For January 3, 2010

And We're Off!

This Sunday we have our first Sunday School gathering for the one year voyage of reading through the Bible. Hopefully, everyone set sail individually on Friday. This Sunday we set sail collectively through Sunday School and worship. This is going to be an exciting adventure that will require effort, energy, dedication, enthusiasm, perseverance, and preparation on our part just to name a few. But if we stay the course, I believe it can truly be a life changing year!!

Staying Ship Shape

1. Pray. Pray. Pray.
2. Set aside dedicated time each day to spend with God reading and journaling.
3. Let the Holy Spirit guide you.
4. Talk about the voyage -- communicate with others what you are learning and/or struggling with.
5. Encourage others.
6. Be accountable and hold others accountable.

About this Sunday (January 3)

1. Be prepared for a possible large crowd to attend your class. We have distributed 900 Bibles and 895 journals to youth and adults. Some of that number includes people in the community who have chosen to take the voyage on their own or with a small group in their church.
2. If you have someone attend who has not signed up and therefore does not have a Bible or a journal, there will be sign up forms in the acrylic boxes outside of your classroom. Ask the person if they would like to get on board. If they are interested, give them a sign up form and have them complete it. When they complete it, collect it from them and place it either in your class roll notebook to be returned to the office, or back in the acrylic box outside of your classroom. If you place it in the box, I will come by later and pick the forms up.
3. We currently are out of Bibles and only have 5 journals left. This is why it is important that we get an accurate number from new sign ups this Sunday, so that we can order the correct amount of materials. In the future, the plan is to have extra Bibles and journals available in the church office so that any newcomer, regardless of when they come to your class in 2010, will have the opportunity to receive a Bible and journal and immediately get on board.
4. This means for this Sunday, newcomers will have to wait on the arrival of a new shipment of materials. I was out of town over the holidays, and we had more sign up than we had Bibles and journals for. I will be attempting to order an accurate number this next week.

Creativity in Your Voyage

1. I encourage you to be as creative with this voyage as you care to be. Let your class be creative with it too. They may come up with some great ideas. You can do a lot with the nautical theme. Along the way, I will share some ideas that you may want to use. I also welcome your ideas to share with others.
2. Here's one idea: Give your class a Ship Name, like the "SS Truth." SS stands for Sunday School anyway. You could welcome people aboard your class ship each week. You could refer to the class session as an "all hands on deck" experience or crew meeting.

This Week's Lesson

Remember the parts of each lesson

1. "Week in Review" -- be sure to begin your class time with a look back at what the class has been reading this past week. Allow class members an opportunity to share what they learned or struggled with. The questions at the end of the "Week in Review" section are good ones to ask to start this discussion. Be sure however, to limit this "Week in Review" portion of class time so that you can cover the day's lesson
2. Lesson Outline -- there are anywhere from three to more major points of emphasis to the selected Bible study passage in each week's lesson. They all "flow" together to support a major emphasis on the current theme and ultimately lead to a time of commitment
3. Passage Guide -- to give you biblical commentary for your own preparation to share with the class as you feel led.
4. Discussion Guide -- to give you possible questions to ask your class to engage them in active participation
5. Application Guide -- to give you suggested ways within the study of each outline section to lead the students to move from hearers of God's word to doers of God's word. It's all about application.
6. Commitment -- At the end of the day, our lives should be different when spending time with God in His word. Lead your class each week to make the commitments they need to make in light of what they have learned.

Remember the Lessons are connected by themes

• This Sunday, we begin to emphasize the theme, "Who is God?" This week's lesson will focus on the truth that God is "The Righteous Judge."

Remember to utilize the journal

• Class members should be bringing their journals with them each week. This is a tool that you have not had as a teacher before. Think of ways to utilize this tool during the lesson each week. Students will have a place in their journal for "Sunday School Notes." Encourage them to take notes during the class. You may also suggest that they write their commitment that they make at the end of class in their journal as a way to truly commit. When you write something down you are more inclined to follow through. There may be a question that you especially want the class to answer individually to drive home a point. Encourage them to record their answer in the journal. This can also be a way to get people who don't usually talk out loud to share with the group. Rather than letting the usual ones who speak up to dominate the discussion time, you can perhaps call on someone to share what they recorded in the their journal. This will give you some control over the discussion as well.

One Final Thought

This week's lesson is about a family that obeyed the word of God and built a boat, the "SS Salvation," and set out on approximately a one year voyage the end of which not only changed them, but also changed the world. How appropriate that this is our first lesson on our voyage! We have built our boats and we now set sail on a one year voyage. As we study God's word and apply it into our lives, we will be changed, and potentially the world as well!!

We have a Righteous Judge who commands obedience, delivers His judgment, and provides deliverance for all who accept His provision for salvation!!

For July 26, 2009

News

1. CARE Ministry -- Every Tuesday night -- supper at 5:30, outreach/in reach activities at 6:00 p.m.

2. VBS -- What a great week of Vacation Bible School!! Thanks to all who volunteered to help in the many areas of need. It took well over 150 volunteers to make it happen! Blessings to all!

