For March 1, 2009

News

1. Attendance 2/22/09 -- We had 537 in Sunday School Sunday!! 286 at 8:30 and 251 at 9:45!

2. CARE Ministry -- If your class has not been involved in the CARE ministry on Tuesday nights, please come out and get involved. One class that has consistently been involved in CARE has grown twofold in attendance. CARE is every Tuesday night -- supper at 5:30, activities at 6:00 p.m.

3. Spring Sunday School Curriculum -- All adult classes will be using Explore the Bible curriculum during the March, April, and May months.

4. Summer Sunday School Curriculum -- I would like for teachers to let me know if they plan to use Explore the Bible curriculum for the Summer Quarter or the Bible Studies for Life curriculum by March 8 so that we can order the correct literature at the early bird discount. I will be sending by e-mail to each teacher an outline of the summer lessons for both series so that you can make your choice.

A Note About Our Current Curriculum!!

All adult classes are using the Explore the Bible curriculum series this quarter. The reason is that the lesson topics for March, April, and May in this curriculum series fit best with our 2009 emphasis on Spiritual growth and development. It's all about "Living for God Today." The three units covered in Explore the Bible during the quarter are, "Maintain Spiritual Health," "Affirm Spiritual Certainties," and "Choose Spiritual Paths." This will be a study of the books of Isaiah and Micah. I think you will find it to be a rewarding study experience, and I expect great things from it.

For the summer quarter, I need teachers to let me know which curriculum you choose to use. I need this decision by March 8 so that we can get the early bird discount on our order. I will send you an outline of lessons for the summer in both series so that you can make your choice.

A Word from Lifeway's Internet Producer for Sunday School

Dan Kassis is the Internet Producer for Sunday School at Lifeway. He wrote a comment on last week's blog, and I wanted to make sure you see it because this can be another useful tool for you as you prepare your lessons each week. Thanks Dan!

Dan Kassis
said...
Hello -- I'm the Internet Producer for Sunday School at LifeWay. I
write a weekly email newsletter for teachers of Explore the Bible called
Teaching Insights that provides encouragement, teaching tips, and other useful
information. You can subscribe at http://www.lifeway.com/articleclick/?id=166474

Blessings!

Lesson Supplements for March 1

Explore the Bible
"Meet Divine Expectations"
Isaiah 5:1-14

Intro. -- As we prepare for this month's lessons, remember that the topic for the unit is, "Maintain Spiritual Health." The title of each lesson for the month then answers the question, "How can I maintain spiritual health?" If we look at it this way, then the lesson for Sunday would have us to understand that we can maintain our spiritual health by meeting God's expectations ("Meet Divine Expectations"). If we are going to be vibrant, fruit-producing, God-honoring Christians, then we have a responsibility to meet His expectations.

Isaiah 5:1-2 -- Through the use of a story in a song format, Isaiah expresses the fact that God has expectations of his followers. He used a parable, an earthly, every day, story to teach a divine truth. In the work of a gardener, Isaiah describes the work of God. One key truth that comes from this story is that God, like a gardener, does have expectations. A good question to consider in class is, "What expectations does God have of us?" A second key truth is that God, like a gardener, provides everything needed for his "vines" to be successful. A second question for consideration would be, "What has God given us to enable us to meet His expectations?"

Isaiah 5:3-6 -- We are responsible for our own sinful choices. God has provided everything we need to be successful in meeting his expectations. When we fail to meet them, we have only ourselves to blame. God will discipline those He loves. The discipline we receive is not to condemn us but to draw us back to Him in repentance. His discipline is an act of love and grace. In the introduction of your teacher's book on page 8, I find these meaningful statements, "Christians who choose to obey the Lord and His Word will experience His blessings. Believers who rebel against the Lord will experience His discipline. Unbelievers reject the Lord and will experience His wrath." The Lord responds to sin (not meeting His expectations). We should anticipate that as we endeavor to maintain spiritual health.

Isaiah 5:7-14 -- Judah had turned to other gods, especially the gods of wealth and power. The choices they made to follow these gods produced rotten fruits of injustice, greed, jealousy, and selfishness. This is not the kind of fruit God expects from His vineyard. God expects fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If we are going to be spiritually healthy individuals and spiritually healthy churches, then we need to adopt God's standards as our own and make our daily choices in life using these standards as our guide.

