Making The Text Come Alive

" For the word of God is living and active" Hebrews 4:12a. I have come to understand that more and more everyday as I teach and preach it. I enjoy teaching and making the text come alive on Wed. nights. I enjoy the prep time during the week but what I can't wait for is on Wed. and Sundays making the text come alive. I have been in alot of classes where the teacher will ask the question: "What does this verse mean?" Response: "Well, it says what it means and means what it says." No heart. No application to daily life. When I teach a class I want the hearers to leave having something to take with them to help them live better the rest of the week. I want to challenge their faith. Many Christians only read the New Testament and ignore the Old Testament. We must remember that Old Testament was the Scripture Jesus read and taught from. We must remember the words of Paul, "All Scripture is inspired." All. The Old Testament can help us as Christians live moral lives. It is full of stories of peoples faith, mistakes that we can avoid, wisdom, encouragment, and lasting promises of God that spill over into the New Testament. Do we make bible classes applicable to everyday life situations? Do we challenge our members enough in their faith? Do we ignore the Old Testamemnt? Is the church relative to our culture? God help us to teach your word with heart, passion, conviction, making relavent your word to the lives of those who heart it. Thank you God, for your living word.