A church is only as strong as its teaching. Join Chuck Pike as he demonstrates how to use early Christian writings and the Septuagint to gain deeper insights when teaching through books of the Bible verse by verse.

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Course Content

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The Importance of Expository Teaching
The Importance of Deep Reading
The Importance of Preparation
The Early Christian Methods of Biblical Interpretation
The Importance of Tools
The Mount Rushmore Test
Practical Example One: Genesis 18
Practical Example Two: Genesis 19
Practical Example Three: Judges 19-20
Survey: Expository Teaching Using Early Christian Insights
Free Course Guide

What This Free Course Covers

This free course is for students who want to teach Scripture more carefully, especially those preparing for church teaching, small groups, missions, or family devotions. Chuck Pike explains his approach to expository teaching with an emphasis on deep reading, serious preparation, and learning from early Christian sources.

The course gives special attention to the Old Testament, how it connects to Christ, and how New Testament writers and early Christians found moral lessons and foreshadowings in the biblical text. Early lessons focus on the teacher’s character, love for Scripture, disciplined reading, and useful study tools, including the Septuagint and early Christian writings.

Later lessons move from method to practice by working through difficult Old Testament passages such as Genesis 18, Genesis 19, and Judges 19–20. Throughout the course, Pike encourages teachers to ask careful questions of the text, test their interpretations, and explain Scripture clearly rather than merely passing along unsupported claims.

Expository teaching Deep reading Teacher preparation Old Testament and Christ Early Christian interpretation Septuagint study Testing interpretations Moral lessons Foreshadowing Difficult passages

What You Will Study

  • Why expository teaching carries a serious responsibility for anyone teaching Scripture
  • How a teacher’s love for the Bible can shape and encourage those being taught
  • The importance of deep, active reading instead of shallow or disconnected study
  • How to prepare before public opportunities to teach are available
  • A three-level approach to Scripture: storyline, moral lessons, and foreshadowings of Christ
  • How early Christian interpretation, the Septuagint, and selected study tools can aid Bible teaching
  • How to test possible Old Testament foreshadowings rather than accepting every interesting idea
  • How the method is applied to Genesis 18, Genesis 19, and Judges 19–20

Questions This Course Helps Answer

  • Why does expository teaching matter for the health of the church?
  • How can a prospective Bible teacher begin preparing before being asked to teach?
  • What does it mean to become a better reader of Scripture?
  • How should a teacher compare related passages across the Old and New Testaments?
  • What are the three levels of Scripture discussed in this course?
  • How did early Christians look for moral lessons and foreshadowings in Old Testament stories?
  • What role can the Septuagint play in studying Old Testament passages quoted in the New Testament?
  • How can a teacher evaluate claims about Greek or other language-based arguments?
  • Why should teachers be cautious with commentaries and secondary sources?
  • How can possible allegorical or typological connections be tested carefully?
  • How might Genesis 18 be used as a practical example for expository teaching?
  • What moral warnings does Genesis 19 raise about judgment, hospitality, and heeding God’s warnings?

Lesson-by-Lesson Guide

The Importance of Expository Teaching

Chuck Pike introduces the course by explaining his interest in expository teaching, especially teaching the Old Testament and its connections to the New Testament. He stresses that teachers should cultivate a contagious love for Scripture and learn from the best teachers and writers they can access.

  • Why is expository teaching important for the church?
  • How can a teacher’s love for Scripture affect others?
  • Why should teachers learn from strong examples rather than only from peer critique?

The Importance of Deep Reading

This lesson argues that good teachers must first become excellent readers. Pike discusses active reading, meditation on Scripture, reading passages in relation to other passages, and the need to avoid shallow or careless handling of the Bible.

  • What does it mean to read Scripture deeply?
  • Why is shallow reading dangerous for Bible teachers?
  • How can related passages help clarify a difficult text?
  • What does meditation on Scripture have to do with teaching?

The Importance of Preparation

Pike encourages aspiring teachers to prepare seriously even when no one is asking them to teach. He uses his own experience to show how private preparation and faithful teaching in small settings can ready a person for future opportunities.

  • How can someone prepare to teach before being invited to teach publicly?
  • Why should a teacher give full effort even to a small audience?
  • How should someone respond when poor teaching is present in a church?
  • How can a prospective teacher avoid becoming divisive?

