Sunday School: Who Needs It?

If it seems like there has always been a Sunday school. Well, that's not far from the truth, in America, anyway.

The Sunday school movement really had its beginning in England in the late 1700's and early 1800's through the efforts of a man named Robert Raikes. Its original purpose was to educate children who lived in tough circumstances and who would have little or no education apart from these schools. Their textbook was the Bible and the subjects included in their curriculum were reading, writing, and moral values. The Sunday school was the forerunner of our modern-day public schools. (Just think how far the public education system has drifted from its original purpose and textbook!) One of the most well-known Sunday schools ever started in America was begun in the slums of Chicago in 1858 by D.L. Moody. Although there had been other Sunday schools in the States since 1785, Mr. Moody's Sunday school quickly gained recognition because he was one of America's greatest and most loved revivalists.

During the 1800's, with the rise of public education, Sunday school began to change. It became the primary means of evangelizing a population which was disinterested in church attendance, so that, by the late 1800's, nearly eighty percent of all people coming into the church, were doing so through the Sunday school. The purpose of the Sunday school ceased to be about reading/writing and primarily focused on evangelism and instruction in the Scriptures. It was a boom time for the Sunday school that lasted well into the late 20th century.

But, times are changing again and with the beginning of the 21st century, an ever-increasing number of Sunday school classes are being supplemented with small group Bible studies that may meet on Sunday morning, but are just as likely to meet on other days of the week, as well. This new trend reflects some of the changes in how society interacts with one another and in the desire of Christ's disciples to be the church in their community and not just go to church. Today, in many parts of the country, small group Bible studies have become one of the most effective means for Christians to reach their unbelieving friends, especially when the group meets in the immediate neighborhood of a Christian's residence. Instead of trying to get people to come to church first, it becomes a matter of the church coming to the people. You walk across the street and invite your friends to attend a study of the Scriptures during which time they are making new friends and being introduced to Jesus. Much of the same effect is happening when the Bible study remains on the campus of the local church, since guests feel less intimidated with their initial contact at church being in a smaller setting. With changing times we sometimes have to adjust our methods (without changing our message) in order to reach people more effectively.

Every Christian needs to be plugged into a small group Bible study and actively working to get friends and neighbors to attend with him/her. You will no longer sit passively in a classroom while listening to a lecture on the Scriptures, but you will become an active participant, learning how to apply the truth to your life circumstances. It also means you will become closer to those who are studying along with you as you share together in the spiritual growth process. Actually, small group studies have the potential to make us more like the early church than any other method I've seen in recent years. Obviously, nothing will EVER replace the corporate gathering of God's people for Sunday worship, celebration, and instruction in the Word of God. However, I believe the small group Bible study is quickly becoming the most effective tool to bring about real life-change in those who truly desire to be Christ-followers.

We have small group studies on Sunday morning, Wednesday night, and on several other days of the week, as well. Why not find out how you can get involved today by calling the church office to ask for more information about our upcoming small group studies? You won't regret the in-depth look into God's word, the lifelong friendships you will make, or the closeness that will grow between you and your God.

Feeling Overhelmed?

Has someone ever told you when you were going through a tough time, “God will never put on you (trials/tribulations) more than you can bear”? It sounds right and some people even quote scripture to support their argument, but the Bible never makes such a statement nor implies it, either. Rather, God may well put you through trials that are tougher than you can humanly bear, but if He does, there is always a purpose that is involved.

Let me explain. The Scripture that supposedly supports this idea is 1 Corinthians 10:13.

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (NKJV)

Notice carefully that the verse says, “no temptation...” and NOT “no trial or test.” The Greek word that is used for “temptation” can be used for “trials or tests,” but the context leaves no ambiguity about which meaning God intended. Read the entire passage from 10:1-14 and it becomes clear that God was not talking in this context about “trials, tests, or tribulation,” but rather, about “temptation to evil.” If there remains any question in your mind about it, 10:6 should clear it up for you because the indictment is that the Israelites lusted after “evil things.”

What God has promised is NOT that He will never put on us (trials/tribulations) more than we can humanly bear, but that He will not allow us to be TEMPTED above what we can bear. Whenever we are being enticed to evil, there is ALWAYS a way of escape.

Now that you know this verse doesn’t support the popular opinion that gets shared as Biblical truth, what do we say to those who are enduring difficult trials in life? Paul gives us, from an incident in his own life, the reason God sometimes allows us to be overwhelmed in the midst of trying circumstances (2 Corinthians 1:8-9):

“For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead..” (NKJV)

Did you notice that God HAD allowed something in Paul’s life that was MORE than he could bear (“beyond measure, above strength”)? The reason He allowed it was so Paul would come to the end of himself and find God’s resurrection power that could sustain him. Sometimes God allows our difficult circumstances to turn us to Him so that we will trust Him and nothing else. In other words, He brings us to the end of ourselves to help us find that He is all we need. This idea is born out in other passages from Paul’s writings, as well. Take a moment and read 2 Corinthians 11:21-30 and 12:6-10.

Here are some things to consider when you are feeling overwhelmed.