Summary -- To maintain spiritual health, we must (1) acknowledge that God has expectations and we need to follow them, (2) utilize the resources He has provided to give us success in this endeavor, (3) realize that our choices do not go unnoticed by God -- He will respond accordingly, and (4) adopt His standards as our own and base our daily decisions on them.

Lesson Planning -- Pay particular attention to "Encourage Life Change" in the margin on page 21 in your teacher's book. This is a good exercise to lead students to make a commitment in light of the lesson's truths.

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

For February 22

News

1. Attendance 2/15/09 -- We had 619 in Sunday School Sunday!! 328 at 8:30 and 291 at 9:45!

2. CARE Ministry -- If your class has not been involved in the CARE ministry on Tuesday nights, please come out and get involved. One class that has consistently been involved in CARE has grown twofold in attendance. CARE is every Tuesday night -- supper at 5:30, activities at 6:00 p.m.

3. Spring Sunday School Curriculum -- All adult classes will be using Explore the Bible curriculum during the March, April, and May months. This Sunday you will see this curriculum in your classroom to be distributed to students. You can also pick up your teaching materials.

4. Summer Sunday School Curriculum -- I would like for teachers to let me know if they plan to use Explore the Bible curriculum for the Summer Quarter or the Bible Study for Life curriculum by March 8 so that we can order the correct literature at the early bird discount. I will be sending by e-mail to each teacher an outline of the summer lessons for both series so that you can make your choice.

5. Third Floor Open House this Sunday -- Open House for people to visit the 3rd floor of the education building will be this Sunday from 11:00 a.m. -- 2:00 p.m.

Lesson Supplements for February 22

Bible Studies for Life
"Receive New Life"
Acts 16:13-18, 25-34

This is the final lesson in the unit of study, "Do You Need a Fresh Start?" This lesson has an evangelistic focus as we study the power of the gospel in the lives of three residents in the city of Philippi. This is Paul's first venture into Europe, and his first convert on European soil was a woman named Lydia. Interestingly, Paul had thought and hoped that God would lead Silas and him into Asia, but the Spirit did not allow it. Instead he had a vision of a man calling him to come over into Macedonia which is where he and Silas go. Philippi is their first destination in Macedonia. Lydia is said to be from Thyatira which was a city in Asia. So, Paul and Silas had hoped to go to Asia. Instead God leads them to Europe, and the first convert is a woman from Asia. Perhaps God intended Lydia to have a major role in the spread of the gospel in Asia while Paul and Silas would continue their work in Europe.

Here is a quick take on each of these three individuals. First of all, Lydia was a wealthy person, a businesswoman in purple dye. She was also a seeker, she was already interested in spiritual things. Paul shares the gospel with her and God opens her heart to receive Him. Lydia's conversion was a "quiet" one very unlike Paul's own conversion experience.

Secondly, there was a slave girl who was somebody else's business. She was a fortune-teller that some businessmen in the community used for their own gain. She was demon-possessed, and the spirit that controlled her acknowledged who Jesus was and what Paul and Silas were about. Paul commands the spirit to leave the girl and immediately she is freed from its control. The businessmen are angered and work to get Paul and Silas punished. This was a completely different type of individual than Lydia, and her conversion was not "quiet."

Thirdly, there was the jailer. Paul and Silas were indeed punished -- beaten and imprisoned. The jailer was responsible for securing the prisoners, and if they escaped he would be punished. He was a loyal Roman citizen seemingly with no bent toward the spiritual. Paul and Silas, two beaten missionaries, sing hymns to God in the darkness of the jail at midnight, and God sends an earthquake that shook the jailer's body and soul. Fearing for his life, he was prepared to kill himself when Paul called out and told him not to do it because not one of the prisoners had escaped. The jailer asked, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul and Silas explain, and the jailer and his household believe.

What must I do to be saved? That is the question that all people long to have answered whether they are actually verbalizing that question or not. In this week's lesson, we see that three different people from three different walks of life all had the same need -- the need to be saved. The exact same salvation rescued them all.