The Early Christian Methods of Biblical Interpretation

This lesson introduces two major interpretive ideas: the three levels of Scripture and the difference between more direct and more analogical forms of biblical prophecy. Pike gives examples such as the Passover lamb, Paul’s use of the ox in 1 Corinthians 9, and the scarlet cord in Rahab’s story.

  • What are the three levels of Scripture discussed in the course?
  • How can Old Testament stories contain moral lessons for Christians?
  • How can Old Testament details foreshadow Christ?
  • How did Paul use Old Testament passages in ways modern readers may miss?

The Importance of Tools

Pike discusses study tools that have helped him prepare lessons, including the Septuagint, early Christian writings, Greek-related resources, and historically grounded commentary. He also warns against relying uncritically on unsupported claims or unreliable commentaries.

  • What study tools can help with expository Bible teaching?
  • Why does Pike value the Septuagint for Old Testament study?
  • How can teachers evaluate claims about Greek meanings?
  • Why should commentaries be used carefully?

The Mount Rushmore Test

This lesson focuses on testing possible foreshadowings and allegorical insights rather than accepting every interesting connection. Pike explains his “Mount Rushmore Test” as a way to ask whether details line up strongly enough to suggest design rather than coincidence.

  • How can a teacher test a possible Old Testament foreshadowing?
  • What is the Mount Rushmore Test?
  • Why should teachers try to challenge their own interpretations?
  • When should an interpretation be rejected outright?

Practical Example One: Genesis 18

Pike begins the practical section by reviewing the preparation steps and then working through Genesis 18. He models asking questions of the text, comparing related passages, and considering how Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and the promise are discussed elsewhere in Scripture.

  • How can a teacher begin preparing an expository lesson from an Old Testament text?
  • What questions arise from Abraham’s meeting with the three visitors?
  • How should related New Testament passages be brought into the study?
  • How does Paul use Abraham’s family story in Galatians?

Practical Example Two: Genesis 19

This lesson applies the course method to Genesis 19 and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Pike discusses the storyline, moral warnings about judgment and heeding God’s warnings, hospitality, Lot’s family, and possible connections to later events in Scripture.

  • What moral lessons can be drawn from Genesis 19?
  • How does the story warn readers to take God’s warnings seriously?
  • What role does hospitality play in the story of Lot and the angels?
  • How might Genesis 19 be examined for possible foreshadowing?

Practical Example Three: Judges 19-20

Pike tackles Judges 19–20 as one of the most disturbing passages in Scripture and demonstrates how to teach a difficult text carefully. He considers the storyline, moral lessons about evil and judgment, and possible foreshadowings connected to Christ’s suffering and the witness of the twelve.

  • How can a teacher approach a deeply disturbing biblical passage?
  • Why is the story of Judges 19–20 included in Scripture?
  • What moral lessons does the passage raise about evil and judgment?
  • How does Pike test possible connections between this passage and Christ’s passion?

Survey: Expository Teaching Using Early Christian Insights

This final item is listed as a course survey rather than a teaching lesson. No transcript was supplied for this item.

  • How can students respond after completing the course?
  • What feedback might help reflect on the course as a whole?

What students are saying

4.92 out of 5 — 24 reviews
Clay Yoder Mar 24, 2026
★★★★★
An extremely helpful course to understand the Old Testament. The teaching tools presented are very useful in mining the many gems that are contained in the Scriptures. I also liked that he taught about some difficult stories that are not taught by most Christians rather than some easier ones.
Charles Hood Jan 31, 2026
★★★★★
I thought that the content of this course was very well done. The main word I would use to describe this course is "encouraging"! I really appreciate how dear brother Chuck presented multiple examples of how to put together and present an expository teaching lesson using some really tough portions of the Old Testament! Dear brother Chuck is a natural encourager and I really appreciate him sharing all these insights and how-to's with us. May many able expository preachers be raised up in the Body of Christ!
Verified Student Apr 1, 2024
★★★★☆
The three lenses Chuck talks about give me fresh eyes to see Christ in the Old Testament
Verified Student Mar 14, 2024
★★★★★
This course deeply motivated me to dig into the ward of God and study it.
Verified Student Feb 2, 2024
★★★★☆
This course presents an interesting and useful three-level approach to expository teaching.
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Expository Teaching Using Early Christian Insights

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Course Includes

  • 10 Lessons
  • 9 Quizzes
  • Course Certificate