Lesson Supplement for July 26

Explore the Bible
"How Genuine Are You?"
James 1:19-27

Intro. – The current unit is entitled, "Walking Every Day." This week's lesson is the second in a series on the book of James and will focus on being genuine in our faith. Hypocrisy, as perceived by the eyes of a non-believer is one of the reasons given for not wanting to become a Christian. Just what is a Christian? What does one look like? In order to make an accurate determination as to whether one is a hypocrite or not, it is best to gain some knowledge about what the true standard is for being one. That standard is found in the book by which Christians must live. The Bible defines what it means to be a genuine Christian. The passage for this week should enlighten us all with greater knowledge of genuine Christianity. Our genuineness is directly related to the depth of our commitment to follow the teachings of God's word every day.

James 1:19-21 – Genuine followers of Christ accept God's word as their standard for living. Why shouldn't they? That is what Christ did! Genuine believers do two things before they speak. They listen, and they think. By listening and thinking first, Christlike actions and words are more likely to follow rather than angry reactions. One aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control (Galatians 5:23). It is neither easy nor natural to respond humbly with a soft and gentle response to someone who has done evil toward us. However, if the Holy Spirit is present in one's life, self-control will be present and evident by a listen-first and think-first response. God's word is firmly implanted in the heart of a believer and yields fruit of genuineness. Self-control is evidence.

James 1:22-25 -- In order for the "seed" of God's word to yield fruit of genuineness in a believer, the believer must act on the implanted word. A seed will never produce fruit if tilling is not followed by more toiling. Do something with what has been planted in you. Genuine Christians do just that. Putting into practice what you have heard is the work that must follow if the seed is going to produce the fruit it was meant to create. What kind of believer are you? If you are a hearer of God's word only, then you don't know the answer to that question because you have forgotten what you look like the last time you heard God's word. Be a doer of God's word. Work it. Put it into practice and you will be blessed and will be a blessing to others.

James 1:26-27 -- Participating faithfully in religious rituals and church attendance does not make one an authentic Christian. James gives us three practical evidences of authentic Christianity. First, there is self-control. This was discussed in the first section of scripture and is emphasized here once again. If you cannot apply God's word in your life and control your reactions to others who may do evil toward you, then all of the religious rituals and church attendance pins are useless. The second evidence of authentic Christianity is a compassion toward the vulnerable in society. This compassion flows out of a heart of true love and moves the authentic believer to helpful action. The third evidence of authentic Christianity is purity -- purity of motive, attitude, and action. Authentic Christians strive to avoid sinful temptations and situations in order to protect themselves from sinful acts and hypocrisy.

Commitment – Lead students to answer the question, "How genuine are you?" Do you put into practice the teaching of God's word? Do you practice self-control, help the vulnerable, and live in purity? Lead students to commit to doing these things so that the fruit of genuineness will be evident to all who observe them.

For Further Help with this Week's Lesson Visit http://www.lifeway.com/articleclick/?id=166474 and read Dan Kassis' weekly article

Bible Studies for Life
"Notice Our Triune God at Work"
Matthew 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; Ephesians 1:3-14

Intro. -- During the month of July, we will study various passages of scripture to gain greater knowledge and understanding about the trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The trinity is a difficult concept to grasp and has caused problems for people throughout history. Some religions view the Christian doctrine of the trinity as a worship of three gods rather than one. Some cults base their arguments against Christianity on the trinity and use it to try to draw believers to their philosophy. During this month, we will strive to experience God triune-ly. This Sunday's lesson is the final in the series and focuses the work of our triune God.

Matthew 3:16-17 -- How is God Three in One? Our belief is "that there is only one God, and He exists as three distinct and separate, coequal and co-eternal Persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." The Bible teaches this about God, and these verses are perhaps the clearest picture of this teaching. In these verses, we see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is identified by a voice from heaven as "My beloved Son." In that simple statement alone, we see evidence of the divine Father and the divine Son. All sons have fathers, but Jesus is uniquely identified, by the voice that spoke from the heavens, as His Son. The Holy Spirit was also present at this event. His attendance was compared to that of a dove descending from heaven and coming down on Jesus, the Son.

1 Corinthians 2:12-13 -- How Does He Teach Me? Jesus promised his disciples before he ascended into heaven that He would be with them always, then they watched Him go into heaven and never saw Him on earth again. So, did Jesus break His promise? How could He say that He would be with them always if He was ascending into heaven? Because He, as God, would be with them always in the Person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came to live in the heart of those disciples, and He comes to live in the hearts of all believers today. We are blessed to have the very presence of God in our lives to teach us spiritual truth and guide us in all things so that we might become like Christ. Unbelievers do not have the Spirit in their hearts and therefore, cannot understand spiritual things. Let us listen to the Holy Spirit as He directs us to the word of God in order to learn more about spiritual truths, even more about the truth of the trinity.

Ephesians 1:3-14 -- The last section is lengthy, and in it we see the work of the triune God. The work of the Father was to plan and provide for salvation. The work of the Son was to accomplish the Father's plan by becoming the provision. The work of the Holy Spirit was and is to secure that salvation. The Spirit seals us in the family of God. We are owned by God and protected by His Spirit. Also, the Spirit's presence is a down payment toward what believers will experience in heaven. With the Holy Spirit in our lives, we get a taste of eternity and that allows us to live abundantly in this life. God be praised for His plan, provision, and protection of salvation!

Commitment -- Lead students to make a commitment to praise God for the salvation they have by His grace. If they do not have that assurance of salvation, lead them to commit their lives to Jesus and by faith stand secure under the protective seal of the Holy Spirit.

Comments Welcome -- Any ideas for illustrations, other scripture, or class activities to enhance the lesson?