That same salvation is what will rescue all people today. That salvation is Jesus Christ. Perhaps this week there will be some in your class who are asking that question for themselves. This would be a good time to make sure they understand the answer and give their lives to Jesus. Others in the class who are believers need to be reminded that all people are asking the same question and if we, like Paul, know the answer to "What must I do to be saved?" we have a responsibility to share the answer.


Explore the Bible
"You Can Keep at It"
2 Thessalonians 3:1-18

This lesson concludes the study of 2 Thessalonians. The emphasis in this lesson is to motivate students to be faithful in serving the Lord every day.

First of all, Paul asks for prayer from the Thessalonians. Prayer is a part of our daily service to the Lord as we pray for one another. At the end of chapter 2 Paul mentions his prayer for the Thessalonians. Now in the first verses of chapter 3 he asks the Thessalonians to pray for him and his ministry team. His prayer request is that they would pray for the advancement of the gospel and for Paul and his team to be delivered from their present difficulties. We should also pray these things for our missionaries today -- safety and success in the spread of the gospel.

In verses 3-5, Paul speaks to the faithfulness of God to strengthen and protect the believers. He also speaks of a confidence that he has in the people that because of God's work in their lives they will be continue in faithfulness to obey the commands they learned from Paul. This brings up the issue of perseverance. We keep on doing the things God tells us through the scriptures to do. Our obedience is evidence of our faith. Our faith is a marathon and not a sprint. Keep going! God will do His part. Are we being obedient on a daily basis?

In verses 6-12, Paul addresses areas of living in which the believers should behave responsibly. Believers should live honorably and provide for themselves and their families. Christians are not to be idle people but industrious. We serve the Lord by behaving responsibly in these areas of life. When believers live responsibly, nonbelievers will have no cause to look down upon them.

Verses 13-18 are Paul's final thoughts. First of all, he encourages the believers to never tire of doing what is right. This is good encouragement for us today. Doing good and doing right can wear you down especially if it goes unnoticed or unappreciated. Keep doing it because God sees it. Secondly, Paul says we should encourage one another to remain obedient to the truth even if it means ostracizing one who is being disobedient. The intent of ostracizing the individual is to warn him and bring him back into alignment with God's will. Can ostracizing be a means of encouragement? Finally, Paul who deeply cares for these believers prays that God's peace and grace will be upon them at all times.

So, we can be faithful in serving the Lord (1) by praying for others, (2) by persevering in our obedience to His commands, (3) by living honorably and responsibly in life's daily activities, and (4) by constantly striving to do what is right and never tire of doing it.

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

For February 15

News

1. Attendance 2/8/09 -- We had 591 in Sunday School Sunday!! 315 at 8:30 and 276 at 9:45!

2. Discipleship Classes!! -- Classes have already started but you can still join today. Encourage class members to come Sunday night 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. and become part of one of the classes offered.

3. CARE Ministry -- If your class has not been involved in the CARE ministry on Tuesday nights, please come out and get involved. One class that has consistently been involved in CARE has grown twofold in attendance. CARE is every Tuesday night -- supper at 5:30, activities at 6:00 p.m.

4. Spring Sunday School Curriculum -- All adult classes will be using Explore the Bible curriculum during the March, April, and May months. This Sunday you will see this curriculum in your classroom to be distributed to students. You can also pick up your teaching materials.

Lesson Supplements for February 15

Bible Studies for Life
"Show Fresh Respect"
Genesis 3:20 - 4:26

The lesson for this Sunday is the annual emphasis on the Sanctity of Human Life. It is about showing godly respect for all human life from conception to natural death. Usually, the most obvious issue that arises with lessons like this is the issue of abortion, and it should be emphasized. Some 50 million abortions worldwide have occurred in the last thirty plus years. These are known abortions. There could be many more unrecorded. Practically every day you can see stories in the news related to this issue. With a President in office who supports choice when it comes to abortions and who will most likely be appointing Supreme Court justices to the bench, this issue will continue to be before us.
Abortion is not the only area of concern when it comes to respecting human life. Issues like euthanasia, murder, and violence are other obvious concerns, but what about even milder forms of mistreatment of our fellow man? What about seeing a person in need and not doing anything to help them when you have the means to do so? What about spreading rumors that injure another person? We should not do anything to another individual that does not promote life in that person. The way to do that is to get a fresh perspective on our fellow human beings. Here's how:

1. Recognize that all of life is a gift. God is the author of life. None of us would be here if it wasn't for Him. This levels the playing field. It makes me no better than the next person. My life is a gift, but so is that other person's life.