1. Maybe you need to put something down. (Luke 10:41-42)

On one occasion, when Mary and Martha were at the house with Jesus, Mary chose to sit at His feet and worship, while Martha was overwhelmed in preparing the meal. What Martha needed to do was “put down” her pots, pans, etc., so she could worship, too. Sometimes we feel like we’ve been “thrown under the bus” because we haven’t prioritized what is really important in life. When you don’t know what’s most important and can’t let go of what’s less important, you get overwhelmed. Put down the things that are secondary and focus on what is primary.

2. Possibly you need to hand something off. (Exodus 18:17-22)

Moses was trying to judge all of the people of Israel and decide every case himself. When his father-in-law saw it, he recommended that Moses “hand off” some of the responsibility to others so that he could give himself to the things that ONLY he could do. When we feel overwhelmed, it might be that we need to ask ourselves, “is there something I should delegate to another person?” If you think you have to do it all or that you are the only one who can do it right, you end up hurting others, as well as yourself. Many times, it’s our pride that says, “my way is the only (or even best) way.” Maybe someone else won’t do it exactly the way you would, but by allowing them to do it, you are helping them grow and become a part of the greater purpose. In the process you are relieving yourself of responsibility God didn’t intend for you to carry.

3. Certainly, you need to give something up. (Psalm 55:22; cf. 1 Peter 5:6-7)

By this, I don’t mean that you should run up the white flag of surrender and quit living life. Rather, I mean that you need to “give up” to God (in prayer and seeking Him) the things that are overwhelming you. This is the time to ask Him for His resurrection strength to enable you to do what you humanly cannot do yourself. Actually, this is the most important thing you can do and one that should be a constant in all of our lives. This is where you are truly learning to live by faith and depend on Him for everything that you need and this is the reason God has allowed your situation to push you beyond yourself. You need God’s help, but we often won’t recognize it until we are outside our comfort zone.

Feeling overwhelmed today? God is trying to get you to stop trusting yourself and start trusting Him!

Serving Others-The Highest Calling

Recent statistics show that among those who attend churches with 2,000 members or more, forty-five percent never volunteer to serve in their church and thirty-two percent give little or no money to the work of their church. This directly contradicts the common thinking among many Christians that large congregations have more than sufficient numbers volunteering to serve and who give to the advancement of the Gospel. These commonly held beliefs simply are not true and are not borne out in any of the studies that have been done in these areas of religious life. Even more striking is the fact that the smaller the congregation the percentage of those refusing/neglecting to serve in the church grows even higher. The old 80/20 principle that was discovered many years ago is still applicable in most of our churches. Twenty percent of the people in a congregation carry eighty percent of the load, while eighty percent carry twenty percent of the load.

No matter the size of a church’s membership, what we have today are too many of us who are contented to just sit on the sidelines of God’s work and do little more than cheer on the faithful few. Obviously, encouraging one another is an important part of what we need to be doing, but being a part of a church fellowship means so much more. It means you believe that God is at work in His church and that He intends for you to be a cooperating agent with Him. It means that you invest your abilities and gifts in fulfilling the Great Commission throughout the local area and around the world. It means that you are fully committed to serving others as a means of serving Jesus because that is part of what it means to be Christ-like. How quickly we forget that Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve others. It’s only reasonable to assume that following Christ should inevitably result in our willingness to don the towel of service and wash the disciple’s feet, if necessary. Nothing will be beneath us and every opportunity will be viewed as a privilege to care for others as God cares for us. I can’t personally think of anything more honorable than being an instrument in His hands, functioning as His representative while bringing God’s love and help to those He died to save.

The lure of this world in our lives is constantly drawing us to pleasure, comfort, and ease. People are readily willing to set aside their service to God for things they want to do, but hardly ever consider doing the same for the cause of Christ when it comes to their travel, recreation, or rest. This matter of failing to prioritize our Christian service must certainly be classified as a form of idolatry, because it means that something in our lives is more important to us than God and His work. I’m not suggesting that we don’t need recreation, travel, or rest, but stop and ask yourself how many times you have already missed, postponed, or rescheduled your responsibilities of service among God’s people. How many worship services have you already missed in 2009 because you were doing something other than earning a living or dealing with a providential hindrance? If you missed as many days at work or shifted your responsibilities as often each year as you do at church, how would your secular employment fare? Does your level of commitment and dedication to God’s work demonstrate that you believe the work you do for Him is of greater importance than any other work?

Isn’t it interesting that we expect good service when we come to church (or for that matter, anywhere we go), but too often we aren’t willing to be good servants. Great service requires great servants. Consistent service requires committed servants. The excellence a local church achieves will always be dependent on God’s servants recognizing that there is no higher work on earth than the work of His church.

Years ago, the Salvation Army was holding an international convention and their founder, Gen. William Booth, could not attend because of physical weakness. He cabled his convention message to them, which was one word: "OTHERS." That should be the heart’s cry of all who are truly seeking to serve Jesus Christ through His church. It should be that we are devotedly committed to doing God’s work in caring for “OTHERS” as we serve them in the humble fashion Christ taught us by His word and works.

Where are you actively, passionately, devotedly, and sacrificially serving “OTHERS”?