But laying in bed, God speaks to you and you know when he really speaks to you. You know when that lesson's going to be right, because he gives you a proper understanding. And when you get up front boy, you so fired up, you don't know what to say or do, and not all of the information that you study is for your class. Some of it's just for you. Yes, yes.
Bro Terence:
And the Holy Spirit will separate it out as you get up front, because sometimes he changes all what you thought you were going to teach to something different.
Jacqui:
To me that goes to why your classes are so impactful, because you come there with it already impacting you. Yes, and you can't help but share that and spread that to the rest of the class.
Bro Terence:
And that's why when someone tells me about their Sunday School class or whether they're teaching well, Friday night or Saturday night, I I'm going to get there and stay and I'll be prepared the next day. You won't be. You can give a lot of facts and information, but until you live and breathe the word of God, you can't effectively teach it or influence others, because all it is is head knowledge. You need that heart knowledge to teach. I've learned that people are hurting and as you are preparing your lesson, god's going to send situations that people are going through, and usually what I'm saying I say Brother, that's the same point about Sunday school lessons Is that situation that you're going through? Sometimes I ask them would you like to hear? But most of the times I just go right on and just really explode into it and they begin to see life differently. They begin to get a respect for you, even if they don't receive it. They respect you and they will be back later for future problems and struggles that they're going through.
Bro Terence:
But that's why the old preachers and teachers years ago were so strong and so faithful. They saw everything in life as a part of that study that they were going through, so they could talk about that leaf that fell from the tree or something that was just ordinary in their environment. It just flowed. It was like the Bible says that you should write the scriptures on the lintel, on the floor all over in your car, in your bedroom. They saw God's word all around us. We don't do that. It says study the words day and night, evening and morning. So I've taken that literally, as the Bible has commanded, to meditate on God's word morning and evening, and every time I can get a chance the word is on my mind. So when I saw my mentor, he never studied. I wanted to ask his wife why doesn't he study? I got a struggle but he was always meditating. He always loved me but you could tell his mind was always in God's word and so when he came before you he was already prepared in the class.
Jacqui:
That's powerful and I love that. You said you've taken the mandate to meditate on the word night and day, literally.
Bro Terence:
Yes.
Jacqui:
How did you get there?
Bro Terence:
Well, it's one of the sacrifices. Romans 12, 1 says I beseech you, brothers, make a sacrifice. It's just that you're going to have to give up On some of the deceptions that the world has given us. That we can't do it, it's not that important. But when you obey God's word, it says that you'll be like a tree. That we can't do it, it's not that important. But when you obey God's word, it says that you'll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water bring forth his fruit in his season and whatsoever you do shall prosper. So I've done that and my life has changed dramatically. And my life has changed dramatically and equally with prayer. With prayer, yes.
Jacqui:
Pray first Talk about that a little bit more.
Bro Terence:
The church is anemic and many Christians are anemic because we don't really pray as we ought. When you look at Jesus, he was praying in the morning, midday. He had to go away at night. And if we add up the time that we spend a week in prayer it may be breakfast, lunch, dinner and maybe at church that only amounts about maybe half hour of prayer for most of us, but the whole week.
Bro Terence:
But the scripture says that we need to pray continuously and I've been working on that, and the Lord is really doing that. Because once you start coming parts of prayer meetings, you hear people's suffering, their cancers, their loss, people beating up on them. You find yourself praying all the day for them and for other things. You learn to stop letting prayer be the last thing, but let it be the first. When it's the last thing, you more often for the the whole day. You don't really get nothing accomplished and you're frustrated. But when you learn to pray first, by by midday this is that, uh, just example you finished with everything. God has just cleared the way. Who doesn't want to live like that?
Bro Terence:
So Jesus took his time. He wasn't rushed, because he loves to pray and to talk to his Father. That's why I learned sometimes I don't necessarily go to bed. When I'm sleeping, I get in the bed to talk to God. I get in the bed to talk to God or I'll wake up in the morning and if it's not time, people say I can't go to sleep. Oh Lord, this is time to talk to you. Proverbs 6: 22- 23 says that he will bind his teaching and his wisdom about you, that he will walk with you during the day. He will give you peace, full rest, and that he will wake up in the morning and talk with you. And that's true. I tested it.
Jacqui:
It's true, I tested it. It's true, part of this idea of this podcast, particularly these interviews, is for listeners to walk away with practical application, with something they can apply to their lives, something they can do to make their lives better, and you have certainly shared a wealth of that with us.
Jacqui:
Thank you, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Holy Spirit, thank you and thank you so much for taking the time to come share with us, and our virtual doors are always open for you to come back and share with the Bible Basics community. Amen, and I thank God for you with the Bible Basics community.
Bro Terence:
Amen, and I thank God for you. You're doing a wonderful job. I'm excited for you. I'm excited for your audience as we grow together in Christ, our Redeemer.
Jacqui:
Amen. Thank you, Brother Terrence. If you found this episode helpful, informative or inspirational in any way, would you please share with someone you know who needs to hear it? You can do that by sharing the podcast website, bible-basicsorg, or you can click on the share button right where you're listening now. For those of you listening on YouTube, go ahead and like, subscribe and leave us a comment. In closing, may the grace and peace of God be with you now and always. You.