2. Refrain from Self-centered living -- The root of sin can always be traced back to pride, and living in pride is living a self-centered life. Cain was self-centered when he allowed his frustration to turn into anger that burned within him to the point that he acted maliciously toward his own flesh and blood, killing his brother Abel. James 1:13 discusses the progression of sin in one's life from desire to death. God tells Cain that sin is crouching at his door as a predator preparing to pounce on his prey. God tells Cain that he must master sin. Otherwise, it can master him. Self-centered living will always interfere with a proper treatment of your fellow human being.

3. Accept Responsibility for one another -- Cain seems to sarcastically say to God, "Am I my brother's keeper?" To which I believe God's response in short was, YES! We are accountable to God for each other. We are responsible for the well-being of our fellow man. We will suffer consequences when we fail in that responsibility.

4. Turn to the Lord -- The creator of life will restore life and give us a greater appreciation for it. We need to see human life through the eyes of God! That's an interesting thought!


Explore the Bible
"You Can Stay Calm"
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

This lesson is designed to help believers understand the basic biblical truths about Jesus' return and clarify how these truths can help us remain calm when we encounter unbiblical or various teachings about the second coming of Christ. As was the case in Paul's day, in our time there are varied ideas about Christ's second coming. When we encounter any idea, we should examine the idea against what the Bible declares. Paul wanted to dispel any worry or fear in the Thessalonians that may have crept into their hearts because of a false teaching that stated that Jesus had already returned. This was alarming to the people because it did not match up with what they had come to understand. So if we are going to remain calm in a world of uncertainty and in a world where so many "prophets' may be declaring "truth" about the second coming, we should:

1. Realize that deception is real and should be rejected -- Paul tells the people to reject falsehood. He says, "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way." How can we protect ourselves from deception? How do you recognize deception?

2. Remember the truth -- Remember the things you have been taught through the word of God. Paul takes a moment in his letter to remind them of the truth. We should regularly remind ourselves and each other of the truth. Think about people God has used throughout the years to instill the truth in your life. If they are still living, consider sending a thank you note or calling them to tell them how thankful you are to God for them.

3. Rest in the truth -- Paul encourages the Thessalonians to stand strong in the truth. Perseverance is the key. God who has chosen you and called you will also encourage and strengthen you if you stand firm on the truth.

If we do these things, we can remain calm whenever we encounter varied and unbiblical ideas related to the second coming of Christ.


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

For February 8

News

1. Attendance 2/1/09 -- We had 597 in Sunday School Sunday!! 305 at 8:30 and 292 at 9:45!

2. Spiritual Growth Assessment Follow Up -- Everyone should have completed the Spiritual Growth Assessment by now, but you may want to remind your class just in case.

3. Discipleship Classes Start This Sunday!! -- Please emphasize the start up of the Sunday night discipleship classes that will begin this Sunday afternoon. I will have registration forms in your boxes just outside of your classroom. Please pick some of them up and take them into class with you and offer people a chance to register. If they will be attending worship after your class, they can place their completed forms in the offering plate. Otherwise, I would like for you to collect them and leave them in your box outside your classroom.

4. CARE Ministry -- If your class has not been involved in the CARE ministry on Tuesday nights, please come out and get involved. One class that has consistently been involved in CARE has grown twofold in attendance. CARE is every Tuesday night -- supper at 5:30, activities at 6:00 p.m.

Lesson Supplements for February 8

Bible Studies for Life
"Discover Fresh Hope"
Psalm 42-43:5

This lesson addresses the issue of emotional letdown or depression. People become depressed for any number of reasons. One timely reason is because the winter months often leave people depressed. The length of days seem shorter, and it is colder. This lesson is also timely because of the depressed economic condition our country is experiencing. The downturn in the economy impacts the emotional state of people.

How can we experience true joy? According to the Psalms in this week's lesson, we should first understand our soul's deep desire. We were created to have relationship with God. Therefore, within each of us is a deep longing to be truly connected with Him. The first step out of depression is an increasing awareness of God's presence in our lives. We become more aware of God's presence when we put our hope in Him. Putting our hope in him is a subjective act. Praising Him can be objective actions, such as singing, quoting scripture, praying, studying the Bible, etc. The Psalmist says, "Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him."

The second step out of depression that we should take is to depend on God's faithful love. We should reflect on past experiences in our lives when God's presence was exceptionally real to us. As we remember those times, we gain strength and are better able to handle current difficulties. God has proven himself faithful in times past, certainly He will be faithful now.

The third step according to this lesson is to follow God's life and truth. The Psalmist calls for God to send His light and His truth. These will lead him to the house of God and the place of worship. This gives us great hope! God has sent his light, He is Jesus. He has given us His truth and that is His Word. When troubles come that lead to an emotional letdown, we should look into God's word and let it lead us into His presence, the place of joy!

Suggested Activities/Discussion Questions:

1. Find statistics on depression and share them with the class.
2. Pay attention to news articles that deal with depression and discuss them in class as case studies. If you find examples in the news about individuals going through depression, re-tell the news story as a case study and ask questions like, "If you knew someone in this condition, what would you do?"
3. Ask, "What causes depression in people?"
4. Give your class members a sheet of paper and pen and let them write a Psalm of praise to God that would help them in a time of depression.
5. Ask class members to share experiences in their lives when God proved himself faithful. Be prepared to share such a time that occurred in your life.
6. Divide into groups and challenge each group to locate and record Bible verses and passages that would be "light" and "truth" for people in times of emotional distress. Collect their work and compile results into one "Class Light and Truth" document. E-mail it to the class during the week.

Explore the Bible
"You Can Feel Safe"
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

This lesson also addresses how Christians should handle adversity. Paul wrote this letter to a group of believers who were facing persecution. In addition to the outside persecution the church faced, there were internal issues that made things difficult. Paul addresses both of these pressure points throughout the letter.

Paul's joy over the Thessalonians is manifested in the first chapter. His joy is based on the faithfulness the church has exhibited indicating that they have experienced great spiritual growth. They were demonstrating endurance and faith in the midst of great difficulty. Paul spoke highly of the Thessalonians to other churches. The Thessalonians were a model of faithful endurance in the face of great persecution. As we remain faithful, God blesses us with strength and courage in the midst of adversity. One way to handle adversity then is to stand firmly on God's truth and remain faithful in the midst of it.

A second way to handle adversity is to gain strength from God's promise of victory. Things may be difficult now, but there is coming a day when the victory will belong to those who have persevered in their faith in God. God will "repay with affliction those who afflict you." Moreover, He will reward us for our faithfulness with rest from all of our afflictions. Jesus is coming again and this time will be the final victory. In times of adversity, we should think about these things. These things give us confidence in knowing that God is fair and we can trust Him.

I think we find a third way to deal with adversity in verses 11-12 and that is through prayer. Paul prayed for the Thessalonians. We as believers should pray for one another's endurance in the faith and our prayers should follow the pattern that Paul prayed for the Thessalonians. He prayed that God's power would continue to be at work in their lives producing Christlikeness. He prayed that their faithful intentions would yield kingdom results. Finally, his prayer was that the Thessalonians would glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. These are things we need to pray for each other at all times and especially in times of adversity.

Suggested Activities/Discussion Questions:

1. Christians all across the globe face various kinds of persecution, even here in America. You may want to do some research on the persecution of Christians worldwide to introduce this lesson. http://www.persecution.org/ is one website you may want to explore. You may also ask your class, in what ways are we persecuted in America?
2. Divide your class into two and have a debate. On one side will be those who claim that God is Fair. On the other side will be those charged with the task of claiming that God is not fair (This will be a stretch but participants have probably heard people in the world argue this point).
3. Have the class write a prayer that they will pray for each other during this next week. It should follow the model prayer that Paul prayed for the Thessalonians.


Comments Welcome!